“Israel’s (not-so) secret plan to prevent a nuclear Iran and create a new Middle East,” Times of Israel, 12-13-23.
Iran can’t hide Syria’s loss. “The Syrian Upheaval Has Iranian Leaders Reeling, Too,” NYT, 12-13-24. “The brash public debate is nothing short of extraordinary, given that for years Iranian leaders portrayed their support for Syria and allied militant groups fighting Israel as a nonnegotiable principle of the Islamic revolution and critical for national security. … Mr. Khamenei appeared outraged at the open criticism. The comments, he said, were “a crime” because they were sowing fear among the public. Within hours, Iran’s judiciary announced a criminal investigation into a list of prominent figures and news outlets that have been leading the criticism. The list included Mr. Falahatpisheh, the former lawmaker, who revealed that Syrian debt to Iran amounted to about $30 billion. For over 40 years, Syria served, in effect, as Iran’s central command base in the region. Its access to territory, shipping ports and airports was so unimpeded that a senior military commander once described Syria as a province of Iran. Iran controlled military bases, missile factories, tunnels and warehouses that served the supply chain for its network of militants. From Syria, Iran funneled weapons, cash and logistical support to Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza and militants in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Iraq.” It would have been nice for the NYT to feature this information regularly. You can’t be afraid of the Leader or of truth.
Not a good blue ribbon. “US names Iran top state sponsor of terrorism for 39th year in a row,” Iran International, 12-13-24.
“Iran’s IRGC races to offload unsold oil in China before Trump takes office,” Iran International, 12-13-24.
“Iran: Detained Activists Denied Medical Care,” HRW, 12-13-24.
“Hostage diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The case of Europeans detained in Iran,” IFRI, 12-13-24.
“Iran-linked crew used custom ‘cyberweapon’ in US critical infrastructure attacks,” The Register, 12-13-24.
“Amid rolling blackouts in Iran, some blame power-intensive cryptocurrency mining,” AP, Times of Israel, 12-13-24. “The US Treasury and Israel have targeted bitcoin wallets that they’ve alleged are affiliated with operations run by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard to finance allied terror groups in Mideast war zones.” So, the people run out of electricity, and the IRGC spread the Revolution.
“Satellite Pics Reveal Iran’s New Aircraft Carrier-Like Drone Ship,” NDTV, 12-13-24.