Frail-Looking Mousavi Triggers Controversy in Iran

Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard (Twitter)
Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard (Twitter)
TT
20

Frail-Looking Mousavi Triggers Controversy in Iran

Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard (Twitter)
Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard (Twitter)

A rare photo and a video of Iranian opposition figures Mir Hossein Mousavi and his wife Zahra Rahnavard looking frail, following eight years of house arrest, has triggered a debate on social media.

Authorities put Mousavi and his wife under house arrest in February 2011 and have since banned the media from publishing their photos.

Mousavi and reformist cleric Mehdi Karroubi emerged as opposition leaders during Iran's disputed 2009 presidential election. They have repeatedly challenged Iranian authorities over the vote and human rights abuses.

Iran's Al-Kalima news website, affiliated with Mousavi, published last Saturday a photo and video footage celebrating the 77th anniversary of the Iranian opposition leader, bringing his case back to the spotlight.

In the video, Mousavi looked frail while sitting on a chair and praying.

Reports said the video was shot at the house of Mousavi’s sister.

Many Iranians, including journalists and activists, shared the opposition leader’s photo and video, expressing discontent at failed promises made by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to end the house arrests of both Mousavi and Karroubi.

Rouhani ran for election in 2013 and 2017 promising to free the two leaders of the 2009 Green Movement.

“The so-called reformist winners, wanted to garner the votes of Iranians under the slogan of ending the house arrests (of Mousavi and Karroubi)… They want to preserve the detention to cover up their failures, and keep the regime alive,” said one tweet.

Another tweet added: “I had no accurate information on Mousavi and had never heard of his name before the 2009 elections, but today, I know he is a man who defended his ideology and principles and never thought about personal interests. Principles against bullets.”

For his part, Iranian journalist Reza Haghighatnejad wrote an analysis saying, “Frustration defeated hope, and discord turned into hatred.”



White House Withdraws Nomination for US Hostage Envoy

FILE PHOTO: Adam Boehler, US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing when he was CEO of the US International Development Finance Corporation, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, US, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Adam Boehler, US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing when he was CEO of the US International Development Finance Corporation, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, US, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo/File Photo
TT
20

White House Withdraws Nomination for US Hostage Envoy

FILE PHOTO: Adam Boehler, US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing when he was CEO of the US International Development Finance Corporation, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, US, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Adam Boehler, US President Donald Trump's Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, addresses the daily coronavirus task force briefing when he was CEO of the US International Development Finance Corporation, in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, US, April 14, 2020. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo/File Photo

The Trump administration has withdrawn the nomination of Adam Boehler to serve as special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, the White House said on Saturday.
Boehler, who has been working to secure the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, will continue hostage-related work as a so-called "special government employee," a position that would not need Senate confirmation.
"Adam Boehler will continue to serve President Trump as a special government employee focused on hostage negotiations," White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.
"Adam played a critical role in negotiating the return of Marc Fogel from Russia. He will continue this important work to bring wrongfully detained individuals around the world home."
A White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Boehler withdrew his nomination to avoid divesting from his investment company. The move was unrelated to the controversy sparked by his discussions with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
"He still has the utmost confidence of President Trump," said the official.
"This gives me the best ability to help Americans held abroad as well as work across agencies to achieve President Trump’s objectives," Boehler told Reuters in a brief statement.
Boehler recently held direct meetings with Hamas on the release of hostages in Gaza. The discussions broke with a decades-old policy by Washington against negotiating with groups that the US brands as terrorist organizations.
The talks angered some Senate Republicans and some Israeli leaders. According to Axios, Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer expressed his displeasure to Boehler in a tense phone call last week.