TEHRAN: Iran was to impose a nightly curfew on Tuesday on businesses in Tehran and other big cities and towns while Lebanon was preparing for a two-week nationwide lockdown later this week as both countries battle a major surge in coronavirus infections.
Restaurants and nonessential businesses in Tehran and 30 other cities were ordered to close at 6 p.m. for one month, to keep hospitals from becoming overwhelmed and to slow the worsening outbreak, which has killed more than 39,000 — the highest toll in the Middle East. Iran has set single-day death records 10 times over the past month, a sign of how quickly the virus is spreading.
The announcement of new limits on Tehran’s bustling cafes and shops, the strictest since a brief nationwide business shutdown in April, reflects the growing sense of urgency among officials. In a first, Iranians’ phones lit up on Monday with a personal appeal from Saeed Namaki, the health minister.
“Do not leave your house for as long as you can and stay away from any crowded places,” his text read. “Coronavirus is no joke.”
Yet in the face of a steep economic decline, Iran continues to avoid a tougher lockdown. The country is already squeezed by unprecedented American sanctions reimposed in 2018 when the Trump administration withdrew from Tehran’s nuclear accord with world powers. Iran’s currency has plunged to new lows in recent weeks, hurting millions of destitute citizens.
Authorities may introduce other targeted measures, like a nighttime ban on through traffic on streets to keep Iranians from going to parties, Tehran Governor Anoushiravan Bandpay said.
As Iran’s infection rate soars and strains hospitals, the debate over the government’s response to the virus has grown heated. Medical officials this week lambasted the government’s refusal to shut down the hard-hit capital, which they say is the only hope for containing the virus’ spread.
“The lack of a lockdown in Tehran is a disaster,” said Mino Mohraz, a member of the country’s coronavirus task force, according to local media.
“Usually countries that do not listen to health officials face problems,” she added. “A good example is the United States.”
Hosseinali Shahriari, who heads a parliamentary health committee, sent a letter Tuesday to President Hassan Rouhani demanding that he impose a centralized lockdown up to 30 days in all provincial capitals, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
In Lebanon, caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab said the lockdown will begin on Saturday and last until the end of the month.
Lebanon has broken daily records in recent weeks, straining the country’s medical sector where intensive care units are almost full and cannot take more cases. The World Health Organization says 1,527 health workers have tested positive since the first case was reported in Lebanon in late February.
The Lebanese announcement came despite harsh criticism by business sectors that have been suffering for more than a year as the country passes through its worst economic and financial crisis.
The head of Lebanon workers union, Bechara el Asmar, warned on Monday the effects of a complete lockdown “will be catastrophic for workers and economic activities.” Daily laborers cannot afford to stay at home, he said.
Aya Majzoub of the Human Rights Watch said the crisis has thrown more Lebanese below the poverty line, adding that the government is obliged to ensure that everyone has adequate food, water, health care, and other basic needs, “including when the population is subject to stay-at-home orders.”
Tiny Lebanon has registered 95,355 cases and 732 deaths of the virus but the real numbers are believed to be much higher. Those numbers began rising quickly following a massive Aug. 4, blast at Beirut’s port that killed and wounded many and caused damage worth billions of dollars.
Many intensive care units meant for coronavirus cases have been used to treat thousands of injured in the port explosion.
“We have reached a very critical period regarding the spread of the virus and we are left with no other alternatives,” Diab said, suggesting the lockdown could be extend. “”We are worried that we might reach a point where people die in the streets with no places available at hospitals.”
Over the past weeks, dozens of Lebanese towns of villages were locked down but the move did not stop the virus. Some sectors have been exempted, including flour mills, bakeries, banks and clinics.
Meanwhile, virus cases continue to climb in Sudan, where on Tuesday the health ministry announced that Acting Health Minister Ossama Abdel-Rahim, along with two other senior health officials, had contracted COVID-19 and were experiencing symptoms. They’re the latest government officials to be infected in the East African country, which has reporteded some 14,000 cases, although testing remains limited.
Iran, Lebanon to impose lockdowns, curfews as virus surges
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Iran, Lebanon to impose lockdowns, curfews as virus surges
- Restaurants and nonessential businesses in Tehran and 30 other cities were ordered to close at 6 p.m. for one month
Aoun to US envoy: We look forward to American support in strengthening security in southern Lebanon
- Lebanese leader announces dramatic increase in troop deployment south of the Litani River
- Hezbollah condemns assassination threats against Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as ‘reckless’ and warns of ‘grave consequences’
BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun assured US Ambassador to Turkiye and Special Envoy to Syria, Thomas Barrack, that Lebanon “looks forward to US support in its efforts to restore security and stability in the south,” adding that this includes the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the five occupied hills, an end to hostilities, and the extension of UNIFIL’s mandate.
He said that UNIFIL, in coordination with the Lebanese Army, is working to implement Resolution 1701, ultimately enabling the army’s deployment along the internationally recognized borders.
Aoun also said that Lebanon will increase the number of army personnel deployed south of the Litani River to 10,000 soldiers. Their responsibilities include eliminating unauthorized armed presence, seizing illegal weapons and ammunition, and ensuring that only official security forces operate in the area.
However, he added that their ability to fully carry out this mandate remains hindered by the Israeli occupation of the five hills and the surrounding areas.
The Lebanese president reaffirmed the country’s commitment to advancing the principle of exclusive state control over weapons. He informed Barrack that “consultations are ongoing at both the Lebanese and Palestinian levels regarding the issue of arms in the Palestinian refugee camps, with the hope that these efforts will intensify once the region stabilizes, following the recent escalation in the Israeli-Iranian conflict.”
A source at the presidency told Arab News: “Barrack was informed that Lebanon is moving toward the withdrawal of weapons from north of the Litani River, but this process will take time. Hezbollah is a Lebanese party, and its members will remain in the country. There is historical precedent — after the civil war, militias gradually handed over their weapons to the state, a process that took considerable time to complete.”
The source said that Barrack, who is overseeing the Lebanese file until a successor to former US envoy Morgan Ortagus is appointed, “demonstrated an understanding of Lebanon’s position during his meetings with political officials on the disarmament issue, and his response was generally seen as positive.”
While no official response was issued regarding Barrack’s warning about potential Hezbollah involvement alongside Iran, the party released a statement on Thursday condemning US threats against Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
Hezbollah warned that “threatening his assassination is not only a political miscalculation, but a reckless act with dangerous consequences.”
Hezbollah affirmed that it is “more firmly committed than ever to the path of Imam Khamenei and his firm stance, and more united around his leadership in confronting US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic. Through its blind support for Israel, the US is steering itself toward an abyss from which it will not emerge.”
On Thursday, the Iranian Embassy in Lebanon received a large delegation of Lebanese parties, political forces, and figures aligned with Hezbollah, along with representatives from Palestinian factions closely affiliated with the party.
The visit was held to “affirm their solidarity with Iran in the face of Israeli aggression.”
Iranian Chargé d’Affaires Tawfiq Samadi said that “any military response by Iran will be measured, precise, gradual, and proportionate to the level of threat.”
He placed responsibility on the US for its unwavering support of Israel, saying that it bears accountability for “the crimes committed against Iran.”
While acknowledging that the US is not currently a direct party to the aggression, he cautioned that “continued American support for Israeli actions would carry strategic and legal consequences.”
Iran arrests dissident rapper formerly on death row: supporters
Salehi, 34, has bitterly criticized Israel’s strikes on his country as well as the failure of Iranian authorities to protect citizens
PARIS: Iranian authorities have arrested Toomaj Salehi, a prominent rapper who is sharply critical of the Islamic republic’s leadership, the artist’s supporters said on his social media accounts on Thursday.
The reported arrest of Salehi, who is known to fans as Toomaj and had previously been sentenced to death in the wake of nationwide protests, comes amid the nearly week-old war triggered by Israeli attacks on Iran and as rights groups have warned of a crackdown on dissent by Tehran.
Salehi, 34, has bitterly criticized Israel’s strikes on his country as well as the failure of Iranian authorities to protect citizens in the face of the bombardment which began on Friday.
According to a statement published by supporters of Salehi on his official Instagram and X accounts, he had been arrested in the Gulf island of Kish, on Iran’s southern coast.
“We have no information about the detaining agency, his place of detention, or his health. The government is directly responsible for anything that happens to his health and life,” it said.
“Toomaj must be released immediately.”
Rights groups have sounded the alarm on a crackdown in Iran against the background of the Israeli attacks which analysts believe could be aimed at ousting the country’s clerical leadership.
Amnesty International said on Wednesday that “Iranian authorities have responded to Israel’s latest military attacks by imposing Internet restrictions, arresting journalists and dissidents within the country.”
Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said on Thursday that at least 223 people have been arrested nationwide on charges related to collaboration with Israel.
The group said its tally is based on official media reports, but the real figures are likely higher.
Internet monitor Netblocks said that Iran was under its most severe “blackout incident” since a 2019 wave of protests.
Salehi was previously arrested in October 2022 after publicly backing demonstrations that erupted a month earlier, triggered by the death in custody of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.
He was initially sentenced to death in a verdict that caused international uproar but it was later reduced to prison time and he was released in December 2024.
Activists have accused Iran of torturing him during his 2022 arrest, after state media published a video purporting to show the rapper blindfolded, with bruising on his face, apologizing for his support of the protests.
Turkiye should investigate ‘police violence’ against protesters: Amnesty
- Authorities said they arrested nearly 1,900 people during the protests
- Amnesty said it had “verified dozens of videos documenting how protesters were beaten, kicked and dragged”
ISTANBUL: Amnesty International called on Turkish authorities Thursday to launch an investigation into alleged “police violence” during a wave of protests this year, saying some instances “could amount to acts of torture.”
The arrest of Istanbul mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on March 19, the leading opponent of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, sparked Türkiye’s worst street protests in over a decade.
“Our findings reveal damning evidence of unlawful force frequently used by law enforcement officers,” said Esther Major, a deputy director at the global human rights group.
“The authorities used tear gas, pepper spray, kinetic impact projectiles and water cannons against people who were simply exercising their rights,” she said in a statement.
“The violations documented constitute cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment and, in some cases, may amount to torture,” Major said, calling for the launch of an investigation.
Imamoglu was widely seen as the biggest political rival to Erdogan and his jailing is likely to prevent him from running in the 2028 presidential election.
Authorities said they arrested nearly 1,900 people during the protests, most of whom were accused of participating in illegal gatherings.
The vast majority have since been released.
Amnesty said it had “verified dozens of videos documenting how protesters were beaten, kicked and dragged on the ground by law enforcement officials even when they were dispersing, not resisting or were already restrained.”
The NGO said some “protesters were subjected to water cannon, tear gas, kinetic impact projectiles by police, often at very close range directly targeting the head and upper body, in violation of international human rights law.”
One of them required retinal surgery and may lose sight in one eye, Amnesty said.
France preparing to help its citizens in Israel, Iran leave, Barrot says
- Barrot told reporters that a convoy will be arranged by the end of the week
- French citizens in Israel will be able to board buses starting Friday morning
PARIS: France is preparing to help its citizens in Israel and Iran to leave those countries amid a week of strikes exchanged between the two rivals, French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Thursday.
Barrot told reporters that a convoy will be arranged by the end of the week to get French nationals without their own means of doing so to the Turkish or Armenian borders from Iran to access airports in those countries.
French citizens in Israel will be able to board buses starting Friday morning from the Jordanian border for airports in Jordan, with a flight chartered from Amman by the end of the week to aid the passage of French citizens who are vulnerable or in emergency situations, Barrot said.
Separately, Barrot reiterated that France was committed to holding a conference on a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, after France postponed one scheduled for this week.
UN rights chief condemns civilian toll of Israel-Iran escalation, warns of regional conflagration
- ‘Threats and inflammatory rhetoric by senior officials on both sides suggest a worrying intention to inflict harm on civilians,’ says Volker Turk
- Official figures from both sides put the death tolls at 224 in Iran and at least 24 in Israel, and mass displacement is surging, particularly in Tehran
NEW YORK CITY: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Thursday condemned the mounting civilian toll in the escalation of hostilities between Israel and Iran, and warned that the conflict risks plunging the wider region into war.
In a strongly worded statement he said the “wide-scale, continuing attacks” by Israel on Iranian territory and the retaliatory missile and drone strikes by Iran were having “severe human rights and humanitarian impacts” on civilians.
“The extensive airstrikes and missile and drone attacks have already caused significant harm beyond military objectives,” Turk said, citing attacks that have killed civilians and damaged critical infrastructure including hospitals, homes, water supply systems and energy facilities.
According to the latest official figures from Tehran, 224 people have been killed in the attacks on Iran, though human rights groups estimate the toll to be more than twice that number. In Israel, government figures report at least 24 dead and more than 840 wounded. Displacement is surging, particularly in the Iranian capital, where evacuation orders have prompted the large-scale flight of people from affected areas.
Turk urged both nations to adhere to the principles of international humanitarian law, emphasizing the in particular the legal obligation to distinguish between military and civilian targets, and to refrain from indiscriminate or disproportionate attacks.
“It is appalling to see how civilians are treated as collateral damage in the conduct of hostilities,” he said. “Threats and inflammatory rhetoric by senior officials on both sides suggest a worrying intention to inflict harm on civilians.”
He called for “maximum restraint,” respect for international law, and a return to the negotiating table as the only way to halt the “spiraling illogic of escalation.”
The latest flare-up, which began when Israel launched attacks on Iran on June 13, follows months of rising tensions and tit-for-tat strikes that have drawn concern from regional powers and global leaders who fear a wider escalation of war in the Middle East.
