Iran commentary by top observers

[Barbara]

"Bad news for the enemies of the Islamic Republic!

It seems you'll have to once again salute the Khomeini-Khamenei legacy! "

https://x.com/IRGC_Press/status/2075942462997283201

[Barbara]

President Pezeshkian is good, there is no doubt about THAT.

But what if President Ebrahim Raisi had survived ?? How would things be different ?

Someone's opinion piece.
Still waiting for the truth to emerge about that helicopter crash in Azerbaijan that fateful sad day.
Never overload a helicopter is the message. BUT - was there any organization behind the crash or was it just the fog ?

"The former Iranian President "Ebrahim Raisi" ruled for only 3 years from 2021 - 2024, during which he accomplished the following:

1- Iran's accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on July 4, 2023
2- Iran's accession to the BRICS organization on January 1, 2024
3- Signed 20 comprehensive strategic agreements with China and fully opened Iran's economy to China
4- Signed a comprehensive agreement with Russia for 20 years in the fields of security, energy, economy, and military cooperation, and began importing weapons from Russia..
5- Normalized relations with Saudi Arabia in March 2023 under Chinese sponsorship
6- Expanded Iran's relations with Pakistan, and during his tenure, cultural, political ties and trade exchange between the two countries increased
7- Boosted the resistance economy based on non-oil exports by 40% to counter the American siege, and opened markets for Iran in Asia, Africa, and Latin America..
8- Built massive infrastructure, including dams and water projects for agriculture and industry worth billions of dollars
9- Greatly expanded underground weapons factories, opened new ones, and upgraded some old ones for massive production of missiles and drones..(which you gentlemen are seeing now as the effects of his tenure)

In the end, his policy was toward the East and a complete break with the West, with no trust in it

Therefore, it's most likely that his death in a plane crash was indeed orchestrated, because his alternative, Pezeshkian, is much weaker than him, leans more toward the West than the East, and hasn't accomplished even 1/10 of what Raisi did, especially in the field of foreign relations and opening up to the East..

The upcoming Iranian elections in 2028 are very important

Because they will either end the reformists' trajectory and terminate their popular line by portraying them as complicit and weak now in negotiations, and thus bring in figures like Raisi, at which point Iran will be a full-fledged Eastern ally and a major global pole alongside Russia and China—and it's most likely this will happen, because the new Leader is extremely hardline.

Or the situation will remain as it is, with conflict between the presidency and the general religious leadership institutions.
And no clarity on Iran's position in any future negotiations with the West."

https://x.com/sameh_asker/status/2076051727359553630

[Barbara]

"Abbas Araghchi's trip to Oman today is the most different and the most challenging trip he has made to this country in the past few years. Oman has always played the role of Iran's noble neighbor and mediator between Iran and America. But this time, it is the subject of negotiation itself.

1- The British military base on Omani soil provided extensive intelligence assistance to America both in the 12-day war and the 40-day war, and the base's radars provided Israel and America with real-time monitoring. For reasons including requests from the Omanis, Iran has not targeted this base so far.

2- The Omanis were in favor of Iran collecting tolls from the outset, with the condition that we too should have a share proportionate to the extent of our territorial waters—which is less than Iran's. They even said they would hire the best lawyers to establish this "right" in international forums.

3- Pressure from America and the Omanis' capitulation led to the ordinary and historical route for ship transit, under American guidance, giving way for the first time to a new route called the "Oman Route." This was fundamentally designed to remove control of the Strait from Iran's hands.

4- Ordinary contacts with the Omanis yielded no results, and they presented America as the main actor in this route. After invisible shots struck several ships on this route, traffic on it dropped to "zero." The Americans' efforts to reopen this route—even by attacking a few points in Iran—failed.

5- I have no expectation of an ordinary trip full of chit-chat and free of tension from Araghchi's visit this time. Control of the Strait is a matter of honor for Iran. The model for this trip could be a final warning to the Omanis, out of respect for our old friendship; otherwise, in similar cases, Iran has done what it had to do."

https://x.com/demokracy/status/2075997917668684182

[Barbara]

Fascinating to hear the "discussion"

Best of all, the US Navy ship backed down and COMPLIED with the IRGC orders !

This was from July 1 2026 or sometime earlier than that

"IRGC releases video of their conversation with the US Navy

Before the aircraft carrier Eisenhower left the Persian Gulf.

The IRGC forced the US Navy to land its helicopters on deck and leave the Persian Gulf without provocations"

https://x.com/IRGC_Press/status/2072320580024709610

[Barbara]

Undated footage but must have been from 20 years ago ?

https://x.com/SakinaTaqvi3/status/2076313466483392879

[Barbara]

This is just what I was afraid of from seeing the unpleasant clips of Iranians walking around looking SO Western.

When I was there not long after the Revolution, it was so sedate ! No one dared to appear in anything but the most conservative clothes or they would be warned to dress better.

One heard about parties in the wealthier Shemiran area, north Teheran, where people were kind of wild. These were shut down by the Revolutionary Guards often. But it was hardly a widespread phenomenon.

Instead, people told me that they liked the fact of having a conservative society instead of a copycat Western one because they knew they had lost their family closeness during the latter decades of the Shah's rule.

They were enjoying spending with their families rather than trying to show off cheap looking risque dresses for women, or for men trying to pretend they were international financiers, etc. It was all image and superficiality with no soul.

But now, it looks from this post that society has gotten out of control all over again.

Next door Afghanistan is mocked ruthlessly, but one would NEVER find anything remotely like this description existing THERE.

I don't agree with the political analysis part but this is the 1st statement like this i have seen so I'm posting it :

""

https://x.com/websterkaroon/status/2076495150965309672

[Barbara]

Video may well be a fake. If you notice, most of the time the figure of importance is blocked out of view.

Also I saw this already a few weeks ago. It didn't attract much attention then and is being recycled now.

It may well have been intended as a 'proof of life' type video, which was what i figured at the time I saw it originally.

But surely, a scene like this is likely, given the incredible humility of this entire family.

The question is whether this clip is real or not. Time will tell !

https://x.com/IRGC_Press/status/2076758955171447293