Abdol-Malek Rigi arrested in Iran

Iranian state news sites are exploding today with the news that Jondallah leader, Abdol-Malek Rigi, has been arrested in Iran. Some of the reports, however, are conflicting. IRNA claimed that Rigi was flying over Iran en route from Pakistan to an unspecified Arab country when his plane was forced to land in Iran by state authorities. Iran's English language Press TV describes a similar scenario; however, this time Rigi is said to have been captured while flying from Dubai to Kyrgyzstan and was apparently transfered to Iran from somewhere outside of the country. Fars News has provided pictures (see above) and video of the arrest.  Fars News also claims that Rigi had met with Americans in Afghanistan the day prior to his arrest.  Al-Jazeera (according to an OSC translation) claims that Rigi was arrested by Pakistani officials and transfered to Iran last week. It'll be interesting to see what the official story is in another day or two. Jondallah published a response to Rigi's arrest in which they blame a host of intelligence agencies (western countries, Afghanistan, and Pakistan) for working in collusion with the Iranians. Here's an additional photo of Rigi's arrest from Press TV (it sure looks like him):

Another photo of Rigi on an airplane after his arrest (courtesy: Tabnak):

Senior cleric threatens to marginalize Rafsanjani

Hardline cleric Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi, the head of the Society of Qom Seminary Teachers, took aim at Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani for the latter's ambiguous political position. Yazdi criticized Rafsanjani for a multitude of offenses, including his implicit support for the protest movement, his lack of support for the current president, and for his inherent disagreements with the Supreme Leader. At the core of Yazdi's castigation is the notion that Rafsanjani cannot, in good conscience, speak ill of a system of which he remains an active part. Yazdi further threatens Rafsanjani with total marginalization, by musing "we do not want what happened to [Ayatollah] Montazeri to happen to you." In other words, Yazdi is suggesting that the regime may move to isolate Rafsanjani and remove him from his official appointments if the latter does not side with the Supreme Leader in the election dispute. I do not foresee this happening, at least not anytime soon, but for Yazdi to publicly threaten Rafsanjani in such a way is a tad surprising. As if comparing Rafsanjani to Montazeri was not enough, Yazdi proclaims at the end of the article that he and the regime loyalists would follow Khamenei to hell, "but we will not come with you," adding: "And we're not ta'arofing" (i.e. don't take this as hyperbole).

[Image: Hardline cleric, Ayatollah Mohammad Yazdi]

Prophet Noah had sub-par managerial skills - Rahim-Mashai

Esfandyar Rahim-Mashai was taken to task for hist recent criticism of the Prophet Noah's "managerial skills." Apparently, last week Rahim-Mashai--a senior advisor and father-in-law to Mahmud Ahmadinejad--criticized the biblical prophet's ability to get things done, and suggested, that had he done his job more effectively the world would not have needed the help of additional prophets (such as Moses, Jesus, . . . etc.?). These comments fueled a Friday sermon by Mashhad's prayer leader, Ayatollah Alam ol-Hoda, who accused Rahim-Mashai of insulting the religious beliefs of the people. Iran's Etemad picked up the story, and described the situation thusly:

Masha'i . . . criticized Prophet Noah and said: If he had good managerial skills, other prophets would not have appeared after him. With regard to this, Mashhad's Friday Prayer Imam told Masha'i: You better study the Koran a little. Do you even know what Jesus Christ has done that you are questioning his management skill? Are you an expert? He added: We will not allow individuals giving in to temptations and working for foreigners to insult our religion and values [ OSC translation].

In other words, Alam ol-Hoda is playing Senator Lloyd Bentsen to Rahim-Mashai's Dan Quayle, suggesting that the latter is indeed "no Prophet Noah." Many conservatives still have it out for Rahim-Mashai for speaking kindly of the Israeli people, so it's likely that saying the Holy Prophets lacked some sort of expertise will not gain him much sympathy.

Jondallah leader's brother to be executed

According to the chief prosecutor of Iran's Sistan-Baluchistan province, Abdol-Hamid Rigi is to be executed. Abdol-Hamid, the brother of Jondollah's leader Abdol-Malek Rigi, was arrested by Pakistani security forces and later extradited to Iran in 2008. Although many Jondollah prisoners have been executed by the state since then, it appeared that Abdol-Hamid was being held as a bargaining chip. However, with Jondollah's terrorist activities continuing--some in direct response to Abdol-Hamid's detention--perhaps the Iranian government has changed its mind. Jondollah has not yet issued a response to this news.

Iranian provincial official assassinated, another targeted

A group associated with the Kurdish separatist organization Pjak has claimed responsibility for the murder of Vali Haji Qulizadeh--a prosecutor in Iran's West Azerbayjan province. Qulizadeh, a former IRGC commander, was shot multiple times by assailants on a motorcycle in front of his home on the evening of 18 January. The People's Liberation Forces of East Kurdistan's statement, released in Turkish on the Firat News Agency website (and translated by OSC), blames Qulizadeh for the harsh treatment of political prisoners and for his role in the death sentences of two Pjak activists.

The murder of Qulizadeh is reminiscent of the the political murders committed by Jondollah in the Sistan and Baluchistan province. Although it's unclear if Pjak and its associates will embrace this tactic to the same extent as Jondollah, it is possible that opportunists have become encouraged by Iran's current political turmoil. More evidence of this is the recent failed bombing in Mashhad, which seemingly targeted the province's governor on 17 January. It is not yet known who the bomber was (he reportedly died as a result of the explosion), or what may have fueled the action, but a bomb exploding near the governor's office in Iran's second largest city is indeed a big deal. Government officials have not commented much on the event, but have insisted that the bombing was not politically motivated. Whether this is the case or not is impossible to know at this point.

[Photo: Pjak militants, Warzer Jaff for The New York Times]

Resurfacing

So I've finally found the time (and regained the desire) to restart this site. I don't foresee output being any greater than a few posts per week, but if things in the region pick up, or I get into a groove, I may do more. For now, I'll be content with writing short pieces on topics that interest me. Things should look the same as before, but just as the region has changed in the last year, so too may the subject matter covered. The analysis on this site--like my academic work--will remain apolitical and dispassionate.

Public Radio on the history of the IRGC

An interesting interview from today's Worldview (WBEZ Chicago).

Check out the rest of the program too, as it features a thoughtful conversation with NYT's Roger Cohen on the question of journalism during the election and its aftermath.