TOP STORIES
Iran Protest Death Toll Could Top 30,000, According to Local Health Officials | Time
As many as 30,000 people could have been killed in the streets of Iran on Jan. 8 and 9 alone, two senior officials of the country’s Ministry of Health told TIME—indicating a dramatic surge in the death toll. So many people were slaughtered by Iranian security services on that Thursday and Friday, it overwhelmed the state’s capacity to dispose of the dead. Stocks of body bags were exhausted, the officials said, and eighteen-wheel semi-trailers replaced ambulances.
How Iran Crushed a Citizen Uprising with Lethal Force | New York Times
On Friday, Jan. 9, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ordered the Supreme National Security Council, the body tasked with safeguarding the country, to crush the protests by any means necessary, according to two Iranian officials briefed on the ayatollah’s directive. Security forces were deployed with orders to shoot to kill and to show no mercy, the officials said. The death toll surged.
Yemen Rebels Threaten Attack as US Aircraft Carrier Heads Toward Iran | Associated Press
Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels threatened new attacks on ships traveling through the Red Sea corridor, likely trying to back Iran as it worried Monday about an approaching U.S. aircraft carrier after President Donald Trump threatened military action over its crackdown on nationwide protests.
UANI IN THE NEWS
Crackdown on Shadow Fleet Escalates With Seizure of Ship Carrying Russian Oil | Wall Street Journal
Western nations including the U.S. have imposed sanctions on thousands of entities tied to shadow-fleet tankers. However, these sanctions have so far done little to stop the flow of sanctioned crude from Russia, Iran and Venezuela, and Western militaries have done little, until recently, to physically stop the ships. “It’s extremely significant that France did it,” said Charlie Brown, senior adviser with United Against a Nuclear Iran, an advocacy group that tracks the shadow fleet. “It shows that a European country is standing up to Russia, and they’re doing it in the Mediterranean.”
US Treasury Sanctions Tankers in the Name of Helping Iranian Protestors | Maritime Executive
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on Friday, January 23, that it is increasing pressure on Iran by sanctioning nine additional tankers and their respective owners. In announcing the action, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said it was going after Iran’s funding to increase pressure as the regime is killing peaceful protestors. . . . At the end of 2025, the well-known NGO UANI (United Against Nuclear Iran) reported that it had identified 83 new vessels engaged in smuggling Iranian oil, bringing the total number of tankers tracked to 560 vessels. Out of the 180 tankers sanctioned in 2025, it said 108 were previously identified by UANI. Despite that, UANI calculated a 13.5 percent increase in the total number of barrels of Iranian oil exported in 2025. It said the exports topped 666 million barrels last year, with China by far and away taking most of the oil.
Credible reports indicate chemical weapons may have been used against protesters in Iran. Accounts from doctors also indicate that detainees are being injected with substances that induce suicidal thoughts or behaviors. Crimes against humanity.
The Islamic regime’s brutal suppression of protests in Iran should be headline news. Instead, much of the mainstream media is quiet—because the anti-regime uprising doesn’t fit its narrative.
Security Forces in Iran Crack Down on Civilians During Protests with Firearms | Heraldo USA
United Against Nuclear Iran has stated that between January 8 and 9, around 12,000 people have died during the protests. The Iranian media also claimed that the Islamic State has intensified electricity blackouts and wireless signal blockades to censor and suppress protests in various areas, such as Tehran.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
US Air Force to Begin Middle East Exercise amid Iran Tensions | Al Arabiya
The US Air Force said Sunday it was about to begin a multi-day readiness exercise across the Middle East “to demonstrate the ability to deploy, disperse, and sustain combat airpower” in the region, amid heightened tensions with Iran. “This exercise reinforces peace through strength by fielding a credible, combat-ready, and responsible presence designed to deter aggression, reduce the risk of miscalculation and assure partners,” a statement released by US Air Forces Central (AFCENT) said. . . . Similarly, the UK Ministry of Defense said Thursday that it deployed its Typhoon fighter jets to Qatar “in a defensive capacity.”
Visiting CENTCOM Chief Meets Top IDF Generals amid US Military Buildup in Mideast | Times of Israel
Commander of the United States Central Command Adm. Brad Cooper was in Israel on Saturday for meetings with senior officials, The Times of Israel learned, as US President Donald Trump indicated he was maintaining the possibility of strikes on Iran amid its crackdown on protests. Cooper met with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv. Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder and Operations Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Itzik Cohen also participated in a meeting with the military chiefs. The IDF has been on high alert and has carried out preparations in recent weeks after Trump threatened military action against Iran.
Khamenei Hiding in Underground Shelter in Tehran, Sources Say | Iran International
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has moved into a special underground shelter in Tehran after senior military and security officials assessed an increased risk of a potential US attack, two sources close to the government told Iran International. The facility was described as a fortified site with interconnected tunnels. The sources indicated that Masoud Khamenei, the supreme leader’s third son, has taken over day-to-day management of the leader’s office and serves as the main channel for communication with executive branches of the government.
Iran Will Treat Any Attack as ‘All-Out War Against Us,’ Says Senior Iran Official | Reuters
Iran will treat any attack “as an all-out war against us,” a senior Iranian official said on Friday, ahead of the arrival of a U.S. military aircraft carrier strike group and other assets in the Middle East in the coming days. “This military buildup—we hope it is not intended for real confrontation—but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario. This is why everything is on high alert in Iran,” said the senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “This time we will treat any attack—limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it—as an all-out war against us, and we will respond in the hardest way possible to settle this,” the official said.
Nournews, a news outlet close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, reported on its Telegram channel that the commander [of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps], Gen. Mohammad Pakpour, warned the United States and Israel “to avoid any miscalculation.” “The Islamic Revolutionary Guard and dear Iran stand more ready than ever, finger on the trigger, to execute the orders and directives of the Commander-in-Chief,” Nournews quoted Pakpour as saying.
Iranian Official Rhetoric Girds for War as US Fleet Nears | Iran International
The tone from parts of Iran’s military establishment has been notably defiant—and at times confident—prompting questions about whether some in Tehran see war as politically useful, a major event that could overshadow the mass killing of protesters. “We are preparing for a fateful war with Israel. We possess weapons no one else has,” said Yahya Rahim Safavi, a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. “The next war will end this conflict once and for all.” Another senior commander, Ali Abdollahi, warned that any attack on Iran’s territory or interests would turn US interests, bases, and centers of influence into “legitimate and accessible targets.” Revolutionary Guards Commander Mohammad Pakpour wrapped it up: Iran was prepared for any possibility, he said, “including an all-out war.”
Iran’s Top Security Official Meets Revolutionary Guard’s Chief | Iran International
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, met Mohammad Pakpour, the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), on the occasion of National Guard Day, an observance added to Iran’s official calendar by the Islamic Republic in the 1980s to honor the IRGC.
Iran Unveils Mural Warning of Retaliation if US Conducts a Military Strike | Associated Press
Iranian authorities unveiled a new mural on a giant billboard in a central Tehran square on Sunday with a direct warning to the United States to not attempt a military strike on the country, as U.S. warships head to the region. The image shows a bird's-eye view of an aircraft carrier with damaged and exploding fighter planes on its flight deck. The deck is strewn with bodies and streaked with blood that trails into the water behind the ship to form a pattern reminiscent of the stripes of the American flag. A slogan is emblazoned across one corner: “If you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind.”
Airlines Reroute, Cancel Flights as Tensions Ramp Up over Iran | Reuters
Airlines have been rerouting and cancelling some flights across the Middle East as tensions ramp up between Iran and the United States, with President Donald Trump saying on Thursday the U.S. had an “armada” heading towards Iran.
Israeli Airlines Ease Cancellation Terms amid Jitters over Possible War with Iran | Times of Israel
Israeli airlines on Sunday announced they were easing the terms under which passengers can cancel tickets if necessary, amid concerns a war with Iran may break out, which would likely ground flights. El Al, Arkia, and Israir said many passengers are contacting the airlines amid fears that their flights might be canceled. As things stand, Ben Gurion Airport is functioning as normal, with the exception of a number of flights to the United States canceled due to weather conditions.
US Prepares ‘Kill List’ of Iran Protest Killers with Israeli Support | Israel Hayom
According to one testimony that reached Israel, during a protest in the city of Mashhad, regime security forces advanced in a line toward a group of hundreds of protesters and suddenly opened direct fire at them. The testimony says several regime personnel carried out confirmation kills on wounded protesters lying on the ground. Numerous accounts also describe regime forces entering hospitals and clinics and dragging out wounded protesters who had sought treatment. In some cases, the wounded were abducted; in others, they were shot outside hospital buildings. According to some testimonies, doctors and medical staff were also shot when they tried to prevent the abduction of the wounded. . . . A significant portion of the testimonies are recorded and accompanied by video footage and still photographs. The intelligence that reached the Americans was not provided by Israel alone. In the US, a special department has been established to collect and verify the materials. American officials are working to compile a list of regime figures involved in the massacre of protesters, both those who issued orders and those who carried them out on the ground.
Russia’s version of Iran's fast, cheap Shahed attack drones have been wreaking havoc during the Ukraine conflict, saturating the skies nearly every night and terrorising civilians. Highly adaptive and hard to intercept, the United States witnessed how the long-range exploding drones profoundly reshaped the Ukraine war. So they got hold of one and reverse-engineered it. . . . With Mr Trump building up military assets in the region, defence analysts say it is only a matter of time before the US uses Iran’s drone technology against them.
While Washington Debates Greenland, Iran Is Bleeding | James Stavridis for Bloomberg
If the president chose to use kinetic capability from the deck of [an aircraft] carrier, he could conduct precise strikes against Iranian air defenses using both bombs and electronic warfare. The F/A-18 Hornets aboard the carrier could also strike high-value leadership targets (including the mullahs); command-and-control facilities of the Revolutionary Guards and the conventional military; the logistics supply chains of both the military and the civilian police—including the ironically named “morality police;” or critical elements of the Islamic Republic’s energy infrastructure such as maritime installations, refineries and port facilities. . . . There are also non-kinetic options the Trump administration could select. At the top of the list is offensive cyber activity, again potentially conducted in concert with Israel’s cyberwarriors. Targets could include Iran’s energy sector, consumer supply chains, military command and control nodes, police and Revolutionary Guard facilities, telephone systems, and military production infrastructure—notably facilities that produce drones and ballistic missiles.
Sending Iran Another Deterrence Message | Washington Post Editorial
Airstrikes alone won’t bring down the regime—or make it behave like a normal country. But Israel and the U.S. have shown in recent years that bombing can cause significant tactical setbacks. And there is always more room for sanctions pressure. . . . The president cannot maintain effective deterrence by turning the other cheek. How he responds is just as important as how quickly he does it.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Over 36,500 Killed in Iran’s Deadliest Massacre, Documents Reveal | Iran International
More than 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces during the January 8-9 crackdown on nationwide protests, making it the deadliest two-day protest massacre in history, according to documents reviewed by Iran International’s Editorial Board. . . . Two informed sources from the Supreme National Security Council . . . told Iran International that in two recent reports by the IRGC Intelligence Organization, dated January 22 and January 24, the number of those killed was listed as more than 33,000 and more than 36,500 respectively.
Iran Judicial Chief Says Protest Instigators to Receive No Leniency | Agence France-Presse
“The people rightly demand that the accused and the main instigators of the riots and the acts of terrorism and violence be tried as quickly as possible and punished if found guilty,” judicial chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei is quoted as saying by the official Mizan online news portal. He goes on to say that “the greatest rigor must be applied in the investigations,” but insists that “justice entails judging and punishing without the slightest leniency the criminals who took up arms and killed people, or committed arson, destruction and massacres.”
UN Rights Body Condemns Iran’s ‘Brutal Repression’ of Protests, Mandates Probe | Times of Israel
The United Nations rights body condemned Iran on Friday for rights abuses and mandated an investigation into a recent crackdown on anti-government protests that killed thousands of people. . . . Twenty-five states, including France, Mexico and South Korea voted in favor, while seven, including China and India voted against and 14 abstained. . . . China, Pakistan, Cuba and Ethiopia also questioned the utility of the rights session, with Beijing’s ambassador Jia Guide calling the unrest in Iran “a matter of internal affairs.”
US Obtained ‘Smoking Gun’ Evidence Against Iran with Israeli Help | Israel Hayom
Israeli intelligence helped the US establish that Iran's regime carried out mass executions of protesters, contradicting assurances that President Donald Trump said he had received from Iran's leadership. . . . As revealed on Israel Hayom, the assurance was conveyed, among other channels, in a direct message from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Tehran denied that any such message was sent and claimed that there were no plans to execute 800 people. However, intelligence in the hands of the US administration includes unequivocal evidence that such executions were carried out, using different methods. Israel was a partner in obtaining this intelligence. Additional information pointed to the use of live fire against protesters in the streets and to protesters being executed by gunfire after being captured.
Iranian Forces Massacred Protesters Fleeing Burning Market, Witnesses Say | Washington Post
Iranian security forces gunned down dozens of protesters trying to escape a devastating blaze in the Caspian Sea city of Rasht during a nationwide uprising earlier this month, according to four witness accounts provided to The Washington Post. . . . The forces also blocked fire trucks from immediately responding to the fire, two witnesses said.
Inside Iran’s Brutal Protest Crackdown: ‘It Feels Like Everyone Is Dead’ | Times of London
After years of protests against the regime, Rozita was sure this time was different. Activists had new tactics, there seemed to be fewer guards and most of all they were bolstered by President Trump’s promise that help was “on the way.” Now, those streets have fallen silent. “It feels like everyone is dead. It feels like Armageddon,” the 37-year-old transportation manager told The Times. It was the first message she had been able to get through since the internet blackout on January 8.
‘We Were Walking in Blood’: Iran’s Doctors Recount Crackdown on Protesters | Le Monde
“We were all walking around the emergency room in boots on the night of January 8, because there was so much blood on the floor.” This voice message, sent by an on-call doctor in northern Iran who wished to remain anonymous, reached his family group on January 15, thanks to a miraculous internet connection lasting just a few minutes. . . . “We were forbidden from having phones inside the facility,” the doctor added. “That night in our hospital, which is a small facility, we counted seven lifeless bodies. There was a 16-year-old boy who had been shot, and we had to remove a kidney. For another patient, we were forced to amputate a leg below the knee. I have tears in my eyes as I tell you this.”
Iran Security Forces Kill Mother in Front of Her Family | Iran International
A mother was shot dead in front of her family by Iran’s security forces during protests on January 8 in the northeastern city of Gorgan, local sources told Iran International. The sources said Atena Hosseinian, the mother of a 9-year-old child, was killed after security forces fired directly at her head while she was attending protests outside the governorate building.
Shot in Neck, Young Man Dies in Tehran Crackdown | Iran International
Parsa Rahmati, 20, was shot in the neck by government agents on January 8, in Tehran’s Fallah neighborhood and later died of his wounds, according to information received by Iran International. His family located his body three days later among those killed at Kahrizak and buried him. People close to the family said authorities blocked memorial services at local mosques and public venues, forcing a small private ceremony.
Iran Detains Doctors, Aid Workers Treating Protesters—Rights Group | Iran International
Security forces have arrested doctors and volunteer aid workers who treated people injured during the nationwide protests in Iran, raiding their homes and clinics, the Norway-based rights group Iran Human Rights said. IHR said security forces carried out raids on private residences, clinics and temporary medical shelters in an effort to prevent the treatment of injured demonstrators and to intimidate the medical community.
Iranian regime operatives have been forcing protesters and their families to falsely say that individuals killed by security forces in the recent wave of protests were members of the regime’s Basij paramilitary force who were attacked by demonstrators, according to three unverified accounts shared with The Times of Israel.
After Brutal Crushing of Protests, Iranians Stare into Abyss | Bloomberg
With the protests subdued, Iranians are trying to adjust to an uneasy new normal enforced by the state and the scale of the violence it unleashed on its own citizens. In the brief windows of connectivity that pierce the internet blackout, the word that comes up again and again is hopelessness. . . . “Most people’s spirit is broken—you can see it in everyone’s face,” said a young man from Karaj, a city about 20 kilometers northwest of central Tehran. He said that shops are opening under pressure from the police, who are trying to impose a sense of “business as usual.” “Right now, the Islamic Republic is trying to act like everything is normal when actually it’s keeping the market open by force.” Another Tehran resident said gatherings with friends often amount to vigils of silence as people coalesce around a collective sense of grief.
Amid Two-Week Internet Blackout, Some Iranians Are Getting Back Online | New York Times
For more than 17 days, Iranians have withstood not only a brutal crackdown to quell nationwide protests, but also a near-total communications blackout. Now some Iranians, eager to reconnect with the world, are managing to gain sporadic but brief internet access. Many Iranians have used the quick windows to send their first messages to loved ones to reassure them they are alive, relatives said. But the openings have also allowed Iranians to send more extensive messages and videos abroad, giving journalists and rights groups a widening view of the extent of the government crackdown and its toll. . . . It remains unclear how some Iranians are managing to connect, even as monitoring of Iran’s internet indicates that the shutdown remains in place. Internet experts said the moments are probably related to the Iranian authorities’ efforts to lift the shutdown while also maintaining tight censorship filters.
Quiet Efforts Keep Information Flowing During Iran’s Digital Blackout | Iran International
The [internet] shutdown, imposed on January 8 as protests spread nationwide, follows a familiar pattern in the Islamic Republic’s response to unrest. But its scale and duration have once again exposed a critical vulnerability for both Iranians and the outside world: when domestic networks go dark, how does information still get out? The answer lies in a narrow and increasingly contested ecosystem of satellite-based and offline technologies that operate beyond Iran’s communications infrastructure.
‘Injustice Doesn’t Last,’ Star Footballer Says About Protest Killings | Iran International
Former Iran national football team captain Mehdi Mahdavikia said, “no injustice will last” and that the blood of the protesters would not go unanswered. Mahdavikia posted an image showing a shocked woman standing over the bodies in the Kahrizak Forensic Center, saying, “The image speaks for itself. If someone’s heart does not ache, they have no honor and humanity.”
An independent research group said on Saturday it had identified a large, coordinated social media influence operation it linked to the Islamic Republic, aimed at shaping global narratives and suppressing dissent during the country’s uprising. Golden Owl, an open-source intelligence research initiative, said its investigation found thousands of coordinated accounts on X and Instagram working in support of the Iranian state, amplifying regime narratives while targeting opposition voices.
The Online World Where Iranians Were Free | Nahid Siamdoust in the Atlantic
As the death count rises from the state’s violent response to peaceful protests, the Islamic Republic’s internet blackout has proved more insidious. In shutting down all of the online spaces where Iranians have found ways to dream, build, connect, and organize, the state has seized control over the country’s narrative and suppressed all avenues for hope—for now. Still, Iranians have spent years cultivating a reality beyond the state’s ideological strictures. If they can no longer enjoy the liberties of this virtual world, perhaps Iranians will be only more motivated to pursue these freedoms in the real one.
TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION
Death Threats Sent to Iranian Dissidents in Britain | Telegraph
Iranian dissidents in England are on “high alert” after receiving phone calls and messages from supporters of the Tehran regime threatening to murder them on British soil. Some anti-regime activists have told The Telegraph they have gone into hiding after receiving anonymous death threats from backers of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader, amid widespread blackouts and deadly anti-regime protests in Iran.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran Loses Up to $42M a Day as Internet Blackout Hits Economy and Jobs | IranWire
Ali Hakim-Javadi, head of the ICT Guild Organization (a semi-governmental body that represents the IT sector), said the internet shutdown is costing Iran between 2 to 3 trillion tomans every day ($28M–$42M USD). He added that the damage goes beyond money, warning of “tangible negative effects” on user trust, Iran’s international standing, and the growing “migration of elites,” or brain drain.
Iran Is Selling More Oil but Making Less Money | Wall Street Journal
Iran exported more oil in 2025 than it had done in years, smuggling crude in defiance of sanctions, mainly to China. At the same time, the regime’s profits from the commodity collapsed. The falling price of global crude compressed prices, but the decline was largely driven by a web of middlemen and buyers taking advantage of the regime’s precarious position and dependence on oil revenue.
Iran Denies India Access to Seafarers on Tanker Seized over Alleged Smuggling | TradeWinds
Indian diplomats have had no contact with seafarers from a tanker detained in Iran over alleged fuel smuggling. The 13,800-dwt Valiant Roar (built 1999) was held in international waters by Iranian forces on 8 December, accused of an offence involving 6,000 tonnes of oil.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Ex-Intelligence Minister’s Son Denounces Iran’s Theocracy over Massacre | Iran International
“I despise the system and the guardianship that ordered this crime and massacre," said Hassan Younesi, the son of former intelligence minister Ali Younesi, in a post on his X account. . . . “I despise a government that became a partner in this crime; I despise a reformism that justified this massacre; and I grieve and mourn for Iran’s children.”
Iran President’s Son Urges Authorities to Restore Internet After Protest Blackout | Guardian
The son of Iran’s president has called for the internet restrictions in the country to be lifted, saying nothing will be solved by trying to postpone the moment when pictures and video circulate of the protests that were violently crushed by the regime. With a battle under way at the top of the regime about the political risks of continuing to block Iran from the internet, Yousef Pezeshkian, whose father, Masoud, was elected in the summer of 2024, said keeping the digital shutdown would create dissatisfaction and widen the gap between the people and the government. . . . Pezeshkian, echoing comments of his father, said the protests had turned violent only because of professionally trained groups affiliated with foreigners, but added: “In the meantime the security and law enforcement forces may have made mistakes and no one is going to defend wrongdoing and that has to be addressed.”
Iran’s Bid for Normalcy via Sport: Matches Return but Players Refuse the Script | Iran International
With tens of thousands killed and society still reeling, the Islamic Republic has turned to sport to project normalcy as matches return, but players’ muted celebrations and empty stadiums show how little of the script still holds. . . . In recent weeks, many players have kept their celebrations muted as a gesture of solidarity with the uprising and a mark of respect for the dead, including fellow athletes—while stopping short of openly defying orders to play.
From Control to Collapse: Why Iran’s State Broadcaster No Longer Persuades | Iran International
Iran’s state broadcaster has reached a point where control no longer translates into attention, exposing how years of manipulation, omission and distrust have hollowed out its authority and left a system that still fills airtime but is no longer watched. Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting has lost the few audience it once assumed it possessed. According to a 2024 survey by the state-run ISPA, only 12.5 percent of Iranians follow the news through the state broadcaster, and 11.5 percent watch films and TV series on state TV.
Iran Says Two Islamic State‑Linked Men Executed for 2023 Bus Bombing | Reuters
Iran executed two men for the 2023 bombing of a bus carrying pilgrims, identifying them as linked to Islamic State, the judiciary’s Mizan news agency reported on Saturday.
IRANIAN DIASPORA
‘Emotionally Devastating’: Iranians in US on Regime’s Deadly Protest Crackdown | Guardian
Hundreds of Iranians based in the US described living in a constant state of anxiety and helplessness, consumed by fear for loved ones back home—worsened by the internet blackouts that have cut off communication. . . . Fereshteh, 45, a lab scientist, described the past weeks as “emotionally devastating”. “Even from far away, the fear never stops. Many days I wake up terrified to check my phone, afraid of seeing bad news or learning that someone I love has been arrested, injured, or killed, Fereshteh said, adding that many Iranians they speak with “believe that peaceful protests alone are no longer enough.” “The regime has shown that it will respond only with bullets, prisons, and executions,” they continued. “In this situation, international military intervention may be the only realistic way to stop the killing and dismantle this system of repression. If intervention can end this dictatorship and give people a chance to live freely, many of us believe it is a price worth paying.”
EUROPE & IRAN
London TV Station ‘Is Propaganda Arm’ of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards | Telegraph
A London-based television station has been accused of operating as the propaganda arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Minister have been warned that LuaLua TV is part of Tehran’s “covert influence” operation and must be shut down. . . . On its online broadcasts and social media channels, LuaLua TV regularly heaps praise on senior Hamas and Hezbollah commanders, whom it describes as martyrs and heroes.
IRAQ & IRAN
US Threatens to Starve Iraq of Its Oil Dollars over Iranian Influence, Sources Say | Reuters
Washington has threatened senior Iraqi politicians with sanctions targeting the Iraqi state— including potentially its critical oil revenues—should armed groups backed by Iran be included in the next government, four sources told Reuters. . . . Iraq holds the bulk of proceeds from its oil export sales at a Central Bank of Iraq account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
Though it is a sovereign account of the Iraqi state, the arrangement gives the U.S. practical control over a critical choke point of Iraqi state revenues, making Baghdad reliant on Washington's goodwill.
Iraq’s Iran-Linked Shiite Bloc Nominates Former Premier for Prime Minister | Agencies
The alliance of Shiite political blocs that holds a majority in Iraq’s parliament has picked former prime minister Nouri al-Maliki as its nominee for the post, it said on Saturday. The move paves the way for negotiations aimed at forming a new government, which will need to navigate the delicate balance between US and Iranian influence. The new government must manage dozens of armed groups that are closer to Iran and answerable more to their own leaders than to the state, while facing growing pressure from Washington to dismantle those militias.
ISRAEL, TURKEY & IRAN
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Says Israel Still Seeking Opportunity to Attack Iran | Reuters
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said there were signs that Israel was still seeking an opportunity to attack Iran, warning such a move could further destabilise the region. “I hope they find a different path, but the reality is that Israel, in particular, is looking for an opportunity to strike Iran,” Fidan said in a televised interview on Friday.
LATIN AMERICA & IRAN
The United States is pushing Bolivia to kick suspected Iranian spies out of the South American country and designate Tehran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist group, according to two sources with direct knowledge of the matter. Washington also wants the government in La Paz to designate Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Palestinian militant organization Hamas—both of which the United States considers to be proxies of Tehran—as terrorist organizations, said the sources . . . Asked for comment, the Bolivian foreign ministry said that “there is still no completely defined position regarding this matter.”
CANADA & IRAN
Canada Must Unequivocally Support Regime Change in Iran | Tzvi Kahn in the Toronto Sun
There’s a blackout affecting countless Iranians. No, not the internet blackout in the Islamic Republic, which has shut down the web across the country as millions of protesters swarm the streets. It’s the intellectual blackout in Ottawa, which has yet to voice explicit support for the Iranian people’s call for regime change in Tehran. The silence is deafening.
MISCELLANEOUS
Trump Administration Plans to Deport 40 Iranians Days After Mass Killings in Iran | MS NOW
The Trump administration plans to deport at least 40 Iranian nationals back to Iran as early as Sunday, according to three sources with knowledge of the flight, the first known deportations to the country since President Donald Trump threatened its leaders over their treatment of protesters. Members of the group being deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement fear for their lives if they are sent back to Iran, according to a relative, a lawyer representing some of the Iranians, a former ICE official and a U.S. lawmaker. . . . Two of the Iranians, who are gay men, told their lawyer, Rebekah Wolf of the American Immigration Council, that they were set to be deported on the Sunday flight.
Emory University Sacks Daughter of Iran’s Top Security Official Larijani | Iran International
Emory University has dismissed Fatemeh Ardeshir Larijani, the daughter of the US-sanctioned security chief of the Islamic Republic, the university confirmed to Iran International on Saturday, following growing calls for her removal. . . . Ardeshir-Larijani was an assistant professor in the department of hematology and medical oncology at Emory medical school, whose official website described her research as focusing on “new target discovery and defining an immune resistance mechanism in lung cancer.” . . . The dismissal comes a few days after a protest gathering by a group of Iranians outside the Winship Cancer Institute, where protestors demanded her removal over her father’s role in the brutal crackdown on Iranian protesters.