THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:00 PM
Fatal Drone Attack Targets Militia Officials in Eastern Baghdad
A drone attack on a vehicle in eastern Baghdad has resulted in the deaths of several officials affiliated with militia groups linked to the Iranian regime. The incident occurred on Wednesday night, February 7, according to Al-Arabiya.
Reports indicate that the leader of the Kata’ib Hezbollah group in Iraq, responsible for operations in Syria, along with three of his associates, were killed in the attack in the “Al-Mashtal” area in eastern Baghdad.
Media outlets associated with Hezbollah in Iraq confirmed the deaths of two commanders, identified as “Abu Bakr Al-Saadi” and “Arkan Al-Alayawi,” adding to the casualties from the group. The third casualty is reported to be from the militia group “Al-Nujaba.”
According to Al-Jazeera, security sources have identified Abu Bakr Al-Saadi as the head of the aerial system within Hezbollah Iraq’s brigades.
Iranian state media has also reported on the incident, citing international media sources.
USCENTCOM Conducts Strike Killing Kata’ib Hezbollah Senior Leader
At 9:30 p.m. February 7, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted a unilateral strike in Iraq in response to the attacks on U.S. service members, killing a Kata’ib Hezbollah commander responsible for… pic.twitter.com/JW7Zy8QV7E
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 7, 2024
Japan Police Raid Ship Dealer Over Suspected Illegal Export to Iran: Media
Japanese police raided a ship dealer suspected of illegally selling a vessel to Iran, local media reported Wednesday.
Tokyo police on Tuesday raided the Osaka-based ship dealer on suspicion that it exported a second-hand, 499-tonne freight vessel to Iran instead of to the United Arab Emirates as it had reported to customs, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported, citing unnamed police sources.
The company allegedly submitted the false export plan to customs in May 2021, according to Jiji Press and other local media. Police tracked the ship and found that it had arrived at an Iranian port after sailing through Southeast Asia, the Yomiuri said.
UPDATE: 12:30 PM
Dia Report Confirms the Huthis’ Use of Iranian Missiles and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles To Conduct Attacks Across the Middle East
DIA report confirms the Houthis’ use of Iranian missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles to conduct attacks across the Middle East
JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING — Analysis confirms that Houthi forces have employed various Iranian-origin missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles against military and civilian targets throughout the region, according to an unclassified report released today by the Defense Intelligence Agency.
“Iran: Enabling Houthi Attacks Across the Middle East” provides a comparative analysis of publicly available images of Iranian missiles and UAVs to those displayed and employed by Houthi forces in Yemen to attack commercial shipping in the Red Sea and civilian and port infrastructure across the region.
The report highlights the evolving and strengthening relationship between the Houthis and Iran. Since 2014, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) has provided the Houthis a growing arsenal of sophisticated weapons and training. Iran’s aid has enabled the Houthis to conduct a campaign of missile and UAV attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea since November 2023, threatening freedom of navigation and international commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways.
Iran Suspected In Plot To Kill Swedish Jews: Report
By Agence France Presse (AFP) – Swedish radio reported Tuesday that an Iranian couple, believed to be working for Iranian intelligence, were deported after being suspected in a plot to kill Swedish Jews.
According to an investigative report by Swedish Radio (SR), the couple, Mahdi Ramezani and Fereshteh Sanaeifarid, had applied for and been granted asylum in Sweden posing as Afghans.
Suspected of plotting to kill Swedish Jews, the couple were arrested in April 2021 on suspicion of conspiracy to commit a terrorist crime, SR reported.
Lenderking Accuses Houthis and Iran of ‘Militarizing’ Red Sea
US Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking held Iran and the Houthi militias in Yemen responsible for the consequences of “militarizing” the Red Sea region. In an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, he stressed that the military actions taken by the United States and its allies aren’t aimed against Yemen and its people, but the military capabilities of the Houthis, whom he said are operating as a global terrorist organization.
Lenderking made his remarks ahead of a visit to the Gulf “to meet with partners in the region to discuss the urgent need to reduce regional tensions, including cessation of Houthi attacks, which are undermining both freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and progress on the Yemen peace process,” said the US State Department.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM
Khamenei’s Succession Becomes a Point of Contention in the Upcoming Sham Elections
On January 7, the Javan news website, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), published an article in which it said, “[Former regime president Hassan] Rouhani is a candidate for the Assembly of Experts election and is under the impression that it is highly probable that the next Assembly will have to make that hard and important decision. He has not hidden this thought and has expressed it. Of course, he did not mention how he predicted such a thing, but he did not predict that he might not be the one making the difficult and important decision himself at that time!”
A few weeks after that article was published, some of the vague notions it contained have become clearer, especially after the Guardian Council disqualified Rouhani. First, that “hard and important decision” is the successor to regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Second, with the disqualification of Rouhani, that decision will be a bit less difficult.
Rising Food Costs: Impact on Iran’s Household Budgets
According to data from the Iran Statistics Center, urban households in Tehran spent over 70% of their income on purchasing non-food items and services in 2023. As per the Echo Iran website, households in Tehran averaged a yearly expenditure of 196,189,000 tomans. Of this amount, 77.9% was allocated to non-food items, while 22.1% was spent on food items. This is a notable increase from the 21.1% share of food expenses in household budgets in 2022. Consequently, the portion of food costs within the total annual expenses of urban households in Tehran has risen, indicating an inflationary trend in food items in 2023.
This report reveals that, on average, each household in Tehran spent 43,445,000 tomans on food products in 2023. Approximately 19.8% of this figure, roughly 8,600,000 tomans, was dedicated to purchasing meat, making it the largest contributor to food expenses among urban households in Tehran.
Tehran’s Rental Nightmare: Soaring Prices and Forced Migration
While some officials in the Iranian regime assert that the housing market has stabilized in recent days, the challenging situation faced by tenants in the capital contradicts the claim of falling prices. A 150% increase in rent this year has transformed Tehran into a difficult living situation, leading to forced migration among tenants. Statistical data reveals that rent inflation has broken records in the last two years, surpassing the general inflation level in the country. In the fall of 2020, rent point inflation soared to 53.6%, signifying that households in urban areas spent 53.6% more on rent compared to the fall of 2021. By the fall of 2022, rent point inflation in urban areas reached 46%, with seasonal inflation standing at 16.8%.
Iran’s Nuclear Deception: A Threat Multiplied
In the face of escalating tensions and heightened hostilities in the Middle East, the threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program has surged to unprecedented levels. A recent report by the Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) underscores the alarming trajectory of the Iran regime’s nuclear ambitions and its increasingly aggressive actions in the region. The period since May 2023, marked by the release of the last edition of the Counter, has witnessed a sharp rise in the Iranian regime threat landscape. Key catalysts for this surge include the Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel in October 2023 and the subsequent Israeli incursion into Gaza. These events have ignited a chain reaction of violence, with Iranian-backed proxy groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and Ansar Allah (Houthi) actively engaging in destabilizing actions.
Iran’s Garment Industry Crisis: Battling Smuggling and Economic Exploitation
When you venture into clothing shopping in Iran nowadays, you’re met with a perplexing scenario: Iranian jeans fetch around 1,500,000 tomans, whereas authentic Stock & Hank jeans are priced at a mere 400,000 tomans in the same market! Unsurprisingly, customers are gravitating towards the more affordable imported jeans, causing a crippling blow to Iran’s domestic garment industry. Majid Eftekhari, a member of the Board of Directors of the Union of Garment Manufacturers and Exporters, voiced his concern:
“The clothing market has essentially become a stronghold of foreign entities. Large-scale clothing importers effortlessly promote and sell their illicitly imported products without facing any consequences. In essence, our nation has turned into a satellite market for five countries in the clothing sector, flooding our markets with counterfeit goods. It’s bewildering for consumers to witness Iranian jeans priced at 1.5 million tomans, while smuggled foreign jeans are available for only 400,000 tomans.”
European Countries Refuse to Issue Visas to Iranian Drivers
The head of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce Transportation, Transit, and Logistics Commission has announced that Iran is being excluded from international road transportation.
Tejarat News reported that Iran is currently facing two main problems in the field of road transportation: the suspension of the International Motor Insurance Card System for the road fleet and the refusal of European countries to issue visas to Iranian drivers. According to the report, the Council of Bureaux has suspended the use of the Green Card System for Iran’s Central Insurance since the beginning of 2024 due to the consequences of sanctions.
This suspension is a result of difficulties in processing damages for trucks covered by the Green Card System through banking networks, as well as the European Union’s restrictive regulations and communication problems with Iran’s central insurance.
Brussels, Belgium—February 3, 2024: Exhibition Condemning the Rising Rate of Executions in Iran
Brussels, Belgium—February 3, 2024: Iranians advocating for freedom and members of the International Freedom of Speech Alliance organized an exhibition and information desk to condemn the escalating executions in Iran and the appalling human rights violations perpetrated by the mullahs’ regime.
Montreal, Canada—February 3, 2024: MEK Supporters Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution, Condemning the Wave of Executions in Iran
Montreal, Canada—February 3, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally in subzero freezing weather to express support for the Iranian Revolution. Iranians strongly condemned the wave of executions in Iran by the mullahs’ regime.
Vancouver, Canada—February 3, 2024: MEK Supporters Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution, Condemning the Wave of Executions in Iran
Vancouver, Canada—February 3, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally to express support for the Iranian Revolution. Iranians strongly condemned the wave of executions in Iran by the mullahs’ regime.