Why Has Iran Remained Silent on the 'Death' of Jamal Khashoggi?

Despite the intense conflicts between Iran and Saudi Arabia, officials of the Islamic Republic have not reacted to claims regarding the murder of Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. Even state media and outlets affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards have not conducted extensive coverage of this incident, contrary to their usual practices. The Islamic Republic has not responded to this issue as much as the United States has. Although entering this game should be tempting for Iran, it seems that due to the ongoing conflicts between the two countries, Iran shares with Saudi Arabia the belief that it has the right to kill opponents anywhere in the world while denying any right for other countries to intervene in human rights issues. Furthermore, the Islamic Republic is currently embroiled in the detention of its diplomat accused of involvement in a plot to attack a meeting of the Mojahedin Khalq Organization in Paris and does not wish to highlight this case or other murders of opponents abroad by intervening in the Khashoggi matter. Some analysts find this situation strange, as it was believed that the Islamic Republic had ended the assassination of opponents abroad after the Mykonos trial due to the high political costs involved. Before the Mykonos trial, Iran had not paid a serious cost for these actions. Jamal Khashoggi symbolizes 'Saudi Arabia under bin Salman.' The assassination of opponents abroad has been pursued since the early years after the 1979 revolution. Initially, these actions were completely official, and Sadegh Khalkhali had no qualms about stating that he issues death sentences for the killing of officials from the Shah's regime abroad. However, after a while, the Islamic Republic no longer accepted responsibility for these murders. Although the targets of these foreign assassinations were mostly political figures and organizations opposed to the regime, a number of artists were also targeted. The Islamic Republic, in addition to dealing with writers and journalists inside the country and executing a chain of murders against them, also included the assassination of writers and artists abroad in its agenda. Fereydoun Farrokhzad was one of the victims of these murders, known for his satirical programs against the government. Bijan Fazli, the son of actor Reza Fazli and director of a video institute, was another victim of these murders, who was said to have been killed in a bombing that was actually intended to assassinate his father. According to reports, Abolqasem Misbah, a witness at the Mykonos trial and a former member of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence, also testified about a plot to kill Hadi Kharsandi. In this context, the Islamic Republic's maneuvering around the Khashoggi issue may remind one of the assassinations of government opponents abroad. The other side of the story is not significant for Iran. Why was Jamal Khashoggi likely killed? The reason for the Islamic Republic's serious reaction to the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a Shia cleric from Saudi Arabia, or similar issues is the political importance of supporting Shia interests or the concept of 'strategic depth,' but a figure like Jamal Khashoggi holds no political significance for Iran. The other side of the story, Turkey, may not differ much from Saudi Arabia in the eyes of Iranian officials. From the perspective of the Islamic Republic, Turkey's pursuit of this issue may be aimed at humiliating Saudi Arabia and gaining a higher hand in the region, aside from national pride and political authority. Although Tehran officials do not rule out the possibility of Turkey gaining leverage over Saudi Arabia in their analytical model. All these reasons lead Iranian officials to avoid entering this tempting game and perhaps send a message to Saudi officials that they have acted 'nobly' by not aligning with the West to pressure this country despite their differences with Riyadh.