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Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (left), Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud (right), and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang shake hands during a meeting in Beijing on April 6.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (left), Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud (right), and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang shake hands during a meeting in Beijing on April 6.

Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. To subscribe, click here.

I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what I've been following during the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead.

The Big Issue

Iran appears to be making headway toward renewing official ties with Saudi Arabia and Persian Gulf states that in some cases have been publicly avoiding Tehran for decades.

The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia held talks in Beijing on April 6 in a significant step toward restoring diplomatic relations, which were cut in 2016 after protesters attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran following Riyadh’s execution of prominent Saudi Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.

Iran also accepted an invitation from Saudi King Salman for President Ebrahim Raisi to visit Riyadh, while Tehran said it will send a similar invitation to the Saudi king. Meanwhile, a Saudi delegation traveled to Iran on April 9 to discuss the reopening of the embassy in Tehran and a consulate in Mashhad. The trip came as Iranian media reported on April 8 that a street sign near the Saudi consulate in Mashhad provocatively named after Sheikh al-Nimr had been quietly removed. An Iranian delegation also arrived in Saudi Arabia on April 12 to pave the way for the reopening of Iranian diplomatic missions there.

Iran is meanwhile taking steps to improve ties with other countries in the region, naming an ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and working to decrease tensions with Egypt and Bahrain.

Why It Matters: Iran and Saudi Arabia appear to be pursuing implementation of last month’s Chinese-brokered agreement, possibly clearing the way for Tehran to de-escalate tensions with other countries that followed Riyadh’s lead on a rupture seven years ago.

What's Next: Tehran and Riyadh could move surprisingly swiftly toward normalization, but it’s no sure thing. Abdolrasool Divsallar, a visiting professor at the Catholic University of Milan (UCSC), told me that the political environment between the two regional rivals could encourage the start of military and security talks within months.

But Divsallar also warned that opponents at home and abroad could still undermine the agreement. “Hard-liners in Iran may act as a spoiler rather than as a supporter of the deal,” he said, adding that Israel could do the same.

“The regional tensions between Israel and Iran, on one side, and…between Iran, Saudi [Arabia] and the United States, on the other side, are two dynamics that make this process very fragile,” he said.

Divsallar also suggested that any normalization between Iran and countries with “less appetite” for a quick restoration of ties, for instance Bahrain, could take longer.

“They feel more secure under the current status quo rather than immediately normalizing their ties with the Islamic republic and losing their leverage,” he said, adding, “They may wait to see a major change of policies.”

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Iran’s civil aviation sector has for years been under Western sanctions that prevent it from purchasing new aircraft or spare parts for repairs. Now, Russia's oldest airline, Aeroflot, has sent one of its passenger planes to Iran for repairs for the first time ever. Aeroflot reportedly ran into obstacles at home stemming from Western sanctions over Russia’s ongoing, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The RBK media group cited an Aeroflot representative and sources close to the company on April 11 as saying that an Airbus A330-300 had been sent to Tehran on April 5 to be repaired by specialists from Iran's Mahan Air.

Iranian pensioners staged protests in more than a dozen cities across Iran, demanding higher pensions amid soaring prices. Protests were reported on April 9 in Tehran, Ahvaz, Mashhad, Isfahan, Arak, Qom, Shush, Tabriz, and several other cities where retirees complained of poor living conditions and chanted anti-government slogans. Labor protests in Iran have swelled as the economy deteriorates following years of mismanagement compounded by crippling U.S. sanctions.

What We're Watching

Prominent Iranian female religious scholar Sedigheh Vasmaghi has challenged Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei over the Islamic republic’s mandatory hijab law.

In a letter published online, Vasmaghi asked about the reasoning behind Iran’s “strict model” for women’s dress and said the Koran does not specify the need for women to cover their hair in public.

“There is no evidence to show that during the time of the Prophet Muhammad women were harassed and punished for not covering their hair or even their bodies,” Vasmaghi, who has published several books on Islamic jurisprudence, wrote.

Why It Matters: Vasmaghi’s letter is significant for its timing -- just days after Khamenei asserted that the removal of the hijab in public was religiously banned. But it is also important because it comes from a religious woman who wears the veil while opposing the mandatory hijab, which is seemingly being defied by a growing number of women.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

Until next time,

Golnaz Esfandiari

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday.

Iranian women have been protesting against their country's compulsory head-scarf law for months. (file photo)
Iranian women have been protesting against their country's compulsory head-scarf law for months. (file photo)

Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. To subscribe, click here.

I'm RFE/RL correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here's what I've been following during the past week and what I'm watching for in the days ahead.

The Big Issue

More Iranian women and girls are flouting the country’s Islamic dress code, including the mandatory hijab, in a direct challenge to the authorities.

The clerical establishment has responded by issuing increasingly severe warnings and raising the cost for girls and women who refuse to wear the Islamic head scarf in public.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on April 4 said the removal of the hijab in public was politically and religiously banned. He blamed Tehran’s enemies for encouraging women to ditch the head scarf, which is a pillar of the Islamic system in Iran.

A day earlier, Iran's Education and Science ministries published separate statements saying they will no longer provide educational services to students in schools and universities who do not follow the dress code.

Lawmaker Hossein Jalali said the judiciary, the Interior Ministry, the Supreme National Security Council, and parliament have agreed on a new plan to enforce the hijab. Under the plan, women will first receive an official warning via a text message. Repeat offenders, Jalali said, will be fined and denied access to “many public services.”

The authorities have recently closed dozens of businesses, including restaurants, cafes, and hotels, for allegedly not enforcing the hijab law.

Why It Matters: It does not appear that the threats by the authorities in recent weeks have stopped many women from flouting the law.

Women have been emboldened by the nationwide antiestablishment protests that erupted in September following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini soon after she was arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating the hijab law. During the demonstrations, women and girls removed and burned their head scarves.

But it also does not appear that the authorities will back down, putting women and the establishment on a collision course.

Veteran women’s rights activist Mansureh Shojaei told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that the decision to deny educational services to students who refuse to wear the head scarf amounts to “gender apartheid.”

“For years, we’ve said that women face gender apartheid in Iran. It’s never been so obvious,” Shojaei said in a telephone interview.

What's Next: Any measure to enforce the hijab law is likely to face resistance from women, particularly among Iran’s Internet-savvy younger generation who want greater social and political freedoms.

Prominent human rights advocate Nasrin Sotoudeh told French magazine Le Point that women are unlikely to obey tighter restrictions because “they don’t respect the current law.” Sotoudeh said women feel “insulted” by the hijab law and efforts to enforce it could stir up more protests.

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Iran and Russia continue to build on their defense cooperation, trading weaponry and military technology that satisfies their immediate needs. Iran's latest reported hauls include new Russian fighter jets, advanced antimissile systems, and cybertechnology in exchange for military drones and ammunition. Experts say it is unclear whether Moscow and Tehran's weapons-swapping partnership is a long-term fit, or a case of sanctioned friends with benefits.

An Iranian man allegedly attacked two women who were not wearing the hijab in a shop in the northeastern city of Mashhad. A video of the incident where the man is seen pouring what appears to be a tub of yogurt on the women’s heads went viral on social media, provoking anger among Iranians.

What We're Watching

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said two of its officers were killed after Israeli air strikes on March 31 in Syria, where Tehran has deployed military advisers and fighters to prop up the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Iran has vowed to avenge the deaths of the two “martyrs.”

Over the weekend, Israel said it shot down a drone that had infiltrated its air space from Syria. Israel on April 3 said it believed Iran was behind it.

Why It Matters: Israel has recently ramped up its attacks in Syria, where it has carried out strikes against what it described as Iran-linked targets for years.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said Israel has targeted Syrian territory on at least 10 occasions this year.

The attacks have heightened tensions between Iran and Israel and intensified the shadow war between the two foes.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

Until next time,

Golnaz Esfandiari

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Wednesday.

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About This Newsletter

The Farda Briefing

The Farda Briefing is an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. Written by senior correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari and other reporters from Radio Farda.

The Farda Briefing is currently on a summer hiatus. In the meantime, please let us know what you have enjoyed about the newsletter in its current format, and what changes or suggestions you have for the future. Please send them to newsletters@rferl.org.

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