Social and Political

VOA – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Israel on Wednesday that it or its allied groups would take direct action to avenge the killing of senior commander Razi Mousavi. The general was killed Monday in an Israeli missile strike near the Syrian capital, according to state media, at a time of heightened regional tension around the Israel-Hamas war raging …

gatestoneinstitute.org – Many of the protests that now demand a unilateral ceasefire — including the attempts to shut down Christmas celebrations — are orchestrated by some of the same radical groups that organized the pro-Hamas demonstrations before Israel went into Gaza. Demonstrations and protests by groups such as the Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace or the …

Al-Arabia – The spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday that Hamas’ October 7 attacks against Israel were revenge for slain Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, a claim that was quickly denied by the Palestinian group. “The Al-Aqsa Flood was one of the acts of revenge for the assassination of General Soleimani by the US and …

iranintl – The US fleet in the Red Sea intercepted 17 drones and missiles on Tuesday, as Iranian officials promised to hit back at Israel for the killing of Iran’s ‘top man’ in Syria. Escalation was palpable during the day, as destroyers and fighter jets from the USS Eisenhower were forced to shoot down “twelve one-way attack drones, three anti-ship …

iranintl – Unit 400 of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is recruiting Afghans for suicide attacks and working with Al Qaeda to target Israelis. The Quds Force team responsible for recruiting Afghans includes Hossein Rahmani, Hossein Rahban, Hamed Abdollahi, and Alireza Tajik who was implicated in a plot to assassinate an Israeli businessman in Tbilisi, …

iranintl – Albania’s Parliament has reported a cyberattack in which Iran-based hackers attempted access to its data server, seeking to erase critical information.  A statement said Monday’s cyberattack, which temporarily halted parliament’s operations, had not “touched the data of the system.” The Associated Press cited local media as reporting that a cellphone provider and an air flight company were also targeted by cyberattacks Monday from “Iranian-based hackers …

iranintl – The controversy surrounding a recent statement from the Arab-Russian Cooperation Forum, which undermined Iran’s territorial integrity, continues to escalate in Tehran. Amid mounting pressure from social media users, prominent political figures, including individuals with close ties to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, such as Ali Akbar Velayati, his senior foreign policy adviser, and Hossein Shariatmadari, his representative at the …

VOA – Iran has resumed enriching uranium at a similar rate as at the start of the year, the IAEA said Tuesday, as the country accelerates its nuclear program while denying it is developing a bomb. Iran has “increased its production of highly enriched uranium, reversing a previous output reduction from mid-2023,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – The death sentences against Reza Rasayi and Mojahed Kourkour, two “Woman, Life, Freedom” protesters, have been reportedly upheld by the Supreme Court. At the same time, at least three other protesters also remain at risk.  Iran Human Rights once again warns of the exponential rise in executions in Iran and calls on the international community …

france24 – Washington has repeatedly targeted sites used by Iran and its proxy forces in Iraq and Syria in response to dozens of attacks on American and allied forces in the region since the October 7 outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. “US military forces conducted necessary and proportionate strikes on three facilities used by Kataeb Hezbollah and affiliated groups in Iraq,” Austin said in a statement. “These precision …