TOP STORIES
Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Fire Missiles At Ship Bound For Iran, Their Main Supporter | Associated Press
Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired two missiles at a ship bound for a port in Iran on Monday, causing minor damage but no injuries to its crew, authorities said. The attack on the Marshall Islands-flagged, Greek-operated bulk carrier Star Iris shows just how widely the Houthis now target ships traveling through the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the two waterways. The Star Iris had been heading from Brazil to Bandar Khomeini in Iran, the main backer and armer of the Houthis in Yemen’s yearslong war. “The group owner and operator regularly trade bulk cargo with Iran, so this was assessed to be the likely destination,” said Ambrey, a private security firm. Ambrey added that the Star Iris sustained damage to its starboard side in the attack. The Houthis sought to describe the Star Iris as an “American” vessel, and said they targeted the ship with multiple missiles. The Star Iris’ ultimate owner, Star Bulk Carriers Corp. of Athens, Greece, is traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market in New York. It did not respond to a request for comment.
US Says It’s Taken Possession Of A Boeing 747 That Iran Sold To A Venezuelan Firm | Associated Press
The U.S. government has seized a Boeing 747 cargo plane that officials say was previously sold by a sanctioned Iranian airline to a state-owned Venezuelan firm in violation of American export control laws. The Justice Department said Monday that the American-built plane had arrived in Florida and would be disposed of. The plane had earlier been transferred from Iranian airline Mahan Air — which officials have alleged provides support for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force — to Emtrasur, a Venezuelan cargo airline and subsidiary of a state-owned firm that had previously been sanctioned by the United States. Officials said the sale, done without U.S. government authorization, violated export control laws and also improperly benefited Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
The head of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog warned Tuesday that Iran is “not entirely transparent” regarding its atomic program, particularly after an official who once led Tehran’s program announced the Islamic Republic has all the pieces for a weapon “in our hands.” Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, just across the Persian Gulf, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, alluded to remarks made this weekend by Ali Akbar Salehi. Grossi noted “an accumulation of complexities” in the wider Middle East amid Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Iran, after the collapse of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, has pursued nuclear enrichment just below weapons-grade levels. Tehran has accumulated enough enriched uranium to build several weapons, if it so chose. However, U.S. intelligence agencies and others assess that Iran has yet to begin a weapons program. Israel long has been believed to have its own nuclear weapons program.
UANI IN THE NEWS
‘Last Chance Not To Make Trouble’: How Iranian Oil Ring ‘Warned Off’ Thenamaris Tanker | TradeWinds
… Claire Jungman, chief of staff at United Against Nuclear Iran, a campaign group that raised the alarm about some of the transfers identified in the indictments, said that the allegations suggested Iran’s oil export plans were “deeply embedded within the power structures of Iran”. “It’s a wake-up call for all of us about the lengths some will go to avoid the laws and the importance of staying vigilant and enforcing sanctions,” she said.
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
The U.S. Must Re-Focus On Curbing Iran’s Nuclear Program | The National Interest
Iran’s latest nuclear and ballistic missile advances make Israel’s war with Hamas and America’s skirmishing with Iranian proxy forces look like regional sideshows of a far more ominous main event. The current situation in the region gives Iran “a unique opportunity and amplified internal justification for building nuclear weapons while the United States and Israel’s resources to detect and deter Iran from succeeding are stretched thin...,” the Institute for Science and International Security wrote in a new report. “[F]or the first time in years, we are facing the real possibility that Iran may choose to weaponize its nuclear capabilities and build nuclear weapons.” It wouldn’t take Tehran long to do so. With a large stockpile of uranium enriched to sixty percent purity, the institute estimated that the regime could further enrich enough uranium to weapons-grade purity, being able to produce a nuclear bomb in a week.
Iran Signals It Is Closer To Building Nuclear Weapons | Iran International
In an alarming development, Ali-Akbar Salehi, the former head of Iran's nuclear agency has implied in remarks broadcast on Monday that Iran has everything it needs for an A-bomb. In a televised interview, Salehi, who was also foreign minister (2010-2013), was asked if Iran has achieved the capability of developing a nuclear bomb. Avoiding a direct answer he stated, "We have [crossed] all the thresholds of nuclear science and technology. Here's an example: Imagine what a car needs; it needs a chassis, an engine, a steering wheel, a gearbox. You're asking if we've made the gearbox, I say yes. Have we made the engine? Yes, but each one serves its own purpose," the senior regime insider said.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Housing Price Surge Continues In Tehran Amid Iran's Economic Turmoil | Iran International
The latest report from the Iranian government has revealed that housing price surges in Tehran show no signs of abating. The annual inflation rate of apartments in the capital city has skyrocketed to 82.8 percent in the month of Dey (December 22 to January 20). The Statistical Center of Iran, affiliated with the Organization of Planning and Budget, disclosed on Monday that the monthly housing inflation in Tehran for the month stood at 2.2 percent. The average price of apartments sold in the capital has surged to 806 million rials per square meter, equivalent to approximately $1,500. The report also delineated the varying degrees of price hikes across Tehran's districts, with district one experiencing the highest increase and district 18 witnessing the lowest among the 22 districts.
Sanctions Force Iran To Switch To “Extra-Territorial” Refineries | Oil Price
Iran is relying on a network of foreign refiners to secure demand for its crude oil amid the stranglehold of sanctions, Argus has reported, citing export data and sources from the industry. Last year, Iran’s crude oil production rose by a sizeable 650,000 bpd, the report noted, largely thanks to an improvement in exports, which averaged almost 1.3 million barrels daily, per Vortexa data. That’s up from about 1.05 million bpd for full 2023 and a little over 800,000 bpd for 2022. As in previous years, the bulk of those daily exports went to Chinese refiners who have developed a taste for discount Iranian crude—thus ensuring sustained demand for it. But Iran has also been exporting crude to allies Syria and Venezuela, to feed Syria’s 140,000-bpd Banias refinery and Venezuela’s El Palito facility, which has the same daily processing capacity as Banias.
MISSILE PROGRAM
Iran Claims Navy Can Launch Ballistic Missiles, Extending Range | Iran International
Iran claimed Monday to have “successfully” launched a long-range ballistic missile from a warship, underlining the regime’s rising belligerence amid a regional crisis. “Nowhere is safe for those powers who seek to threaten our security,” IRGC commander Hossein Salami said in a thinly veiled threat to the United States and its allies, suggesting that Iran’s “ocean-liners” can get within range of any target. The claim is yet to be verified independently. If true, it would mark a significant moment, since Iran has always maintained that its military posture is purely defensive. But boasting about warships appearing “at any spot in the oceans” with long-range missiles is not. So far, no images of a test has been revealed, and Iranian government media on Tuesday did not follow up on the claim, but Salami's statements shows the IRGC is pursuing some project the use ships as a launching pad for long-range missiles.
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
Iran Plotted To Assassinate A Swedish Jewish Woman — This Is Her Story | Jerusalem Post
Saskia Pantell was living in Israel and traveling to celebrate the Rosh Hashanah holiday when she was informed that she was the target of an assassination plot. At first she thought it was a joke — as a Swedish Zionist activist, she had received her fair share of troll phone calls. A man with a generic Swedish name called her saying that the Swedish Security Service (SAPO) wanted to speak to her. They asked her to come to the embassy in Israel to use a secure line, but the embassy was closed for the holidays, deepening her suspicions. She continued to believe that it was one big prank when she was told that the SAPO was conducting a high-security investigation into the targeting of her and two other Swedish Jews in a high-level terrorist operation. It was only when one of the other targets confirmed that the story was true that she believed it.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Uncle Of Amini Jailed For Supporting Iranian Protesters | Radio Free Europe
An uncle of Mahsa Amini, an Iranian woman who died while in police custody for an alleged hijab infraction, has been handed a stiff prison sentence for comments he made about the protests sparked by his niece's death that were critical of the Islamic regime. Safa Aeli, according to Hengaw, a group that closely tracks human rights violations in Iran, was sentenced by Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in the western city of Saqqezto to a total of five years, four months, and 17 days in prison on charges of "participation in a gathering and conspiracy against internal security," "propaganda against the system," and "insulting the leader of the Islamic Republic." Aeli was arrested by security forces in a raid on his home on September 21, the eve of the first anniversary of Amini's death, which triggered massive unrest around the country. Hengaw said he was "brutally assaulted" during his 42 days in detention before being released on bail.
Iranian Baluch Man Sentenced To 12 Years In Prison | Iran Wire
Iranian authorities have sentenced a young Baluch man, Mohammad Narooie, to 12 years in prison for alleged "membership in anti-Islamic Republic groups." According to Haalvsh, an organization that monitors rights violations against Iran’s Baluch minority, the alleged actions leading to this charge remain undisclosed, raising concerns about the fairness of the trial. Narooie, a 22-year-old resident of Zahedan, was arrested by the Ministry of Intelligence on April 8, 2023. During his detention, he was denied access to legal representation, in violation of his basic human rights. Following his arrest, state-affiliated media released a video purporting to show Narooie confessing to membership in a militia group. In 2023, human rights activists in Iran documented 80 instances of forced confessions.
Iran Sentences Man To Death Over Killing Prominent Filmmaker | AFP
An Iranian court has sentenced a man to death over the killing of renowned filmmaker Dariush Mehrjui and his wife months ago at their home near Tehran, the judiciary said Monday. Mehrjui, an 83-year-old director associated with the Iranian new wave of cinema, was stabbed to death along with his wife Vahideh Mohammadifar in October at their home in Karaj, west of the Iranian capital. The convicted killer, who was arrested days after the attack, was a former employee of Mehrjui who "had a grudge against the deceased due to financial issues," the chief justice of Alborz province, Hossein Fazeli-Harikandi, said previously. Three others were charged in the case over their roles in planning and assisting the murder, he added.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Iran has warned of “serious consequences” after Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to take further action in Rafah in the south of Gaza. The city was hit by airstrikes overnight, with Israel signalling its intention to carry out a full ground offensive into the area. “Extending the scope of war crimes and genocide of the occupying Israeli regime to the Palestinian refugees in Rafah will have severe consequences for Tel Aviv,” Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia called for an immediate ceasefire and also warned Israel would face serious repercussions for the “storming and targeting” of the city. Two Israeli hostages were rescued overnight from the city as airstrikes killed 67 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry.
CONGRESS & IRAN
Iran Is No Friend To Jordan: Sen. Markwayne Mullin | Fox News
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., discusses the relationship between the U.S. and Jordan on ‘Your World.’
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
How Sudan Could Become An Iran-UAE Proxy War | Al-Monitor
Before international attention turned to Iran’s role in strikes against US troops in the Middle East, Tehran had quietly been seeking to expand its influence in the Red Sea region, with Sudan emerging as a significant target and reports in late January alleging that Iran had delivered drones to the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian hosted his Sudanese counterpart, Ali Al-Sadiq Ali, in the capital Tehran on Monday. It was the first visit by a senior Sudanese official since the two countries resumed their diplomatic ties in October as Khartoum grapples with a split in government between Sudan Transitional Sovereignty Council leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his rival, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo Hemedti. The Iranians, according to three Western officials cited by Bloomberg, sent the Sudanese military multiple shipments of the Mohajer-6, a single-engine unmanned aircraft that carries precision-guided munitions and is manufactured in Iran by Qods Aviation Industries.
IRAQ & IRAN
The Iraqi ambassador to Iran, Nasir Abdul Mohsen, is set to return to Tehran "within the next few hours" to resume his duties. This move comes after approximately a month since Baghdad summoned him following the missile attacks carried out by Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Erbil, the capital city of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. The Iraqi government instructed the Iraqi ambassador in Tehran, Nasir Abdul Mohsen, to return to carry out his regular duties at the Iraqi embassy in Iran, two diplomatic officials in the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Baghdad on Monday revealed to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab's Arabic sister website. One of the officials who spoke anonymously said that Abdul Mohsen would leave for Tehran within the next two days. Still, the other official have said the move will happen "within hours," indicating that the ambassador's return coincides with a series of security agreements between Iraq and Iran, including Iranian commitments to "respect Iraq's sovereignty."
OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Analysts See Limits To China, Iran, Russia Collaboration With Taliban | Voice Of America
Since the Taliban seized control in August 2021, China, Iran and Russia have been steadily courting Afghanistan’s de facto government for influence. The three countries have kept their embassies open in Kabul and were among the first to hand over Afghan embassies to the Taliban at home. Last month, Moscow, Beijing and Tehran were the most high-profile participants at the Taliban’s first conference on regional cooperation in Kabul. But what are the real prospects of China, Russia, Iran and the Taliban cooperating in the region? Analysts tell VOA that while Beijing, Moscow and Tehran may be united in a common goal to oppose the U.S. in the region, that is perhaps the only area where their interests align, analysts say. “Anti-Americanism is the one idea” that brings China, Iran and Russia together, said Alex Vatanka, founding director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute in Washington.
CYBERWARFARE
Hacktivist Group Claims Cyberattack On Iranian Parliament's News Agency | Iran International
Hacktivist group Uprising till Overthrow has taken responsibility for the recent cyberattack on the Khaneh Mellat News Agency, the media arm of the Iranian Parliament. In a statement released by the group, closely affiliated with the Albania-based opposition Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK) organization, it was disclosed that the attack reached 600 of the the main servers of the parliament, commission servers, main chamber servers, parliament assistant servers, parliament bank server, and other servers related to administrative functions. The timing of the cyberattack is notable as it coincides with the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for March 1st, which have been marred by extensive disqualifications of candidates, raising concerns about the integrity of the electoral process.