TOP STORIES
Iran Seizes Oil Tanker Linked To U.S. Sanctions Dispute | Wall Street Journal
Armed, uniformed men boarded an oil tanker off the coast of Oman that has been at the center of a dispute between Iran and the U.S. and changed its course on Thursday, according to maritime intelligence firms, a further escalation along Middle Eastern shipping routes. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, an advisory group run by the U.K. military, said at least four men wearing black military uniforms and black masks boarded the ship early Thursday in waters between the coasts of Oman and Iran. UKMTO said the seized ship was being diverted to Iranian waters. Ambrey and Neptune, two private British security firms, identified the vessel as the St. Nikolas. The tanker, formerly known as the Suez Rajan, has a complicated past. Last year, the Suez Rajan’s charterers pleaded guilty to charges filed in a U.S. court that it carried sanctioned Iranian oil. The company was fined and its Iranian oil cargo was seized.
U.S.-Led Coalition Strikes Iran-Aligned Houthi Militants In Yemen | Washington Post
A U.S.-led military coalition struck Iran-aligned Houthi militants in Yemen on Thursday, a dramatic escalation after the group ignored repeated warnings from the Biden administration and other governments to stop attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The operation follows weeks of hostility as the Houthis, protesting Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, have disrupted global trade by making the vital passage a dangerous place for ships to transit. The group, which functions as the de facto government in parts of Yemen, has carried out at least 27 attacks since November, officials have said, leading to repeated altercations as the United States and partner nations have surged warships into the region to protect against the incoming fire.
Hezbollah And Iran Condemn US And UK Strikes Against Houthis | The Guardian
The Iran-backed Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah has condemned the US and UK’s overnight strikes against Yemen’s Houthis, as countries across the Middle East express fears over the latest escalation of the conflict in the region. Although anxiety was widespread, most vocal were countries and militant groups backed by Tehran, which accused the US and the UK of destabilising the region. In a statement issued in the immediate aftermath of the strikes, Hezbollah said it “strongly condemn[ed] the blatant American-British aggression” against Yemen, which it said had stood with the Palestinian people. “The American aggression confirms once again that US is a full partner in the tragedies and massacres committed by the Zionist enemy in Gaza and in the region. It is the one that continues to support the machine of killing and destruction, and to cover up its aggression and crime and the attacks on everyone who stands by the oppressed Palestinian people throughout the region.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Seized Oil Tanker Heading Toward Iran, UK Says | Newsweek
… Ambassador Mark Wallace, the CEO of the United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) organization, told Newsweek that the Iranian seizure shows that the U.S. "has lost its deterrence." "We must met with a sharp, lethal response. The only proportionate response is a decisive response. "Our Iranian enemies need to feel the wrath of the greatest naval force on Earth and the U.S. should not wait for American or allied casualties before it acts."
Striking The Houthis Won’t Stop Iran | UANI Policy Director Jason Brodsky For The Spectator
A month before the targeted killing of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) commander Qassem Soleimani in January 2020, few would have expected the US government to eliminate him in a drone strike. Fast forward to this month, and the United States and its allies have launched a military operation to degrade and deter the Houthis. Last night, they launched strikes against more than a dozen Yemeni locations, with explosions reported in the capital Sanaa, the Red Sea port of Hudaydah, Dhamar and north-western Houthi stronghold Saada. The Houthis are armed, financed, and resourced by the IRGC and have been targeting commercial vessels in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, a sensitive global chokepoint. But the US’s operation has lacked the speed, stealth, and surprise that Soleimani’s demise carried. That risks undermining the very deterrence that Washington and London hope to build with their strikes.
Iran Seizes Greek Tanker, Escalating Tensions With West | Politico
… Speaking to POLITICO, Mark Wallace, former American ambassador to the U.N. and CEO of the United Against Nuclear Iran pressure group, said he was “extremely” concerned about the welfare of the crew and criticized the failure of Washington to respond to the seizure, despite the ship being under the protection of the U.S. Department of Justice. Following the ship being boarded, he said, “we had about five hours until it got into Iranian territorial waters and the U.S. took no action … it looks like the U.S. and its allies have lost control of the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Strait of Hormuz.”
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS & NEGOTIATIONS
US Demands Iran Release Seized Oil Tanker 'Immediately' | Agence France-Presse
The United States on Thursday demanded that Iran immediately release a ship seized off Oman's coast in avowed retaliation for US actions and said it was looking at steps to take. "The Iranian government must immediately release the ship and its crew. This unlawful seizure of a commercial vessel is just the latest behavior by Iran or enabled by Iran aimed at disrupting international commerce," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters. Iran's navy said it took over the St. Nicholas, a Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged ship earlier known as the Suez Rajan, in accordance with an Iranian court order after US "theft" of the oil during an earlier seizure. The United States in September said it had seized the ship's 980,000 barrels of crude oil, which US prosecutors say were being sold by Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards to China.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Turkey Says Tanker Seized By Iran Carrying Turkish Oil Purchased From Iraq | Al-Monitor
Turkey’s main oil refiner Tupras said Thursday that a ship seized by Iran off the coast of Oman is laden with Turkish crude imported from Iraq. Iran’s navy seized the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker St Nikolas, Iranian state media reported earlier Thursday. The move, according to the Iranian navy, came in retaliation for the confiscation of the same ship’s cargo by the United States in 2023. Under the name of Suez Rajan, the ship was laden with sanctioned Iranian oil and was bound for China before its owners were convinced by US officials to redirect to the United States. Tupras said in a statement that radio communication with the Greek-owned and Tupras-chartered vessel was cut off at around 6:30 a.m. Istanbul time Thursday off the coast of Oman. The tanker is carrying 140 metric tons of crude oil Tupras purchased from Iraqi state oil marketer SOMO and was en route to Turkey’s western port of Aliaga from Basra in Iraq, the statement added.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Terror Attack Fallout: Iran Claims Success Amid Credibility Crisis | Iran International
Following widespread criticism of Iran’s security failure that led to the deadly blasts last week, the intelligence ministry released further details on the incident. In its second statement after two explosions hit a memorial ceremony for slain Revolutionary Guard commander Qasem Soleimani near his grave on January 3, the Islamic Republic’s intelligence ministry said Thursday that 35 people have been arrested across the country over alleged links and support to the bomb attack. The terror operation was claimed by the ISIS branch in Afghanistan (ISIS-Khorasan). About 90 people were killed and 300 injured in the incident, the biggest terror attack since the Islamic Republic was founded in 1979. According to the ministry, the main operative who made the explosive vests and oversaw the operation is a man from Tajikistan known by the alias "Abdullah (Abdollah) Tajiki.
CONGRESS & IRAN
How Congress Is Reacting To Biden’s Military Attack On The Houthis In Yemen | Time
The U.S. and U.K.’s coordinated attack Thursday evening on the Iran-backed Houthi rebel—who have been wreaking havoc on international shipping routes in the Red Sea for weeks—has been met by members of Congress with a bipartisan mix of support but also some unease over President Joe Biden’s seemingly unilateral executive action that risks escalating the conflict already raging in the Middle East. The two countries’ militaries targeted Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen in a series of bombings, with Biden warning in a White House statement that he will not hesitate “to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.” Some senators and representatives on both sides of the aisle have lauded the Biden administration’s decision to operate against the Houthis, while others have expressed concern over lack of congressional oversight.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
Houthi Leader: We Are Ready To Respond To US Aggression | Iran International
The leader of Iran-backed Houthis has warned again that the group is ready to respond to any “US aggression,” as it continues attacks against shipping in the Red Sea. We will continue “to fulfil our duties with regard to Palestine” despite the efforts by Washington and London to protect Israeli and Israel-related ships in the region, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi stressed, adding that Houthis will do “what is necessary” in the case of a “direct confrontation” with the US. He added that the attacks launched by Yemen’s Houthis in the Red Sea have caused “enormous damage” to the economy of Israel and its allies. ran has supported the Houthis for a decade, supplying weapons and military know-how to Muslim sect, which is different from the majority Sunnis in Yemen, and religiously closer to the Shia sect. Iran is ruled by Shia clerics.
Iran Says US-Britain Attack On Houthis Will Fuel Instability In Region | Reuters
Iran said on Friday it condemns the U.S.-Britain attack on Houthis in Yemen warning that it will fuel "insecurity and instability" in the region, Iranian state media reported. "We strongly condemn the military attacks carried out this morning by the United States and the United Kingdom on several cities in Yemen", said Nasser Kannani, spokesperson at Iran's foreign ministry. "These attacks are a clear violation of Yemen's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a breach of international laws," he added.
U.S.-led airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels in response to their attacks on Red Sea shipping pulled the world’s focus Friday back on the yearslong war raging there, even as tensions rise across a Middle East already torn by Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The strikes killed at least five people and wounded six, the Houthis said, without elaborating on what was targeted. As the bombing lit the predawn sky over multiple sites held by the Iranian-backed rebels, Saudi Arabia quickly sought to distance itself from the attacks as it seeks to maintain a delicate détente with Iran and a cease-fire in the Yemen war from which it hopes to finally withdraw. The attack also threatened to ignite a regional conflict over Israel's war on Hamas, which the Biden administration and its allies have been trying to calm for weeks.
MISCELLANEOUS
Blinken Says Path To Palestinian State Can Isolate Iran | Reuters
Offering a pathway to a Palestinian state is the best way to stabilize the wider region and isolate Iran and its proxies, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday, as he ended a frenetic regional tour over the Gaza war in Cairo. Shuttling between Israel and Arab states, Blinken has been pushing for a way forward from the bloodshed.
It all started with a few images that went viral on social media. Over the past two months, photos have been circulating on platforms showing contrasting weather conditions in Turkey and Iran. While Turkey exhibits cloudy skies and snow-covered mountains, just across the border in Iran, there appears to be nothing but empty skies and dry mountains. What seems to be a stark difference in rainfall and snowfall patterns between two neighboring countries, has since raised questions among Iranians as to why. One theory going around suggests that Turkey is somehow stealing Iran’s clouds.“Cloud Stealing” is a term referring to the belief or accusation that countries are using technology to manipulate weather patterns to divert rain clouds away from a specific area.