Iran launches hotline to discourage abortions
Iran's health ministry has introduced a hotline aimed at dissuading citizens from having abortions as the theocratic system attempts to confront slowing population growth.
Iran's health ministry has introduced a hotline aimed at dissuading citizens from having abortions as the theocratic system attempts to confront slowing population growth.
"Trained individuals help callers keep their pregnancies and decide against abortion," the head of the ministry's Center for Population Growth, Saber Jabari, said Thursday.
The initiative is part of broader efforts by the government to address declining population growth in the country.
Last weekend, Iran’s Ministry of Science called for the removal of educational content deemed to discourage childbearing.
Iran has established anti-abortion centers in 250 cities, preventing 4,700 abortions, according to a health ministry official.
Last year in October, a medical network affiliated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it intervened in thousands of abortion cases, adding that the group monitors hospitals and clinics to identify couples considering the procedure.
According to the head of the IRGC-affiliated Basij Medical Society, the group's efforts prevented approximately 6,000 abortions over the past three years, reporting a success rate of 90%.
Iran's Deputy Health Minister has warned the country's population looks set to halve by the end of the century as birth rates continue to fall in spite of efforts by the government to incentivize larger families.
Aoun, who was backed by factions seeking to reduce Hezbollah's dominance, signals a shift away from Lebanon’s political dominance by Iran via the militia.
His election marks the end of a prolonged political vacuum and a decisive moment in Lebanon's complex political landscape, raising questions about the country's future alignment in a shattered Middle East.
Former chief of Lebanon's army, Aoun has distanced himself from Hezbollah. His election, after two rounds of voting, followed years of political paralysis exposing the deep divide between Lebanon's pro-Western factions and a pro-Hezbollah bloc.
In his first address to parliament, Aoun called for the Lebanese state to reclaim control over its military, signaling a possible challenge to Hezbollah.
His presidency, he added, would strive toward giving the state the exclusive right to carry arms, a statement likely aimed at Hezbollah and its vast array of weapons.
His words were met with the longest applause of the speech, though Hezbollah parliamentarians remained seated and silent, marking the national tension between Aoun’s vision and the group's interests.
In a diplomatic message, Iran's embassy in Beirut congratulated Lebanon on Aoun's election, expressing hope for stronger cooperation between the two nations.
“We congratulate brotherly Lebanon for the election of General Joseph Aoun,” the embassy said, emphasizing the importance of cooperation to serve mutual interests.
The statement did not address the status of Hezbollah's arms.
