THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:00 PM
Jordan Is at Risk of Falling Into Iranian Hands
From Khan Yunis and Jenin to Aleppo and Kirkuk, Iran has its pawns on every square of the Middle East chess board. The Islamic Republic of Iran has established a network of proxy forces that form a “Shia Crescent,” effectively controlling Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Gaza, and some cities in the West Bank.
But the regime will not remain satisfied with its current military and political strongholds, and it has already begun to target the last independent Arab actor in the Levant: Jordan.
Jordan’s GDP growth rate has slowed down. Its public debt has increased, and the country has taken in 1.3 million Syrian refugees who have fled the Syrian civil war.
The West Must Confront the Iran Threat
US President Joe Biden said the strikes were a “direct response” to “unprecedented” attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, and stated that he “will not hesitate” to authorise further action should Houthi aggression continue.
UPDATE: 11:00 AM
Us Military Strikes Another Houthi-Controlled Site After Warning Ships To Avoid Parts of Red Sea
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military early Saturday struck another Houthi-controlled site in Yemen that it had determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk, a day after the U.S. and Britain launched multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels.
Associated Press journalists in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, heard one loud explosion.
U.S. Central Command said the “follow-on action” early Saturday local time against a Houthi radar site was conducted by the Navy destroyer USS Carney using Tomahawk land attack missiles.
UPDATE: 8:30 AM
The Disastrous Conditions of Children in Iran
What will be the fate of a child born in Iran under the rule of the mullahs? Will it be love, beauty, prosperity, and a bright future, or poverty, hunger, and a collapsing roof? Will the child long for education on street corners, in underground workshops, and alongside the streets, carrying the burden of the family’s livelihood?
Regime statistics show that absolute poverty affects at least 30% of Iran’s population. That means 25 million people do not have sufficient income to provide for food, living expenses, and especially shelter. More than half of the country’s households are unable to provide adequate and suitable food for their children.
On January 4, 2024, the state-run Donya-ye Eqtesad newspaper reported that there are over 14 million children under the age of 18, 9 million children under the age of 12, and 3.5 million children under the age of six in Iran.
Sakineh Parvaneh, a Kurdish Political Prisoner, Deprived of Access to Medical Services
Ms. Parvaneh has been detained in the Central Prison of Mashhad (Vakilabad Prison) since March, serving her 7.5 years of imprisonment.
She has also faced restrictions in her telephone calls with her family over the past few months. The authorities of the Central Prison of Mashhad have restricted her phone contacts to short calls in the presence of prison guards and provided that she speaks in Farsi with her family. The last time Sakineh Parvaneh was arrested was on April 4, 2023. She had been arrested less than a month before, on March 7, and released after four days.
Corruption and Controversy in $80 Million Deal at Iran’s Astan Quds
About two years after the revelation of the ‘$80-million fraud’ involving a person named Mohammad Zolfaqari from Astan Quds Foundation, new reports now indicate that the same individual has inflicted an additional $22 million in damages to the Razavi chain company affiliated with Astan Quds. This transpired while his corruption case remains unresolved within the regime’s judiciary.
This non-guaranteed contract was entered into during Alireza Pakpayman’s tenure as the director of the Razavi chain company, operating under the authority of the current president of the regime, Ebrahim Raisi. Pakpayman now holds the position of deputy minister of agriculture. Notably, the case, known as ‘tire corruption‘ according to regime media, involves another person who currently heads the Iranian business center in Armenia under the present government.
US Air Force Targets Iran-Backed Houthis in Yemen
On Friday, January 12, US officials announced that US and British forces targeted the positions of the Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen in early morning attacks.
According to the Associated Press, the forces of the two countries launched a retaliatory and extensive attack using Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets, bombarding Houthi positions.
In this regard, the commander of US Air Force Central Command stated that in the attack, over 60 targets were targeted in 16 regions in Yemen, including command and control positions, ammunition depots, missile launch systems, and radar systems.
Iran’s Regime Seizes Oil Tanker in Gulf of Oman
The Navy of the Iranian regime army announced that it had seized the oil tanker St. Nicholas in the Gulf of Oman.
On January 11, the Navy’s public relations department stated that the seizure of this vessel was carried out “in retaliation for the theft of an Iranian oil shipment” by the United States.
According to the Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, the Navy’s public relations department stated that the new name of this oil tanker is Suez Rajan. The mentioned oil tanker was seized in May 2023 pursuant to Washington’s sanctions against the regime.
Aarau, Switzerland—January 11, 2024: MEK Supporters Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution, Supporting #FreeIranTelethon
Aarau, Switzerland—January 11, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a photo and book exhibition in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution. This exhibition served as a tribute to the martyrs of the nationwide Iranian uprising.
Lucerne, Switzerland—January 11, 2024: MEK Supporters Organized an Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Lucerne, Switzerland—January 11, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a book exhibition in sub-zero freezing weather in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – January 12, 2023