Latest Developments
• Tehran Incarcerates Iranian-American Journalist: The United States said that it was investigating Iran’s reported arrest of a dual national, Voice of America disclosed on November 1. “Iran routinely imprisons U.S. citizens and other countries’ citizens unjustly for political purposes,” said a U.S. State Department spokesman, in an apparent reference to Reza Valizadeh, a former journalist for the anti-regime broadcaster Radio Farda, whom Tehran reportedly arrested in late September.
• Tehran Executes Jewish Iranian After Flawed Trial: Iran’s judiciary executed Arvin Ghahremani, a Jewish-Iranian man, for a killing he claimed was in self-defense, the Norway-based nonprofit Iran Human Rights (IHR) reported on November 4. According to IHR, the “hasty” execution followed a trial with “significant flaws,” aided by the fact that Ghahremani come from a Jewish community that suffers widespread discrimination in Iran.
• Iran’s Repression Aims to Intimidate the West: The arrest and execution come amid rising Iranian belligerence that Iran has spearheaded against Israel, the United States, and their regional allies. Tehran may seek to deter its Western adversaries from further retaliation against its increased support for terrorist proxies in the region.
FDD Expert Response
“With a U.S. presidential election looming and Iran’s history of leveraging American hostages to its advantage, it’s not surprising to see the regime take another hostage. This is a form of gray zone warfare against the United States, and when we speak about restoring deterrence, we need to include hostage-taking in that conversation.” — Richard Goldberg, FDD Senior Advisor
“Hostage-taking is a central tactic in the regime’s foreign and security policy, becoming more sophisticated and frequent over time. The United States must find creative ways to leverage all aspects of national power to protect American citizens without yielding to Tehran.” — Saeed Ghasseminejad, FDD Senior Iran and Financial Economics Advisor
“Tehran’s subjugation of an Iranian-American and an Iranian Jew is proceeding because the regime fears for its own survival as its military and regional proxies suffer mounting defeats. Washington and Jerusalem must not succumb to Iranian blackmail. Instead, they should make clear that the Islamic Republic will face maximum military and economic pressure if it harms any other innocent person, American, Jewish, or otherwise.” — Tzvi Kahn, FDD Research Fellow and Senior Editor
“As a fundamental pillar of its apartheid ideology, Tehran perpetuates antisemitism both domestically and internationally. The regime’s contempt for Jewish communities in Iran, relegated to second-class status, is deeply embedded in the discriminatory legal framework established by the Islamic Republic. In addition to condemning this abhorrent injustice, Washington should also impose sanctions on Hamidreza Karami, the Kermanshah provincial prosecutor who oversaw the execution of Arvin Ghahremani.” — Janatan Sayeh, FDD Research Analyst
FDD Background and Analysis
“Iran Executes German-Iranian Dissident Who Lived in California,” FDD Flash Brief
“Jewish Man Facing Execution Under Iran’s Apartheid Laws Targeting Minorities,” FDD Flash Brief
“Wave of Executions Continues in Iran,” FDD Flash Brief
“U.S. to Release $6 Billion to Iran in Exchange for Hostages,” FDD Flash Brief
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