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Iran Supreme Leader Says Israel Will 'Be Slapped' For Consulate Strike | AFP
Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday that Israel would "be slapped" after an air strike on the Iranian consular annex in Damascus killed seven Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals. "The defeat of the Zionist regime in Gaza will continue and this regime will be close to decline and dissolution," Khamenei said in a speech to the country's officials in Tehran. "Desperate efforts like the one they committed in Syria will not save them from defeat. Of course, they will also be slapped for that action," he added. Iranian state media said 13 people were killed in the strike in which, according to Tehran's ambassador, Israeli F-35 jets fired six missiles that levelled the five-storey consular building adjacent to the embassy.
The IDF said on Wednesday that it bolstered its air defense array and had called up reservists, as the country girded for a potential Iranian response to the strike in Syria earlier this week, in which several high-ranking Iranian military officials were killed. Both Iran and its proxy Hezbollah have vowed that Israel will not go unpunished for the Monday attack on a consular building next to Iran’s embassy in Damascus, which killed Mohammad Reza Zahedi, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ most senior official in Syria, along with his deputy, five other IRGC officers, and at least one member of the Hezbollah terror group. A Channel 12 news report reflecting Israeli speculation on a possible reprisal pointed to the possibility that Iran could respond by directly launching missiles from its own territory rather than via any of its proxy groups, which includes militias in Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
Twenty-Seven Die In Militant Attacks On Iran Security Forces, Say Media | Reuters
Suspected Sunni Muslim militants killed at least 11 Iranian security force members and suffered 16 fatalities in attacks on Iran's Revolutionary Guards headquarters in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan, state media said on Thursday. The overnight clashes between the Jaish al-Adl group and security forces took place in the towns of Chabahar and Rask, state TV said. "The terrorists failed to succeed achieving their goal of seizing the Guards headquarters in Chabahar and Rask," deputy Interior Minister Majid Mirahmadi told state TV.
UANI IN THE NEWS
Sen. Joe Lieberman, National Treasure | UANI CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace For The Dispatch
Many of the remembrances of Sen. Joe Lieberman, who passed away last week, have highlighted his legacy as one of the great post-Cold War statesmen or the fact he was the first Jewish-American to be nominated by a major political party as vice president of the United States. Those career achievements are worth celebrating, to be sure. But what made the senator truly exceptional was his sheer humanity—his civility, grace, wisdom, love of family, and ability to convey his beliefs in a calm manner no matter the complexity of the issue at hand or the difficulty of the personalities involved. Just look at the list of those who attended his funeral last Friday: Vice President Al Gore, various senators, scores of former staffers, a raft of onetime colleagues in Connecticut state politics, and Gov. Ned Lamont, his onetime political opponent.
EU Urges For Restraint After Airstrike On Iranian Embassy In Damascus | Iran International
…However, some users slam the move by EU saying Europe is continuing to act as the "protective shield" of the Islamic Republic. Jason Brodsky, policy director for think tank United Against A Nuclear Iran also slammed the EU saying “The European Union is condemning an attack targeting the IRGC terrorists commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi, whom it has sanctioned, and in the process falls hook, line, and sinker for the Iranian fiction that this was a diplomatic compound.”
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, 82, Shabbat Observant Vice-Presidential Candidate | The Detriot Jewish News
…Following his retirement from the Senate, Lieberman returned to practicing law, and joined the conservative American Enterprise Institute think tank as co-chairman of their American Internationalism Project. He also held the Lieberman Chair of Public Policy and Public Service at Yeshiva University, where he taught an undergraduate course in political science. In August 2015, Lieberman became chairman of United Against Nuclear Iran, a group fiercely opposed to efforts by the Obama administration to broker a deal with Iran over its nascent nuclear program.
Iran Unlikely To Strike Israel Directly After Syria Consulate Attack, Experts Say | Al-Arabiya News
…However, Kasra Aarabi, director of IRGC research at United Against Nuclear Iran, disagreed with this interpretation of Khamenei’s statement, saying the Iranian leader views the Middle East “not through nation-states, but the prism of the ‘Imam and Ummah.’” Khamenei “considers himself the Imam and all proxy fighters soldiers of the Imam. Thus, they can also be considered as ‘our men’ for Khamenei,” Aarabi explained in a post on the social media platform X. He added that he does not believe the Israeli attack will lead to direct war or strikes against Israel. “The IRGC neither has the doctrine nor the capabilities for direct war with Israel, especially when domestic instability in Iran is as high as it currently is.”
Strike In Syria Kills Top Iranian Commander | The Dispatch
…In a piece on the site today, Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran, explained the significance of Zahedi’s death for the IRGC and its work with Hezbollah…Zahedi in his capacity as commander of Department 2000 of the Quds Force oversaw its Unit 2250, which is responsible for logistics, especially arms transfers and supporting Hezbollah, as IntelliTimes has reported. The late Razi Mousavi, the head of Unit 2250 before he was assassinated late last year, thus reported to Zahedi. Both men had longstanding relationships, networks, and experience, so their deaths are a blow to the IRGC. But they are not insurmountable: The fundamentals of the IRGC’s doctrine and strategy will remain the same.
…On the other hand, the American designation is critical, Jason Brodsky, policy director of the organization United Against Nuclear Iran, told the Jerusalem Post. “Any decision to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization contributes to the counterterrorism sanctions architecture globally. The US designation, however, is most critical because of the tools it provides Washington to pursue Houthi fundraising networks, given the primacy of the American economy,” he said. Brodsky added that the Israeli move could help target any burgeoning coordination between Hamas and the Houthis, adding that the designation "may provide added legal justification for Israeli kinetic activity against the group, as for the first time, the Houthis have opened up another front during a Gaza conflict post-October 7.”
Pouria Zeraati: Stabbed Iranian TV Host Says He Will Be Back On Air Soon | BBC
…Mr Zeraati is unable to give an interview but has spoken to his friend Kasra Aarabi, who spoke to the BBC. Mr Aarabi, an outspoken critic of the regime in Tehran, works for a campaign group where he researches the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The IRGC is a powerful paramilitary group within the Iranian regime which has been accused of targeting journalists at Iran International, where Mr Zeraati works. Mr Aarabi said his friend was in a positive frame of mind and recovering. He described the attack as horrific but said: "Pouria has told me, regardless of who is behind this, he won't be silenced, he'll carry on." He said the 36-year-old journalist told him that he had sensed that something was about to happen just before the attack. Two people had been spotted hanging around his quiet suburban street in Wimbledon, south-west London, he said. "Pouria crossed the road to get to his car, he noticed one man approaching, so he backed off," Mr Aarabi said.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Why Iran Refuses To Import Electric Cars | Iran International
Despite promises in recent years by the Iranian government to import environmentally friendly cars into the country, there has been minimal to no efforts made, as the domestic car industry is mostly owned by the state. In the last two years, for instance, not a single electric vehicle (EV) has been imported into Iran. And, since 2021, only 15,000 low-consumption cars have been imported, instead of the promised 300,000. Even fuel-efficient new vehicles or hybrid models have not been imported. In 2017, Iran instituted a ban on car imports, citing the imperative of conserving foreign exchange reserves. The ban was allegedly implemented as a measure to reduce spending on imported vehicles and safeguard the country's currency holdings. Iran's domestic car manufacturers, owned by the government and its affiliates, meanwhile, produced approximately 1.2 million vehicles in 2023, all of which were gasoline powered.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS & NEGOTIATIONS
Shortly after an airstrike widely attributed to Israel destroyed an Iranian consulate building in Syria, the United States had an urgent message for Iran: We had nothing to do with it. But that may not be enough for the U.S. to avoid retaliation targeting its forces in the region. A top U.S. commander warned on Wednesday of danger to American troops. And if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent broadening of targeted strikes on adversaries around the region to include Iranian security operatives and leaders deepens regional hostilities, analysts say, it’s not clear the United States can avoid being pulled into deeper regional conflict as well. The Biden administration insists it had no advance knowledge of the airstrike Monday. But the United States is closely tied to Israel’s military regardless. The U.S. remains Israel’s indispensable ally and unstinting supplier of weapons, responsible for some 70% of Israeli weapon imports and an estimated 15% of Israel’s defense budget.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran Turning Its Prisons Into 'Killing Fields,' Says Amnesty | Voice Of America
Iran has turned its prisons into sites of mass killing with at least 853 people executed in the Islamic republic in 2023, over half of them on drug-related charges, Amnesty International said on Thursday. The London-based group said in a report that stronger international action was needed to halt the rise in executions, otherwise "thousands" risked being hanged in the coming years. The Iranian authorities have "persisted with their state-sanctioned killing spree which has turned prisons into killing fields," Amnesty said. The figure for 2023 was up 48% on the previous year and 56% of executions involved drug-related charges, Amnesty said. Two other NGOs, Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Together Against the Death Penalty (ECPM), published a report last month giving the slightly lower figure of 834 people executed in 2023. The surge in executions came after Iran was convulsed by protests that erupted in September 2022. Nine people have been put to death in cases related to the protests.
This research briefing documents the horrifying surge in executions in Iran in 2023, the highest in eight years. More than half of the executions were for drug-related offences amid a distressing return to a lethal anti-narcotics policy since Ebrahim Raisi’s rise to presidency in 2021. With systemic impunity in Iran, the briefing reiterates the need for states to initiate criminal investigations under the principle of universal jurisdiction into crimes under international law committed by Iranian officials, irrespective of the absence or presence of the accused in their territory.
UN Renews Mandates For Fact-Finding Mission, Special Rapporteur On Iran | Iran International
In a resolution passed on Thursday, the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) renewed the mandates of the Fact Finding Mission on Iran and the Special Rapporteur on Iran. At the UNHRC meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, 44 countries voted in favor of extending the two mandates. Eight countries voted against the resolution. The United Nations Human Rights Council launched the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) in November 2022 in the midst of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement triggered by the death in morality-police custody of Mahsa Amini. Following 18 months of investigations, the FFM released its first report on March 8, concluding that the Iranian government carried out widespread and sustained human rights violations, which broke international laws and disproportionately targeted women and girls as well as children and members of ethnic and religious minorities during 2022 protests.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Fatah Accuses Iran Of Sowing Chaos In West Bank | Times Of Israel
The main Palestinian faction in the West Bank accused Iran on Wednesday of trying to spread chaos in its territory, and said it would oppose operations from outside that had nothing to do with the Palestinian cause. Fatah, the movement that controls the Palestinian Authority, said it would not allow “our sacred cause and the blood of our people to be exploited,” and said it would act against any interference from outside aimed at harming security forces or national institutions. Israel has long accused Iran of helping Palestinian terrorist groups, including Hamas in Gaza, which led the October 7 attack on Israel in which terrorists murdered some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 253, and which has become more deeply entrenched in the West Bank over recent years. Last month, the IDF said security forces had stopped advanced weapons, including anti-tank mines, from being smuggled into the West Bank.
NATO Chief Warns About Iranian, North Korean Arms For Russia | Iran International
North Korea and Iran's military support to Russia has serious global security consequences that the 32-member NATO alliance cannot ignore, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday. Pyongyang has transferred ballistic missiles and other weapons to Russia, while Iran has also provided Moscow with the supply of Shahed suicide drones, frequently used to attack Ukrainian infrastructure. In return, Russia has provided technology and supplies that help expand missile and nuclear capabilities of its allies. Iran has provided well over 1,000 drones since mid-2022, that are often used to swamp Ukrainian air defenses during large-scale missile attacks on civilian targets. Western powers are increasingly concerned Tehran could soon also transfer ballistic missiles to Russia. "Russia's friends in Asia are vital for continuing this war of aggression," Stoltenberg said as ministers met in Brussels.
Iranian President Vows Israel Will Pay A 'Heavy Price' | Jerusalem Post
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi spoke to Iraq’s Prime Minister on Wednesday evening. In the conversation with Iraq’s Shia al-Sudan, the Iranian said that Israel would pay a “heavy price” for an airstrike in Damascus, which Iran has accused Israel of. Raisi discussed the “martyrdom” of Maj. Gen. Mohammed Reza Zahedi, an IRGC leader killed in Damascus. Iraq’s Prime Minister told the Iranians he wanted to see progress in Iran-Iraq strategic relations. Iran pressed Iraq to condemn the airstrike in Damascus, which Iraq has complied with. Iraq is a key partner of Iran.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Ancient Jewish Mausoleum In Iran Attacked With Molotov Cocktails | Iran International
A newly released video depicts Molotov cocktails being thrown on the ancient mausoleum of Esther and Mordechai in Hamadan during the early hours of Tuesday, a key archaeological site in both Jewish and Christian history. The assailants used incendiary materials, causing a fire at the tomb complex, raising concerns about the safety of not only the historic sites but the country’s Jewish community, the largest in the Middle East outside Israel amidst the world’s worst antisemitism since the Holocaust. Around 10,000 Jews remain in Iran, one of the most ancient communities in Jewish heritage. They have long lived under the pressure of Iran’s shadow war with Israel, the world’s only Jewish state and archenemy of Iran. The governor of Hamadan claimed that through surveillance footage, the perpetrators have been identified though it remains unclear who was behind the attack.
OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS
UN Security Council Fails To Condemn Strike On Iran Embassy | Iran International
The United States, Britain and France on Wednesday opposed a Russian-drafted UN Security Council statement that would have condemned an attack on Iran's embassy in Syria, which Tehran has blamed on Israel. Press statements by the 15-member council have to be agreed by consensus. Diplomats said the US, backed by France and Britain, told council colleagues that many of the facts of what happened on Monday in Damascus remained unclear and there was no consensus among council members during a meeting on Tuesday. "This serves as a clear illustration of the double standards employed by the Western 'troika' and their actual, rather than declarative, approach to legality and order in the international context," Russia's deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said in a post on X. In the previous Security Council meeting on Tuesday, the US representative condemned the activities of Iran’s armed proxy groups in the region, as well as warned Tehran not to target US forces in retaliation for the attack on its Damascus embassy.