In remarks at the Iranian parliament, ultraconservative lawmaker Amir-Hossein Sabeti appears to have badly undermined his position by challenging Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s authority for the second time in less than two days.
In an interview with Iran International, Neda Mihandoust revealed that intelligence agents pressured her brother Navid to contact Alinejad under the pretense of making a new documentary about women. When Navid refused, the state retaliated by re-arresting him in August 2023, placing him in Evin Prison to serve a three-year sentence.
First arrested in December 2019, Navid was taken to Evin Prison’s notorious ward 209, run by the Ministry of Intelligence, on charges related to a 2009 documentary about Alinejad. After two months of interrogation, he was released on bail in February 2020. The presiding Judge of Branch 28 of Tehran Revolutionary Court, Mohammad Reza Amouzad, notorious for issuing long and harsh sentences, and sanctioned by the UK and Canada for being involved in serious human rights violations, sentenced him to three years in prison.
Neda told Iran International that after Navid was released on bail, intelligence agents repeatedly pressured him to cooperate by reaching out to Alinejad.
“The interrogator told my brother that if he complied, they could halt the execution of Navid's sentence…every few weeks, he kept contacting Navid and asking him for an answer…The interrogator was asking him to call Masih,” Neda said.
This pressure coincided with a broader plot by Iranian intelligence to kidnap Alinejad and lure her back to Iran, where she could face the same fate as Iranian dissident journalist Ruhollah Zam, who was executed in Iran after being abducted.
“The incident coincided exactly with the disclosure of the Islamic Republic's plan to kidnap Masih Alinejad, which was stopped by the FBI,” Neda added.
US Justice Department announced in July 2021 that the FBI had foiled an attempt by Iranian intelligence agents to abduct Alinejad, luring her back to Iran in a plot that had been in the works since at least June 2020. Four Iranian nationals were indicted for their involvement in the plot.
Alinejad, speaking to Iran International, expressed deep concern over these developments, stating, "I am gravely concerned to learn that Iran’s security apparatus has attempted to coerce an innocent filmmaker into leveraging his connection with me in an effort to cause harm. This disturbing incident highlights the ongoing misuse of Iran’s judiciary by security forces to fabricate charges against innocent citizens, compelling them to collaborate with the regime or serve as instruments in their nefarious objectives."
She added, "These actions provide further evidence that Iran’s judiciary functions not as a genuine system of justice, but as a mere tool in the hands of the security apparatus."
Navid’s refusal to cooperate with the authorities led to multiple warnings and pressure tactics, including the freezing of his bank accounts, and his eventual re-arrest in August 2023. "They warned him that if he didn’t turn himself in, they would take action against his bail. Eventually, after the third warning, they closed his bank accounts to put pressure on him," Neda said.
While on bail, despite a ban on making films and the pressures from Iran’s intelligence agents, Navid turned his experiences into a source of inspiration, directing the underground film Café. The film, starring Setareh Maleki is currently being screened at the Incríveis Film Festival in São Paulo.
Speaking to Iran International, Maleki, who herself was forced to flee Iran following her appearance without the mandated hijab in another underground film commented on Navid’s courage despite state pressures: "Navid truly stood by his principles and refused to cooperate with them to avoid prison. While awaiting his sentence, he made this film underground and without a permit."
The film tells the story of Sohrab, a once-prominent director who, after being banned from filmmaking, spends his days in a cafe.
Maleki also noted that the character Sohrab is deeply reflective of Navid himself. "When I read the script, I asked Navid if the character Sohrab was him. He laughed and said, ‘No, it’s not me.’ But after his sentence came and I learned more of his story, I realized it was him. He created the character of Sohrab so that even behind bars, he could still breathe on the cinema screen."
Although there has been no update on Navid’s case, even behind bars, he continues to resist.
“On August 20, 2024, it will be exactly one year since Navid was imprisoned in Evin. Initially held in Ward 4, he was placed in solitary confinement for three days after sharing the story of a fellow prisoner who died due to delayed medical attention. During that time, he went on a hunger strike to protest his confinement. Afterward, he was moved to Ward 8,” Neda explained.
Asked if Neda herself has faced any threats by the Iranian authorities while advocating for Navid's release outside of Iran, Neda said:
"Navid's interrogator told him that we have a charge against your sister, and when my brother asked him the reason, he said we can explain it to her when she comes to Iran."
As Navid serves his sentence, his story highlights the ongoing struggle for artistic freedom and the Islamic Republic’s pattern of transnational repression, using intimidation and punishment to silence critics both within Iran and beyond its borders.
Iran continues to vow revenge against Israel for the assassination of the Hamas political chief in Tehran on July 31 and has even said a ceasefire in Gaza is 'unrelated' to its retaliation plans, despite previously stating that a ceasefire would halt their attack.
Ali Fadavi, the Deputy Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), said on Monday there is an "uproar" in Israel amid fears of an imminent Iranian attack. He said they are "waiting day and night for Iran's response", and that is "harder than waiting for one's death."
On Tuesday, Ali-Mohammad Naini, the spokesperson for the IRGC, said there could be a long wait for retaliation against Israel, according to state media.
Jason Brodsky, the policy director for United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), attributes Naini's statement to his role as one of the IRGC's top "experts" in psychological warfare.
The chance of war has been stowed deep into the cervices of both Israeli and Iranian psyches, with the only difference being that Iranians have become 'desensitized' to Iran's psychological games, according to psychotherapist Azadeh Afsahi.
Afsahi, who was born in Iran and now lives in the West treating patients, said Iran has been using phycological war as a tactic for 45 years on Iranian people.
The strategy is to make people feel anxious and unsure of what will happen next, keeping someone in state of hopelessness, fear and a feeling of sickness, she said. The Islamic Republic is intentionally not consistent with their actions, so that they leave people in a constant fearful state of the unknown, she said. Now Tehran is likely trying to keep Israelis in a state of anticipation and apprehension.
"We've been dealing with this psychological warfare of not knowing, and we have surrendered our mind to the Islamic Republic with this game that they play. And this is exactly what they do. They are occupying you with something so they can strike somewhere else," said Afsahi.
"Psychological games are the worst game you can play with people."
Israeli resident Meital Brown told Iran International that the mood is stressful and that she feels like she's "stuck in a bad feeling that's not ending."
The mother of three young kids said she started feeling this way when Iran vowed to strike Israel after the Haniyeh strike. For about a week she and her family didn't leave the house and even postponed seeing family in Tel Aviv out of fear of the so-called imminent attack.
She and her family finally made the trip to Tel Aviv from their home near the border with Gaza, when a car bomb exploded Sunday night. Hamas claimed responsibility for the bombing that shook the city as Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived to promote a U.S.-backed cease-fire proposal.
"I am feeling so stressful. When the kids are at summer camps for summer holidays, I wonder..maybe they will attack there and I'm not with the kids?," said Brown.
Israeli resident Dror Trabelsi isn't letting the threats from the Iranian regime bring down his spirits, and he continues to solder on, motivated to do something positive after October 7.
"It's really the same morning over and over again since October 7th."
Since the atrocities of October 7 where around 1, 200 people, mostly civilians were killed by Hamas, Dror and his brothers Kobi and Eliran created an oasis for IDF soldiers exiting Gaza. The post, known as the 'Shuva brothers' is equipped with showers, coffee, hot meals and other supplies like clean clothes - all free for the soldiers.
Trabelsi said he avoids watching the news and finds the constant talk analyzing when and how Iran may attack Israel only fuels negativity and plays into their psychological games.
"This whole Iran thing is only in the news. It's not a real thing."
He said Israelis are strong and is disappointed to see so many leaving to the West out of fear of a possible war.
"It's literally a psychological game, which by the way, they [Iran] win. If one person is leaving Israel, they win."
The union's support signals an intensification of the widespread labor discontent within the country.
In a statement issued Monday, the truck drivers declared their solidarity with the nurses' struggle, warning that if the demands of the medical staff are not addressed, they too will engage in strikes and protests.
"We warn that if the just demands of the nurses are not met, we, the truck drivers and drivers nationwide, will strike and protest in their support," the union's statement reads.
The wave of protests by nursing groups and medical staff has continued unabated this month, with demonstrations and strikes reported in cities including Mashhad, Ahvaz, and Isfahan. In Mashhad, nurses rallied, while their counterparts in other cities extended the nationwide strike. Videos obtained by Iran International reveal that nurses at the Kashani Educational-Treatment Center in Isfahan joined the growing movement, chanting slogans such as "Nurse, shout out, demand your rights."
Average monthly salaries for nurses is around $220, close to the government-set minimum wage, while they often work long hours without receiving overtime pay.
Meanwhile, in Ahvaz, nurses gathered in front of the Khuzestan Governorate, voicing their frustrations with slogans like "We have seen no results/ Only heard promises" and "We fought COVID, saw no support."
On August 17 and 18, the unrest spread further, with nursing groups and medical staff in Arak, Jahrom, Qazvin, Mashhad, and Yasuj staging protests to highlight their ongoing issues. The protesters have expressed a range of grievances, including inadequate overtime rates, unrealistic tariffs. Their demands also call for the implementation of laws regarding hard and harmful jobs and an end to compulsory overtime.
Mohammad Reza Sharifi-Moghaddam, Secretary-General of the Nursing House says “For the first time in the 100-year history of modern nursing in the country, we are witnessing protests in the form of work stoppages. When nurses stop working, we become very concerned. Unfortunately, the authorities are not paying any attention, have not received the message, and do not understand the situation.”
The current wave of strikes follows the death of Parvaneh Mandani, a 32-year-old nurse who died on August 2 due to excessive workload, a condition known as "Karoshi Syndrome" in medicine. Her death has further galvanized nurses across the country, leading to an expansion of the strikes.
A student coalition has urged the entire community, particularly medical students, to support the nurses' cause. This broadening of support underscores the deepening crisis within Iran's healthcare system, which has seen repeated protests over the past months.
Fereydoun Moradi, a member of the Supreme Nursing Council, revealed that between 150 to 200 nurses emigrate each month due to the untenable work conditions and inadequate compensation. The dissatisfaction among medical staff has been compounded by frequent attacks and a lack of supportive measures.
While most Iranians pay little attention to parliamentary proceedings, the tensions between the ultraconservatives and President Masoud Pezeshkian—still supported by reformists and Majles Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf—could lead to subtle shifts in power. These dynamics might reveal who holds sway and who doesn’t by Wednesday, when the Majles votes on the new ministers.
On Sunday morning, while speaking in parliament (Majles) as a critic of Abbas Araghchi, the nominee for Foreign Minister in Pezeshkian’s administration, Sabeti said, “Some people here are saying that we should vote for Araghchi because someone told them to.” Sabeti, a member of the ultraconservative Paydari Party, made this remark seemingly unaware that the "someone" he referred to was none other than Khamenei himself, who traditionally selects a few key cabinet ministers, including the Foreign Minister.
Other lawmakers quickly accused Sabeti of disrespecting Khamenei and questioning the loyalty of Iranian lawmakers to the Supreme Leader. In the Islamic regime, obedience to Khamenei is a point of pride for politicians and referring to him as merely "someone" is considered highly disrespectful, even if the remark wasn’t directed at Khamenei himself.
IRGC-linked Tasnim News Agency in a commentary on Monday wrote that Sabet’s remark was “a major mistake at the beginning of his career as a member of the parliament.”
Sabeti was elected in the heavily engineered March election, where most candidates were disqualified by the Guardian Council, which is controlled by Khamenei himself.
Tasnim described Sabeti’s rhetoric as “impolite” and “arrogant,” accusing him of implying that he and his allies in parliament are "more revolutionary than other revolutionaries." Tasnim cautioned that such reckless and misguided remarks could pave the way for more serious and unacceptable errors.
Meanwhile, the IRGC’s newspaper Javan criticized the lawmaker in its Monday morning editorial, stating: “While criticizing the proposed Foreign Minister, a former TV presenter turned parliamentarian made remarks that gave foreign media a pretext to attack the Supreme Leader and cast accusations on other lawmakers in the Majles. His comments undermined the independence of the Majles and played into the hands of counter-revolutionaries. Additionally, social media users seized on his remarks to portray the country’s situation in a negative light.”
The commentary also said that the comment was against Khamenei’s recent advice in which he told the lawmakers to avoid controversy and discord and reminded that Khamenei had also stated that such behavior can only make the Islamic Republic’s enemies happy.
Javan described Sabeti as a "newcomer" and labeled his behavior as "a folly that could lead to further blunders." This wasn’t the first time Sabeti made such a significant mistake. Just a day earlier, during a televised debate with fellow lawmaker Abbas Moghtadai, who supported Araghchi, Sabeti questioned Khamenei’s authority. Moghtadai had argued in favor of Araghchi by noting that Khamenei had appointed him as the secretary of his own Foreign Relations Committee and had praised his diplomatic qualifications. Sabeti retorted by stating that not everyone endorsed by Khamenei should automatically receive the support of others.
Following these two incidents, hardliners in the parliament, including members of the Paydari Party, quickly distanced themselves from Sabeti and his remarks. Reformists criticized him for undermining Khamenei’s authority, with some even calling for the annulment of Sabeti’s credentials. Additionally, it has been suggested that Sabeti never completed his mandatory two-year military service. While the future consequences for Sabeti remain uncertain, it is evident that the IRGC is no longer backing him.
The stakes go beyond just one lawmaker’s fate; the recent incidents have played directly into the hands of Majles Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has unresolved scores with Paydari and its leading figures, such as Sabeti and cleric Hamid Rasai. Ghalibaf strategically denied them further opportunities to speak in the Majles, citing changes in the house agenda.
The true influence of Paydari will be tested on Wednesday when the Majles votes on confidence for Pezeshkian’s 19 cabinet ministers. In their most recent test, during the vote for the Speaker of the Majles a few months ago, Paydari managed to secure only 60 votes. Wednesday’s vote could reveal whether their influence has grown or diminished.
