Iran Democracy Monitor: No. 120

REZAEE RISING?
Mohsen Rezaee, the former IRGC commander and failed presidential candidate who lost to incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Iran's contested 2009 election, is once again hitting the campaign trail. Rezaee has announced his intention to run for president of Iran during next year's polls. During the 2009 presidential cycle, Rezaee - who ran as a member of the Moderation and Development party - finished third behind Ahmadinejad and "reformist" challenger Mir Houssein Mousavi with a mere 1.7 percent of the vote. But this time out, Rezaee might fare better; the former Guardsman currently serves as Secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council — a position appointed directly by the country's Supreme Leader. (Tehran FARS, June 13, 2012)

THE IRGC TAKES AIM AT CHURCHES
After operating for a decade-and-a-half, the Assembly of God Church in western Tehran was forced to close down last month. The closure comes after the Intelligence Organization of Iran's Revolutionary Guards abruptly assumed oversight of churches in Iran earlier this year, and thereafter proceeded to launch an assault on Christian houses of worship within the Islamic Republic. In the past few months, a number of prominent churches have been shut down, and several church members and leaders arrested. Hadi Ghaemi, a spokesperson for the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, says the recent efforts are “an assault on free religious practice...and a sign of growing religious intolerance within the Iranian government,” as well as a parallel to “the Iranian government’s effort to suppress many religious groups and religious leaders, including Baha’is, Sufi and Sunni Muslims, and even Shia Muslim clerics, who possess views that differ from those of the government.” (International Campaign For Human Rights In Iran, June 8, 2012)

IRAN BUILDS NEW REGIONAL ENERGY BONDS
After three months of discussions, Iran and Syria are on track to finalize an agreement for the Assad regime to begin importing Iranian natural gas. The deal envisions that supplies of Iranian gas will be transported to Syria via Iraq. It comes as part of the Islamic Republic's push to become a significant regional exporter of energy; last month, Iran began exporting 50 megawatts of electricity to both Syria and Lebanon. According to the Deputy Director of the National Iranian Gas Company, an estimated 10 to 15 million cubic meters of gas will be exported to Syria daily under the agreement as a part of a long-term effort to send natural gas to European countries via the same route.

Iran is also expanding its energy ties to Iraq. The construction of a new power transfer line connecting Iran to central Iraq has allowed Iran to increase its exports of electricity to its western neighbor. According to Iranian Energy Minister Majid Namjoo, Iran’s energy exports to Iraq have surged by some 40 percent since last year. The increased energy exports are possible due to a domestic reform plan whereby the Iranian government is reducing domestic energy consumption. (Tehran FARS, June 12, 2012; Tehran IRNA, June 13, 2012)

IRANIAN OPPOSITION CONDEMNS REGIME SUPPORT FOR SYRIA
The Iranian regime's ongoing sponsorship of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has emerged as a rallying point for diverse elements of the Iranian opposition. A joint statement signed by no fewer than sixteen political movements has condemned the "full partnership" between Tehran and Damascus, and rejected complicity in the Syrian regime's crimes. The statement also highlighted the similarities between the Syrian and Iranian experience: “The similarities of the tracing method, the suppression techniques, the identical operational tactics used against the civilian protesters by pro-government Shabiha militia in Syria and by Basij militia in Iran...are but a few of the numerous signs that warn us of the involvement of the Iranian regime with the al-Assad regime,” the statement said. It also charged that the Qods Force, the elite paramilitary unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, is now both present and involved in the Syrian regime's suppression of domestic protests. (Riyadh Al-Sharq al-Awsat, June 12, 2012)

COST OF FOOD STAPLES SURGES
Tightening economic sanctions in recent weeks have led to a depreciation of the Iranian rial and a surging rate of inflation. The ill effects of these trends now are increasingly hitting home for ordinary Iranians. The price of bread — the most important part of an Iranian household's food basket — has risen nearly 40 percent in recent weeks. The price hike is said to be due in part to targeted subsidies for the farmers, but the Iranian government apparently has no intention of subsidizing the price of bread nationwide. The trend has led several parliament members to raise questions about how Iran's peasants, workers, and lower classes will be able to sustain their livelihoods. (Tehran Rooz, June 11, 2012)