Legal Actions Against Critics Continue; Government's Insistence on Uniform Narrative of Islamic Republic's Attack on Israel

Despite a day passing since the Islamic Republic's direct attack on Israel, which ended in failure with U.S. and Israeli officials claiming that 99% of drones and missiles were intercepted before reaching Israel, the Iranian government insists on describing this operation as a 'great victory' and is taking legal action against anyone or any media outlet that presents a different interpretation. In this context, the Islamic Republic's efforts to unify the narrative of the missile and drone attack on Israel and its economic and political repercussions have coincided with the securitization of the public space in the country. Following summonses and legal actions, the Tehran prosecutor's office has filed charges against Hossein Dehghashi, a documentary filmmaker, claiming it is 'to counter disruptors of the psychological security of society.' According to published reports, this activist has been summoned to provide explanations to the Tehran prosecutor's office. Dehghashi was among those who criticized the Islamic Republic's missile and drone attacks on Israel, deeming them ineffective, through several short posts on the social media platform X. Analysts view the Islamic Republic's behavior and the intensification of pressure on political and social activists as an indication of increasing restrictions on freedom of expression in Iran. In recent days, the Iranian judiciary has taken action against media outlets and media activists. In this regard, the judiciary's news agency reported on Sunday, April 26, that the Tehran public and revolutionary prosecutor's office has filed charges against the newspaper 'Etemad' and Abbas Abdi, a political analyst affiliated with reformists, citing the 'legal duty of the judiciary to counter disruptors of the psychological security of society.' According to the news agency 'Mizan,' both the newspaper and Abdi have been summoned for what was termed 'providing explanations.' In another report, the website 'Entekhab' stated that Yashar Soltani, the manager of the 'Iskan News' channel, has also been summoned. He had previously made headlines by exposing a land-grabbing case involving Kazem Sediqi, the temporary Friday prayer leader of Tehran, and his sons. The details and reasons for the summonses were not mentioned in the reports published by Mizan and Entekhab. The Islamic Republic's news agency, IRNA, also reported on Sunday, April 26, that the Tehran prosecutor's office has accused the newspaper 'Jahan Sanat' and an economic journalist of 'disrupting the psychological security of society and unsettling the economic environment of the country' following the Islamic Republic's missile and drone attack on Israel. In this report, without naming the journalist, it was stated that for 'the protection of the psychological security of society,' in addition to the 'filing of charges' against the newspaper, a 'legal case' has also been opened against the mentioned journalist, and they have been summoned to provide explanations to the Tehran prosecutor's office. The charges against this newspaper and the formation of a case against a journalist came after the publication of the headline 'Severe Revenge or Major Concession' in the newspaper Jahan Sanat, with the Tehran public and revolutionary prosecutor's office claiming that 'following the successful and pride-inducing operation of the armed forces' of the Islamic Republic against Israel, the publication of this article disrupted 'the psychological security of society' and caused 'unrest' in Iran's economic environment. Meanwhile, Mohsen Barahani, a lawyer in Iran, described the Tehran prosecutor's charges with titles such as 'disrupting the psychological security of society' and 'unsettling the economic environment of the country' as 'very strange' and wrote, 'Such criminal titles do not exist in the existing laws of the country. Any report sent by the agents should not be the basis for initiating prosecution.' Following the Islamic Republic's direct military attack on Israel, the prices of gold and foreign currencies in the Iranian market have surged, with the price of one U.S. dollar reaching 70,000 tomans. While these attacks have been described by the Tehran prosecutor's office as 'successful and pride-inducing,' Reuters reported, citing two Western intelligence sources, that most of the drones flying during the Islamic Republic's nighttime attacks over Syrian airspace were intercepted by Israeli and American jets before reaching their targets in Israel. The Israeli army also announced yesterday that 99% of the drones and missiles fired by the Islamic Republic towards Israel were intercepted by Israel's defense system with the assistance of the U.S., U.K., and France. Ebrahim Raisi commented on the attack on Israel, stating, 'It was a manifestation of Iran's missile and drone capabilities.' The security implications of the attack on Israel in Iran: the prosecutor's office filed charges against the newspaper Etemad and Abbas Abdi. The Tehran prosecutor's office filed charges against the newspaper that questioned 'Severe Revenge.' Cameron urges Israel not to take retaliatory action against the Iranian government; sanctions against the Islamic Republic are increasing. The Islamic Republic's attack on Israel exacerbated problems for airlines in the Middle East. The Iranian government claims it warned before the attack on Israel; the United States denies this claim. G7 leaders condemned the 'unprecedented attacks' of the Islamic Republic against Israel. The UN Secretary-General, at an extraordinary Security Council meeting, stated that now is the time for maximum restraint and de-escalation. The response of four labor and professional organizations in Iran to the Islamic Republic's attack on Israel: it was adventurous and detrimental to the impoverished people's livelihoods. Shirin Ebadi stated that the attack on Israel is not an issue or demand of the people, but rather hostility towards the West and animosity towards the U.S.