Posted on 10/08/2022 1:05:38 PM PDT by nuconvert
Iranian Regime national tv Channel One hacked about an hour ago. During a broadcast of Khamenie speech, a red crosshair appeared over his face and chanting of Women. Life. Freedom. There was writing to the side saying "Rise up. Join us". Also 4 photos at the bottom of the screen of young people killed and additional writing: "The blood of our youth is dropping from your paws".
Also, there was a huge banner in the middle of Tehran highway today that read: We are no longer afraid of you. We will fight.
Also, attempted attack on IRI ambassador in Denmark. Her bodyguard was stabbed. Diplomatic Security intervened before the attacker could stab the ambassador.
Iran Update, January 2, 2024
Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian met with senior Houthi official Mohammad Abdul Salam in Tehran on January 1.[98] Abdollahian thanked Abdul Salam for his “strong” position supporting Palestinians. Abdul Salam thanked Abdollahian for Iran’s continued support for the Axis of Resistance. Abdul Salam is the chief Houthi negotiator engaging Saudi Arabia to end the ongoing war in Yemen.
Iranian-backed Iraqi militias praised the Houthi movement for confronting the United States and Israel on December 31, 2023, and January 1, 2024. KH praised the Houthis on December 31 for fulfilling their “legal and moral duty” to confront Israel-linked vessels in the Red Sea.[99] This framing is inaccurate because the Houthis have attacked several vessels with no connection to Israel or Israeli interests in recent weeks. Harakat Hezbollah al Nujaba separately expressed solidarity with the Houthis on January 1, stating that “the battle is one, the enemy is one, and the fate is one.”[100]
full report: https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-2-2024
Unspecified fighters conducted a terrorist attack near Qassem Soleimani’s burial site in Kerman on the fourth anniversary of Soleimani’s death on January 3.[46] The unspecified fighters remotely detonated two improvised explosive devices within twenty minutes of each other. Iranian media has not confirmed the size or type of explosive device. Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi stated that the first explosion occurred at 1500 local time and the second more deadly explosion occurred at 1520.[47] The first explosion occurred within 700 meters of Soleimani’s burial site, and the second explosion occurred within one kilometer of Soleimani’s burial site. Iranian media reported that the two explosions killed 103 people and injured an additional 188.[48] Iranian media emphasized that no IRGC officials were in attendance or injured.[49] The attack killed three Law Enforcement Command (LEC) officers.[50]
Bloomberg News reported that the United States initially believes that the Islamic State or a related group was responsible for the attack.[51] The State Department spokesperson said that the United States does not believe Israel was to blame. The Afghan branch of the Islamic State likely conducted two separate smaller-scale terror attacks in Shiraz, 591 kilometers from Kerman, in October 2022 and August 2023.[52] CTP-ISW previously assessed that the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) maintained ground lines of communication between Iran and Afghanistan.[53]
Iranian officials, including the Security Deputy of Kerman, called the explosion a terrorist attack.[54] The Iranian Interior Minister said that the terrorist attack was a ”continuation of conspiracies” carried out by Iran's enemies.[55] Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei expressed his condolences to the victims of the terror attack.[56] Khamenei stated that the attack was carried out by the ”evil and criminal enemies” of Iran. Khamenei promised a hard response to the attack.
full report: https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-3-2024
Why were Qasem Soleimani’s children absent from their father's funeral?
Iranians are sharing funeral photos of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard commander, where over 100 were killed in today's attack, questioning the absence of his family. Also noted is the lack of Islamic regime officials among the victims, while many children and women perished.
As the regime blames Israel and America, Iranians hold the Islamic regime leaders accountable for this deadly attack, recalling the regime's history of crimes against their people.
https://twitter.com/AlinejadMasih/status/1742640061236048196
The Afghan branch of the Islamic State—named Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP)—claimed responsibility for the recent terrorist attack in Kerman City, Iran, on January 4.[94] Two ISKP members detonated suicide vests during a ceremony commemorating the anniversary of the United States killing Qassem Soleimani, killing at least 84 civilians and wounding dozens of others, on January 3.[95] This attack marks the third that ISKP has claimed inside Iran in recent years. ISKP previously conducted shooting attacks at a prominent Shia shrine in Shiraz in October 2022 and again in August 2023.[96] ISKP attacks beyond Afghanistan raise the group's profile among Salafi-jihadi organizations, helping ISKP attract financing and recruits.[97] ISKP attacks in Iran also support the group's efforts to undermine the Taliban government by exacerbating divisions within the Taliban movement, which remains divided between those who want to prioritize addressing domestic issues in Afghanistan versus those who wish to continue supporting jihadist movements internationally.[98]
CTP-ISW previously assessed in August 2023 that ISKP terrorist attacks inside Iran will likely exacerbate tensions between Iran and the Afghan Taliban.[99] Tehran has repeatedly pushed the Taliban to adopt stronger counterterrorism measures since the Taliban came to power in August 2021.[100] Iran and the Taliban have previously engaged in counterterrorism and intelligence cooperation vis-a-vis the ISKP, as CTP-ISW previously reported.[101] These attacks compound with additional Iranian grievances toward the Taliban, moreover. Tensions have risen between Iran and the Taliban over water resources in recent months.[102] Iranian state media claimed on January 4 that the enemies of Iran are trying to create tensions between Iran and other Muslim countries, such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, where ISKP operates.[103]
Iranian officials discussed the ISKP attack with regional states on January 4. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi stated that terrorists will not be able undermine Iran's security and unity with attacks during a phone call Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.[104] Raisi also accused Israel of trying to spread insecurity to Iran due to its failures in the Gaza Strip in a phone call with Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamid al Thani.[105] Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian emphasized that fighting terrorism is the main priority of Iran and Pakistan during a phone call with his Pakistani counterpart, Jalil Abbas Jilani.[106]
full report: https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-4-2024
The propaganda wing of the Islamic State, Amaq has published the picture of two suicide bombers in Kerman city with some details adding that the two explosions were 20 minutes apart and was a revenge attack for Qasim Suleimani’s fight against the Islamic State in Iraq. The group says these attacks are part of its newly launched operation, “Kill them where you find them” announced by its spokesman Huzaifa Al Ansar
https://twitter.com/khorasandiary/status/1742948108697252211
Ebrahim Raisi administration officials continued to discuss the January 3 terrorist attack with their foreign counterparts on January 4 and 5. President Raisi discussed the attack with his Turkmen and Serbian counterparts in separate phone calls on January 4.[65] Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian discussed the attack in separate phone calls with his Qatari, Sri Lankan, Syrian, and Turkish counterparts on January 4 and 5.[66] Abdollahian emphasized the need for regional countries to cooperate to combat terrorism.
Iranian state media is downplaying the connection between Afghanistan and the January 3 terrorist attack. IRGC-affiliated media highlighted that 12 of the victims of the terrorist attack were Afghan nationals and claimed that Iran and Afghanistan share a “blood bond” and “shared grief.”[67] IRGC-affiliated media also described Iran and Afghanistan as “not two nations, but one nation.” Iranian state media previously accused anti-regime outlets of trying to stoke tension between Iran and its neighbors by claiming that one of the suicide bombers in the January 3 attack was a Pakistani national who previously attempted to carry out an attack in Afghanistan.[68]
full report: https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-5-2024
Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić = Russian asset
Iran Update, January 6, 2024
Iranian officials continued emphasizing the false narrative that the United States created ISIS to blame the United States and Israel for the January 3 terrorist attack in Kerman City, Iran.[40] Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi claimed that the United States created ISIS and added that ISIS is now an agent of Israel. Vahidi claimed that the actions of ISIS illustrate Israel’s fear of the other countries in the region. Vahidi stated the Ebrahim Raisi administration is working to respond to the enemies of Iran who were responsible for the attack. The Afghan branch of the Islamic State, known as Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), claimed responsibility for the Kerman attack on January 5.[41]
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi discussed the Israel-Hamas war and the ISKP attack in Kerman at an event in Zanjan Province on January 6.[42] Raisi said that Iran will continue to support the Palestinian people and all oppressed people around the world.[43] Raisi also condemned the ISKP attack.
full report: https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-6-2024
Iran Update, January 7, 2024
Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian discussed the Israel-Hamas war during a phone call with his French counterpart, Catherine Colonna, on January 6.[77] Abdollahian said that the only way to prevent the war from becoming a larger regional conflict is by addressing the root causes.[78] Colonna told Abdollahian that Iran and its proxies must stop their destabilizing activities.[79]
full report: https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-7-2024
Iran Update, January 8, 2024
President Ebrahim Raisi re-emphasized the Iranian regime narrative that the United States and Israel created ISIS at a meeting with the Speaker of the National Assembly of Tajikistan Rostam Imam Ali on January 8.[57] Raisi said that fighting terrorism, organized crime, and drugs is one of the “requirements” of Iranian-Tajik cooperation.[58] Raisi added that Iran and Tajikistan face “common issues” as neighbors of Afghanistan. The Afghan branch of the Islamic State, known as the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), claimed responsibility for the Kerman terrorist attack on January 4.[59] The Iranian Intelligence Ministry said on January 5 that one of the two bombers responsible for the attack was a Tajik national who traveled from abroad to conduct the attack.[60] An ISKP member and Tajik national conducted a separate terror attack targeting the Shah Cheragh Shrine in Shiraz, Fars Province in August 2023.[61] Iran opened a drone production facility in Tajikistan in May 2022 as part of its counterterrorism and security cooperation with Tajikistan.[62]
full report: https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-8-2024
The Jordanian Royal Air Force conducted airstrikes targeting Iranian-linked drug smuggling operations in southern Syria on January 8.[84] The strikes targeted a farm that Jordanian officials suspected of storing drugs in Malah, Suwayda Province and Iran-linked drug smugglers in Shaab and Arman, Suwayda Province.
This airstrike is part of growing Jordanian operations against these smuggling networks. Jordanian forces have clashed with Iranian-backed smugglers along the Jordan-Syria border twice in recent weeks—once in December 2023 and again on January 6, 2024.[85] The Jordanian Royal Air Force has similarly conducted three strikes targeting Iranian-backed smuggling operations in southern Syria since May 2023, including a strike on January 4.[86] A strike in May 2023 targeted an LH member responsible for smuggling Captagon into Jordan.[87] Western and Jordanian officials blamed LH and other Iranian-backed militias for increased drug smuggling into Jordan.[88] The Syrian regime, LH, and other Iranian-backed militias mass produce Captagon in Syria and smuggle it through Jordan to the Gulf Arab states. This smuggling and distribution cartel generates billions of dollars in revenue for Iran and its Axis of Resistance.[89]
full report: https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-9-2024
Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian discussed the Israel-Hamas war and security in the Red Sea in a phone call with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, on January 9.[64] Abdollahian called for an end the fighting in the Gaza Strip. Abdollahian also implicitly blamed Israel for Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. Lavrov claimed that the United States is using the Houthi attacks as a pretext to expand its military presence in the Middle East. The Russian Foreign Affairs Ministry's readout of the call did not include Abdollahian's statements regarding a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.[65]
full report: https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-10-2024
See post above re Jordan AF attack against Captagon trade
What is Captagon? ‘Poor Man’s Cocaine’ Is a Favorite of Mideast Militants
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/4192305/posts
Hamas fighters took drug called Captagon to make them feel invincible before Israel massacre
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4191196/posts
Large quantities of ‘Jihadist drug’ seized in France for the first time [Captagon]
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3556509/posts
Fenethylline [Captagon] is now illegal in most countries and is produced primarily for illicit use. Syria is considered to be the world’s largest producer of the drug, accounting for about 80% of the global supply.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenethylline
“Raisi said that fighting terrorism, organized crime, and drugs is one of the “requirements” of Iranian-Tajik cooperation”
LoL. Terrorism, drugs & organized crime is how the IRI stays in power... Well, besides billions in cash from Obama & the democrats.
This delves into the extraordinary and intricate tale of Naji Sharifi Zindashti, a figure intertwined with crime, politics, and power. Hailing from Urmia, Iran, Naji’s life is marked by daring escapades and alliances with influential politicians. His early involvement in drug smuggling led to prison escapes, but it was his connections that elevated his status. At the heart of this story is the Noor One shipment, an audacious heroin transfer from Dubai to Greece. Naji’s participation in this venture tied him to a web of players, culminating in its sabotage. Suspicion cast upon Naji escalated tensions, ultimately leading to a botched hit on him, resulting in unintended casualties.
This takes a global turn, involving Dubai hits, revenge quests, and shadowy connections. Naji’s sway and audacity are evident as he navigates various criminal activities across borders. Remarkably, his influence extends even to the Iranian government, allowing him to orchestrate kidnappings of dissidents from foreign lands. This concludes with a striking revelation: Naji’s criminal empire thrives openly in Iran with government backing, controlling a significant portion of the narcotics trade. Despite his notoriety, Naji continues to operate freely, his story an enigmatic blend of crime, politics, and power.
The Artesh Navy seized the Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged Saint Nikolas crude oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman on January 11.[77] Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and Iranian Armed Forces General Staff-controlled media said that the seizure was a retaliation against the United States after the US Navy seized the same tanker and then offloaded the ship's Iranian crude oil in April and August 2023.[78] The Saint Nikolas was formerly known as the Suez Rajan. The United States seized the Suez Rajan in April 2023 and offloaded its oil in August 2023 to enforce US unilateral sanctions on Iranian oil exports.[79] Senior Iranian military officials vowed in July and September 2023 that Iran would retaliate against the United States after the US Navy seized and offloaded Iranian oil from the tanker in April and August 2023.[80] The Artesh and IRGC navies seized several commercial tankers in the Persian Gulf from April to July 2023 in response to the US seizure. These seizures caused a US military buildup in and around the Persian Gulf during the same period.[81] CTP assessed in August 2023 that the Iranian regime may seize additional commercial vessels in response to the US Navy's seizure of the Suez Rajan.[82]
An online shipping tracker organization reported that the IRGC spy ship Behshad has left the Red Sea and is en route to Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province, Iran on January 11.[83] The Behshad is an IRGC intelligence gathering ship stationed off the Dahlak archipelago in the Red Sea.[84] The Wall Street Journal reported on December 22, 2023 that the Behshad provides the Houthis with real-time intelligence, which enables the Houthis to target ships that have gone silent to avoid detection.[85] Western media and officials also said that the IRGC is helping the Houthi forces plan and execute the movement's drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea.[86] The IRGC has likely used the Behshad and its predecessor, the Saviz, to provide new systems and intelligence to the Houthis to facilitate Houthi operations in the Red Sea prior to this round of escalation.[87] Iran and the IRGC have also hosted and trained Houthi military forces.[88]
full report: https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-11-2024
U.S. and U.K. conduct strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen to retaliate for spate of attacks
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/4209611/posts
Iran Update, January 12, 2024
The Houthis will likely continue to attempt attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea because the January 11 airstrikes do not sufficiently threaten the Houthis’ position within Yemen. The Houthis said after the attacks that they would retaliate against the United States and the United Kingdom.[5] The Houthis aim to control all of Yemen. Houthi spokespersons said on January 12 that the airstrikes will not deter Houthi forces from supporting Palestine.[6] The Houthis launched an anti-ship ballistic missile targeting a Russian tanker south of Yemen on January 12.[7] The Houthis believe that attacks on international shipping help the group solidify its control in Yemen by demonstrating Houthi support to the Palestinian cause.[8]
The Houthis and their Iranian patrons continue to blame the United States for “escalating” in the region in response to the airstrikes.[9] Houthi spokespersons said on January 11 that the Houthis do not threaten international shipping in the Red Sea.[10] A former IRGC commander also warned that the strikes could escalate tensions in the region.[11] The United States and the United Kingdom did not escalate against the Houthis. The Houthis have conducted 27 piratical and terrorist attacks targeting international shipping in the Red Sea since October 17 without a response.[12] The United States and 11 partners warned the Houthis against further attacks on international shipping on January 3.[13] The Houthis conducted their largest and most complex attack to date on January 9 targeting HMS Diamond and US naval vessels after the warning.[14] The United States and the United Kingdom repeatedly called upon the Houthi movement to cease attacks prior to the strikes, including through a UN Security Council Resolution that called upon the Houthis to cease attacks in the Red Sea on January 10.[15]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-12-2024
A strategic course correction would begin by recognising that all of this—the threats in the international waters off Yemen, the harassment of the Allied troops in the Fertile Cresent, the war in Gaza—is Iran, and making that the return address. The Iranian regime is neither physically capable nor doctrinally prepared to wage a conventional war; the threat of such a thing is as unrealistic—and generally proffered in as bad faith—as the threat of “World War Three” if Russia is prevented from conquering Ukraine. Iran's asymmetric options are all it has, and denying the Islamic Republic the “deniability” this is supposed to bring it—inflicting the full costs on it for its misbehaviour—would have a salutary effect all around.
This change would rein-in Ansarallah in the short-term, which would be a start. If there is a solution over the longer term, it is to dislodge the IRGC from its control of the key areas of Yemen, a task now all the more difficult after the IRGC has had another half-decade to entrench itself and to politically weaken the Arab Coalition. Left alone with this fight, the Saudis have more or less given up, as they showed in their response to the strikes, and are looking for a fig-leaf to cover their surrender to Iran. Perhaps the chance is gone and the price of Western neglect will be a permanent menace to international commerce. In either event, the U.S. could at least call this menace by its right name and restore the terrorist designation against Ansarallah that Biden incomprehensibly revoked in his first weeks in office.
https://www.kyleorton.com/p/us-uk-yemen-strikes-make-iran-the-return-address
The Iranian-backed Badr Organization announced the submission of a draft law that requires the removal of US forces from Iraq. This law is part of Iran's decades-old effort to expel US forces from Iraq and the region. Conquest Alliance MP Faleh al Khazali said that the law is the result of “the Americans’ continued violations of Iraqi sovereignty.”[1] The United States has not violated Iraqi sovereignty because it is conducting self-defense strikes against militias firing at US servicemembers. Khazali announced a draft law on January 13 that requires the removal of US forces from Iraq.[2] Conquest Alliance is the Badr Organization's political arm in parliament. Eighty-eight parliamentarians signed the draft law, which is 77 signatures short of a majority. The law calls for the removal of US forces and the formation of a committee led by the prime minister to implement the law. The committee will present a report to the Iraqi parliament that will describe the “requirements for ending” the US force presence in Iraq.
This law aims to increase pressure on Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al Sudani and to force him to expel US forces from Iraq. Politico reported on January 9 that senior Iraqi advisors to Sudani told the US State Department that Sudani does not seek the expulsion of US forces.[3] The draft law's inclusion of a prime minister-led committee increases the pressure on Sudani by forcing him to author a report detailing how Iraq would end the US presence in Iraq. The inclusion of this requirement is a key difference between the draft law and the 2020 nonbinding resolution that called for the expulsion of US forces.[4] Iranian-backed Iraqi proxy militias like the Badr Organization have been increasing political and military pressure on the United States in Iraq since late November 2023 as part of their effort to expel US forces from Iraq.[5]
The expulsion of US forces from Iraq will likely allow ISIS to resurge in Syria and then threaten Iraq within 12 to 24 months. The expulsion of US forces from Iraq would benefit ISIS by preventing US support to the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF). The ISF still faces deficiencies in intelligence, logistics, and fire support.[6] The expulsion of US forces from Iraq would also require the US to end operations in Syria because US forces in Syria rely on Iraqi bases for their logistics and other support. CTP-ISW continues to assess that ISIS would likely resurge within 12-24 months in Syria without a US force presence and then threaten Iraq.[7]
full report: https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-13-2024
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq—a coalition of Iranian-backed Iraqi militias—claimed two attacks on US forces in northwestern Syria on January 13.[13] The group fired rockets at Rumaylan Landing Zone in Hasakah Province and launched drones at al Omar oil field in Deir ez Zor Province.
full report: https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-january-14-2024
A recent video is being widely circulated on social media, showing Ali Akbar Velayati, Senior Advisor to the SL on International Affairs in an awful health condition.
https://twitter.com/SaeedAzimi1772/status/1746459255211778514
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_Akbar_Velayati
Houthi missile fired at USS Laboon shot down; British PM to address MPs about missile strikes in Yemen
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