Iran Elections: Domestic Reform to Int’l Image

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
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Iran Elections: Domestic Reform to Int’l Image

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei

Days ahead of Iran’s legislative elections, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei urged higher voter turnout, calling on all Iranians to participate in fixing issues.
In a meeting with people from East Azerbaijan Province, Khamenei stressed that elections are “an important national event” and the core pillar of Iran.
“Elections are a manifestation of the republican system and this is why the Arrogant Powers and the US, who are opposed to both republicanism and the Islamic nature of the Islamic Republic, are against the elections and the enthusiastic participation of the people at the ballot boxes,” said Khamenei.
The elections, slated for next month, will elect 290 new parliament members. Simultaneously, elections for the Assembly of Experts, comprising 88 clerics, will occur, responsible for naming the next Supreme Leader if needed.
Conspiracy Talk
In his remarks, Khamenei once again brought up talk about conspiracies just before elections.
Khamenei stated that in the past, a US president once called on the Iranian nation to boycott elections while it actually backfired and in opposition to Washington, Iranians participated with even more enthusiasm.
The leader claimed that this failure was why US officials no longer talk this way, but employ different methods to distance and steer people away from elections.
Khameni also underlined that elections are crucial for fixing Iran’s problems, and insisted that everyone take part.
Earlier this month, Khamenei urged Iran’s elite figures to ensure a big voter turnout, warning against efforts to weaken their role.
It is worth noting that the upcoming vote is the first since protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by Iranian authorities for improper hijab, erupted in September 2022.
Amini died in custody, sparking nationwide demonstrations, but Iran blamed Western powers for fueling the protests.
Picking the Best
Khamenei defended the process of approving candidates by the Guardian Council, a body he partly appoints.
He emphasized the need to elect the most qualified candidates among those approved.
The leader urged avoiding insults and false accusations during the campaign, emphasizing national unity despite differences.
He stressed the importance of fair elections, denying any past electoral violations. His remarks coincide with the anniversary of the house arrest of two reformist leaders, Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi.
Mousavi and Karroubi contested the results of the 2009 presidential elections.
Meanwhile, Iranian state apparatuses, particularly the military forces, are preparing for the impending elections.
West Asia Strategy
A senior Revolutionary Guards commander, Mohsen Rezaee, highlighted the importance of the elections for Iran’s relations with West Asian countries.
He emphasized Iran’s strategic role in the region and the need for public participation in the elections.
He stated that West Asia’s fate is being decided now and that Iran’s strength should be acknowledged by Western nations.
“Today, the fate of West Asia is being determined. There is competition among countries, and Iran has found its place among these peoples, and it must consolidate it,” said Rezaee.
He underlined the importance of Iran’s role in resolving regional issues like ISIS and peace in Palestine.



FBI Arrests Energy Department Employee on Charge of Trying to Support Houthis

A vehicle belonging to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in front of its headquarters in Washington on February 3, 2025 (Reuters)
A vehicle belonging to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in front of its headquarters in Washington on February 3, 2025 (Reuters)
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FBI Arrests Energy Department Employee on Charge of Trying to Support Houthis

A vehicle belonging to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in front of its headquarters in Washington on February 3, 2025 (Reuters)
A vehicle belonging to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in front of its headquarters in Washington on February 3, 2025 (Reuters)

A Department of Energy electrical engineer has been arrested on charges of providing support to the Iranian-backed Houthi militias, including by buying materials for homemade explosives and drones and traveling to Yemen, the Justice Department said Thursday.

Ashton Hamed Ellaboudy, 51, of Richland, Washington, was arrested Thursday and is due to make his first court appearance Friday. Court records do not list an attorney available to speak on his behalf, The Associated Press reported.

The FBI says Ellaboudy had a goal of helping the Houthis improve their communications capabilities and traveled last September to Yemen.

Upon his return to the United States, authorities say, Ellaboudy told Customs and Border Protection officials that he was traveling back from Oman on a work trip and was part of a US government mission to inspect missile defense systems. But investigators interviewed Ellaboudy's supervisor, who reported having no knowledge of any international travel or of an Energy Department missile inspection program that Ellaboudy would have been assigned to, an FBI affidavit said.

The FBI says investigators began looking into Ellaboudy after learning that he had purchased precursor chemicals commonly involved in the construction of homemade explosive devices, including acetone and sodium bisulfate, as well as parts used for drones.

During the course of the investigation, the FBI says, he communicated with multiple informants — including one who purported to be a Houthi colonel — and provided advice and assistance on communications equipment.

Ellaboudy is charged under a law that makes it a crime to provide material support to a group designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization, of which the Houthis are one.

“These allegations are so deeply disturbing that they almost defy imagination,” John Eisenberg, the assistant attorney general in charge of the Justice Department's National Security Division, said in a statement.


Congo's Ebola Outbreak Records More than 4,000 Deaths as Authorities Struggle to Contain the Virus

A healthcare worker is disinfected by his colleague inside a treatment center for Ebola patients in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi)
A healthcare worker is disinfected by his colleague inside a treatment center for Ebola patients in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi)
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Congo's Ebola Outbreak Records More than 4,000 Deaths as Authorities Struggle to Contain the Virus

A healthcare worker is disinfected by his colleague inside a treatment center for Ebola patients in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi)
A healthcare worker is disinfected by his colleague inside a treatment center for Ebola patients in Beni, North Kivu province, eastern Congo, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Sebastien Kitsa Musayi)

Congo's Ebola outbreak has now recorded more than 4,000 deaths, authorities said as they struggle to contain the spread of the virus.

The latest figures were released by the health ministry on Thursday. They show that 4,018 people have died from among 8,300 confirmed cases, making up for nearly half of the confirmed cases in what has become the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history.

Congo announced an outbreak on May 15, caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no known treatment or vaccine, The Associated Press said.

The World Health Organization has recently raised the alarm regarding the rapid geographical spread of the virus into new health zones, stretching limited resources.

Widespread mistrust of health workers and authorities' handling of the outbreak has hampered efforts to slow down the spread of the disease.

A local politician was beaten to death last month and attacks on health workers and other responders have been common as the Central African nation battles what is its 17th Ebola outbreak.

Authorities last month launched a village-centered approach to fight the outbreak but those efforts continue to face resistance from some residents who dismiss Ebola as a hoax amid a widespread distrust in the country’s government for various reasons, ranging from how it’s managed past Ebola outbreaks to chronic corruption.


5 Dead as Mine Collapses in West Türkiye

Members of emergency services gather as police forensic experts examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz
Members of emergency services gather as police forensic experts examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz
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5 Dead as Mine Collapses in West Türkiye

Members of emergency services gather as police forensic experts examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz
Members of emergency services gather as police forensic experts examine the wreckage of an ambulance helicopter after it collided with a hospital building and crashed into the ground, in Mugla, Türkiye, December 22, 2024. REUTERS/Kenan Gurbuz

Turkish rescuers on Friday recovered the bodies of three miners trapped in a mine collapse in western Türkiye, raising the death toll to five, local authorities said.

"The search and rescue operations carried out after the mine collapse in Soma district have ended and the bodies of the three mine workers who were trapped have been recovered," the local governor's office said on X.

The collapse occurred on Thursday at a mine in Manisa province, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of the resort city of Izmir.

Authorities said seven workers were caught in the accident.

Rescue teams recovered the bodies of two miners from the site while two others were rescued and taken to hospital, leaving three trapped inside the mine, the justice minister wrote on X.

Their bodies were recovered early Friday, bringing the death toll to five.

Soma was the site of Türkiye's deadliest mining disaster in 2014, when 301 miners died from carbon monoxide poisoning following an underground fire triggered by an explosion.