Iran: Mohammad Mokhber, Interim President

According to Articles 130 and 131 of the first edition of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran (adopted in 1979), the first vice president – Mohammad Mokhber – will step in and assume the duties of the president after the death of President Ebrahim Raisi.

The Constitution stipulates that these responsibilities are transferred to the First Vice President with the approval of the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, and within 50 days the country needs to go to an election to elect a new president.

According to the Iranian political hierarchy, the head of the state is the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, and the president is considered the head of the government, the second-in-command.

In case of sudden death, the first vice president is expected to guide the country through this transitional period until new presidential elections are held. 

The Iranian constitution was amended in 1989, when important changes were instituted. 

Here are some key facts about Mohammad Mokhber:

As interim president, Mokhber will be part of a three-person council, along with the speaker of parliament and the head of the judiciary, that will organise a new presidential election within 50 days of the president's death.

Born on September 01, 1955, Mokhber, like Raisi, is seen as close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has the last say in all matters of state. Mokhber became first vice president in 2021 when Raisi was elected president.

Mokhber was part of a team of Iranian officials who visited Moscow in October last year and agreed to supply surface-to-surface missiles and more drones to Russian military. The team also included two senior officials from Iran's Revolutionary Guards and an official from the Supreme National Security Council.

Mokhber had previously been head of Setad, an investment fund linked to the supreme leader.

In 2010, the European Union included Mokhber on a list of individuals and entities it was sanctioning for alleged involvement in "nuclear or ballistic missile activities". Two years later, it removed him from the list.

In 2013, the US Treasury Department added Setad and 37 companies it oversaw to a list of sanctioned entities.

Setad, whose full name is Setad Ejraiye Farmane Hazrate Emam, or the Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam, was set up under an order issued by the founder of the Islamic Republic, Khamenei's predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. It ordered aides to sell and manage properties supposedly abandoned in the chaotic years after the 1979 Islamic Revolution and channel the bulk of the proceeds to charity.

 

Calm in Red Sea linked to ceasefire in Gaza

Iranian ambassador to Beijing, Mohsen Bakhtiar, has asserted that clashes in the Red Sea are a direct result of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, noting that situation in the strategic waterway will only become stable once the regime ceases its crimes against Palestinians.

The diplomat emphasized that if the United States and its allies genuinely seek peace, security, and stability in the region, they must prioritize an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Bakhtiar made the remarks during an interview with Chinese Phoenix TV. He highlighted Iran's efforts from the outset of the conflict to halt the Israeli onslaught. However, he accused the Zionist regime and its supporters of obstructing these efforts and facilitating the ongoing genocide.

Bakhtiar argued that the US vetoing of draft resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza has led to the escalation of tensions in the region, particularly in the Red Sea.

He condemned Israel's indiscriminate killing of thousands of innocent civilians, including attacks on mosques, churches, and hospitals.

Yemen’s armed forces began targeting Israeli ships and Israel-bound vessels passing through the Red Sea shortly after the regime began its latest round of attacks against Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip. Sana’a has said that it would stop the attacks once Israel ends the devastating war in Gaza.

The Arab country also began targeting American and British ships after London and Washington started to directly attack Yemeni soil in support of Israel instead of turning the screw on Zionists.  

The Iranian envoy to China also addressed Israel's April 01, 2024 attack on Iran’s consulate in Damascus. He criticized Western states for refusing to condemn the barbaric act.

“European states and G7 leaders failed to condemn this heinous act while they pretend to be champions of human rights and international law,” he said. 

On a positive note, Bakhtiar emphasized the deep and longstanding ties between Iran and China. He said centuries of amicable relations between the two countries and their people can help Tehran and Beijing further elevate cooperation and collaboration in different areas. 

 

Joe Biden’s genocide

The United States needs a president who won’t cede control of its foreign policy to an authoritarian, genocidal apartheid state, but who will instead work diligently for peace.

Joe Biden has continued the long tradition of American presidents who wage war in the name of keeping the peace and who violently displace people in the name of freedom.

It’s time for a new definition of what it means to be an American. It’s time to commit to the service of people, planet, and peace.

There is no red line for Biden with Israel, in fact there never was.

For 224 days Biden has repeatedly delivered material support for Israel’s brutality against Gaza.

Biden has now made it clear that he won’t stop for any reason.

The US government’s complicity in this genocide is a stain on all the Americans, but this will always be remembered as Joe Biden’s genocide.

The foreign ministers of 13 countries – including most of the G7 – issued statements calling on Israel to open the Rafah gate and allow aid into Gaza; the United States was not among them.

Five days after the invasion of Rafah, Biden made headlines announcing a “pause” on a single shipment of 3500 bombs to Israel, stating he was “concerned” the bombs would be used in Gaza.

Rafah was supposed to be Biden’s red line for Israel.

This “pause” (already too little and far too late) was meant to be proof that he meant it, but that was a lie.

It took five long, agonizing days for Joe Biden to act: after Israel unilaterally rejected a ceasefire agreement that would have resulted in a return of all hostages, invaded Rafah and began firing tanks at starving Palestinians huddled in tents, aid organizations and the UN and its allies and millions of Americans spoke out and demanded a halt on weapons to Israel.

Just days after delaying a few thousand bombs from shipping out, Biden is rushing weapons to Israel worth billion dollars.

Panama flagged oil tanker attacked off Yemen

According to Reuters, a Panamanian-flagged crude oil tanker was attacked near Yemen's Red Sea port city of Mocha, British security firm Ambrey said on Saturday.

Ambrey said a radio communication indicated the ship was hit by a missile and that there was a fire onboard about 10 nautical miles southwest of Mokha.

It had received assistance and one of its steering units was functional, Ambrey added, citing information it had received but without giving more details.

Other vessels in the vicinity were advised to exercise caution, Ambrey added in an advisory note.

Separately, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said earlier on Saturday that a vessel in the Red Sea was struck by an unknown object and sustained slight damage.

"The vessel and crew are safe and continuing to its next port of call," UKMTO said in an advisory note on the incident 98 nautical miles south of Yemen's Hodeidah port.

 

Iran: Oil pipelines to go operational this year

Iranian Oil Minister Javad Oji said 1,000 kilometers of oil pipeline will come online this Iranian calendar year, ending March20, 2025, to facilitate the transfer of oil products.

Speaking on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting, Oji said that three projects are ready to go operational in Eastern Azerbaijan Province including a 222-kilometer pipeline for conveying oil products from Tabriz to Oromyyeh, improving the quality of gasoil produced at Tabriz oil refinery and its sulfur recycling unit project. 

“Tabriz refinery’s improving gasoil quality project will increase the country’s euro-5 gasoil production capacity by five million liters per day”, the oil minister said, adding the project will be a considerable contribution to the improvement of the environmental situation and deterring air pollution. 

Tabriz-Oromyyeh and Bandar Abbas- Rafsanjan- Sirjan oil products transfer pipelines, as part of a general plan for the construction of a 1000 km pipeline this year, will facilitate oil product conveying from oil refineries to consumption destinations like power plants, industries, oil products storage facilities and so on, he said.

currently about 16,000 to 17,000 tanker trucks are involved in carrying oil products on roads across the country, the petroleum minister said, adding carrying oil products through pipelines will decrease tanker trucks movements and their related accidents while at the same time will improve the quality of air, will lessen the cost of transportation as well as preventing road quality deterioration.  

He said that under the related laws, 90 to 95 percent of fueling at gas stations should be done by using personal fuel cards which stands at around 70 percent currently. 

The official pointed to the creation of a system in the country to reduce fuel smuggling and said, “At first, this system will be used on a trial basis, and based on it, the allocation of oil and gas for trucks and inter-city buses will be done online.”

According to Oji, gasoil burning vehicles will receive their fuel rations depending on the distance they travel (allocating gasoil based on online documents) which will play an important role in gasoil smuggling prevention. 

 

Partnership between Chabahar and Gwadar

The Spokesperson and Additional Foreign Secretary of Pakistan has emphasized the enduring brotherly relations between Tehran and Islamabad and expressed Pakistan's readiness to expand bilateral cooperation with Iran, including the signing of an agreement to further the partnership between the ports of Chabahar in Iran and Gwadar in Pakistan.

During the weekly press briefing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra addressed the recent 10-year agreement signed between India and Iran concerning Chabahar port on May 13, and the subsequent reaction from the United States. 

Zahra clarified that Pakistan refrains from commenting on Iran's agreements with other countries and does not engage in discussions about the positions of third parties.

The agreement between India and Iran aims to facilitate the long-term development of the Shahid Beheshti terminal at Chabahar port, with operations managed by a subsidiary of India Global Ports Limited (IGPL). The Indian firm plans to invest US$120 million in equipping the terminal, and India has also extended a credit line of US$250 million to improve infrastructure around Chabahar.

Following the agreement, the US issued a warning that entities involved in business deals with Iran could face sanctions. US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel highlighted the potential risks associated with engaging in commercial activities with Iran.

Zahra also underscored the significance of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi's visit to Pakistan in April, describing it as a pivotal moment for bilateral cooperation. 

President Raisi's visit, accompanied by a high-ranking politico-economic delegation, included key meetings with Pakistani officials. 

During his two-day stay in Islamabad, President Raisi set an ambitious target of US$10 billion in bilateral trade, emphasizing the 900-kilometer shared border as a valuable opportunity for the development and prosperity of border areas.

 

 

Saudi Arabia supports internationally recognized Palestine State

Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman reaffirmed that Saudi Arabia supports the establishment of a Palestinian state and its international recognition as a full member of the United Nations.

The Gulf leaders attending the summit also included Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, UAE’s Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed Al-Maktoum, and Kuwait’s Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

Addressing the opening session of the Arab League Summit in Manama on Thursday, the Crown Prince called on the international community to support ceasefire efforts and halt the ongoing Israeli aggression on Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.

In his speech at the 33rd session of the Arab League Council at the summit level, Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that his country paid great attention to Arab issues, particularly the Palestine issue. Referring to Saudi Arabia’s hosting of the extraordinary Arab and Islamic Summit in Riyadh in November 2023 to discuss the Israeli aggression on Gaza.

Crown Prince said, “Saudi Arabia had hosted a meeting that condemned the Israeli aggression on Gaza under any pretext. Riyadh supported efforts to address the humanitarian conditions in Gaza,” he said. It is the first time the Arab leaders gathered after the Riyadh summit to discuss the dangerous Gaza escalation.

Saudi Arabia stresses the importance of maintaining the security of the Red Sea region, the Crown Prince said, while calling for stopping any acts that affect the safety of maritime navigation.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman also underlined that the Kingdom calls for resolving disputes through peaceful means.

Earlier, in his opening speech, King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa of Bahrain called for an international conference for peace in the Middle East.

He also pledged his country’s support for the full recognition of a Palestinian state and the acceptance of its membership in the United States. Recently, the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly backed a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member.

The Gaza situation and the establishment of a Palestine State figure high on the agenda of the one-day Arab League summit.