“Jordan foils Iranian plot to carry out sabotage operations with weapons,” Ammon, 5-15-24. “Reuters also quoted two Jordanian sources as saying that Jordan has foiled a suspected Iranian-led plot to smuggle weapons into the U.S.-allied kingdom to help opponents of the ruling monarchy carry out acts of sabotage. The weapons were sent by Iranian-backed militias in Syria to a cell of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan that has links to the military wing of Palestinian group Hamas, the people told Reuters. They said the plot’s aim was to destabilize Jordan, adding that the cache was seized when members of the cell were arrested in late March. … Another senior figure in Brotherhood, who also requested anonymity, told Reuters the arrested cell members had been recruited by Hamas chief Saleh al-Arouri, who masterminded the Palestinian group’s operations in the West Bank from exile in Lebanon. Spokespeople for the Jordanian government and the U.S. Department of Defense declined to comment. A diplomat close to Tehran said the Iranian ambition to establish a proxy foothold in Jordan went back to Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards who was assassinated by the U.S. in 2020. Soleimani believed that given Jordan’s strong ties with the U.S. and the West, building up an allied group there capable of fighting Israel was crucial to Tehran’s strategic ascendancy in the region, the diplomat told Reuters.” See also “’Jordan thwarts Iranian plot to smuggle weapons across its territory,’ reports Reuters,” Roya, 5-15-24.
“The Attack on Iran’s IRGC Leaders in Damascus and the Iranian Attack on Israel: An Iranian View,” Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, 5-12-24.
It is hard to believe the reports out of Washington on 5-12, that the U.S. will withhold intelligence if Israel invades broadly in Rafah. Already Pres. Biden and Sec. Blinken and NSA Sullivan are indefinitely holding smart bombs from being send to Israel to be used against the Iran-backed Hamas. What is instead accurate is what Sen. Tom Cotton, who serves on the Armed Services Committee, says regarding the State Department report “was very clear: there is no evidence that Israel is violating international law.” [speaking of whether Israel is using U.S. weapons against civilians]. He said Israel “is doing more than any military in history to prevent civilian casualties.” See “Blinken: Israel offensive on Rafah would not eliminate Hamas,” AFP, 5-12-24. That the Administration does not understand how the 1,200 killed in only half a day by Hamas compares with the 35,000 killed (about half of them Hamas) over seven months is also worth noting in light of Cotton’s broadly-accepted views.
The Biden administration reportedly also says it can give information on locations of secret tunnels in Gaza used by Hamas as an incentive to Israel not to enter Gaza’s southernmost city. What? And the Administration is said offering intel on Hamas leaders’ whereabouts if Israel drops its planned major Rafah op. What? Israel can’t respond to Hamas and Iran this way, nor would any other country. See “US said offering intel on Hamas leaders’ whereabouts if Israel drops major Rafah op,” Times of Israel, 5-12-24.
“Canada’s Spy Agency Warns of Escalating Iranian Aggression in West,” Iran International, 5-10-24.
“Iran says it will change nuclear doctrine and build bombs if existence threatened,” Times of Israel, 5-9-24. “Top Khamenei adviser Kamal Kharrazi says country will have ‘no choice’ in those circumstances, warns deterrence policy will change if Israel strikes nuclear facilities.”
“MPs vote unanimously in support of designating Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist group,” 5-8-24.
“US Lawmakers Worry IRGC Accessed Classified Documents Through Malley,” Iran International, 5-8-24.
“France Denounces ‘State Hostage-Taking’ by Iran,” Iran International, 5-8-24.
“Iran Sentences Renowned Filmmaker To Flogging, Prison Sentence,” RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, 5-8-24.
“Iran’s dangerous new terror proxy: Sudan,” JNS, 5-7-24. “The Islamic Republic’s encirclement of Israel and control of the Red Sea are almost complete.”
“IAEA head decries ‘completely unsatisfactory’ cooperation after visit to Iran,” Times of Israel, 5-7-24. “Rafael Grossi says there is a ‘slowdown’ in implementation of deal between his nuclear watchdog and the Islamic Republic. … Iran has always denied any ambition to develop nuclear weapons capability, insisting its activities are entirely peaceful.”
“Iran’s capacity to move oil reliant on Malaysian providers, US official says,” Straits Times, 5-7-24.
“IAEA Still Discussing Implementation of Failed 2023 Agreement With Iran,” Iran International, 5-7-24.
“Iran Remains Second Largest Jailer of Writers Worldwide,” Iran International, 5-4-24.
“Iranian IRGC Warship Crosses Equator For First Time,” RFE/RL, 5-4-24.
“Iran announces sanctions on United States, United Kingdom,” Mehr, 5-2-24. For alleged support of terrorism and violation of human rights in the Gaza War.
“Iran charges journalists after BBC report on teen protester’s death,” BBC, 5-2-24.
Exactly. This article by Azizi (again) hits the purpose of this Kissinger-inspired blog. “Is Iran a Country or a Cause?,” The Atlantic, 5-1-24. “The ideologues are winning a decades-long battle over Tehran’s foreign policy.”
Thugocracy. Authoritarian. Police State. These are the sorts of terms describing the state of affairs in the former IRI. Regime as a term works also. See “Iran and the ‘Ship of Theseus’ paradox,” JNS, 5-1-24.
“CNN gets a rare look at the Iranian missiles and drones that hit Israel,” CNN, 5-1-24.
“Are Iran and Sudan Renewing Their Ties?,” Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, 5-1-24. Sudan’s bordering of the Red Sea, past involvement with weapons smuggling from Iran to Gaza, and other issues are concerning.
“The UN’s nuclear watchdog chief will visit Iran next week as concerns rise about uranium enrichment,” CNY, AP, 5-1-24. Perhaps too little, too late.
Taking from the poor, directly for the benefit of the Supreme Ayatollah, Ali Husseini Khamenei. Amazing. I’ve never seen evidence of this before. Zaidi and Naqvi, both of Houston, pled guilty to transfer tens of thousands of dollars from the religious tax on wealth and for victims of the Yemen civil war. Note that Khamenei has not denounced the attempt to enrich himself (no press release, statement, comment on corruption in a sermon, etc.). “Scheme to Transfer Money to Iran Results in Guilty Pleas,” U.S. Department of Justice, 5-1-24.
The Regime’s leader makes the news a second time today, “Iran’s Khamenei pooh-poohs Arabs normalizing with Israel,” Times of Israel, 5-1-24.