US Congress Reportedly Passes HUNT Act Against Islamic Republic

Israel’s Channel 12 quoted some Western intelligence officials on Saturday that as many as 24 jets that were originally intended for Egypt, but thwarted by the US, could be delivered to Tehran.

The Times of Israel says the report also indicated that Iranian pilots have already been trained to use the jets.

Washington has been recently warning that Tehran and Moscow have extensively developed their military relations, as Iran has supplied kamikaze drones that Russia has used against Ukraine.

Both countries are hit by harsh sanctions — the Islamic Republic over its nuclear program and Russia for its war on Ukraine.

A top Ukrainian official called Saturday for the "liquidation" of Iranian factories making drones and missiles, as well as the arrest of their suppliers.

Writing on Twitter on Saturday, Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said Iran "blatantly humiliates the institution of international sanctions", before calling for the destruction of Iranian weapon factories in response.

Kyiv has accused Tehran of supplying 1,700 Shahed-136 loitering drones to Moscow. Iran has acknowledged drone deliveries but insists this was not for war in Ukraine.

Western governments have also voiced concern over possible Iranian plans to supply missiles and more weapons to Russia, as the United States and its allies have been sending weapons to Ukraine to turn the tide of the war and not allow Russia to capture more Ukrainian territory.

The Economy Ministry said in a statement Friday that it was taking the step “in view of the very serious situation in Iran”.

It added that other “economic formats,” including a dialogue on energy issues have been suspended too.

Export credit guarantees protect German firms from losses if the exports are not paid for. Investment guarantees are given to safeguard direct investments by German companies from political risk in target countries.

The ministry further underlined in its statement that Germany Trade and Invest as well as the German business delegation in Iran had “reduced their activities to a minimum”.

The investment guarantees would be suspended immediately, according to the statement, but export credit guarantees will be placed on hold from January, and there would be some exceptions in case of a humanitarian need.

Trade guarantees with the Islamic Republic had been on hold for many decades but following the nuclear deal signed between Iran and the P5+1 group of countries they were lifted in 2016.

The trade volume between Tehran and Berlin was 1.76 billion euros ($1.87 billion) in 2021 and 1.49 billion euros in the first nine months of this year, the ministry said.

Some representatives said, "A regime that defends its survival only by assassinating its own people has lost its legitimacy." Considering that other German parties such as Alliance 90/The Greens, and Free Democratic Party also seem to favor such a measure, it is possible that the IRGC will be blacklisted by Berlin and the European Union. The list of countries that have designated the Revolutionary Guard is increasing. 

Kaweh Mansoori, a member of the party with Iranian roots, also said, "We are ready to take tougher and more intense steps than the previous sanctions of the European Union against the barbaric clerical regime.”

In November, the German parliament – the Bundestag -- passed a comprehensive package of measures against the Islamic Republic following a session on the current situation in Iran. The ratified motion, submitted by a coalition of factions, called on the German government to support the protest movement in Iran and increase pressure on the regime in Tehran. 

The lawmakers also called to further examine whether and how the Islamic Center in Hamburg (IZH) can be closed for good, calling it "the hub of the operations of the Iranian regime in Germany.” Germany has already expelled Iranian cleric Soleiman Mousavifar, who was the deputy head of the IZH, from the country for his support for Shiite extremist and terrorist organizations.

Moreover, on Thursday the Dutch Parliament passed a motion urging the government to support EU's proscription of IRGC as a terrorist organization, considering the repression of protesters and supply of drones to Russia.

The motion was introduced to designate the IRGC as a terrorist group both at the national and European level.

Earlier this month, the EU designated 20 people and Iran’s state media over reported human rights abuses, along with eight people or entities over sending drones to Russia.

The pressure on the IRGC is not limited to putting it on the list of terrorist organizations, as there are other demands about human right issues related Tehran’s crackdown of dissent. 

Several members of the German parliament have politically sponsored Iranian political prisoners most of whom are in danger of imminent execution on bogus charges. The number of German MPs taking political sponsorship of Iranian protesters is growing. Political patronage or sponsorship (politische patenshaften in German) is a way for the lawmakers to select a specific political prisoner and use their political weight to campaign for the prisoner’s freedom. This is mainly done by addressing the ambassador and the relevant government and international institutions dealing with human rights.

Also on Tuesday, all 183 members of the Council from four major parties said they will sponsor 183 prisoners including those sentenced to death for their participation in the current wave of antigovernment protests in Iran, ignited by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. 

Putin congratulated Netanyahu on forming a government while the new Israeli leader told Putin that “he hopes a way will be found quickly to end the war [with Ukraine] and the suffering it has caused.”

The two also discussed the Islamic Republic’s attempt to entrench itself militarily in Syria, which borders Israel. During his previous term as prime minister, Netanyahu worked out a deconfliction agreement with Moscow whose army operates in Syria, to allow Israel to conduct aerial attacks against Iranian targets and their proxies without tangling with Russian forces. Netanyahu told Putin he “is determined to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and to halt its attempts to establish a military base on our northern border.”

Since Netanyahu left office in 2021, Moscow has stepped up its military alliance with Tehran, which has provided Russia with armed drones for its invasion of Ukraine.

After Netanyahu won the election on November 1, Zelensky called Netanyahu, as did US President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak but it took weeks until Putin’s first public call. 

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky told The New York Times on December 21, that Netanyahu's "personal relationship" with Putin could affect the "historical relations" between Israel and Ukraine. He added that “if he wants to maintain the historical relations between Israel and the Ukrainian people, you have to do everything you can to save as many people as possible."

Senior representatives from foreign policy, defense, and intelligence agencies also took part in the virtual meeting of the US-Israel Strategic Consultative Group (SCG). The national security chiefs and their aides reviewed Islamic Republic’s growing military relationship with Russia, including the transfer of weapons the Kremlin is deploying against Ukraine, targeting its civilian infrastructure, and Russia’s provision of military technology to Iran in return.

The officials also expressed commitment to countering Iran’s threats in the region, and to ensuring that Tehran can never acquire a nuclear weapon. 

According to a read out of the meeting released by the White House, they also discussed the broad array of economic sanctions imposed in recent months against Iran, reviewed ongoing cooperation and exercises between the US military and Israel Defense Forces, and assessed means for enhancing Israel’s security and economic integration throughout the Middle East region.

British defense minister Ben Wallace also said on Tuesday that Russia was planning to give Iran advanced military components in exchange for hundreds of drones. "Iran has become one of Russia's top military backers," Wallace said.

The West is particularly concerned over the possibility of Iran supplying missiles to Russia, as Moscow’s stockpiles dwindle.

Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov said in a statement on Tuesday that Russian companies are interested in cooperating with Iran on gas turbine technology and joint production. Russia has been trying to start producing its own gas turbines of medium or large capacity for years, but is yet to fine tune the process.