TOP STORIES
Iran-Backed Shiite Militias Claim Golan Heights Attack | The National
Iran-backed proxies in Iraq claimed an attack in the occupied Golan Heights on Thursday in a new escalation in the Israel-Gaza war. The Islamic Resistance Iraq, a loose formation of Tehran-allied Shiite militias, said it had hit a “vital target in our occupied lands" to the south of Elad settlement. It did not specify whether the attack was carried out using missiles or drones, but said it used "appropriate weaponry" without giving further details. The Israeli army told AFP a drone that was probably carrying explosives crashed near Elad after being shot down late on Wednesday.
Iran Dismisses IAEA Report On Uranium Enrichment | Reuters
Iran's atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami on Wednesday said there was "nothing new" in an international nuclear watchdog report saying that Tehran had reversed a months-long slowdown in its uranium enrichment programme, Iranian media reported. "We did nothing new and are doing the same activities according to the rules," Eslami was quoted as saying. An International Atomic Energy Agency report seen by Reuters on Tuesday said that Iran has "increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023".
IRGC Threatens ‘Direct Action’ Against Israel Over Senior Commander’s Slaying | Times Of Israel
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Israel on Wednesday that it or its allied groups would take “direct” action to avenge the killing of senior commander Razi Moussavi. The IRGC general was killed Monday in an Israeli missile strike near the Syrian capital, according to state media, at a time of heightened regional tensions around the war raging in Gaza between Israel and Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces, which has allegedly launched hundreds of strikes on Iran-linked targets in war-torn Syria in recent years, said only that it does not comment on foreign media reports.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran, Russia To Trade In Local Currencies Instead Of US Dollar | Reuters
Iran and Russia have finalised an agreement to trade in their local currencies instead of the U.S dollar, Iran's state media reported on Wednesday. The agreement was finalised during a meeting between the governors of the two countries' central banks in Russia, it said. Both Iran and Russia are subject to U.S. sanctions. "Banks and economic actors can now use infrastructures including non-SWIFT interbank systems to deal in local currencies," state media said.
Iran And Iraq Share Common Position Regarding OPEC, Iranian Oil Minister Says | Al Arabiya
Iranian oil minister Javad Owji on Wednesday thanked Iraqi officials for cutting oil output, saying the two countries had a common position regarding both OPEC and the wider OPEC+ grouping which includes allies such as Russia. The minister’s comments came as he signed a number of prelimi-nary agreements with his Iraqi counterpart in Tehran, state media reported. “Iran and Iraq have a common position regarding OPEC and OPEC+. We thank the Iraqi officials for the voluntary cuts they implemented to improve (oil) prices. We have had negotiations about future issues related to OPEC and OPEC+,” Owji said without giving any further details.
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
Mourners Chant ‘Death To Israel’ At Iranian Commander’s Funeral In Iraq | Al Arabiya
Mourners chanted “death to America, death to Israel” during the funeral service on Wednesday for a senior advisor in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) who was killed in a strike in Syria. The IRGC said in a statement on Monday Brig. Gen. Seyed Razi Mousavi, a “senior IRGC advisor in Syria,” was killed in an Israeli “missile attack” in Damascus.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS & NEGOTIATIONS
Iran Is Pushing Biden Around | Wall Street Journal
Hours after Kataib Hezbollah injured three American troops with an attack on an air base in Iraq on Dec. 25, the U.S. struck back, hitting three facilities used by the Iran-backed militia. U.S. officials described the act as a proportionate retaliation to deter further attacks and mitigate the risk of a full-scale war between the U.S. and Iran. U.S. military officials say there have been 103 attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria since Oct. 17. Several Americans have been injured. The U.S. has retaliated half a dozen times against Iran’s Arab proxies in both countries. The math isn’t working for the Biden administration, and neither is time.
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Russia And Iran Discuss Territorial Integrity | Iran International
Iran and Russia's foreign ministers discussed the ongoing contentious issue of Iran's "territorial integrity" as the debate over three islands continues. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov spoke Tuesday in the wake of the latest dispute between Iran and the United Arab Emirates' claims over three Persian Gulf islands, Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb, which have historically been part of Iran as evidenced by historical and geographical documents. However, the UAE has repeatedly claimed sovereignty over the islands, describing the situation as a “continuation of Iranian occupation.”
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
Will Operation Prosperity Guardian Restore Confidence In Red Sea Transit? | Forbes
It all kicked-off earlier in November when Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels started attacking commercial ships transiting through the Bab al-Mandab Strait - a 20 mile-wide sea channel at the tip of the Red Sea between Djbouti and Yemen. The targets of Houthi drone and rocket attacks happened to be ships purportedly heading to Israel. Following an escalation of hostilities between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the Houthis came out in support of the latter. But the waves of attacks - in the strait that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden - have of late become more indiscriminate in nature against largely foreign-owned vessels.
Major Shipping Giants Resume Red Sea Routes Amid Houthi Attacks | Al-Monitor
Major shipping companies are resuming routes through the Red Sea, though others are continuing to reroute their vessels amid continued attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels and US efforts to secure safe passage through the strategic waterway as the Gaza war continues. The Danish shipping giant Maersk and France’s CMA CGM announced the resumption of activity through the Suez Canal this week while others including Germany's Hapag Lloyd were more hesitant.
Attacks By Iran's 'Independent' Proxies Increase Odds Of Direct Clash With Israel And U.S. | Haaretz
Early in November Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh met Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran to discuss Iran's cooperation in the Gaza war. Reuters reported that Khamenei said clearly that Hamas had given Iran no warning of its October 7 attack on Israel, and that Iran would not enter the war on Hamas' behalf. However, Khamenei said Iran would continue to lend the group political and moral support.
MISCELLANEOUS
US Allies Reluctant On Red Sea Task Force | Reuters
U.S. President Joe Biden hoped to present a firm international response to Yemen's Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping by launching a new maritime force, but a week after its launch many allies don't want to be associated with it, publicly, or at all. Two of America's European allies who were listed as contributors to Operation Prosperity Guardian - Italy and Spain - issued statements appearing to distance themselves from the maritime force. The Pentagon says the force is a defensive coalition of more than 20 nations to ensure billions of dollars' worth of commerce can flow freely through a vital shipping chokepoint in Red Sea waters off Yemen. But nearly half of those countries have so far not come forward to acknowledge their contributions or allowed the U.S. to do so. Those contributions can range from dispatching warships to merely sending a staff officer.