TOP STORIES
Iran’s foreign ministry summoned the German ambassador to Tehran on Wednesday in protest against a ruling that implicated the Islamic Republic in a plan to attack a synagogue in Germany last year, the state-run IRNA news agency said. The report said the ministry summoned German Ambassador Hans-Udo Muzel to deliver the protest after the Duesseldorf state court convicted a 36-year-old German-Iranian man of attempted arson and agreeing to commit arson and sentenced him to two years and nine months in prison. Judges found that the man threw an incendiary device at a school in the western city of Bochum in November 2022 because the neighboring synagogue appeared too well secured. The defendant denied planning to attack the synagogue. The school reportedly sustained had minor damage.
A $2M Missile Vs. A $2,000 Drone: Pentagon Worried Over Cost Of Houthi Attacks | POLITICO
As American warships rack up kills against Houthi drones and missiles in the Red Sea, Pentagon officials are increasingly alarmed not just at the threat to U.S. naval forces and international shipping — but at the growing cost of keeping them safe. U.S. Navy destroyers have shot down 38 drones and multiple missiles in the Red Sea over the past two months, according to a Defense Department official, as the Iran-backed militants have stepped up attacks on commercial vessels moving energy and oil through the world’s most vital shipping lanes. On Saturday alone, the destroyer USS Carney intercepted 14 one-way attack drones. Houthi leaders have said the attacks are a show of support for the Palestinians, and that they won’t stop until Israel halts its operations in Gaza. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday announced a new international maritime coalition to safeguard shipping and counter the attacks.
Iranian spies offered a people-smuggler $200,000 (around £158,290) to assassinate two news presenters codenamed “the bride and the groom” outside their London studio, to show critics of the regime they “could do harm to them at any time”. The organisers can be named, and their plans laid bare, thanks to an ITV News investigation, which obtained video recordings and text messages exchanged as part of the plot. Last autumn, the spies made plans to strike the studios of Persian language news channel Iran International, based in a business park in West London, with a car bomb.
UANI IN THE NEWS
US Lawmakers Warn Against Iran Boosting Oil Revenues Despite Sanctions | Iran International
… The representatives cited United Against Nuclear Iran’s recent warning that 370 foreign-flagged “ghost ships” are suspected of contributing to Tehran’s circumvention of oil bans over the past two years. “This number is a 300-unit increase from its previous finding in November 2020,” said the letter.
Politicians And Activists Have Been Played By Hamas | Jewish Chronicle
…To compound this, when the figures are disseminated it is rarely pointed out that the vast majority of casualties are likely to be Hamas militants, given Israel’s focus on destroying terrorists and avoiding civilian casualties as far as possible in an arena in which Hamas uses civilians as human shields. Indeed, as Kasra Aarabi points out this week, Hamas has spent years deliberately constructing tunnels and operation centres to ensure that any Israeli action would mean civilian deaths, knowing that there would be an outcry.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran’s Currency Rises After Accessing Unblocked Funds In Oman | Iran International
Iran’s currency, rial, rose against major currencies on Wednesday after reports last week said Tehran had used some of its unblocked funds kept in Oman. The rial broke through the psychological barrier of 500,000 per dollar, closing at 49,800 after a gradual rise this week. Although the change was around one percent, it was the first time since early October the rial broke through the 500,000 threshold. The rial sharply strengthened in June when for the first time the United States offered Iraq a waiver for the release of $2.7 billion of Iranian funds frozen because of Washington’s sanctions. Later the waiver increased, allowing Iraq to send around $11 billion to Oman, where Iran can access the funds, presumably to import non-sanctionable goods. Iraq imports gas and electricity from Iran but due to US banking sanctions imposed on Iran, could not pay its debt in hard currencies until this June.
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
Austrian National Convicted In UK Over Iran TV 'Terror Plot | AFP
An Austrian national was found guilty at a UK court Wednesday of spying for a group that may have been preparing to attack an independent Iranian TV station in London. Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev, who is originally from Chechnya, was convicted by a jury at the Old Bailey court in central London following a short trial. The 31-year-old had pled not guilty to possession of records containing information likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism. He was detained by counter-terrorism officers in west London on February 11. Prosecutors told his trial that Dovtaev boarded a plane from Vienna to London to gather "hostile reconnaissance" on a building occupied by the Persian-language channel Iran International.
UK Convicts Iran-Linked Terror Suspect Of Spying On Anti-Regime Channel | Jerusalem Post
A man accused of carrying out "hostile reconnaissance" against a London-based television station critical of Iran's government was on Wednesday convicted of collecting information which could be used in a terrorist attack on the channel. Magomed-Husejn Dovtaev flew from Austria to London in February, before going straight to the Persian-language Iran International channel's headquarters in west London. Prosecutors said Dovtaev, 31, went to Iran International's office to try and record security arrangements after the channel became a target following its reporting on the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in Iran and subsequent protests last year.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran Hangs 'Child Bride' For Murdering Husband Despite International Calls For Clemency | France 24
Samira Sabzian, who had been in prison for the past decade, was executed at dawn in Ghezel Hesar prison in the Tehran satellite city of Karaj, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) group said. Her execution comes as concern grows over the numbers of people this year executed by Iran, where hundreds of people have been hanged mainly on drugs and murder charges, including more than a dozen women. IHR said Sabzian was a "child bride" who had married her husband at the age of 15 and had been a victim of domestic violence, according to relatives. The Hengaw rights group also confirmed the execution of the woman, now believed to be in her late 20s or early 30s, saying that she was originally from the city of Khorramabad in the western Lorestan province.
German MP Urges Release Of Iranian Rapper | Iran International
Ye-One Rhie, a German MP and a political supporter of Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi, has issued a call for his immediate release. In an exclusive interview with Iran International, Rhie expressed profound concern for Salehi's well-being, highlighting the lack of information about his current whereabouts. Salehi, 33, was re-apprehended by plainclothes individuals on a street in Babol, northern Iran in late November. His arrest reportedly involved severe physical abuse, including beatings with the butts of rifles and pistols, as documented on his social media page. Rhie expressed fears the star was badly beaten. "It's been going on for a couple of weeks now, and we don't know anything about him being transferred to a regular section, even before this new arrest when he was released on bail briefly."
Iran: Risk Of Protest-Related Executions Amid Killing Spree | Amnesty International
At least five individuals in Iran are under sentence of death in connection with the “Woman Life Freedom” uprising of 2022, while at least 15 others are at risk of the death penalty and eight have been arbitrarily executed following grossly unfair sham trials. The authorities have severely violated their fair trial rights and subjected many to torture and other ill-treatment, including beatings, electric shocks and sexual violence. Concerns of further protest-related executions are mounting amid a sharp spike in the use of the death penalty with the authorities having executed at least 115 people in November alone.
Iranian Journalist Sara Massoumi Sentenced To Prison Over Tweet: Lawyer | Al-Monitor
An Iranian journalist said on Wednesday that she has been sentenced to prison for a social media post criticizing the government in regard to the death of a teenage girl, constituting another crackdown on press freedom in Iran following last year’s protests. Sara Massoumi, the editor in chief of Iranian Diplomacy news site, posted on X that she was sentenced to six months in prison and banned from working in media for two years. Massoumi, formerly a reporter for the reformist news outlet Etemad, said in November that she had been charged with publishing lies and propaganda against the government.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Since Hamas’ October 7 surprise attack on Israel, a flurry of cyber activity has unfolded alongside the fighting on the ground. Pro-Hamas hackers across the globe have Zoom-bombed Israeli government meetings, tampered with billboards, knocked the Jerusalem Post offline, and temporarily disrupted Israel’s Red Alert app that provides citizens with real-time data on rockets. Yet counter to many expectations, Iranian cyber operators have been noticeably quiet. It would be a mistake to let Iran’s muted cyber involvement thus far breed a false sense of security. Yes, Microsoft’s cyber threat tracking (some of the best in the business) shows that 11 days passed before Iranian hackers even jumped into the fray. And yes, digital forensics show that Tehran’s opportunistic ransomware attacks supporting Hamas have achieved minimal strategic impact. But the longer the Israel-Hamas conflict draws out, the greater the danger that Iran strings together these disparate cyber attacks into a more coherent and sophisticated campaign against Tel Aviv.
CONGRESS & IRAN
Today, Senator Rick Scott and Senator Joe Manchin announced the introduction of their Iran SDR Exchange Prohibition Act to prohibit the U.S. Treasury Secretary from exchanging dollars for International Monetary Fund (IMF) Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) held by Iran. SDRs allow countries to lay claim to dollars, euros, and other major currencies to use with no strings attached. Iran’s SDRs currently total more than $6.7 billion and represent unconditional liquidity for Iran to back terrorist organizations, like Hamas, that are attacking a United States ally, Israel. The amount an IMF country gets from an SDR allocation is largely based on a country’s position in the world economy, meaning most of the money goes to wealthy countries and rogue regimes, and not the countries that need it most. Congressmen French Hill and Brad Sherman introduced the companion legislation in the House of Representatives.
Bipartisan Resolution Urges Biden Admin To Crack Down On Iran-Backed Militia Groups | Fox News
Senators Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Chris Coons, D-Del., will introduce a resolution Thursday morning condemning attacks by Iranian military proxies on U.S. military service members in Iraq and Syria. "The Iranian regime is attacking Americans, our allies and our interests across the Middle East. They are not only launching attacks and massacres against our Israeli and Arab allies, but their Houthi proxies are now trying to shut down freedom of navigation that is vital to the American and global economies," Cruz said in a statement. "It is clear that they are not deterred, and it is long past time for the Biden administration to take all necessary steps to deter and counter these activities. Enough is enough." Coons said Iranian support for the attacks "rightfully earned a swift and forceful response from the Biden administration," and he called on the Biden administration to "increase pressure on Iran to cease its support for violent militia groups, and support efforts to deter Iranian-backed militia attacks on U.S. troops and the international community."
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
Riyadh Reluctant To Derail Iran Detente Over U.S. Red Sea Taskforce | Reuters
Saudi Arabia's name was conspicuously - perhaps surprisingly - absent from a list of countries the United States announced as part of its new naval coalition protecting Red Sea shipping from Yemen's Houthi group. Although it has a U.S.-equipped military, has been waging war on the Houthis for nearly nine years and relies on Red Sea ports for 36% of imports, Saudi Arabia along with Gulf ally the United Arab Emirates has proclaimed no interest in the venture. - Saudi Arabia's name was conspicuously - perhaps surprisingly - absent from a list of countries the United States announced as part of its new naval coalition protecting Red Sea shipping from Yemen's Houthi group. Although it has a U.S.-equipped military, has been waging war on the Houthis for nearly nine years and relies on Red Sea ports for 36% of imports, Saudi Arabia along with Gulf ally the United Arab Emirates has proclaimed no interest in the venture.
OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Acting Health Minister Abu Janah Visits Iran To Launch Health Cooperation | Libya Herald
The Deputy Prime Minister and Acting Minister of Health, Mr. Ramadan Abu Janah, met Tuesday, with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Amir Abdollahian, at the headquarters of the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Abu Janah had arrived Monday in the Iranian capital Tehran on an official visit with his accompanying delegation. He had been received at Tehran’s airport by the Assistant Minister of Health, a high-ranking delegation from the Iranian Ministry of Health, and the Ambassador of Libya to Iran, Ali Al-Obaidi. An official invitation to visit from the Iranian health minister. The visit of the Minister of Health, at the head of an advanced delegation from the Ministry to Tehran, comes after an official invitation from the Ministry of Health of Iran to follow up on the latest prospects for cooperation between the two countries.
MISCELLANEOUS
Ex-US Marine Sues Justice Dept Over Denial Of $20 Mln Terror-Victim Payment | Reuters
A former U.S. Marine who claimed he was tortured by Iran has accused the United States of unlawfully revoking his eligibility for $20 million in federal government compensation for victims of foreign terrorism. Michigan resident Amir Hekmati in a lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C., federal court on Tuesday claimed that the U.S. Justice Department and others violated his U.S. constitutional rights and other protections after he endured nearly five years of detention in Iran. Hekmati said he suffered “prolonged and continuous” physical abuse in an Iranian prison. He said his interrogators accused him of being a U.S. spy. He was returned to the United States in 2016 as part of a prisoner trade between the two countries brokered under U.S. President Barack Obama.