Hard-line former Iranian senior nuclear negotiator and candidate for the presidential election Saeed Jalili casts his ballot in a polling station, in Tehran, Iran, on June 28, 2024. Iranians are voting in a snap election to replace the late hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi.
| Photo Credit: AP

Early, seesawing results released Saturday in Iran’s presidential election put the race between reformist Masoud Pezeshkian and hard-liner Saeed Jalili, with the lead trading between the two men while a runoff vote appeared likely.

The early results, reported by Iranian state television, did not initially put either man in a position to win Friday’s election outright, potentially setting the stage for a runoff election to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi.

It also did not offer any turnout figures for the race yet — a crucial component of whether Iran’s electorate backs its Shiite theocracy after years of economic turmoil and mass protests.

After counting over 12 million votes, Mr. Pezeshkian had 5.3 million while Mr. Jalili held 4.8 million.

Another candidate, hard-line speaker of the parliament Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, had some 1.6 million votes. Shiite cleric Mostafa Pourmohammadi had more than 95,000 votes.

Voters faced a choice between the three hard-line candidates and the little-known reformist Pezeshkian, a heart surgeon. As has been the case since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, women and those calling for radical change have been barred from running, while the vote itself will have no oversight from internationally recognised monitors.

The voting came as wider tensions have gripped the Middle East over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

In April, Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israel over the war in Gaza, while militia groups that Tehran arms in the region — such as the Lebanese Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels — are engaged in the fighting and have escalated their attacks.

Meanwhile, Iran continues to enrich uranium at near weapons-grade levels and maintains a stockpile large enough to build — should it choose to do so — several nuclear weapons.

There had been calls for a boycott, including from imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi. Mir Hossein Mousavi, one of the leaders of the 2009 Green Movement protests who remains in house arrest, also has refused to vote with his wife, his daughter said.

There’s also been criticism that Mr. Pezeshkian represents just another government-approved candidate. One woman in a documentary on Mr. Pezeshkian aired by state TV said her generation was “moving toward the same level” of animosity with the government that Mr. Pezeshkian’s generation had in the 1979 revolution.

Iranian law requires that a winner gets more than 50% of all votes cast. If that doesn’t happen, the race’s top two candidates will advance to a runoff a week later. There’s been only one runoff presidential election in Iran’s history: in 2005, when hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad bested former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

The 63-year-old Raisi died in the May 19 helicopter crash that also killed the country’s foreign minister and others. He was seen as a protégé of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a potential successor. Still, many knew him for his involvement in the mass executions that Iran conducted in 1988, and for his role in the bloody crackdowns on dissent that followed protests over the death of Amini, a young woman detained by police over allegedly improperly wearing the mandatory headscarf, or hijab.

Sanaa:

The head of the Houthi Prisoner Affairs Committee, Abdul Qader al-Murtada, said the Iran-backed movement would release 100 prisoners on Saturday belonging to Yemen’s government forces.

A decision was issued by the leader of the Houthi movement, Abdul-Malik Badr Al-Din al-Houthi, Murtada said on Friday.

Yemen’s Houthis last released prisoners in April 2023 in an exchange of 250 Houthis for 70 members of Yemen’s government forces.

“Tomorrow we will implement a unilateral humanitarian initiative in which we will release more than 100 prisoners,” Murtada said in a statement.

Yemen’s conflict, which has killed tens of thousands of people and left millions hungry, has widely been seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The Houthis are the de facto authorities in northern Yemen. The internationally recognised government is represented by the Political Leadership Council, which was formed under Saudi auspices last year and took over power from Yemen’s president-in-exile.

A Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 after the Iran-aligned Houthis ousted the government from Sanaa in 2014.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A military base in central Iraq, which was housing army troops and pro-Iranian paramilitaries, was hit with “bombing” overnight amid spiralling tensions between Israel and Iran, reports suggest. The US military has denied any role in the attack.

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Israel launched more deadly strikes on besieged Gaza on Thursday as Western governments unveiled sweeping sanctions against Iran’s military drone programme in response to the country’s unprecedented attack on its arch-enemy Israel.

World powers have been watching nervously since Israel vowed to retaliate against Iran for the weekend assault, with fears soaring that escalating tit-for-tat attacks could push the region towards wider war.

Further stoking tensions, Iran warned on Thursday that if Israel struck Iranian atomic sites during its expected retaliation, Tehran would in turn target Israeli “nuclear facilities”.

And more than six months into the bloodiest-ever Gaza war, the Israeli army said it had bombed dozens of targets in the territory, as Qatar said efforts to broker a truce have stalled.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has vowed to destroy Hamas over its October 7 attack that started the war, has stressed that Israel “reserves the right to protect itself” against Iran.

The Islamic Republic last weekend carried out its first-ever attack to directly target its regional foe but Israel, backed by its allies, intercepted most of the 300 missiles and drones and suffered no deaths.

Iran’s attack was retaliation for an April 1 air strike, widely blamed on Israel, which levelled its consulate in Damascus and killed seven Revolutionary Guards.

‘Middle East on a precipice’ 

The international community has urged de-escalation since Iran’s attack, which came after months of violence involving Israel and Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.

“The Middle East is on a precipice,” UN chief Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday. 

“One miscalculation, one miscommunication, one mistake, could lead to the unthinkable — a full-scale regional conflict that would be devastating for all involved,” he told the UN Security Council.

The United States, Israel’s top ally and military supplier, has made clear it won’t join any Israeli attack on Iran, instead unveiling new sanctions on Thursday against the country’s military drone programme.

“We are holding Iran accountable,” US President Joe Biden said, adding that he had discussed ramping up economic pressure on Tehran with other leaders at a G7 meeting in Capri, Italy.

The US sanctions target 16 people and two entities involved in producing the drones used in Iran’s attack, as well as companies providing parts to the country’s steel industry. 

Washington added that the United Kingdom would impose sanctions on Iran’s drone and missile programme, which was also the target of promised sanctions announced by the European Union on Wednesday.

Israel has yet to reveal how or when it will carry out its promised retaliation against Iran.

US broadcaster ABC News, citing three unnamed Israeli sources, reported that Israel had “prepared for and then aborted retaliatory strikes against Iran on at least two nights this past week”.

Among the range of possible responses considered by Israel were an attack on Iranian proxies in the region or a cyberattack, the sources told ABC.

A high-ranking Iranian general warned Israel against attacking Iran’s nuclear sites.

If this did happen, then “the nuclear facilities of the regime will be targeted and operated upon with advanced weaponry,” said Ahmad Haghtalab, the head of Iran’s Nuclear Protection and Security Corps.

However, Tehran has also sought to calm tensions through indirect diplomatic channels with its other major adversary, the United States.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in New York for a UN meeting, said Iran had “tried to tell the United States clearly” that it is “not looking for the expansion of tension in the region”.

Focus turns away from Gaza  

Israel has faced growing global opposition to the relentless war that has reduced vast areas of Gaza to rubble, while its 2.4 million people have suffered under an Israeli siege that has blocked most water, food, medicines and other vital supplies.

Guterres said Israel’s offensive had created a “humanitarian hellscape” for civilians trapped in Gaza. He said that Israel had made “limited progress” on allowing more aid into the territory, calling for more to be done.

Yet Iran’s attack on Israel “is succeeding in taking the focus, particularly the media spotlight, off of the Gaza famine and the Gaza war,” Roxane Farmanfarmaian, a Middle East and North Africa specialist at Cambridge University, told AFP.

The war started after Hamas launched their unprecedented attack on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people in southern Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

The militants also took about 250 hostages. Israel estimates 129 remain in Gaza, including 34 who are presumed dead.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,970 people in Gaza, mostly women and children. according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry.

UN Security Council vote 

Gaza’s civil defence said Thursday it had recovered 11 more bodies in the southern city of Khan Yunis during the night.

Also bombed by Israel was the far-southern city of Rafah, where Gaza rescue teams recovered the corpses of eight family members, including five children and two women, from a single house, the civil defence service said.

A separate strike hit Rafah overnight, killing at least 10 people, relatives and neighbours told AFP as they searched for the remains of victims.

“All of a sudden, a missile hit them,” said neighbour Abdeljabbar al-Arja, who spoke of finding the arms and feet of women and children.

“This is horrifying, it’s not normal,” he said. “The entire world is complicit.”

Talks toward a ceasefire have stalled, said Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, despite months of effort also involving US and Egyptian mediators.

Qatar is undertaking “a complete re-evaluation of its role” as mediator because the country had been targeted by “point-scoring” by politicians, he said.

The UN Security Council was expected to vote soon on the Palestinians’ bid to become a full member state of the United Nations.

However, the veto-wielding United States has repeatedly expressed opposition to such a move.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Washington:

The grouping of India, Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the US continues to be a priority for the Biden administration and is not on the back-burner due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, the White House has said.

The I2U2 grouping remains critically important and President Joe Biden is “deeply committed to making sure that we continue” with the grouping, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at the White House here on Wednesday.

Asked if the grouping is now on the back-burner or no longer active because of the Israel-Hamas conflict, the official said, “No, not at all, still a priority”.

“The I2U2 remains critically important and the president is deeply committed to making sure that we continue with the I2U2, obviously with our partnership among our four countries and beyond through innovative, inclusive and science-based solutions to advance… let’s not forget, enhance food and energy security space operations and other ventures, advancing projects on water conservation, waste management and other areas,” Jean-Pierre said.

So, there is a strong future for the I2U2 and “we’re looking forward to continuing that partnership” and it has not taken on the back-burner, the White House official said. “It certainly continues to be a priority,” Jean-Pierre said.

The I2U2’s first summit was held on July 14, 2022, to establish the group.

This grouping identifies bankable projects and initiatives to tackle some of the biggest challenges confronting the world, with particular focus on joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health, food security, and technology.

It also aims to mobilise private sector capital and expertise to achieve a variety of goals, including modernising infrastructure, advancing low carbon development pathways, and improving public health.

I2U2 partnership projects and initiatives are not limited in geographic scope – the group will explore opportunities anywhere it can make a positive impact, the State Department said. 

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

A Palestinian man walks past shuttered shops during a general strike in Nablus in the occupied West Bank, on October 18, 2023, a day after a rocket hit a Gaza hospital killing hundreds.
| Photo Credit: ZAIN JAAFAR

Two Data Points published last week explored the impoverished nature of the Palestinian territories, especially Gaza, and how Israel controls employment, trade, water and electricity in both Gaza and the West Bank. This third and concluding part of the series on the Israel-Hamas conflict also explores how Israel controls the economy of the Palestinian territories, but focuses only on Israel’s control of exits and entry points, which determines trade and movement of men for employment and other needs.

With entries and exits by air and sea banned, only three crossings — two controlled by Israel and one by Egypt — are available for movement in and out of Gaza. In 2022, 4.24 lakh people were allowed to exit from Gaza to Israel or through Israel to the West Bank. The total estimated population of Gaza in mid-2022 was 20 lakh. In other words, one in five people were allowed to exit once in 2022. The more than 4 lakh exit permits issued in 2022 is the highest in about two decades; the previous high of 5.21 lakh was recorded in 2004. These numbers pale in comparison to the 60 lakh exits recorded in 2000.

Chart 1 | The chart shows the exits of people from Gaza to or through Israel (M=million, k=1,000).

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As can be seen in Chart 1, the exit of people permitted to Israel or through it took a dive in the 2000s and remained low in the 2010s due to escalation of hostility at various points in time. In 2008, only 0.26 lakh permits were issued, the lowest ever. In 2006, after Hamas won the Palestinian parliamentary elections and started controlling Gaza, Israel stopped most workers from entering the country. This is significant because Gaza lacks industries and most workers found employment in Israel or its settlements. Due to lack of permits, Gaza’s labour force participation rate dwindled in the following years reaching 35% in 2021, among the lowest in the world, as recorded in the Data Point last Monday. Of those who are looking for jobs in Gaza, half are unemployed. These are direct consequences of the decline in exit permits.

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Not just workers, but patients from Gaza who need to cross Israel to access services in the West Bank get delayed for their appointments. In 2022, only two out of every three applications submitted for referral patients to exit Gaza were approved by the time of appointment. Given that Gaza has only 13 hospital beds per 10,000 population, which is among the lowest in the world, this restriction assumes more significance.

Chart 2 | The chart shows incoming goods to Gaza in terms of truckloads from Israel (k=1,000).

The Data Point published last Wednesday showed that in 2021, half the exports from Palestinian territories went to Israel and over 80% of its imports came from Israel. Therefore, restriction of goods movement can impair the Palestinian economy. Data show that in 2022, over 74,000 truckloads of goods were allowed into Gaza by Israel, the lowest since 2014. Chart 2 shows that goods to Gaza from Israel reduced to the lowest levels immediately after the Israeli blockade in 2007. Goods which Israel may consider as having a military use are denied entry.

Gaza’s import dependency on Israel for petrol, diesel, and cooking gas was high before 2018. With Israel scaling down fuel and gas exports to Gaza post-2018, Egypt has taken its spot.

Chart 3 | The chart shows petrol and diesel (in litres) which came into Gaza from Israel and Egypt.

There is severe restrictions on exports as well. In 2009, this was as low as 24 truckloads compared to 5,834 in 2022. While the number of truckloads allowed out of Gaza has improved in the last few years, the latest conflict could affect this.

Chart 4 | The chart shows outgoing goods from Gaza to or through Israel.

Source: “Movement in and out of Gaza in 2022” report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Also read | The Israel-Palestine conflict is at bend point

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Washington:

Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, the United States is sending additional troops to the US Central Command region, which covers the Middle East and parts of Africa, Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said on Tuesday (local time).

Ryder said that these troops will provide capabilities, explosive ordnance disposal, communications and other support enablers for forces already in the region. He said that additional US troops are not going to Israel.

While addressing a press briefing on Tuesday (local time), he said, “I can announce the decision to deploy an additional 300 troops to the US Central Command region from home stations in the continental United States. These additional troops will provide capabilities, explosive ordnance disposal, communications and other support enablers for forces already in the region.”

The region monitored by the US Central Command encompasses 20 countries, including Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, the countries of the Arabian Peninsula and northern Red Sea, and the five republics of Central Asia.

“Please note that we will not discuss specific deployment locations for these forces, but I can confirm they are not going to Israel and that they are intended to support regional deterrence efforts and further bolster US force protection capabilities,” he added.

Brigadier General Patrick Ryder said that US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, during his remarks at the Senate testimony, said the US will continue to provide critical security assistance to Israel.

He said that Austin said that the focus of the US is on providing air defence capabilities, precision-guided munitions and more interceptors for the Iron Dome system.

According to Ryder, Austin said that the US is coordinating closely with the Israelis to help secure the release of the hostages held by Hamas, including American citizens.

Ryder said that Austin highlighted that the US immediately provided military advisors to offer best practises for integrating hostage recovery into Israel’s operations.

Lloyd Austin said that the US has strengthened its force posture across the region to deter any state or nonstate actors from escalating this crisis beyond Gaza, according to Patrick Ryder.

While addressing the press briefing, Ryder said Austin continues to remain in close contact with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant by phone and received updates regarding Israel’s operations in Gaza.
Ryder said, “The secretary commended the Israel Defense Forces’ commitment to hostage recovery” and re-emphasized the importance of conducting operations in accordance with the law of war. He also stressed the imperative to protect innocent civilians and allow unfettered humanitarian aid into Gaza.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Moscow:

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday accused the United States of being responsible for what he called “deadly chaos” unfolding in the Middle East.

“Who is organising the deadly chaos and who benefits from it today, in my opinion, has already become obvious… It is the current ruling elites of the US and their satellites who are the main beneficiaries of world instability,” Putin said in televised comments.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Depleted resources: A Palestinian man gestures at a closed petrol station in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip on October 25, 2023.
| Photo Credit: SAID KHATIB

The Data point published on October 23, 2023, titled ‘Five wars in 15 years stifled Gaza’s growth’ described how the Gaza Strip and West Bank lagged behind many countries on several socio-economic indicators. It showed that the long conflict between Hamas and Israel and the widespread use of violence by Israeli forces on Palestinian territories have stalled Gaza’s socio-economic growth.

This second part of the three-part series on the conflict takes a look at how dependent Palestinians are on Israel for employment and basic amenities such as water and electricity. As a result, Israel controls a significant share of the territories’ economy.

Monday’s Data Point highlighted that the share of Palestinians who are either looking for jobs or are working was among the lowest in the world. It also showed that there are record levels of unemployment in West Bank and Gaza due to lack of industries. Reports show that even among those who are employed, a significant share of them works in Israel or in its settlements. As of early 2022, more than 1.5 lakh Palestinians were working in Israel and its settlements. This is one-fifth of all the workers from the West Bank. Their income contributed a quarter of the West Bank’s GDP.

Not only are many Palestinians unemployed, but many of them are also underemployed or paid inadequately. Reports show that 83% of workers from Gaza received less than the minimum wage ($435) as of 2021. Such heavy reliance on Israel, below-par payment, and constant bombardment mean that the GDP of Palestinian territories has grown at a snail’s pace over recent decades while Israel’s GDP showed rapid growth.

Chart 1 | The chart shows the difference in the GDP growth of Israel and Palestinian territories.

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Israel’s control over Palestine’s economy is more deeply felt through foreign trade restrictions. In 2021, over half of all items imported by the Palestinian territories came from Israel and over 80% of all exports went to Israel.

Chart 2 | The chart shows the major sources and destinations, of imports and exports, from and to the Palestinian territories in 2021.

Electricity, water and fuel, which form the bulk of Palestine’s imports, are largely supplied by Israel. Over 60% of Gaza’s electricity supply is imported from Israel, while the power plant in Gaza supplies the rest. The plant in turn imports diesel from Israel. Due to gaps in supply inside the territories, water is imported from Israel at a higher cost, forcing Palestinians to spend 8% to 13% of their income on it.

Chart 3 | The chart shows that electricity, water and fuel are among the top five imports of Palestinian territories.

This dependency has potentially fatal implications for Palestine should Israel cut off access, as is the case during the ongoing conflict.

Given that Palestinians rely heavily on Israel, a war with Tel Aviv can leave them stripped of resources, necessitating foreign aid. In Gaza, 80% of people depend on international assistance. However, foreign aid, which started declining in the 2010s, touched the lowest-ever level in the 2020s. In 2021, foreign aid formed only 1.8% of Palestinian GDP compared to 27% of the GDP in 2008.

Chart 4 | The chart shows the amount of donor aid as a share of the Palestinian territories’ GDP.

Moreover, Israel controls most of the entry and exits in the territories which results in a “permit regime,” typically leading to exploitation of workers, traders and patients. Consequently, many Palestinians are unable to leave Gaza or the West Bank on time. This restricts their employment opportunities, access to health services and even their access to family.

Source: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, World Bank, Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, UN Comtrade

Also read | Endless woes: On the Israel-Hamas conflict and Palestine

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on Saturday discussed the worsening security and humanitarian situation in West Asia. Both leaders expressed their concern over the increase in terrorism, violence, and civilian casualties in the area, largely owing to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. 

PM Modi and President el-Sisi agreed on the need to quickly restore peace and stability and to provide humanitarian assistance to those who have been affected by the conflict.

“Yesterday, spoke with President @AlsisiOfficial. Exchanged views on the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in West Asia. We share concerns regarding terrorism, violence, and loss of civilian lives. We agree on the need for early restoration of peace and stability and facilitating humanitarian assistance,” PM Modi wrote on X. 

Yesterday, spoke with President @AlsisiOfficial. Exchanged views on the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in West Asia. We share concerns regarding terrorism, violence and loss of civilian lives. We agree on the need for early restoration of peace and stability…

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 29, 2023

The two leaders also exchanged views on the latest developments in the “Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip”, a spokesperson for the Egyptian Presidency said.

“President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi received a phone call from Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, in which views were exchanged between the two leaders on the latest developments in the Israeli military operations in the Gaza strip, and the danger of continuing the current escalation, whether due to its grave effects on the lives of civilians, or the threat it poses to security,” a Facebook post from the spokersperson read.

The October 7 attack by Hamas killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians, in Israel. In retaliation, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have killed more than 8,000 people, half of them children, the Hamas-controlled health ministry in the besieged Palestinian territory has said. 

India on Friday abstained from a UN General Assembly resolution that called for an immediate humanitarian truce in the Israel-Hamas war, saying that the resolution does not mention Hamas and that the UN needs to send a clear message against terrorism.

“We hope that the deliberations of this assembly will send a clear message against terror and violence and expand prospects for diplomacy and dialogue while addressing the humanitarian crisis that confronts us,” said India’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Yojna Patel.

India expressed grave concern over the worsening situation in Gaza and urged both sides to cease hostilities and pursue a peaceful resolution through dialogue.