Iran
Ebrahim Motaghi, a professor at Tehran University, in an interview with Rudaw in February. Photo: Rudaw
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A renowned professor at Tehran University has emphasized that Iran’s economy, foreign relations and security are in a precarious position due to ongoing regional and international developments.
“Three key aspects - economy, foreign relations, and security - have been threatened,” said Ebrahim Motaghi in an interview with Rudaw, elaborating that “inflation has risen, regional fluctuations have emerged in foreign policy, and in security, Iran has lost part of its surplus power in the region.”
Following a swift offensive, a coalition of opposition groups led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), headed by Ahmed al-Sharaa, on December 8 toppled the regime of Tehran’s ally, Bashar al-Assad, who fled to Russia with his family.
The downfall of Assad has been characterized as a major blow to the Iran-led ‘Axis of Resistance,’ which also includes Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas, and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza. These groups have also suffered setbacks over the past 16 months due to ongoing conflict with Israel.
On the international stage, the United States President Donald Trump in early February restored the maximum pressure policy against Iran. He argued that Tehran is “too close” to obtaining nuclear weapons, but expressed interest in negotiating a deal with Iran.
In response, Iran has repeatedly denied any intentions of developing nuclear weapons and its Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei slammed negotiations with the US as “unwise.”
Motaghi told Rudaw that in light of these developments, the Iranian people are in stall for many uncertainties regarding economic policies and foreign relations.
In a different vein, the Iranian academic highlighted the positive effects of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's administration, including his more relaxed implementation of the hijab law.
Iran’s 1979 hijab law requires all women in the country to cover their hair with a hijab and wear loose-fitting clothing in public.
Tehran’s Guardian Council in early December approved a stricter hijab law, which includes measures such as hefty fines for violations, the installation of CCTV cameras with facial recognition technology in state offices to identify offenders and penalties for businesses that fail to enforce the dress code. Additionally, the law also empowers ordinary citizens to report violations.
Pezeshkian in December emphasized discussions are needed to determine the feasibility of the new hijab law, asserting his commitment to reformist principles.
Notably, the strict hijab law came despite the nationwide protests which broke out in Iran in September 2022, and were sparked by the death of a Kurdish woman, Zhina (Mahsa) Amini, in the custody of Iran’s morality police. Amini was detained for allegedly violating the dress code.
Motaghi noted that “over the past two years, debates surrounding political and social unrest have been taking place in Iran, primarily due to the systematic political paradigm for controlling hijab enforcement laws. Mr. Pezeshkian has clarified that enforcing the hijab law should not be a top priority for the government. He emphasized that every country must first ensure security and welfare before focusing on such issues”
The Iranian scholar also stressed that social freedoms, including concerts, student activities, and a greater sense of hope, contribute to societal change. He emphasized that "if such conditions were met,” many value frameworks would inevitably shape the social structure in a deterministic way.
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