Iranian Regime Insider Headlines US Strategic Command Event

The report, produced by the Center for E-commerce Development, states that since March 2022, the number of transactions has fallen from approximately 3.6 billion to 3 billion transactions, potentially attributed to extensive internet disruptions and outages witnessed across Iran since September.

In June, the Tehran E-commerce Association sounded alarm regarding the "critical state" of internet quality in Iran, identifying the primary obstacle as "widespread and persistent disruptions affecting all IPs and websites."

A separate section of the report, delved into social network and messaging app preferences among e-commerce entities. Instagram emerged as the dominant player, commanding a substantial 55% usage share. However, since September, this popular social network has been banned in Iran.

Telegram, subject to filtering in Iran since 2019, secured the runner-up position with 41% of usage, while WhatsApp, also blocked since 2022, accounted for a 37% share.

This disruption comes in the wake of protests that began last year and are set to rise again on the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in detention of the morality police.

Furthermore, amidst the backdrop of nationwide protests, a significant "80% of users within the country" have said they have to use VPN or proxy services to access social networks.

Ukrainian air defenses shot down all 28 incoming missiles and 15 of the 16 drones in the overnight attack, which also targeted the Black Sea region of Odesa, said General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's armed forces.

Russia uses long-range Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones to attack Ukrainian infrastructure and civilian targets. The drones are also used in concert with missiles to confuse and exhaust Ukraine’s air defenses.

The United States and its European allies have imposed sanctions on individuals and entities involved in Iran’s drone production and transfer of hundreds of the weapons to Russia. They have also repeatedly warned Tehran not to expand its military cooperation with Moscow.

Russia has conducted regular, but smaller, air strikes on Kyiv this summer, and hit the capital with large-scale aerial attacks in May.

The latest attack began with drones heading towards Kyiv from different directions and was followed by a salvo of missiles launched by Tu-95 strategic bombers.

It was not immediately clear what had been hit by the single drone that was not shot down.

"Kyiv has not experienced such a powerful attack since spring. The enemy launched a massive, combined attack using drones and missiles," Serhiy Popko, the head of the city's military administration said on Telegram.

The bodies of two people were found in a non-residential building, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.

In a detailed statement, the ministry disclosed that they have identified and arrested 14 individuals suspected of being linked to an "expansive terrorist-Zionist network." in the provinces of Khuzestan, Mazandaran, Kermanshah, and Sistan and Baluchestan. In the same operation, officials have reported the discovery and seizure of 43 potentially explosive devices.

The ministry's statement alleged that the dismantled network had ties to individuals located in the Netherlands and Denmark. They also named the suspects as Shahin Zahmatkesh, known as Shahin Lou, a member of the TM Bax music group in in Denmark, and Siamak Tadayyon Tahmasbi, an artist based in the Netherlands.

The ministry also pointed to the role of social media networks and foreign television outlets, suggesting that these platforms aided disseminating of information related to the network's activities.

Furthermore, the statement suggested that members of the disrupted network harbored intentions to assasinate notable personality. This aligns with previous claims made by Iranian authorities regarding external threats to the nation's stability.

There have been numerous instances of sabotage and infiltration in Iran in recent years, with serious clandestine attacks on nuclear, military and important economic targets. Iranian intelligence was badly discredited when two large sabotage attacks took place in 2020 and 2021 against its most important nuclear facility in Natanz. A few key military and intelligence officials have also been assassinated. The incidents are largely attributed to Israel, although Israeli officials have never officially taken responsibility.

Sajjad Anoushiravani, the head of the Weightlifting Federation announced on Tuesday that Rajai has been banned from the sport for life after the podium photo was published. Simultaneously, Anoushiravani made the decision to dissolve the veterans' committee of the federation.

Anoushiravani said, "Upon becoming aware of this inexcusable incident, stringent actions were taken against those involved. The athlete responsible has received a lifetime ban, and upon conducting thorough investigations, resolute measures will be taken against all individuals implicated. Furthermore, effective immediately, all operations of the veteran athletes' committee will be terminated."

The Islamic Republic's anti-Israel policy has driven a significant number of Iranian athletes to refrain from competing against Israeli counterparts, often citing various pretexts. This stance has consequently led to the defection of numerous Iranian athletes seeking asylum in other countries.

While no official legislation prohibits Iranian athletes from playing against Israelis, pressure from federation officials often coerces athletes into intentionally losing matches, forfeiting games, or claiming injuries to evade encounters with Israeli competitors. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has consistently applauded Iranian athletes who opt out of competing against Israelis. In September 2021, he explicitly encouraged them to continue this stance even in the face of potential sanctions from international sports bodies.

Over the past few years, approximately 30 Iranian athletes have defected from national teams and sought asylum in foreign nations. Notable examples include Judo champion Saeid Mollaei and Greco-Roman wrestler Ali Arsalan.

In a statement on Tuesday, Sabrina Singh, Deputy Pentagon Spokesperson emphasized Iran's ongoing threat to commercial ships and commented on the substantial contingent of US forces stationed in the Middle East. "As long as there remains a need for these forces to be in the region, they're going to stay there,” she said.

She also referred to the IRGC presence in the waters of the region as harassment. “Over the past few weeks, we've seen harassment from IRGC-backed groups over commercial ships." Singh said, "We have not seen that threat drop, I would say, so we haven't seen a reason to move our forces out."

In July, the US Defense Secretary announced a strategic response to Iran's attempts to seize ships in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, which involves deploying naval and ground forces, including F-35 and F-16 fighter jets and missile-equipped destroyers.

Citing data, US authorities said that over the past two years, Iran has engaged in a series of disruptive activities targeting nearly 20 internationally-registered commercial ships.

Since 2019, Iran has consistently targeted commercial ships and oil tankers in the Persian Gulf, including seizing two more oil tankers and attempting to commandeer two other vessels.

The strategic significance of the Strait of Hormuz in global oil transit is undeniable, with approximately 20% of the world's crude oil traversing this critical chokepoint en route to international markets.