TOP STORIES
Iran Reportedly Executed At Least 901 People In 2024, UN Says | BBC
At least 901 people were reportedly executed in Iran last year, including about 40 in a single week in December, according to the UN human rights chief. "It is deeply disturbing that yet again we see an increase in the number of people subjected to the death penalty in Iran year-on-year," Volker Türk said. "It is high time Iran stemmed this ever-swelling tide of executions." The total is the highest recorded in nine years and marks a 6% increase from 2023, when 853 people were executed. Most of the executions were for drug-related offences, but dissidents and people connected to the 2022 protests were also executed, according to the UN. There was also a rise in the number of women executed.
Iran Pushes China To Let It Sell $1.7 Billion Worth Of Stranded Oil, Sources Say | Reuters
Iran is pushing to recoup 25 million barrels of oil from China that has been stuck for six years in Chinese ports due to sanctions imposed by then-U.S. President Donald Trump, three Iranian and one Chinese source familiar with the matter said. Trump is returning to power on Jan. 20, and analysts say he is expected to tighten sanctions again on Iranian oil exports to limit Tehran's income, as he did during his first term as president. China, which says it does not recognise unilateral sanctions, has been buying about 90% of Tehran's oil exports in recent years at discounts that have saved its refiners billions of dollars. But the stranded oil, worth $1.75 billion at today's prices, highlights the challenges Iran is facing with selling oil even in China.
Italian Journalist Cecilia Sala Freed From Detention In Iran, Italian PM’s Office Says | CNN
Italian journalist Cecilia Sala has been freed from an Iranian prison and is on a plane home, a spokesperson for the Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Wednesday, weeks after she was arrested while reporting in Tehran. Sala is a reporter for the Italian daily Il Foglio, which said the journalist was held in Tehran’s Evin prison after being detained in mid-December while covering “a country she knows and loves.” On Wednesday, Meloni’s office said: “The plane that is bringing journalist Cecilia Sala home took off a few minutes ago from Tehran. “Thanks to intense work on diplomatic and intelligence channels, our compatriot has been released by the Iranian authorities and is returning to Italy,” the statement added.
UANI IN THE NEWS
It Is Time To Make Britain A Khamenei-Free Zone | Jewish News
Last year, the Iranian regime celebrated the 45th anniversary of the revolution which brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to power and ushered in more than four decades of brutal repression at home and the export of violence and terror across the Middle East and beyond. The ayatollahs have rather less to celebrate this year. Tehran’s two most powerful proxies – Hamas and Hezbollah – have been severely weakened as a result of their terrorist attacks against Israel; Iran’s attacks on the Jewish state appears to have led to the destruction of much of its air defence system; and the Assad regime – the cornerstone of Tehran’s strategy to encircle and destroy Israel – has fallen… Moreover, United Against A Nuclear Iran’s new campaign presents deeply concerning evidence of Khamenei’s pernicious network here in the UK, which seeks to promote the regime’s violent and extremist ideology, foster antisemitism and hatred, and stoke community tensions.
Report: China’s Shandong Port Group To Turn Away US-Sanctioned Oil Tankers | The Maritime Executive
China’s state-owned Shandong Port Group has reportedly announced a new policy for 2025 blocking tankers under U.S. sanctions from using its port facilities. Reuters released an exclusive report after traders shared copies of memos from the port regarding the new ban. […] An enforcement of the ban would mark a critical blow, especially to Iran which ships the majority of its oil to China. Last week, the NGO United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI) cited data in its year-end report saying that Iran’s oil exports grew by 10.75 percent to 587 million barrels in 2024. China, it reported remains the largest destination and has grown its percentage of the trade receiving 533 million barrels, which UANI highlights is up 24 percent from 2023.
Make UK A ‘Khamenei-Free Zone’! Campaign Launches Outside Parliament | The Jewish Chronicle
Robert Jenrick, Lord Walney, Mike Tapp, Suella Braverman and Richard Tice supported calls for the UK to become a “Khamenei free zone” on Tuesday. Launching a new campaign, United Against Nuclear Iran (Uani), a policy group which combats the threats posed by the Islamic Republic, asked the government to shut down Ayatollah Khamenei’s British network, close his London base and other extremist hubs and expel regime representatives from the country. In October last year, MI5 confirmed that it had foiled at least 20 Khamenei regime-backed terror plots in the UK since 2022. Uani has also called on the government to crack down on support for the Iranian regime’s overseas paramilitary group, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
US pressure group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is calling for tougher measures on shadow fleet tankers as Iran’s oil exports increase. In its latest annual report, chief of staff Claire Jungman and research director Daniel Roth said that in 2024, despite US sanctions, crude shipments remained high, benefiting from Opec+ cuts and the ongoing lax enforcement of sanctions. Iran exported 587m barrels of oil, an increase of 10.75% compared to 2023, UANI figures showed. China was the largest buyer for the sixth straight year, importing 533m barrels, up 24% from the year before, the report found. This was 91% of Iran’s total shipments.
Email Hack Reveals Iranian Oil Smuggling Tactics, Per Report | Jewish News Syndicate
A leak of 10,000 hacked emails reveals more details about how the Iranian regime continues to evade Western oil sanctions, according to a new report from Reuters. The Prana hacker network first released the emails from the Sahara Thunder oil tanker shipping company in February. Sahara Thunder is an Iran-based front company for the Iranian Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics, which the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned in April… The Remy is just one piece of Iran’s “ghost fleet” of tankers that the Islamic Republic uses to illicitly move oil around the world. United Against Nuclear Iran, a nonprofit that advocates tougher U.S. measures against the Islamic Republic, maintains a database of more than 470 such vessels.
Campaign To ‘Make Britain A Khamenei-Free Zone’ Launches | Jewish News
United Against Nuclear Iran (Uani) launched their campaign this week by driving a large van with a billboard reading “Make Britain A Khamenei Free Zone” around Westminster. Conservative MPs Suella Bravermanm, Robert Jenrick and Reform UK’s Richard Tice confirmed their support for Uani’s demand for the government to close all hubs linked to the regime in Tehran, and expel all Iranian representatives. Unai also call for the government to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC, which is seen as the paramilitary force of the state abroad.
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iran Tells France To Review 'Unconstructive' Approach Ahead Of Meeting | Reuters
Iran's foreign ministry called upon Paris to review its "unconstructive" approach, a few days before Tehran is set to hold a new round of talks about its nuclear programme with major European countries. On Monday, Emmanuel Macron said Tehran's uranium enrichment drive is nearing a point of no return and warned that European partners in a moribund 2015 nuclear deal with Iran should consider reimposing sanctions if no progress is reached. “Untrue claims by a government that has itself refused to fulfil its obligations under the nuclear deal and has played a major role in (Israel’s) acquisition of nuclear weapons is deceitful and projective,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei wrote on X on Wednesday.
Iran Begins Military Drills Near Natanz Nuclear Site: State Media | Barron’s
Iran's military has begun drills near the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant in the centre of the country, state media reported Tuesday, as part of exercises planned nationwide. The drills -- dubbed Eqtedar, or "might", in Farsi -- have involved the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ideological branch of Iran's military, alongside the army. "The first phase of the joint Eqtedar exercises in the air defense zone of the Natanz nuclear facility has commenced under the orders of the air defense headquarters commander," state TV said. It added that IRGC air forces were undertaking "an all-out point defense" of the site "against a multitude of air threats in tough electronic warfare conditions". On Monday, IRGC spokesman Ali Mohammad Naini said the drills, which will also cover other parts of Iran until mid-March, were being conducted in response to "new security threats", without elaborating.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Shandong Port Group has banned U.S.-sanctioned tankers from calling into its ports in the eastern Chinese province, home to many independent refiners that are the biggest importers of oil from countries under U.S. embargo, three traders said. […] Last month, Washington imposed further sanctions on companies and the shadow fleet that deal with Iranian oil. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Jan. 20, is expected to tighten sanctions further on Iran, as he did during his first administration. The ban could slow imports into China, the world's largest oil importing nation, traders said. The Shandong Port notice issued on Monday was obtained from two of the traders and confirmed by a third.
Iran's Oil Production At Risk Of Collapse Due To Trump Sanctions | The National
Iran's oil production faces a potential collapse of up to 1.2 million barrels per day this year due to tighter US sanctions, putting the country’s exports to its biggest customer China under immense pressure. US president-elect Donald Trump plans to tighten sanctions on Iran and further limit its oil exports under his “maximum pressure” campaign. Mr Trump’s inauguration on January 20 will follow months of stricter sanctions enforcement by the Biden US administration, which has targeted several companies and tanker operators in Iran’s “dark fleet” to disrupt Tehran’s ability to raise funds for its nuclear programme and Middle East proxies. Sanctions have raised the price of Iranian crude for China as a result of tighter shipping capacity and higher freight costs.
Iran Reports Progress On Accessing Frozen Assets Despite Sanctions | Iran International
Iran has made strides in recovering portions of its blocked financial assets, foreign minister Abbas Araghchi announced, while emphasizing that billions remain inaccessible due to international sanctions. “Some of it has been released through efforts, while some still remains. This issue is on our agenda, and we continuously pursue it,” Araghchi said on Monday, speaking at the Supreme Council for Foreign Economic Relations. Iran's frozen assets in international accounts are estimated to be valued between $100 billion and $120 billion. Nearly $2 billion of these assets are held in the United States. According to the Congressional Research Service, in addition to funds in foreign bank accounts, Iran's frozen assets include real estate and other property.
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
Third Man Arrested Over Attack On Iran International Journalist In London | Reuters
British police said on Wednesday they had arrested a third man over the stabbing of a journalist working for a Persian language media organisation in London in March last year. Pouria Zeraati, a British journalist of Iranian origin who works for Iran International, sustained leg injuries in the attack near his home in Wimbledon, southwest London. Counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation over concerns he had been targeted because of his work at the television news network, which is critical of Iran's government. Two Romanian men - Nandito Badea, 20, and George Stana, 24 - have already been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, and wounding. They are due to appear at London's Old Bailey court on Jan. 17. On Tuesday, police arrested a third man, aged 40, on suspicion of conspiracy to commit grievous bodily harm, London's Metropolitan Police said in a statement. He was released on police bail until April pending further inquiries.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Activists In Iran Describe The Threats And Oppression They Face For Protesting | PBS
France’s foreign minister said three French detainees being held by Iran face conditions that fall within the definition of torture. Human rights groups have long decried how Iran treats its prisoners. Nick Schifrin and producers spoke to protestors inside Iran, especially female demonstrators, who have paid a heavy price in and out of jail, but remain undaunted. Geoff Bennett: Today, France's foreign minister said three French detainees being held by Iran face conditions that fall within the definition of torture. Human rights groups have long decried how Iran treats its prisoners. An opposition group recently said Iran executed 1,000 people last year. That's the highest number in the country's modern history.
Iranian Mayor Set Ablaze, Suffers Severe Burns | Iran Wire
The mayor of Kargan in Iran’s southern Hormozgan province was severely burned when a resident doused him with petrol and set him on fire following a dispute. Ali Balak suffered burns to 36 percent of his body in the attack and has been transferred to a hospital in Bandar Abbas for treatment, officials said on Tuesday. The assault occurred while Balak was overseeing the removal of an illegal structure that had prompted numerous public complaints. A city council member said the resident and his wife carried out the attack while the mayor was on-site to address the issue. Local governor Mohammad Radmehr confirmed the incident and reported that Balak’s condition is stable.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Iran’s military has begun drills focusing on air defenses near the Natanz nuclear enrichment plant in the center of the country as part of exercises planned nationwide, state media reported on Tuesday. The drills — dubbed Eqtedar, or “might,” in Farsi — have involved the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the ideological branch of Iran’s military, alongside the army. “The first phase of the joint Eqtedar exercises in the air defense zone of the Natanz nuclear facility has commenced under the orders of the air defense headquarters commander,” state TV said. It added that IRGC air forces were undertaking “an all-out point defense” of the site “against a multitude of air threats in tough electronic warfare conditions.”
IRANIAN REGIONAL AGGRESSION
Iran has pulled out nearly all of its forces from Syria following the rebels’ victory against the Assad regime, dealing a major blow to Tehran’s influence in the region, officials said. Iranian forces, which had long been present in Syria under an alliance with President Bashar al-Assad, are all but gone as its members have all either fled or been ordered to withdraw since the rebels took over the nation last month, Western and Arab officials told the Wall Street Journal. Images of abandoned military vehicles, weapons and equipment near the border with Lebanon suggest many Iranian soldiers were forced to quickly flee as the rebels took Syria in just 11 days.
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Ari Rosenfeld, the IDF reservist charged in the Prime Minister’s Office security documents theft and leak scandal, is sharing a prison cell with an Israeli Navy soldier convicted of spying for Iran, Channel 12 reports. The Navy soldier was sentenced to 33 months in prison for sharing classified information with an Iranian agent, in a case that had not previously been cleared for publication. The Navy soldier-turned-spy requested to be moved to a cell with Rosenfeld after growing concerned that the reservist would try and harm himself, according to the report, which added that he did so despite the conditions of the shared cell being considerably worse than those of the cell the Navy soldier was previously assigned to.
Syria To Dominate Talks As Iraq's Al Sudani Visits Iran | The National
Developments in Syria's political transition will be on the agenda when Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani visits Tehran on Wednesday. Mr Al Sudani's office on Sunday announced he was set to visit Iran to discuss regional developments and bilateral ties, following up on Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian's visit to Baghdad in September. Iran's Foreign Ministry said Syria would be among the topics of discussion. “The regional developments, especially those related to Syria, given their significance and sensitivity, will definitely be among the topics included in the agenda for this visit,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said on Monday. Mr Baghaei added that the Iraqi Prime Minister would meet Mr Pezeshkian as part of his visit.
TURKEY & IRAN
Iran May Be Using Turkish Airspace To Resupply Hezbollah In Lebanon | Jewish News Syndicate
Having lost its “land bridge” through Syria to resupply its proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon—a “land bridge” that included Syrian airspace—it appears that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force has found an alternate route over Turkey. The Middle East Forum, a think tank founded in 1994 to promote American interests in the Middle East, examined open-source flight monitoring and found that between Dec. 13, 2024, and the end of the year, Iran’s Mahan Air flew 11 flights between Tehran and Beirut over Turkish airspace. Iran has employed Mahan Air with its fleet of Airbus A340s and an Airbus A300B4-622R to transport weapons to Hezbollah before. It used the fleet during the recent conflict to ferry Iranian-made weapons, including anti-tank missiles and various attack drones, the Middle East Forum reported.