TOP STORIES
Israel Kills Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Operative In Iran – Report | The Jerusalem Post
Israel targeted and eliminated an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) operative in Tehran, Iran who was allegedly involved in targeting Jews in Germany, Israeli media, citing an Iran International correspondent, reported on Monday. According to the reports, the eliminated operative had caused damage to Jewish centers in Germany. However, aside from the initial identification, no further information or details about the assassination or confirmation of who was behind it have been released.
Iran’s Death Sentence For Rapper Sparks Protests And Undermines Criticism Of US | The Guardian
An Iranian court’s decision to pass the death sentence against Toomaj Salehi, a popular Iranian rapper and regime opponent, has led to international protests and damaged Iran’s fledgling efforts to exploit crackdowns on unrest in US university campuses over Gaza as an abuse of human rights. Crowds gathered in the US, Europe and Canada on Sunday to support Salehi, while dozens of political prisoners in Iran’s Ghezel Hesar prison issued a statement condemning the death sentence, calling it “the culmination of gross human rights violations in Iran”. Salehi has also won the support of major US rappers, as well as human rights groups. The Iranian press has been closely following the campus unrest in the US and France, including reports that 900 American students have been detained in April. The social media account of the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said: “See what is happening in the world. In western countries, in England and France, and in states across the US itself, people are coming out in huge numbers to chant slogans against Israel and America. US & Israel’s reputation has been ruined. They truly have no solution.”
Iran Celebrates Pro-Palestinian Protests Spreading Across US Colleges | Newsweek
Iranian leadership has mobilized its public messaging in staunch support of the pro-Palestinian protest movement sweeping universities across the United States, portraying Washington as hypocritical in its handling of demonstrations at home and abroad amid aggravated geopolitical tensions over the war in the Gaza Strip. With more than 1,000 people arrested over the course of the last 11 days of demonstrations that have spread to dozens of campuses, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi hailed "the uprising of Western students, professors and elites in support of the oppressed people of Gaza" as "a big event with vast dimensions that cannot be extinguished by beatings, arrests and acts of violence," during a cabinet meeting Sunday. "Today, thanks to the blessing of pure blood of the oppressed martyrs of Gaza," he added, "the true face of Western civilization has become more and more clear to the people of the world that the claim to support freedom of expression do not adhere to anything other than maintaining their domination."
UANI IN THE NEWS
Iran Is Still Israel's Biggest Threat | The Jewish Chronicle
Interview with UANI Policy Director Jason Brodsky.
UAE Oil Company Fights Euronav Over $35m Lost ‘Iranian’ Crude | Tradewinds
…Campaign group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) raised the alarm about the source of the reputed Iraqi cargo during the discharge from the Vietnamese-owned 105,200-dwt Abyss (built 1998) to the Oceania. The group claimed the Abyss had been spoofing its position and had loaded the cargo at the Iranian port of Bandar Mahshahr. Euronav’s own investigation backed UANI’s claims, and the US Justice Department subsequently issued a seizure warrant for the cargo. Euronav felt it had no alternative but to hand over the oil — valued at $25m to $35m by the American authorities — which was transferred to another tanker and taken to the US for sale, court documents show.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Western Sanctions Against Iran: Words Still Louder Than Actions | Iran International
The new EU-US coordinated sanctions against Iran in the aftermath of Iran-Israel April 13-19 conflict is a notable development whose efficacious enforcement remains as elusive as ever. It took the Islamic Republic of Iran until the early hours of April 13 to respond to Israel’s April 1 air strike that eliminated 7 of its top brass in Damascus. Although the Iranian regime’s supposed “retaliatory” response that thrust over 300 drones and missiles from its soil directly unto Israel was in effect suspenseful affair with underwhelming physical impact, it has been foreboding of immense foreseen and unforeseen consequences. The rapid succession of EU-NATO leadership condemnations in the wake of the Iranian retaliation was the acknowledgement the potential destruction the Iranian strike could have wrought; had it not been successfully offset by a de facto entente of British, American, French, Israeli, Jordanian, and Saudi Arabian air defenses and air forces.
Lufthansa Extends Cancellation Of Flights To Tehran Until May 9 | Jerusalem Post
Lufthansa LHAG.DE will extend the cancellation of flights to the Iranian capital, Tehran, due to security concerns until May 9, the German flag carrier said on Monday.
Lamb Soars By 60% As Food Prices In Iran Continue To Rise | Iran International
The price of lamb in Iran has increased by around 60% in the past 12 months as basic food items continue to become beyond the reach of the average family. According to Dideban-e Iran news website, the price per kilo has doubled in the last year to 6,200,000 rials ($11). Afshin Sadr-Dadras, the CEO of Iran’s Central Union of Livestock, announced in June that the country’s demand for red meat has halved as per capita consumption of the item has alarmingly decreased in just two or three years from 12 kg to 6 or 7 kg. Amid the economic crisis, many Iranians had recently begun to replace red meat with poultry, as families struggle with even the most basic food items, but even poultry has now become inaccessible to many. On Thursday, Ali Ebrahimi, the CEO of the National Union of Poultry Producers, said that poultry production has overtaken consumption over the past two months, resulting in a surplus of supply over demand and lowering the price of the commodity.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
While the United States continues to debate how and when hip-hop lyrics can be used in court, dissident Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi was sentenced to death on April 24 for lyrics that criticized the Islamic Republic’s ruling regime. The sentence, handed down by the ruling Republic Court of the Islamic Republic, overturns a decree from the higher Supreme Court which, according to the New York Times, found issues with the original ruling that sentenced Salehi to six years imprisonment and banned him from making music or singing for two years. The reason given for Salehi’s execution, which the Islamic Republic administers by hanging, is his involvement with Iran’s 2022 protests through his music.
Iran Renews Violent Crackdown On Women | DW
Iranian authorities are stepping up street patrols in a renewed push towards suppressing women who refuse to follow strict Islamic dress codes. Under a new campaign called "nour" or "light," endorsed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iranian "morality police" are out in force on so-called "guidance patrols" looking for women who refuse to wear the hijab, or headscarf. One 25-year-old woman, who spoke to DW anonymously, said she was accosted on the streets of Tehran while on her way to university on April 20. She said she was surrounded by dozens of police officers who demanded that she cover her hair, and when she resisted, they quickly resorted to violence, pulling out some of her hair, and verbally harassing her as they dragged her into the van. "At that moment, I didn't fully understand what was happening, I just knew they were beating me. Later, I saw that several parts of my body were bruised," she said.
Secret Document Says Iran Security Forces Molested And Killed Teen Protester | BBC
An Iranian teenager was sexually assaulted and killed by three men working for Iran's security forces, a leaked document understood to have been written by those forces says. It has let us map what happened to 16-year-old Nika Shakarami who vanished from an anti-regime protest in 2022. Her body was found nine days later. The government claimed she killed herself. We put the report's allegations to Iran's government and its Revolutionary Guards. They did not respond. Marked "Highly Confidential", the report summarises a hearing on Nika's case held by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - the security force that defends the country's Islamic establishment. It includes what it says are the names of her killers and the senior commanders who tried to hide the truth.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
In the early hours of April 19, Israel sent a message to Iran with an air-launched ballistic missile that took out a critical part of its air defense network: a radar belonging to one of its advanced Russian S-300 missiles. The Israeli missile scored a direct hit, and the next day Iran tried to cover up the damage with an inferior replacement radar, according to images obtained by the Economist. The incident in the city of Isfahan may force Tehran to upgrade its air defenses, possibly from more advanced Russian systems, to defend itself from the possibility of larger Israeli missile attacks. "I think it's quite clear that Iran is woefully unprepared for such attacks unless it receives significant help from Russia, which it has failed to do so far," Arash Azizi, senior lecturer in history and political science at Clemson University and author of "The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the US, and Iran's Global Ambitions," told Business Insider.
NORTH KOREA & IRAN
Iran Confirms North Korean Delegation’s Visit, Rejects Ballistic Missile Trade | Iran International
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani revealed on Monday that a North Korean delegation attended a Tehran expo last week, engaging in discussions on bilateral trade with both Iranian government officials and the private sector. The 6th Exhibition on Export Potential of the Islamic Republic of Iran, dubbed ‘IRANEXPO 2024,’ is being held in Tehran from 27 April to 1 May. North Korea's official media reported last week that a delegation led by the cabinet minister for international trade was visiting Iran, marking a rare public acknowledgment of ties between the two countries with presumed secret military cooperation. Despite long-standing suspicions of collaboration between North Korea and Iran on ballistic missile programs, Kanaani rejected such claims, denouncing certain media outlets for "biased speculations by publishing untrue and baseless news".
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Iranian Official Claims West's Support For Terrorists Fuels Attacks In Iran, Russia | Jerusalem Post
Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani said that terrorist attacks in Iran and Russia recently "are the result of the support of Western countries, especially the United States, to terrorist groups," the Iranian government's semi-official Mehr News Agency reported last Saturday. Ashtiani made these comments while in a meeting with his Russian counterpart the day before, where he also praised Russia's condemnation of the alleged Israeli airstrike on the area around the Islamic Republic of Iran's consulate in Damascus Syria, the report said. While the article did not reveal which terror groups were being referenced by Ashtiani, both Russia and Iran have been the target of attacks by ISIS in recent months. In March, ISIS attacked an entertainment center and city hall in Crocus, killing scores of people. While ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin pointed fingers at Ukraine, which has received notable military support from the West; especially from the United States. Similarly, in January, ISIS orchestrated an explosion in Kerman, Iran, which killed close to 100 people.
CHINA & IRAN
China’s Defense Minister Endorses Iran’s ‘Legitimate’ Assault On Israel | National Review
China is leaving no room for doubt about its allegiances in the Middle East. Its initial response to the unprecedented direct Iranian assault on Israeli territory on April 19 was to applaud the move through Chinese Communist Party media organs. While Beijing then tried to position itself as an impartial broker, through a summary of a call between top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi and Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian after the attack, it’s making no secret of its total support for Iran’s position. Chinese defense minister Dong Jun doubled down on his country’s endorsement of the Iranian drone and missile barrage during a meeting with Iranian defense minister Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani last week in Kazakhstan, on the sidelines of a gathering of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
Iran-Backed Houthis Attack Container Ship In Red Sea | Iran International
A container ship traveling the Red Sea was damaged after a missile attack reportedly by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels Monday, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) center reported Monday. The strike took place near Mokha, Yemen, escalating tensions along a crucial maritime corridor that is pivotal for global shipping. Iran-backed Houthi militants have escalated their attacks on shipping lanes in allegiance with Islamist group Hamas, with a particular focus on vessels linked to Israel or its principal allies, the US and Britain. The heightened risk has led several shipping companies to avoid the waters. Security firm Ambrey indicated that the Malta-flagged container ship was targeted by three missiles while en route from Djibouti to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. “The vessel was targeted due to its listed operator’s ongoing trade with Israel,” Ambrey said. In a statement, CMA CGM, a shipping company based in Marseille, stated that their Malta-flagged vessel, CMA CGM Manta Ray, was not affected as it was docked in Djibouti during the attack.
A rare United Arab Emirates-Iran joint economic commission will convene in Abu Dhabi from Tuesday to Wednesday, the Iranian Labour News Agency reported, as Tehran seeks to bolster economic ties with Gulf states amid mounting US pressure. This is the first meeting in 10 years for the bilateral joint economic cooperation commission, with Iranian Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mehdi Bazrpash and Emirati Minister of Economy Abdulla Bin Touq Al Marri in attendance. The UAE downgraded its diplomatic ties with Iran after Riyadh severed its ties with Tehran in 2016 following the storming of the Saudi embassy in the Islamic Republic by hardline protesters over Riyadh’s execution of a prominent Shi’ite cleric. After years of animosity on different sides of geopolitical rivalries, the UAE started re-engaging with Tehran in 2019.