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Iran’s Sham Elections: The Inevitable Charade of a Theocratic Regime
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei performs prayer at a funeral for victims of helicopter crash that killed Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, Foreign Minister Hossein Abdollahian, and others, in Tehran, Iran, May 22, 2024. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency) Handout via REUTERS
As another presidential election looms in Iran, the charade orchestrated by the theocracy of Shiite mullahs unfolds yet again. This exercise, set against the backdrop of former President Ebrahim Raisi’s oppressive regime, is less about electoral competition and more a calculated spectacle of pseudo-democratic posturing.
With Raisi’s tenure coming to an ignominious close — marked by brutality and gross ineffectiveness — the stage is set not for change but for the reaffirmation of authoritarian control under the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the omnipotent Guardian Council. In a nation gripped by the iron fist of a theocratic dictatorship, expecting any semblance of democracy, openness, or reform is nothing short of insanity.
The Illusion of Electoral Choice Amidst Systematic Suppression
The forthcoming electoral process, beginning with candidate registrations on May 30, is meticulously controlled to ensure no deviation from the regime’s hard-line ideology. Campaign efforts, kicking off on June 12 and culminating in the vote on June 28, are predicted to display a roster of candidates pre-approved by Khamenei, with the Guardian Council acting as the gatekeeper, filtering out any potential threats to the status quo.
Figures like Saeed Jalili, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Hossein Dehghan, and Parviz Fattah are poised to continue the regime’s legacy — each embodying the regime’s preference for continuity, suppression, and control.
Peripheral contenders such as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Mohsen Rezaei, despite their familiarity in Iranian politics, face significant public and official disdain due to their problematic pasts. Meanwhile, reformist elements within the regime, crippled by a lack of support from Khamenei and real public backing, linger ineffectually, unable to mount any credible challenge to the conservative mainstream.
Widespread Disillusionment and the Mockery of Voting
The prevailing sentiment among the Iranian public is one of deep-seated disillusionment and disengagement. Recognizing the elections for the farce they are, many call for a boycott, unwilling to legitimize a process that mocks the very essence of democratic engagement. Historical participation rates hovering around 10-15% starkly contradict the regime’s inflated claims of electoral support, underscoring a profound disconnect between the government and the governed.
In a nation where approximately 10-15% of the populace still supports the outdated and fanatical ideologies of the regime, the vast majority of Iranians are disillusioned. They see the electoral process not as a mechanism of change, but as a tool to perpetuate a facade of legitimacy and democracy where none exists.
Global Perspective and Media Responsibility
As Iran stages this electoral theater, the international community, especially the United States, which will soon conduct its own elections, watches with a mix of skepticism and concern. Predictably, the outcome of Iran’s elections will lead to another term of oppression, devoid of any real representation or public voice, continuing under the guise of harsh and repressive governance akin to Raisi’s rule.
It is imperative for the international media to look beyond the regime’s narrative and focus on the real issues faced by the Iranian people. This stark disparity between Iran’s manipulated electoral displays and the democratic processes observed in more open societies highlights an urgent need for international media to expose the realities of the regime’s oppressive governance and the people’s genuine desire for change and democracy.
Conclusion: Reflecting on the Unyielding Grip of Theocracy
Reflecting on the upcoming electoral exercise in Iran, it is evident that the real challenge is not about choosing a new leader but about the broader struggle of the Iranian people to find their voice within a system fundamentally rigged against them. The anticipation of any democratic openness under the current theocratic regime is not just unrealistic; it is a delusion. The regime’s consistent manipulation of voter turnout and its unabashed perpetuation of a controlled political narrative reveal the systemic deceit at the heart of Iran’s political landscape.
In conclusion, as Iran stands on the precipice of another orchestrated electoral exercise, the contrast between the promise of democracy and the reality of theocratic oppression could not be clearer. As the world watches, it is crucial to recognize and support the Iranian people’s gradual but determined march towards reclaiming their autonomy, challenging the deeply entrenched theocracy that has long stifled their freedoms and aspirations.
Erfan Fard is a counterterrorism analyst and Middle East Studies researcher based in Washington, DC. Twitter @EQFARD.
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Iranian Media Claims Obtaining ‘Sensitive’ Israeli Intelligence Materials
FILE PHOTO: The atomic symbol and the Iranian flag are seen in this illustration, July 21, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
i24 News – Iranian and Iran-affiliated media claimed on Saturday that the Islamic Republic had obtained a trove of “strategic and sensitive” Israeli intelligence materials related to Israel’s nuclear facilities and defense plans.
“Iran’s intelligence apparatus has obtained a vast quantity of strategic and sensitive information and documents belonging to the Zionist regime,” Iran’s state broadcaster said, referring to Israel in the manner accepted in those Muslim or Arab states that don’t recognize its legitimacy. The statement was also relayed by the Lebanese site Al-Mayadeen, affiliated with the Iran-backed jihadists of Hezbollah.
The reports did not include any details on the documents or how Iran had obtained them.
The intelligence reportedly included “thousands of documents related to that regime’s nuclear plans and facilities,” it added.
According to the reports, “the data haul was extracted during a covert operation and included a vast volume of materials including documents, images, and videos.”
The report comes amid high tensions over Iran’s nuclear program, over which it is in talks with the US administration of President Donald Trump.
Iranian-Israeli tensions reached an all-time high since the October 7 massacre and the subsequent Gaza war, including Iranian rocket fire on Israel and Israeli aerial raids in Iran that devastated much of the regime’s air defenses.
Israel, which regards the prospect of the antisemitic mullah regime obtaining a nuclear weapon as an existential threat, has indicated it could resort to a military strike against Iran’s installations should talks fail to curb uranium enrichment.
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Israel Retrieves Body of Thai Hostage from Gaza
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz looks on, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, Nov. 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
The Israeli military has retrieved the body of a Thai hostage who had been held in Gaza since Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday.
Nattapong Pinta’s body was held by a Palestinian terrorist group called the Mujahedeen Brigades, and was recovered from the area of Rafah in southern Gaza, Katz said. His family in Thailand has been notified.
Pinta, an agricultural worker, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz, a small Israeli community near the Gaza border where a quarter of the population was killed or taken hostage during the Hamas attack that triggered the devastating war in Gaza.
Israel’s military said Pinta had been abducted alive and killed by his captors, who had also killed and taken to Gaza the bodies of two more Israeli-American hostages that were retrieved earlier this week.
There was no immediate comment from the Mujahedeen Brigades, who have previously denied killing their captives, or from Hamas. The Israeli military said the Brigades were still holding the body of another foreign national. Only 20 of the 55 remaining hostages are believed to still be alive.
The Mujahedeen Brigades also held and killed Israeli hostage Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, according to Israeli authorities. Their bodies were returned during a two-month ceasefire, which collapsed in March after the two sides could not agree on terms for extending it to a second phase.
Israel has since expanded its offensive across the Gaza Strip as US, Qatari and Egyptian-led efforts to secure another ceasefire have faltered.
US-BACKED AID GROUP HALTS DISTRIBUTIONS
The United Nations has warned that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli blockade of the enclave, with the rate of young children suffering from acute malnutrition nearly tripling.
Aid distribution was halted on Friday after the US-and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation said overcrowding had made it unsafe to continue operations. It was unclear whether aid had resumed on Saturday.
The GHF began distributing food packages in Gaza at the end of May, overseeing a new model of aid distribution which the United Nations says is neither impartial nor neutral. It says it has provided around 9 million meals so far.
The Israeli military said on Saturday that 350 trucks of humanitarian aid belonging to U.N. and other international relief groups were transferred this week via the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza.
The war erupted after Hamas-led terrorists took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, in the October 7, 2023 attack, Israel’s single deadliest day.
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US Mulls Giving Millions to Controversial Gaza Aid Foundation, Sources Say
Palestinians carry aid supplies which they received from the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, May 29, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ramadan Abed/File Photo
The State Department is weighing giving $500 million to the new foundation providing aid to war-shattered Gaza, according to two knowledgeable sources and two former US officials, a move that would involve the US more deeply in a controversial aid effort that has been beset by violence and chaos.
The sources and former US officials, all of whom requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, said that money for Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) would come from the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which is being folded into the US State Department.
The plan has met resistance from some US officials concerned with the deadly shootings of Palestinians near aid distribution sites and the competence of the GHF, the two sources said.
The GHF, which has been fiercely criticized by humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations, for an alleged lack of neutrality, began distributing aid last week amid warnings that most of Gaza’s 2.3 million population is at risk of famine after an 11-week Israeli aid blockade, which was lifted on May 19 when limited deliveries were allowed to resume.
The foundation has seen senior personnel quit and had to pause handouts twice this week after crowds overwhelmed its distribution hubs.
The State Department and GHF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reuters has been unable to establish who is currently funding the GHF operations, which began in Gaza last week. The GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to transport aid into Gaza for distribution at so-called secure distribution sites.
On Thursday, Reuters reported that a Chicago-based private equity firm, McNally Capital, has an “economic interest” in the for-profit US contractor overseeing the logistics and security of GHF’s aid distribution hubs in the enclave.
While US President Donald Trump’s administration and Israel say they don’t finance the GHF operation, both have been pressing the United Nations and international aid groups to work with it.
The US and Israel argue that aid distributed by a long-established U.N. aid network was diverted to Hamas. Hamas has denied that.
USAID has been all but dismantled. Some 80 percent of its programs have been canceled and its staff face termination as part of President Donald Trump’s drive to align US foreign policy with his “America First” agenda.
One source with knowledge of the matter and one former senior official said the proposal to give the $500 million to GHF has been championed by acting deputy USAID Administrator Ken Jackson, who has helped oversee the agency’s dismemberment.
The source said that Israel requested the funds to underwrite GHF’s operations for 180 days.
The Israeli government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The two sources said that some US officials have concerns with the plan because of the overcrowding that has affected the aid distribution hubs run by GHF’s contractor, and violence nearby.
Those officials also want well-established non-governmental organizations experienced in running aid operations in Gaza and elsewhere to be involved in the operation if the State Department approves the funds for GHF, a position that Israel likely will oppose, the sources said.
The post US Mulls Giving Millions to Controversial Gaza Aid Foundation, Sources Say first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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