A busy news day with multiple entries in this blog.  “Yemen rebels seize UAE ship; hackers hit Israeli newspaper,” Jon Gambrell, AP, January 3, 2022.

King Salman said, in his annual speech to the Shura Council, that “Tehran must warm up to its neighbours, end its support to terror groups.”  See “Iran urged to change ‘negative behaviour’,” Gulf News, January 3, 2022.

“Two years after Suleimani’s death, Iran fails to learn its lessons,” Editorial Opinion, The National, January 3, 2022.

The Regime can learn from its own statements against the Taliban.  “Iran refuses to recognize Taliban government until it is inclusive,” Times of India, January 3, 2022.

A Canadian court has awarded C$107m (£62m; $84m), plus interest, to the families of only six of the 176 people who died when their Ukraine Airlines flight was shot down by two missiles of the IRGC near Tehran in 2020.  The 176 included 55 Canadians and 35 permanent residents of Canada, and the relatives had filed a civil suit against Iran and several of its officials.   See “Canadian families win compensation over jet downed by Iran,” BBC, January 3, 2022.

“Attacks on U.S. Allies Raise Tensions on Anniversary of Killing of Iran’s Soleimani,” Jared Malsin, Wall Street Journal, January 3, 2022.

It wasn’t too many years ago that these types of public pronouncements would never have been made.  Now Iran is bold enough to allow them.  “Iran Funded Hamas Missiles With $70 Million, Haniyeh Says,” Iran International, January 3, 2022.

“Writer in Coma, Another Political Prisoner Dead after Unjust Imprisonment in Iran,” Center for Human Rights in Iran, January 3, 2022.

“Iran vows revenge for Soleimani killing if Trump, Pompeo not put on trial,” Reuters, January 3, 2022.  And Iran’s President Raisi said not only a trial but execution, so it doesn’t sound like a fair trial–par for the course for the prosecutor with the 1980s death panel.