Iran Digest Week of December 31 - January 7
/AIC’s Iran digest project covers the latest developments and news stories published in Iranian and international media outlets. This weekly digest is compiled by Communications Associate Elizabeth Kos. Please note that the news and views expressed in the articles below do not necessarily reflect those of AIC.
US-Iran Relations
Iran’s Raisi Says Trump Must Face Justice for Soleimani Killing
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has said former United States President Donald Trump must face justice for his role in the assassination of top general Qassem Soleimani two years ago, or else Iran will have revenge.
In a televised speech on Monday, the Iranian president said as the “main criminal and killer” who ordered the deadly drone attack on Soleimani’s convoy in Iraq, Trump must face “God’s ruling” and suffer “qisas”, which is the Islamic term for retaliation in kind.
Iran has also called on the United Nations General Assembly and the Security Council to issue resolutions against the US and Israel – which Iranian officials have accused of providing assistance for the drone attack – to condemn them and discourage similar attacks in the future.
Rally in Baghdad on Anniversary of Iranian General’s Death
Chanting anti-American slogans, hundreds of people rallied in the Iraqi capital Saturday to mark the anniversary of the killing of a powerful Iranian general and a top Iraqi militia leader in a U.S. drone strike.
The crowd called for the expulsion of remaining American forces from Iraq during the demonstration commemorating the airstrike at Baghdad airport. The strike killed Gen. Qassim Soleimani, who was the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy commander of Iran-backed militias in Iraq known as the Popular Mobilization Forces.
The killing of Soleimani and al-Muhandis at Baghdad’s airport pushed Iran and the United States perilously close to all-out conflict and sparked outrage in Iraq, leading parliament to pass a non-binding resolution days later calling for the expulsion of all foreign troops from Iraq.
Smuggled Iranian Fuel and Secret Nighttime Transfers: Seafarers Recount How It’s Done
The secret transfers usually take place at night to evade detection by regional coast guards. The ships anchor in the Persian Gulf just outside the territorial limits of the United Arab Emirates, and then, individually, small boats carrying smuggled Iranian diesel shift their loads to the waiting vessels, according to seafarers who have witnessed the trade.
“It is a big chain, with fishing boats sailing up to give diesel to a waiting tanker. It takes four to five days because boats come one by one,” said a 27-year-old Indian seafarer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. He said he had been employed by a Dubai-based shipping company that smuggled Iranian fuel to Somalia.
Nuclear Accord
S. Korean Minister Heads to Vienna for Talks on Iranian Frozen Assets
A senior South Korean diplomat will hold talks in Vienna this week with Iran and world powers over how to resolve the issue of frozen Iranian assets held in the Asian country, the South Korean foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
Indirect talks between Iran and the United States on salvaging the 2015 Iran nuclear deal resumed on Monday.
Diplomats from all sides have indicated they are hoping to have a breakthrough by the end of January or early February, but sharp differences remain with the toughest issues still unresolved.
However, the arrival of South Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun could be a positive signal. Iran has repeatedly demanded the release of its frozen assets in several countries because of U.S. sanctions, including $7 billion in South Korea. Any release would need to be approved by Washington.
(Reuters)
Environment
Drought-Stricken Iran Sinks under Deadly Floods
At least 10 people are confirmed dead and several others remain missing in Iran's south and southeast as severe weather conditions and flash floods slam the impoverished region.
Dramatic footage in the past six days has shown a trail of destruction with bridges collapsing and cars washed away by the unprecedented precipitation in Sistan-Baluchistan, Kerman, Fars and Hormozgan provinces.
According to Iran's Emergency Organization, the massive blow to the already weak infrastructure cut off access to many villages, complicating relief operations in the four provinces. While a countless number of homes in remote communities were damaged, officials have indicated that only a tiny fraction were accessible for successful cleanup operations.
Inside Iran
Iran Space Launch Fails to Put Payloads into Orbit, Official Says
Iran's space launch on Thursday failed to put its three payloads into orbit after the rocket was unable to reach the required speed, a defence ministry spokesman said in remarks carried on state television on Friday.
"For a payload to enter orbit, it needs to reach speeds above 7,600 (metres per second). We reached 7,350," the spokesman, Ahmad Hosseini, said in a documentary about the launch vehicle broadcast on state TV and posted online.
On Thursday, Hosseini did not clarify whether the devices had reached orbit, but suggested the launch was a test ahead of coming attempts to put satellites into orbit.
(Reuters)
Regional Politics
Yemen Conflict Escalates, Government Forces Advance in South
Forces of Yemen’s internationally recognized government have reclaimed large swaths of territory in a southern province from Iran-backed Houthi rebels, government officials said Wednesday.
The push in the southern province of Shabwa comes amid heavy airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition battling the Houthis elsewhere in Yemen, including the capital of Sanaa. The rebels have also stepped up their cross-border attacks, using ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones to target Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis recently also seized an Emirati ship in the Red Sea off the contested city of Hodeida.
Canadian Court Orders Iran to Pay Millions to Families of Victims from Plane Shot Down in 2020
A Canadian court has ordered Iran to pay $84 million — 107 million in Canadian dollars — plus interest to the families of six people who died when a passenger plane was shot down near Tehran in 2020.
Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was downed minutes after takeoff near the Iranian capital on Jan. 8, 2020. All 176 people aboard were killed when missiles from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard struck the plane en route to Kyiv, in what Iran’s former president Hassan Rouhani called at the time a “disastrous mistake.”
There were 85 Canadian citizens or permanent residents on board, according to the judgment from Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice, dated Friday. Some 53 others were also on their way to Canada via Kyiv, he added. Nationals from Iran, Ukraine, Sweden, Afghanistan, Germany and Britain were among those killed, with some relatives filing suits in other countries.
Iranian Officials Not Ready to Recognize Taliban Government
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman said Monday that Tehran was not ready to recognise the Taliban government as Afghanistan's de facto authority.
Speaking at a news conference in the Iranian capital Tehran, Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters: "Today, we are basically not at the point of recognising."
"We hope that the governing body of Afghanistan will move, through its actions, in a direction that will enable it to achieve international recognition," he said.
Analysis
US Will Get Three Conflicts for the Price of One if It Allows Israel to Attack Iran
By: David Hearst
The Europeans - Britain, France, Germany and the EU - are waving what they imagine to be two big sticks should the talks collapse. The first is a return to United Nations sanctions, because not only would the talks have collapsed, but the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) would go too.
The second is "Plan B" - or the threat of air strikes carried out by Israel with US backing.
An Israeli air strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, and necessarily too on its command and control centres and air defence systems, would trigger the biggest regional conflagration since the invasion of Iraq in 2003. It would cause widespread civilian casualties, cripple oil production in the Gulf, and trigger pre-emptive air strikes in southern Lebanon and possibly also Gaza.
