Iranian Press Review: Mixed Reactions in Iran After Attacks on Israel

The opposition silenced itself over the attack on Israel

As Iran’s missile attack on Israel unfolded, state media reported that Iranians gathered in Palestine Square in central Tehran to celebrate the attacks. Shortly afterwards, videos of these celebrations were released.

However, these celebrations were limited to pro-system groups. Dissenting voices opposing the attacks had no opportunity to express their views in Iran.

The cyber section of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a statement calling on its supporters to “report any activity on social media supporting the fake regime of Israel.”

Despite this warning, Farsi-language social media was quickly flooded with comments from experts and ordinary Iranians alike, suggesting that the missile strikes reflected establishment weakness and a lack of further strategy.

“It’s a situation where whether you counterattack or hold back, you lose either way,” wrote one user on X.

Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last shah and a staunch supporter of Israel, was among those who used the occasion to call for international intervention to overthrow the Iranian establishment.

“I call on the international community to stand with the Iranian people. This is a moment of opportunity. This regime has never been weaker or more divided,” he wrote in X.

Details emerge about IRGC commander killed in Beirut

Local media provided more details about Abbas Nilfroushan, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force in Lebanon, who was killed on Friday along with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli attack on Hezbollah’s headquarters in southern Beirut.

Nilfroushan is the second senior Quds Force commander in Lebanon killed by Israel in the last six months.

Born in 1966 in Isfahan, Nilfroushan joined the Iran-Iraq war at the age of 16 after forging a birth certificate to appear older.

At the age of 17, he commanded a unit in the 14th Imam Hussein Division in Isfahan. He later served in the 8th Najaf Division, playing a key role in operations during the war.

After the war, Nilfroushan held several senior positions in the IRGC, including deputy operational commander. He also headed the Revolutionary War University from 2009 to 2013.

Nilfroushan spent five years working in Lebanon and Syria and was sanctioned by both the European Union and the United States in 2022 for his role in suppressing anti-government protests in Iran.

He reportedly played a significant role in suppressing protests in Zahedan during the “Bloody Friday” incident in 2022.

Increase in the number of executions

In the second half of September, at least 14 prisoners were executed at the Shiraz Central Prison, also known as Adel Abad, indicating a growing trend in the number of executions in the central Iranian city.

According to the Iran Human Rights Organization (IHRNGO), the prisoners were convicted of drug-related crimes and murder, and two Afghan nationals were among those hanged. The executions were carried out on September 16, 18, 23 and 25.

Mahmoud Amiri-Moghadam, director of the IHRNGO, condemned the executions and called for an international response to Iran’s use of the death penalty. “The international community should not remain silent on the daily executions in Iran,” he said.

Amiri-Moghadam also urged world leaders to meet with Iranian officials at the UN General Assembly to give the death penalty issue a top priority.

“The Islamic Republic’s use of the death penalty should be a central element of any dialogue between Iranian officials and nations that protect human rights,” he added.

Some reports suggest that 36 prisoners transferred from other prisons were executed in the Shiraz Central Prison over the past two weeks. While the Human Rights Organization of Iran has confirmed 14 of these executions, it is still investigating reports of 17 others.

Activist convicted for criticizing the dam

Iranian environmentalist Yousef Farhadi Babadi has been summoned to Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison to serve his one-year sentence, according to local media and human rights activists on Farsi-language social media.

On Tuesday, Payame Ma newspaper reported that the court gave Babadi five days to turn himself in.

His conviction stems from his open criticism of officials over the construction of the Kharsan 3 dam on the river of the same name in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad provinces.

Babadi publicly revealed in interviews that the dam was being built without legal procedures and without required permits, warning that the project would lead to serious environmental damage.

Human rights activists quote him as saying that he was being tried without the opportunity to defend himself in court.

“It’s true that I was tried without a defense… but I think I’ll be safer in prison. “I won’t have to worry about a sudden accident, a heart attack, drowning in a swimming pool or a bus entering the valley on the way to Armenia,” he said, referring to the suspicious deaths of other dissidents.

*The Iran Press Review is a summary of news reports whose accuracy has not been independently verified by Middle East Eye.