Title: Iran Case File 2022
Place of publication: Saudi Arabia
Publisher: Rasanah Issues Iran Case
Release date: 2022

The International Institute for Iranian Studies (Rasanah) has issued the Iran Case File (ICF) for June 2022, providing readers in general and researchers in particular with an in-depth analysis and overview of Iran’s variant interactions and affairs. The file is divided into three main parts: Internal Affairs, Arab Affairs and International Affairs.
Internal Affairs is divided into four main files. The Ideological File discusses Iranian clerics’ attempts to position themselves as defenders of the people amid the criticisms leveled against the political system with the aim of reassuring popular incubators. It also highlights the endeavors of Iran’s Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice to increase its clout within society under the Raisi government. The Political File reviews the recent protests in Iran and the mounting public criticism against the government which prompted the Raisi government’s first minister to resign. It also discusses the amendment of the law related to carrying firearms by security forces, which is expected to lend further legitimacy to the Iranian government’s suppression of protesters. The Economic File highlights two main issues: the Iranian government’s economic performance and the cooperation agreements signed recently between Iran and a number of countries. The Military File, meanwhile, spotlights two main topics: the outbreak of cyberwarfare between Iran and Israel and the significant changes to the leadership of the IRGC intelligence and security units.

Arab Affairs is divided into four main files. The first file discuses Iran’s interactions with the Gulf states, evaluating the shift in US policy in the Gulf region and the Iraqi prime minister’s visits to Jeddah and Tehran. The file covers Iranian-Yemeni interactions, shedding light on the implications of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council chairman’s regional tour and the Houthis’ resumption of recruiting children through summer camps. The file provides insightful analysis on Iran’s relations with Iraq, focusing on four major issues: the political deadlock in Iraq, Sadr’s withdrawal from the political process, the hidden objectives of Sadr’s withdrawal, the implications of Sadr’s withdrawal on the Shiite alliances, and finally the future of the Sadrist Movement in the Iraqi political equation. Finally, Iran-Syria interactions are analyzed under three main headings: the implications of Iran’s shift in its position on Turkish operations in Syria, Israel’s bombing of Damascus International Airport, the messages transmitted to Iran, and Tehran’s role in facilitating a rapprochement between Hamas and Damascus.

International Affairs examines Iran’s interactions with both the United States and Europe. Regarding US-Iran relations, three subjects are considered: disagreements in the nuclear talks, the failure of the Doha round of talks, the intensification of US sanctions, and the growing regional and international confrontation with Iran. In terms of Iran-Europe relations, the most important interactions between the two sides in June are discussed. These include the ongoing disagreement between Iran and Greece over cargo ships, an agreement between Brussels and Tehran involving the release of an Iranian diplomat, an 8-year prison sentence handed down to a French national on espionage charges, and finally, European mediation to restart nuclear talks.[1]