{"id":310872,"date":"2023-08-20T07:33:56","date_gmt":"2023-08-20T06:33:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=310872"},"modified":"2023-08-20T21:12:12","modified_gmt":"2023-08-20T20:12:12","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-august-20-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-news\/iran-news-in-brief-august-20-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 August 20, 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"iranian<\/p>\n

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS<\/h2>\n

UPDATE: 10:00 PM CET<\/strong><\/p>\n

Deepening Divisions in Regime’s Leadership as Iran Nears 2022 Uprising Anniversary<\/h3>\n

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Mansour Haghighatpour, a former member of the regime’s parliament, reported the intensification of the power struggle between parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Ebrahim Raisi’s government.<\/p>\n

“The group that is now standing up to Qalibaf had disagreements with him from the beginning,” Haghighatpour told the state-run Entekhab<\/a> news website on August 19. “However, these disagreements have escalated into a significant division, and those who seek elimination are now aiming to remove Qalibaf. This ongoing process of internal purging has progressed to the point where, following the removal of figures like Nategh-Nouri, Rafsanjani, and Larijani, their attention has shifted toward Qalibaf.”<\/p>\n

He added: “Those people, who have concealed themselves behind the government, also view Qalibaf as an obstacle and are seeking his removal. Therefore, these contradictions represent a real discord.”<\/p>\n

Entekhab also noted, “The conflict between Qalibaf’s team and Raisi has become public, and the differences in the current circumstances and the attack on Qalibaf by the Paydari Front have become more serious now.”<\/p>\n

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Unapologetic Shiite Cleric Blasts Corruption in Iraq and Lebanon, and Attempts to Silence Him<\/h3>\n

BEIRUT (AP) \u2014 A Lebanese Shiite cleric who has angered politicians and religious leaders in Lebanon and Iraq said Friday that groups including Lebanon\u2019s militant Hezbollah are trying to silence voices of dissent within the sect \u2014 including his own.<\/p>\n

Sheikh Yasser Auda has developed a reputation on social media in recent years for his criticism of corruption in Iraq and Lebanon. He has also spoken out against the use of violence against opponents of Iran-backed groups in the two crisis-hit countries. He vowed in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday not to bow down even if it costs him is life.<\/p>\n

His comments came two days after a department within The Supreme Islamic Shiite Council of Lebanon, the country\u2019s top Shiite religious authority, issued a statement naming 15 clerics whom it said are not qualified to provide religious guidance. Auda was at the top of the list and was almost stripped of his religious status.<\/p>\n

Read more<\/a><\/p>\n

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UK Needs To Refocus on Middle East, Says Foreign Affairs Committee Chief<\/h3>\n

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The UK needs a greater focus on its relations with the Middle East after tilting too far towards the Indo-Pacific, the chairwoman of the UK Parliament\u2019s Foreign Affairs Committee has said.<\/p>\n

Alicia Kearns<\/a>\u00a0told\u00a0The National<\/i>\u00a0that Gulf states are looking to \u201cstep up\u201d on the world stage and Britain needed to be \u201cpart of those conversations\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a wide-ranging interview, Ms Kearns said the UK needs to rethink its stance and not forget its historic ties to the region. She also told\u00a0The National<\/i>:<\/p>\n