TOP STORIES
Iran Strikes Targets In Northern Iraq And Syria As Regional Tensions Escalate | Associated Press
Iran said late Monday it had launched strikes against a “spy headquarters and gathering of anti-Iranian terrorist groups” shortly after missiles hit an upscale area near the U.S. consulate in Irbil, the seat of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region. The security council of the Kurdish regional government said in a statement that four civilians were killed and six injured in the strikes. Peshraw Dizayi, a prominent local businessman with a portfolio that included real estate and security services companies, was killed in one of the strikes along with members of his family, according to a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, by former Iraqi member of parliament Mashan al-Jabouri, who said that one of the missiles had fallen on Dizayi’s “palace, next to my house, which is under construction on the road to the Salah al-Din resort.” Other regional political figures also confirmed Dizayi’s death.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Deployed In Yemen | Semafor
Commanders and advisors from Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are on the ground in Yemen and playing a direct role in Houthi rebel attacks on commercial traffic in the Red Sea. The IRGC has stationed missile and drone trainers and operators in Yemen, as well as personnel providing tactical intelligence support to the Houthis, U.S. and Middle East officials told Semafor. The IRGC, through its overseas Qods Force, has also overseen the transfer to the Houthis of the attack drones, cruise missiles, and medium-range ballistic missiles used in a string of strikes on Red Sea and Israeli targets in recent weeks, these officials said. The Houthis say that its military operations are designed to aid the Palestinian militant group, Hamas, which has been locked in a three-month war with Israel. On Monday, the Pentagon said the Houthis struck a U.S.-owned and -operated container vessel, the M/V Gibraltar Eagle, in the Red Sea, but caused no significant damage.
US Senators Ask Panama To Investigate Tankers Trading Oil To Iran | Seatrade Maritime News
… Representing Twenty other US Republican and Democratic senators, US senators Bob Casey and Marco Rubio have sent a letter dated January 11 to the AMP’s Department of Resolutions and Inquiries to ask the entity to investigate 189 Panama-flagged vessels. The ships in question represent around 50% of the 383 "ghost fleet" vessels identified by non-profit organisation United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) as dedicated to the transfer of oil from Iran, despite widespread US sanctions against the nation and its oil industry in particular. The senators say that no other flag represents more than 5% of the identified ghost fleet vessels, and that AMP has de-flagged just 28 of the 217 vessels of concern.
UANI IN THE NEWS
What’s Driving the Houthis? | UANI Policy Director Jason Brodsky For The National Interest
When the Houthis began launching drones, rockets, and missiles at Israel and maritime traffic in the Red Sea, it was natural to ask what the group sought to achieve. After all, Yemen has no tangible interests in the Israel-Palestinian conflict, nor does it stand to reap any material benefit from harassing international shipping. As the U.S.-led coalition responds to Houthi attacks—a back-and-forth that could last for some time—designing an effective strategy to restore deterrence requires understanding the adversary's motives. As it stands, the Houthis are well-positioned to attain five overlapping objectives in their intervention on behalf of Hamas as Israel fights to dislodge it from Gaza following the October 7 attacks. Iran has also secured numerous achievements via the Houthis as it wages its own multifront and multidimensional conflict.
MAHSA Act, A Bipartisan Iran Sanctions Bill, Likely Dead In The Senate | Jewish Insider
... The bill passed the House by a 410-3 vote last September, but faced controversy as it advanced through the House. Lawmakers had pursued last-minute negotiations about the bill’s language — with some Democrats raising concerns that the bill provided the president too little leeway to waive sanctions for national security reasons — as it moved through the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Lawmakers had left open the possibility of further changes as the legislation moved forward. However, humanitarian concerns had not been raised as a major concern in previous public debate about the bill. Hope said that Cardin’s office had also largely rebuffed other outreach from the activists about other measures to combat Iran, including legislation to permanently freeze the $6 billion released as part of a hostage deal earlier this year, and a request to hold a hearing. The bill is supported by AIPAC, in addition to the National Union for Democracy in Iran and United Against Nuclear Iran.
… A sustained effort might be required to degrade seriously the Houthi military capabilities. Warehouses and manufacturing arms facilities in Yemen might be targeted over and over before they are incapacitated. Strikes may also need to target Iran, which finances, arms, and trains the Houthis and coordinates the Red Sea assaults. “You’re not going to deter these attacks unless the Islamic Republic feels some pain,” the policy director for United Against Nuclear Iran, Jason Brodsky, tells the Sun. Bombing targets, he adds, could include bases of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and its Quds force on Iranian soil, where Houthis train. Yet, following the attack in Yemen, Washington officials were quick to shut down any talk of action against the Houthis’ benefactor, which also backs Hezbollah, Hamas, and anti-American Shiite groups in Syria and Iraq. “We’re not looking for conflict with Iran,” the national security council spokesman, John Kirby, tells MSNBC.
Controversy Erupts Over Iran's Davos Invite | Iran International
The upcoming speech by Iran's Foreign Minister at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos has ignited controversy, primarily due to accusations of his support for Hamas terrorists. Jason Brodsky, Policy Director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), expressed concerns regarding Hossein Amir-Abdollahian's connections with Hamas. Brodsky, in light of the WEF's theme of Rebuilding Trust, criticized the invitation, pointing to the foreign minister's defense of individuals accused of severe crimes.“This is a man who defended Hamas terrorists as they raped women, baked babies in ovens, sliced women's breasts off, mutilated genitalia, and murdered citizens on 10/7 in Israel from many of the countries gathered in Davos,” he added… Calls have been made for the World Economic Forum to rescind Amir-Abdollahian's invitation due to his close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Mark Wallace, CEO of United Against Nuclear Iran, and Alireza Akhondi, a Swedish parliament member of Iranian descent, conveyed their concerns in a letter to the forum and Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.
World Economic Forum Invites Iranian Foreign Minister To Elite Confab | Washington Free Beacon
… United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI), an international advocacy group opposed to the hardline regime, recently petitioned the Swiss government to deny Amir-Abdollahian a visa, citing his connection to the IRGC and the hardline regime’s "beatings, torture, rape, and mass executions" of the Iranian people. A similar letter was sent to the World Economic Forum’s leaders, urging them to rescind the invitation…"We urge you to deny him a visa," UANI wrote in the letter sent last week to the Swiss government. "Switzerland and the World Economic Forum would not dream of inviting Hamas leadership to travel to Davos. By the same token, they should similarly deny a visa and invitation to its major Iranian sponsor, which finances the Gaza-based group by as much as $350 million annually."
UANI Laments US Failure To Protect Greece-Owned Tanker | Lloyd’s List
UNITED Against Nuclear Iran, the New York-based non-governmental advocacy group seeking to “combat the threats” posed by Iran, has strongly criticised the hijacking of the Greece-owned tanker St Nikolas on Thursday. The tanker was boarded by masked men from the Iranian Navy in the Gulf of Oman and forced to change course for Iranian waters. UANI said that it “strongly condemns” the Iranian action, which originated when the tanker was outside Iranian territorial waters. It expressed concern for the crew who were seized along with the tanker, comprising 18 Filipinos and one Greek national, and who were “now being held hostage”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Gets Invite To Global Elite Confab Despite Support For Hamas | Daily Caller
... It looks like #Iran's regime's foreign minister is now on the @WEFprogram at Davos for 1/17/2024. The theme of WEF this year is "Rebuilding Trust." You can't make it up. This is a man who defended #Hamasterrorists as they raped women, baked babies in ovens, sliced women's breasts off, mutilated genitalia, and murdered citizens on 10/7 in #Israel from many of the countries gathered in Davos. Do the WEF partners (major firms around the world like @GoldmanSachs want their brands associated with platforming terrorists arming, funding, and enabling atrocities like this? Did WEF invite #Hamas leadership? Of course not. So why invite their sponsors? For yet another Fareed Zakaria interview with an Iranian official? For shame. — Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) January 15, 2024.
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Controversial Nuclear Weapons Inquiry Sparks Debate In Iran | Iran International
A TV host in Iran suggested on an IRGC-affiliated channel that it is perhaps time to produce nuclear weapons sparking controversy. In the Saturday program on Ofogh Channel, the host, Hossein Hosseini, said "Is it not time for Iran to produce its first nuclear weapon, given the ongoing conflict against Gaza and repeated threats from Israel?" The host directed the question to the head of the Atomic Energy Organization. Mohammad Eslami, in response, said that “the production of weapons of mass destruction has never been part of Iran's defensive doctrine and is not aligned with its foreign policy," in spite of the country's ongoing nuclear enrichment. When questioned about possessing nuclear weapons for power balance, Eslami clarified, "It is not an inability; rather, it is a lack of desire.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Crew Of Iran-Held Tanker Safe, Greek Owners Say | Radio Free Europe
The crew of a tanker seized by Iran's navy this week are safe, the vessel's Greek owners said on January 14. Empire Navigation said an associate had contacted Iranian authorities and reported that "all the crew members on board the St. Nikolas are safe and in good health." The company said it hadn't been itself able to directly contact the 19-man crew of the Marshall Islands-flagged ship anchored near the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas. Eighteen Filipinos and a Greek are on board. Iran said it seized the ship off Oman on January 11 to retaliate for the "theft" of its oil from the same tanker last year by the United States.
Iran’s Currency Takes A Hit Following Strikes On Houthis | Iran International
Iran’s rial has fallen around 5 percent since early January, with a notable decline in the past three days, following US and UK strikes on Tehran’s Houthi allies. The rial fell from 505,00 On January 2 to 530,000 against the US dollar and to 581,000 against the euro on Saturday, as uncertainty grew about a military escalation in the region. Yemen’s Houthis have been attacking international commercial vessels in the strategically important Red Sea region since mid-November. They began firing missiles and drones and engaged in ship hijacking after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called for blockading Israel in early November. The United States and several allied countries formed a naval coalition and warned the Houthis to stop the attacks. After the Houthis dismissed the warnings, US and UK warplanes and warships launched attacks this week against dozens of military targets in Yemen.
Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated two companies in Hong Kong (PRC) and the United Arab Emirates for shipping Iranian commodities on behalf of the network of Iran-based, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF)-backed Houthi financial facilitator Sa’id al-Jamal. OFAC is also identifying four vessels as blocked property in which these companies have an interest. The revenue from the commodity sales supports the Houthis and their continued attacks against international shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. “The United States continues to take action against the illicit Iranian financial networks that fund the Houthis and facilitate their attacks,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “Together with our allies and partners, we will take all available measures to stop the destabilizing activities of the Houthis and their threats to global commerce.”
MISSILE PROGRAM
U.S. Says It Found Iran Missile Parts Bound For The Houthis After Seals Went Overboard | NBC News
A team of Navy SEALs that lost two sailors overboard while searching a small boat off the coast of Somalia went on to find suspected Iranian missile parts believed bound for Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, three U.S. defense officials told NBC News. American ships and aircraft are continuing a huge search and rescue mission in the Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia, after the two SEALs disappeared into rough, nighttime seas Thursday. The team, attached to the Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, were on board the USS Lewis B. Puller, which the Navy describes as a “mobile sea base.” They identified a small boat, known as a dhow, that was not flagged to any country and had no paperwork so decided to board it, the three officials said. During their attempt, one of the sailors was knocked overboard and another one jumped in after them, the officials said.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS & NEGOTIATIONS
Iran: US Can't Call For Restraint While Backing Israel's War In Gaza | Reuters
The United States cannot call for restraint while supporting Israel's war in Gaza, Iran's foreign minister said on Monday, while calling for a diplomatic solution to the war in the enclave. Hossein Amirabdollahian, in a televised joint press conference with his Indian counterpart in Tehran, called on U.S. officials "not to tie the security and national interests of the U.S. to the fate of Israel's prime minister who is falling". The Islamic Republic backs Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in its war with Israel and Tehran accuses the United States of backing what it calls Israeli crimes in Gaza. Amirabdollahian said Iran-aligned Houthi militias will continue their attacks in the Red Sea "as long as the genocide in the Gaza war continues".
US Strongly Condemns Iran's Escalating Use Of Death Penalty | Iran International
The Office of the US Special Envoy for Iran has condemned Iran's persistent use of the death penalty as a means to suppress human rights. Deputy US Special Envoy for Iran Abram Paley highlighted the troubling trend in a statement on Monday, stating that the death penalties were often imposed following what he referred to as "sham trials against defendants who lacked adequate legal counsel." Paley went on to condemn the Iranian government's record in 2023, emphasizing in his message that the execution of hundreds of citizens reflected a new level of cruelty. “The Iranian government’s cruelty reached new levels in 2023 with the execution of nearly 800 of its own citizens, many following unfair trials and arbitrary detentions.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran Extends Nobel Prize Winner’s Prison Sentence | CNN
The imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has been sentenced to an additional 15 months in prison, Mohammadi’s family said in a written statement sent to CNN on Monday. She was charged with “spreading propaganda” against the Islamic Republic regime, her family said. The 51-year-old rights activist was awarded the Nobel in October for “her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.” That battle has come at a huge personal cost – Mohammadi has spent most of the past two decades in prison. During her trial, she refused to attend court proceedings or participate in questioning, the family said. On top of the extra 15 months in prison, the new sentence orders Mohammadi to “two years of exile outside Tehran and neighboring provinces,” according to her family.
Sweden Says Swedish National Arrested In Iran | Reuters
A Swedish man in his twenties was arrested in Iran earlier this month and is being held in custody, the Swedish foreign ministry said on Monday. It declined to share any further details on the arrest. However, relations between Sweden and Iran have been tense since 2019 when Sweden arrested a former Iranian official for his part in the mass execution and torture of political prisoners in the 1980s. "The embassy in Tehran is in contact with local authorities. The Foreign Ministry is in contact with relatives in Sweden," the ministry told Reuters in an email. Iran, in late December, said it would keep seeking the release of the former Iranian official sentenced to life in prison in Sweden.
Iran Judiciary Files New Hijab Case Against Released Journalists | BBC
Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi were pictured with their hair uncovered after 17 months in detention. They helped break the story of Mahsa Amini's death in 2022, which sparked mass protests against the hijab laws. In October, they were jailed for seven and six years respectively on national security charges, which they denied. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned their trials as a sham, saying their lawyers were notified of hearings at the last minute, given only a few hours to examine case files, and not allowed to address the judge. A court approved the women's release on bail of 10bn tomans ($193,000 at the open market rate) on Sunday while they appealed against the sentences.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Biden Administration Condemns Iranian Attack Near U.S. Consulate In Iraq | Axios
The Biden administration denounced Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for launching missile strikes near the U.S. Consulate in Erbil in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region on Monday night. The big picture: National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in an emailed statement Monday evening that U.S. officials had seen the report of the IRGC's claims that it took aim at an Israeli "espionage center" and other targets and noted no American personnel or facilities were targeted. The Kurdistan Region Security Council said in a statement that the "ballistic missile attack" killed at least four civilians and wounded six others. Watson said U.S. officials had "tracked the missiles, which impacted in northern Iraq and northern Syria. Zoom in: The IRGC said in a statement it used ballistic missiles "to destroy espionage centres and gatherings of anti-Iranian terrorist groups in the region late tonight," per state media. The group said it also struck ISIS in Syria.
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.
Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday accused Iran of killing innocent civilians in its strikes on the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. Iran's Revolutionary Guards earlier said they attacked an Israeli spy centre in the region. Speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos after the attack, Barzani said the Iranian allegations were baseless and added that now was not the time for U.S forces to withdraw from the country. "What's surprising - we are not a part of this conflict. We don’t know why Iran is retaliating against civilians of Kurdistan, especially in Erbil," Barzani told reporters. At least four civilians were killed and six wounded in the Iranian missiles strikes, the Kurdistan government's security council said.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Why ISIS Has Unleashed Its Suicide Bombers Against Iran | Business Insider
Last week in Kerman, a city in southeastern Iran, large crowds gathered to mark the fourth anniversary of the US killing of the top Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) commander, Qassem Soleimani. By the day's end of the day, scores of supporters of the rulers of Iran were dead, and hundreds were injured in a twin suicide bombing. The attack that left nearly 100 dead, Reuters reported, was coordinated to inflict maximum devastation. The first bomber initiated the explosion at the Kerman ceremony, followed by another 20 minutes later as emergency responders and bystanders rushed to aid the victims, the Iranian authorities said. Barbara Slavin, Distinguished Fellow at The Stimson Center and former director of the Future of Iran Initiative at the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center, told Business Insider that Soleimani was a divisive figure.
Iran's Ex-President Warns Hardliners Over Low Election Turnout | Iran International
Former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has voiced his concern regarding the potential for an "extremely" low turnout in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Rouhani criticized the government for discouraging a majority of eligible voters from going to the polls in the 2020 parliamentary elections. In that election, the hardliner-dominated Guardian Council ruthlessly barred nearly all the reformist and moderate candidates from running by rejecting their credentials. He also pointed out that people's participation was also minimal in the 2021 Presidential election, as a result of biased vetting of candidates, and disqualifying the most prominent contenders. As a result, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s hand-picked choice, Ebrahim Raisi, cruised to victory in another low-turnout vote. Rouhani told the Guardian Council, and possibly Khamenei: You said that [my] government lacked popularity. But why did you disqualify everyone who supported [my] government.
Explosive Goes Off In Southeastern Iran, Causes No Casualties – Tasnim | Reuters
An improvised explosive device went off near the southeastern Iranian city of Iranshahr on Tuesday morning, causing no casualties or damages, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. The bomb exploded next to the Iranshahr-Sarbaz road, and authorities are currently looking for those responsible, Tasnim added.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
West Increases Dialogue With Houthis After Air Strikes On Rebel-Held Areas Of Yemen | The National
Western leaders are increasing communication with the Houthi militia group and its backers in Iran after the US and Britain, backed by Canada and Australia, launched dozens of air strikes against Houthi positions in Yemen. The Iran-backed Houthis reported renewed US and British strikes hit the rebel-held port city of Hodeidah in western Yemen on Sunday night, which the US later denied. "Air strikes from the American-British aggression hit Hodeidah," reported the rebel group's Ansar Allah news website, marking the third consecutive day of reported strikes on the group over its attacks on Red Sea shipping." But a US defence official said after reports of the attack: "No US or coalition strike occurred today." US President Joe Biden said on Saturday that the White House had delivered a private message to Tehran about the strikes against the Houthis, which followed a series of militia attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
IRAQ & IRAN
Iraq Recalls Ambassador, Summons Iran’s Chargé D’affaires Over Strikes In Irbil | Associated Press
Iraq recalled its ambassador from Tehran for consultations and summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires in Baghdad on Tuesday in protest over Iranian strikes on northern Iraq that killed several civilians overnight, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said. The Iranian attack was “a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq, strongly contradicts the principles of good neighborliness and international law, and threatens the security of the region,” it said in a statement. Iran fired missiles late Monday at what it said were Israeli “spy headquarters” in an upscale neighborhood near the sprawling U.S. Consulate compound in Irbil, the seat of Iraq’s northern semi-autonomous Kurdish region, and at targets linked to the extremist Islamic State group in northern Syria.
OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS
India's Foreign Minister To Travel To Iran | Voice Of America
India's Minister of External Affairs will make a two-day trip to Iran starting Sunday, following Western airstrikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels over the Tehran-backed group's attacks on vessels in the Red Sea. The visit by Subrahmanyam Jaishankar comes a month after a drone attack on a ship near Indian waters that the United States blamed on Iran. A government statement issued Saturday said that Jaishankar would meet his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amirabdollahian to discuss "bilateral, regional and global issues," without giving further detail. The Houthis have carried out scores of drone and missile strikes on the key international route through the Red Sea since the start of Israel's war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7. Many vessels have been rerouted from the Red Sea due to drone and missile attacks carried out by the Houthi rebels in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.