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UPDATE: 9:00 PM
US, Britain Strike Yemen’s Houthis in a New Wave, Retaliating for Attacks by Iran-Backed Militants
WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Britain struck 36 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday in a second wave of assaults meant to further disable Iran-backed groups that have relentlessly attacked American and international interests in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war. But Washington once more did not directly target Iran as it tried to find a balance between a forceful response and intensifying the conflict.
U.S. Central Command said its forces conducted an additional strike on Sunday “in self-defense against a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea,” according to a post on X, formerly Twitter.
“U.S. forces identified the cruise missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined it presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region. This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy vessels and merchant vessels,” the post added.
Fischer, Colleagues Demand Accountability on Iran-Linked DoD Official
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, recently joined 30 of her Senate Republican colleagues in a letter demanding a full accounting of actions taken by a senior Pentagon official who has close links to the Iranian government. U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) led the letter.
Ariane Tabatabai, the chief of staff to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, was reportedly engaged in an Iranian government-linked initiative to bolster the Iranian government’s image and reinforce Tehran’s national security views. Leaked emails show Tabatabai asking the Iranian government for input on her speaking engagements and offering to consult with the Iranian government on a congressional briefing that she was invited to give.
U.S. National Security Adviser Accuses Iran of Backing Militias
On February 4, during an interview on “Face the Nation,” United States National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan accused the Iranian regime of backing militia groups in the region. He also cautioned that the US would ensure accountability for any attacks against US forces.
Sullivan said, “We know that Iran is behind these militia groups, they train them, they fund them, they arm them. And they do have an influence on them. And I can’t sit here today and tell you that Tehran has shifted its policy. What I can tell you is what the United States’ approach is going to be, which is that if we continue to see threats and attacks from these militia groups, we will respond to them. And we will hold those responsible accountable.
“President Biden has been saying for months that he would respond to attacks, we have responded to previous attacks, and when three service members were killed, of course, Iran knew that the United States would respond,” Sullivan added. “So the idea that somehow this was telegraphed, I think is a bit more of a political talking point than a reality. Secondly, the targets that we hit, we believe with conviction, were valid military targets. They were ammunition depots and command and control centers. They were the instruments that Iranian-backed Shia militia groups were using to attack American forces. We are looking at the casualties, who precisely was killed.”
“We intend to take additional strikes, and additional action, to continue to send a clear message that the United States will respond when our forces are attacked when our people are killed,” Jake Sullivan told NBC’s “Meet the Press” program.
UPDATE: 1:30 PM
Former Regime Operative Exposes Execution Tactics Amidst Uprisings
In a startling revelation, Emadeddin Baqi, a former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, confessed to the regime’s desperate need for executions as a response to uprisings and popular revolts against the criminal system of the mullahs.
He said, “The Judiciary announced the execution of Mohammad Ghobadlou and four Kurdish youths, which gained widespread attention due to their political dimensions. Interestingly, just a few days prior, it was reported that 11 individuals were executed for drug trafficking in another prison, yet even that news did not surface.”
Warning against the backlash, he added, “The reality is that in a world where 150 out of 193 countries have abolished or suspended the death penalty, including some Islamic countries, this is a serious matter up for debate among legal experts, sociologists, and theologians. Such methods cannot be dealt with in this manner.”
The revelation exposes the regime’s frantic efforts to retain power in the face of escalating dissent and global scrutiny, underscoring the apprehension even among insiders regarding the repercussions of the regime’s survival tactics.
UPDATE: 8:30 AM
Fatal Shooting at Almas Khodro Protest, Northern Iran
Zabihollah Baqeri, the political deputy of Takistan Governorate in Qazvin Province, Central North of Iran, reported that one person was killed due to gunshot wounds during a protest by defrauded investors. The protesters, who lost their money due to the negligence or intentional scam of an automotive company, gathered in front of the residence of one of the agents of Almas Khodro Company. Several others were wounded in the incident. Baqeri stated that the perpetrator of the shooting was an employee affiliated with Almas Khodro.
Baqeri told the state news agency ILNA, “Following an illegal call from one of the Instagram pages, a gathering was formed at 9:00 PM on Friday, February 2, in front of the residence of one of the agents of Almas Khodro Company.”
According to security officials of Takistan County, in the final minutes of the gathering, gunfire erupted towards the crowd from one of the company’s affiliates, resulting in injuries to several attendees and the loss of one life.
80 Percent of Iran’s Medical Students Want to Flee the Country, Expert Says
Mohammadreza Zafarqandi, the Secretary-General of the Medical Society, has voiced alarming statistics regarding the intentions of medical students and professors to leave the country. Speaking at the 30th Assembly of the Medical Society, Zafarqandi expressed grave concerns over the exodus of talent from Iranian universities and the medical profession.
“In line with the professional and academic titles of medicine, the Islamic Society of Iranian Medical Society, and as an educator with over 45 years of teaching experience in schools and universities, I declare that today one of our greatest concerns is the migration, or better to say, the escape of elite human resources across various ranks: graduates, students, and professors of various medical and non-medical fields, to anywhere else,” stated Zafarqandi during the assembly.
“Recent evaluations indicate that approximately 80% of our medical students are considering leaving the country. Many esteemed professors from universities are also departing. Today, crucial fields such as cardiac surgery, emergency medicine, anesthesiology, and many medical specialties lack volunteer entrants, leaving residency seats vacant,” he added.
Zafarqandi further elaborated, “The request for a ‘good standing’ certificate from the medical system to leave the country has increased several times compared to previous years. Due to unfavorable economic conditions, the share of health care from GDP as an indicator of development, which had reached 9% in recent years, has now decreased to 4.5%, indicating a decline in the quality of treatment, health, essential medical equipment (even for surgeries), and shortages of necessary medications for the people.”
Bus Crash in Iran Kills 6, Injures 19
A bus crash in Iran on Saturday killed at least six people and injured 19 others, state media reported. The bus was traveling from Mashhad to Qazvin when it overturned on a highway near the city of Nishapur, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
Iran’s roads are in a state of disrepair. Many roads are potholed and poorly maintained, and there is a lack of proper signage and lighting. This makes driving in Iran hazardous and contributes to the high number of traffic accidents in the country.
Over the years, the Iranian regime has consistently fallen short of allocating adequate funding to enhance road safety measures. Consequently, road accidents persist as one of the leading causes of unnatural deaths annually in the country.
As Iran’s Regime Prepares for Elections, the People Prepare for a Revolution
The sheer corruption behind the Iranian regime’s parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections scheduled for March 1 is such that the regime’s own authorities and experts said on national television on January 27, “We have entered a quagmire where you are constantly creating restrictions on participation. For example, let’s assume that in the Assembly of Experts elections, how many candidates were qualified? 140-150 people. How many clerics do you have in your country? 150,000 to 200,000. What does this mean? It means that—among the clerics, not the population—you have failed to approve even 2-thousandths of the population.”
On January 28, the state-run Etemad newspaper, regarding the disqualification of rivals of Iranian regime president Ebrahim Raisi in South Khorasan, wrote, “The incident that happened today in the Assembly of Experts elections in South Khorasan is a complete symbol of the situation that elections are facing.
Treasury Sanctions Actors Responsible for Malicious Cyber Activities on Critical Infrastructure
WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned six officials in the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber-Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC), an Iranian government organization responsible for a series of malicious cyber activities against critical infrastructure in the United States and other countries.
“The deliberate targeting of critical infrastructure by Iranian cyber actors is an unconscionable and dangerous act,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “The United States will not tolerate such actions and will use the full range of our tools and authorities to hold the perpetrators to account.”
The United States is taking action against these individuals in response to IRGC-affiliated cyber actors’ recent cyber operations in which they hacked and posted images on the screens of programmable logic controllers manufactured by Unitronics, an Israeli company. Industrial control devices, such as programmable logic controllers, used in water and other critical infrastructure systems, are sensitive targets.
The Ongoing Battle of Iranian Retirees for Better Living Conditions
Retirees in Iran frequently take to the streets to voice their concerns, yet the administration under Ebrahim Raisi has failed to offer a viable solution to address their grievances.
According to the ILNA news agency, the weekly protests by pensioners, held every Sunday in front of the Social Security Organization, are prompted by the ‘critical livelihood situation.’ The agency highlights that pensioners’ incomes are ‘one-third of the poverty line.’
Last fall, in response to these protests, the regime increased retirees’ salaries by 900,000 tomans. However, these measures failed to quell the protests, as the primary demand of retirees remains the improvement of their living conditions.
US Responds to Jordan Drone Attack: A Retaliatory Air Raid on Iran-Linked Targets
In a significant show of force, the US Air Force conducted a massive air raid on Iran-backed militants in Iraq and Syria, striking over 80 targets with more than 125 bombs. This retaliation was prompted by a deadly drone strike that targeted an American base in Jordan, resulting in the tragic loss of three U.S. service members.
US President Joe Biden issued a stern warning to Iran, emphasizing that the United States does not seek conflict but will respond if Americans are harmed. He made it clear that this was just the beginning of the US response, stating, “Our response began today. It will continue at times and places of our choosing.”
The US military’s Central Command (Centcom) reported that the attack, involving numerous aircraft, occurred around midnight local time and was the first in a series of planned strikes. The targets included facilities used by the IRGC Quds Force and its allied militias.
U.S. Department of Treasury Sanctions Transnational Procurement Network Supporting Iran’s Ballistic Missile and UAV Programs: Comprehensive Analysis
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) recently sanctioned a significant procurement network involved in supplying materials and sensitive technology for Iran’s ballistic missile and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) programs. This action, taken on February 2, 2024, includes the designation of entities linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its Quds Force. The move aims to disrupt illicit procurement networks supporting Iran’s advanced conventional weapons development.
- The sanctions target a key procurement network supplying materials for Iran’s ballistic missile and UAV programs, highlighting Iran’s continued proliferation of advanced weaponry.
- Entities designated are associated with Hamed Dehghan and Pishtazan Kavosh Gostar Boshra (PKGB), actively supporting Iranian military organizations, including the IRGC.
U.S. Justice Department Targets Billion-Dollar Oil Trafficking Network Funding Iran’s IRGC: A Comprehensive Overview
The U.S. Justice Department recently unveiled a series of enforcement actions against a sophisticated global oil trafficking network that funds Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The operation targeted key individuals and entities involved in the illicit trafficking of Iranian oil, emphasizing a commitment to disrupt funding streams supporting the IRGC’s nefarious activities.
- Objective and Scope: The primary goal of the Justice Department’s efforts is to combat the illegal trafficking of Iranian oil, particularly addressing its connection to the IRGC and its Quds Force (IRGC-QF). The IRGC is a significant threat, identified for fostering terrorism globally.
- Financial Impact: The IRGC relies on black-market oil sales to finance criminal activities, including supporting terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah. By targeting this funding source, the Justice Department seeks to hinder Iran’s destabilizing activities.
Paris, February 1, 2024: Exhibition by MEK Supporters in Solidarity with the Iranian Revolution
On February 1, 2024, in Paris, France, advocates for freedom in Iran and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition, demonstrating their solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.