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Seized Weapons Show Iran’s Deep Involvement in Yemen’s War

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Seized Weapons Show Iran’s Deep Involvement in Yemen’s War

The recent U.S. seizure of suspected Iranian guided missile parts headed to rebels in Yemen highlights Iran’s continued far-reaching involvement in the war-torn country, experts say. 

 

The recent U.S. seizure of suspected Iranian guided missile parts headed to rebels in Yemen highlights Iran's continued far-reaching involvement in the war-torn country, experts say.
The recent U.S. seizure of suspected Iranian guided missile parts headed to rebels in Yemen highlights Iran’s continued far-reaching involvement in the war-torn country, experts say.

 

U.S. officials said earlier this month that a U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard boarding team seized a small boat in the northern Arabian Sea that was carrying sophisticated weapons to Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen. 
  
Iran has not commented on the seizure, but the country has in the past denied sending weapons to Houthi rebels.   
  
Some experts believe the incident shows Iran’s escalating efforts to defy international obligations and to destabilize Yemen and the broader region. 
 
“This is one additional piece of evidence that Iran continues to violate multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions in exporting arms, which it’s not allowed to do,” said James Phillips, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation in Washington.  

A U.N. resolution adopted in 2007 prohibits Iran from supplying and exporting weapons outside the country unless approved by the Security Council. Another U.N. resolution, adopted in 2015, bans the supply of weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen. 
 
Since the war in Yemen began in 2015, Iran has been backing Houthi rebels who control much of northern Yemen. Houthis have been fighting forces loyal to the internationally recognized government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. 
 
The Houthis reportedly have been using parts smuggled from Iran to build their advanced arsenal. Iran’s powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which was designated a terrorist organization by the Trump administration earlier this year, has been accused of providing weapons and expertise to Houthi rebels. 

Substantial amount of weapons 
 
Although the size of the recently seized shipment remains unclear, experts charge that over the years, Iran has delivered a substantial amount of weaponry to its Houthi allies in response to what Tehran sees as growing Saudi Arabian influence in the country. 
 
“The weapon cache discovered in that yacht is only a small example of what IRGC Quds Force is sending to Yemen to be used by Houthi rebels,” said Babak Taghvaei, a Malta-based military analyst with knowledge of Iran’s involvement in regional conflicts, including the one in Yemen. 
 
He told VOA that a Saudi-led coalition had on several occasions seized Iranian-made weapons that were intended for the Houthis. 
  
Saudi Arabia and several Arab countries have been engaged in the Yemeni war since its inception, with the aim of removing Houthi rebels. The conflict therefore is seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. 
 
While the recent seizure marked the first time such sophisticated components had been taken en route to Yemen, U.S. warships have intercepted and seized Iranian arms likely bound for Houthi fighters many times in recent years. 

“The seizure of these weapons will help the U.S. and its allies to find out about technology and material used for production of these weapons, and how to protect their forces from their danger,” analyst Taghvaei said. 

 

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Iran Briefing | News Press Focus on Human Rights Violation by IRGC, Iran Human Rights

 

US hits Iran’s biggest airline and shipping group with sanctions

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US hits Iran’s biggest airline and shipping group with sanctions

The US has imposed sanctions on Iran’s biggest shipping company and largest airline for allegedly helping Tehran develop ballistic missiles in contravention of UN sanctions.

 

US hits Iran’s biggest airline and shipping group with sanctions
US hits Iran’s biggest airline and shipping group with sanctions

 


Mike Pompeo, secretary of state, on Wednesday announced the sanctions on the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) and its China-based subsidiary, E-Sail Shipping, as well as Mahan Air. The move is meant to “put the world on notice those who engage in illicit transactions with these companies will risk exposure to sanctions for themselves”, Mr Pompeo said. The sanctions on the entities, which are already subject to other US punitive actions, are being imposed under an executive order aimed at stopping the development and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). US officials hope the measures will increase pressure on other countries to sever dealings with Iran. Christopher Ford, the top state department official for international security and non-proliferation, told the Financial Times that the sanctions would have a “very significant” impact because of the widespread global concern about Iran and WMD. “Our ability to work with international partners overseas to deny Iranian shippers access to particular ports, or prevent transactions, is much more diplomatically persuasive when we are able to identify weapons of mass destruction or missile-related proliferation as the gravamen of the complaint,” Mr Ford said.
The sanctions are the latest salvo in the US’s maximum pressure campaign aimed at persuading Iran to replace the 2015 nuclear accord jettisoned by Donald Trump. The US president has offered to open talks, but Tehran refuses to engage while under sanctions. Iran has also taken steps to unravel the deal in an effort to pressure EU signatories to offset the impact of the sanctions. But the US has made it almost impossible for others to help Iran through a raft of sanctions intended to put economic pressure on Tehran. The latest sanctions come three months after the US and European powers blamed Iran when a Saudi oil facility was hit with cruise missiles. Brian Hook, the top state department official for Iran, said the sanctions were designed to curb Iranian missile activities that have stoked tensions in the region. “We’ve seen an expansion under the Iran nuclear deal of Iranian ballistic missile testing and proliferation. This is relevant when we see the world’s largest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia blown up by Iranian missiles,” Mr Hook said. Just a few days ago, Mr Hook secured the release of Xiyue Wang, a US graduate student jailed in Iran for alleged espionage, in exchange for an Iranian scientist held in the US. Mr Hook said that the swap was not a sign that the US would ease the pressure. “We got Xiyue Wang out with no sanctions relief, no pallets of cash, and no change in policy,” Mr Hook said. “We’re going to continue just as we have with two tracks — the humanitarian and consular side, and maximum economic pressure. We’ve said we’re not going to stop doing sanctions until we have a comprehensive deal.”

 

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Iran Briefing | News Press Focus on Human Rights Violation by IRGC, Iran Human Rights

 

Netanyahu’s social media campaign has revived Israel’s image in Iran

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Netanyahu’s social media campaign has revived Israel’s image in Iran

On the Palestinian issue, most responses vary from “none of my business” to “Israel is in the right.”

On the Palestinian issue, most responses vary from “none of my business” to “Israel is in the right.”
Netanyahu’s social media campaign has revived Israel’s image in Iran

 

One of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s greatest foreign policy legacies remains unseen to most Israelis and the world: He has made Israel popular in Iran!
 
It all started with Netanyahu’s video campaign on social media, which coincided with the Islamic Republic’s rapid deterioration of popularity. In a series of social media videos, Netanyahu directly spoke with the Iranian people with Farsi subtitles, and the videos went viral on social media and messaging apps among Iranian users. In these videos, Netanyahu emphasized his desire to live in peace and cooperation with the Iranian people. He spoke of Iran’s rich and great history. In one video, he outlined Iran’s water challenges, and he declared that he will start sending information to Iranians on social media about how best to overcome these challenges with minimal means.
 
However, the most important point that Netanyahu made was that the regime in Iran is the greatest obstacle to the progress of the Iranian people – by highlighting how successful Iranians are everywhere else, but not in Iran. This campaign resonated with many Iranians.
 
Evidence for this claim is Farsi comments on social media. Iranians use Instagram more than any other social medium, and that’s where they get most of their news. Every time there is a story about Israel, a vast majority of comments are in praise of Netanyahu and Israel. In the comment section of stories about Israel’s attacking the IRGC bases in Syria, there are many comments like, “Good, thank you!” or “Okay, but can you hit the IRGC inside Iran please?” or recommendations for targets inside Iran, which are usually Khamenei’s residence. When I talk to Iranians inside Iran, they no longer complain that Israel mistreats Palestinians; they see an ally in Israel. The enemy of their enemy is a friend.
 
On the Palestinian issue, most responses vary from “none of my business” to “Israel is in the right.” This is also evident in one of the most popular chants at every protest in Iran: “No to Gaza, no to Lebanon, my life [only] for Iran.” They are just tired of starving for the benefit of Hamas and Hezbollah.
 
For four decades, the United States has failed to meaningfully engage with the Iranian people to turn them against the regime. Just 10 years ago, it was inconceivable to imagine that an Israeli prime minister, especially a Likud one, would play this role. But Netanyahu cracked the code.
 
Unfortunately, Netanyahu’s video campaign has paused for now, perhaps because of the unresolved elections in Israel. Resumption would help, but the campaign has already planted the seeds.
 
 
 

Iran Briefing | News Press Focus on Human Rights Violation by IRGC, Iran Human Rights

 

Iranian threat to ‘flatten Tel Aviv’ from Lebanon draws ire in Beirut

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Iranian threat to ‘flatten Tel Aviv’ from Lebanon draws ire in Beirut

Top officials in Beirut reacted with outrage on Tuesday after comments by an adviser to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, threatening to attack Israel from Lebanese territory.

 

Iranian threat to ‘flatten Tel Aviv’ from Lebanon draws ire in Beirut
Iranian threat to ‘flatten Tel Aviv’ from Lebanon draws ire in Beirut

 

“If Israel makes a mistake, even the smallest one, against Iran, we will flatten Tel Aviv into dirt from Lebanon,” Morteza Ghorbani, a senior adviser to the IRGC Commander Hossein Salami, told Iranian media agency Mizan on Monday evening, Lebanese media said.

Mr Ghorbani appeared to be referring to Israel’s arch enemy and Tehran’s main proxy in the Levant, Hezbollah. The powerful Iran-backed Shiite Lebanese party fought a bloody guerrilla campaign against Israel in south Lebanon, forcing their hasty retreat in 2000, and has since fought a devastating 34-day war in 2006 as well as a number of smaller skirmishes. The group possesses an estimated 120,000 rockets, according to a 2017 report published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a US think-tank.

The 2006 war killed more than 1,000 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 121 Israelis soldiers as well as 46 civilians.

Political parties in Lebanon are historically supported by foreign countries, with Shiite groups generally receiving support from Iran and Syria, Sunni parties from the Gulf and Christians from the West.

The Lebanese are “not human shields for any project in the region,” said former interior minister Nohad Machnouk, also a member of the Future Movement. “The Iranian official must know that Lebanon has changed and will not be affected by his words.”

Nadim Gemayel, leader of the Christian Kataeb party, which is staunchly anti-Hezbollah and is not represented in government, tweeted that he demanded an “explicit position” from Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, President Michel Aoun and caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

As yet, none of them have commented.

Hezbollah, which built its identity on fighting Israel, is popular among some segments of society in Lebanon where it paints itself as a defender of the country.

Like its Iranian and Syrian allies, the group has criticised the massive anti-government protests that started in Beirut on October 17.

It accuses the participants of being manipulated by foreign countries, a claim which they reject.

But the party has been lumped together with all the major political blocs being criticised by protesters who are demanding major reforms, a new type of governance and an economic and infrastructural overhaul.

 

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Iran Briefing | News Press Focus on Human Rights Violation by IRGC, Iran Human Rights

 

 

U.S. Military Official Warns Of Dangerous Escalation In Iran-Backed Attacks In Iraq

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U.S. Military Official Warns Of Dangerous Escalation In Iran-Backed Attacks In Iraq

U.S. Military Official Warns Of Dangerous Escalation In Iran-Backed Attacks In Iraq

U.S. Military Official Warns Of Dangerous Escalation In Iran-Backed Attacks In Iraq

Rockets struck Baghdad’s international airport compound Thursday, as the country tries to contain anti-government protests which have shaken the foundation of the Iraqi government. The attack appears to be the latest in what a senior U.S. military official described as a dangerously escalating campaign by Iran-backed militias.

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IRGC official threatens to destroy Tel Aviv from Lebanon

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IRGC official threatens to destroy Tel Aviv from Lebanon

On Monday, the adviser to the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Major General Murteza Qurbani, told the Mizan News Agency that if Israel launches any attack against Iran, the Islamic Republic will destroy Tel Aviv from Lebanon.

 

IRGC official threatens to destroy Tel Aviv from Lebanon
IRGC official threatens to destroy Tel Aviv from Lebanon

 

“If the Zionist regime makes the slightest mistake against Iran, we will destroy Tel Aviv from Lebanon, and there is no need for Iran to lift missiles and equipment,” he told the Mizan publication.

 

The IRGC official said, “Iran is not seeking to acquire nuclear weapons and Israel is too small to make any mistake towards Iran … Our fighters’ hand to trigger the order of the Supreme Leader … If the guide orders a missile attack against Israel, all Zionists will raise their hands by surrender … We will cut their ears are apart.”

He continued: “The hearts and souls of the peoples of Yemen, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq are with Iran, and the recent events in Lebanon, Iraq and Iran aim to strike at the unity of the resistance front, including the Islamic Republic.”

The IRGC official was responding to a recent threat from the Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, who vowed to destroy Iran’s nuclear missile program, if no one else does.

On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett had threatened to make Syria a Vietnam for Iran, vowing to prevent the Iranian military’s permanent base inside Syria.

The IRGC official was responding to a recent threat from the Israeli Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, who vowed to destroy Iran’s nuclear missile program, if no one else does.

On Sunday, Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett had threatened to make Syria a Vietnam for Iran, vowing to prevent the Iranian military’s permanent base inside Syria.

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Iran Briefing | News Press Focus on Human Rights Violation by IRGC, Iran Human Rights

 

Iranian journalist imprisoned, fired, and forced into exile over a single word

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Iranian journalist imprisoned, fired, and forced into exile over a single word

Iranian journalist imprisoned, fired, and forced into exile over a single word

Iranian journalist imprisoned, fired, and forced into exile over a single word

In October 2018, authorities arrested Pouyan Khoshhal as he drove through the northern Iranian city of Rasht, by the Caspian Sea. The reason for the journalist’s arrest: his use of the word “death” instead of “martyrdom” to describe a Shiite saint in an article for the reformist newspaper Ebtekar.
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The Atrocities Of IRGC Security Forces In Mahshahr, Iran…How Much Does The World Really Know?

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The Atrocities Of IRGC Security Forces In Mahshahr, Iran…How Much Does The World Really Know?

UN chief Michele Bachelet said on Dec.6,  “The picture now emerging from Iran is extremely disturbing”. One of the worst incidents took place in the city of Mahshahr in southwest Iran on Nov. 18 when security forces fired at protesters with machine guns, killing at least 23 and possibly many more.    

 

The Atrocities Of IRGC Security Forces In Mahshahr, Iran…How Much Does The World Really Know?
The Atrocities Of IRGC Security Forces In Mahshahr, Iran…How Much Does The World Really Know?

 

The city of Mahshahr is one of Iran’s important ports for the export of crude oil and oil-related products. Crude extracted from the Province of Khoosestan is transported to the Abadan refinery and the final products are destined to the city of Mahshahr for export. This makes Mahshahr an important city in Iran. Socially, ethnic minorities such as the Arabs and Turks make up the fabric of the city.

During the Iran-Iraq war, many found refuge in this city and later, opted to make it their permanent place of residence. Mahshahr is home to more than 20 Petrochemical Complexes, ranking it as one of the largest petrochemical centers in Iran and the Middle East.

In the last 4 decades, Mahshahr has been the scene of numerous protests and uprisings against poverty, hunger, and unemployment.

The people of Mahshar have felt shortchanged by the regime of the mullahs. On one hand, their city’s oil and oil products have been exported abroad and their share of the export money has not been made available to them but instead has been used for terrorist activities of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. In fact, their share of such a rich city has been the bullets that have been shot at them in their recent uprising. The youths of Mahshar have been slaughtered by the regime because of their participation in the protests.

 

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Iran Briefing | News Press Focus on Human Rights Violation by IRGC, Iran Human Rights

 

 

If Tehran is pushed too far, it may hit out in ways that are disastrous

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If Tehran is pushed too far, it may hit out in ways that are disastrous

Netanyahu warns of impending catastrophe as US officials say short-range ballistic missiles secretly positioned in Iraq Tehran 

 

If Tehran is pushed too far, it may hit out in ways that are disastrous
If Tehran is pushed too far, it may hit out in ways that are disastrous

 

The crisis in the Gulf, which took Iran and the US to the brink of war in June, was never resolved – and shows every sign of reigniting. Like antagonists in a school-yard fight who refuse to shake hands and make up, the two sides, backed by regional allies and proxies, are sullenly waiting for it all to kick off again. The next bout could be much worse.

In the American camp, alarm bells began ringing in earnest last week. US officials claimed Iran was secretly positioning short-range ballistic missiles in Iraq, within range of Israel and US bases in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

The Iraq deployments, if true, would be consistent with past Iranian moves to equip Shia militias in Lebanon, Yemen and Syria with improved missile capabilities. Supposed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) missile bases in Syria and Iraq have been targeted by Israeli air strikes in recent months. Iran-backed militia have fired rockets at Israel.

The US has moved 14,000 additional troops to the Gulf region this year. Despite this, it fears a repeat of September’s attack on Saudi oil facilities. John Rood, a senior Pentagon official, warned last week of renewed hostilities: “We continue to see indications … that potential Iranian aggression could occur.”

Israel views the proliferation of precision-guided missiles in the hands of Iranian proxies as a major strategic threat that must be repulsed by all means. Its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, is pressing Trump to re-focus on the issue following an ineffectual US response to the oilfield and tanker attacks.

Netanyahu had hoped to lobby Trump and other Nato leaders in person at last week’s London summit, but was prevented from attending due to “logistical concerns”. Instead he met Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state and fellow hawk, in Portugal, where he stressed that Iran’s activities increasingly threatened Israel and the entire Middle East.

 

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Iran Briefing | News Press Focus on Human Rights Violation by IRGC, Iran Human Rights

 

 

Israeli F-35 Adir Stealth Fighters Just Practiced Going to War

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Israeli F-35 Adir Stealth Fighters Just Practiced Going to War

Israeli F-15s, F-16Is and F-35s flew alongside U.S. F-16s as well as Italian F-35s among more than seventy warplanes that participated in the Blue Flag exercise in November. At Israel’s Uvda Air Base airmen from five air forces flew together and practiced flying at low altitude to suppress simulated air defense and practice interoperability with NATO’s Link 16 communications system.

 

Israel's F-35 Adir Stealth Fighters Just Practiced Going to War
Israeli F-35 Adir Stealth Fighters Just Practiced Going to War

 

The exercise, from November 3 to 14, came amid rising tensions with Iran and forty-hours of conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza. Russia’s Foreign Ministry claimed on November 21 that Israel had also carried out four nights of airstrikes in Syria over a ten-day period. Israel claimed only that it carried out widespread strikes on November 20 after Iran’s IRGC fired rockets at Israel from Syria. Moscow’s assertions, published in Israeli media, stated that on November 12 Israel struck the home of PIJ member Akram al-Ajouri and that on November 18 Israel struck near Albukamal in Syria near the Iraqi border. This same Albukamal area was hit with airstrikes on September 9, targeting an alleged Iranian base. Israel has admitted to more than 1,000 airstrikes in Syria. Russia, which backs Syria’s government, also claimed Israel carried out another airstrike on November 19 and that on November 20, in response to Iranian rockets fired at Israel from Syria, “some forty cruise missiles [were fired] at targets in the Damascus suburbs.”

 

The Blue Flag exercise had no direct relation to the tension in Gaza and Syria, it was planned long before and is the fourth of its kind. However, the exercise came in the context of these tensions and wider regional tensions with Iran. The US 480 Expeditionary Squadron, 52nd Fighter Wing out of Spangdahlem Air Base took part, along with the Italians, Germans and Greeks. The exercise gave Israel and its partners an ability to work closely together. CENTCOM commander General Kenneth McKenzie came to Israel on November 11 and U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff David Goldfein visited Israel at the end of the exercise. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Mark Milley then arrived on November 25. These high-level meetings coincided with the important drill for Israel.

 

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Iran Briefing | News Press Focus on Human Rights Violation by IRGC, Iran Human Rights

 

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