Iraqi Kurds Urge Boycott Of Iranian Goods Over IRGC Attack

Assistant Commissioner Matt Jukes, the UK’s head of counter-terrorism policing, announced on Friday that the new unit will be dedicated to specialist investigations regarding the increasing security challenges presented by the three countries.

“I don’t want to be coy. We are talking about parts of the state apparatus of Iran, China and Russia,” said Jukes, further adding that the threats of hostile states are considered to be “greater now than since the days of the Cold War.”

The new police unit will exercise the powers set forth in a national security act passed last year. The act was introduced to counter attempts made by certain foreign states to interfere with the UK’s political affairs, steal confidential trade information, and spy.

“We will be the most overt part of the UK security community stepping up its response to those hostile state actions,” Jukes stressed in reference to the new specialist investigations unit in the British police.

Though no exact date has been set for the next general election, it is expected to be held in the second half of 2024. In the upcoming election the voters will choose the members of the House of Commons, thereby determining the next government. The unprecedented volumes of online misinformation have raised concerns among the British security officials ahead of the election.

Earlier in November, Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) reported that Iran, Russia and China are likely to plan to influence the upcoming elections in the United States and other countries in 2024.

“Election infrastructure, campaigns, and voters” are expected to be targeted by “authoritarian regimes,” Microsoft warned.

The report also confirmed that Iran has intensified its cyberattacks and influence operations since 2020, targeting Israel and other countries. In December 2023, Iran-linked hackers targeted a water facility in the rural area of County Mayo in Ireland, leaving the residents without water for two days. The attack was carried out by pro-Iran Cyber Av3ngers group which claimed that the facility was attacked because it used an Israeli-made piece of equipment.

Jukes also warned of the conspiracies to assassinate political dissidents on British soil, specifically referring to the 15 direct threats linked to the Islamic Republic over the past two years to target opposition figures.

Iran International, headquartered in London revealed in November 2022 that the IRGC was plotting to assassinate two Iran International television anchors in the UK amid Iranian anti-government protests. Subsequently, Iran International stopped its broadcast operations in London and temporarily moved its studios to Washington DC. In mid-2023, the network relocated to a more secure facility in London.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron summoned Iran’s chargé d’affaires after assuming office and warned that Iran must be sent “an incredibly clear message that this escalation will not be tolerated.”

In February 2023, an Austrian national named Mohammad-Hussein Dovtaev was detained while filming outside the network’s premises. The Central Criminal Court of England sentenced Dovtaev to 3.5 years behind bars for attempting to collect information “likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.”

Jukes also alarmingly described the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas as a “radicalization moment” which can drive some people towards terrorism.

“This is not simply rhetoric. In my seat, you tend to look at dashboards of indicators ... And right now, there are needles on that dashboard that are moving in the wrong direction,” the UK’s head of counter-terrorism policing warned.

In October 2023, Ken McCallum, the Director-General of MI5, the UK’s security service, stated that amid the war between Iran-backed Hamas and Israel, the Islamic Republic may be exploring new ways to threaten the security of Britain.

“Iran has been a rising source of concern and a rising source of task for MI5 over the last 18 months or so in particular,” he then said.

The Times warned in October that Iranian agents are stirring up unrest in the UK through Gaza protests.

There is direct involvement of the Iranian regime through the physical presence of operatives at protests as well as through disinformation campaigns conducted online, the newspaper said.

Syria's state-run SANA news agency reported, "An attack targeted a residential building in the Mazzeh neighborhood in Damascus, resulting from an Israeli aggression."

Early reports indicates that four officers of Iran's Revolutionary Guards were killed in the airstrike, including head of the Quds force intelligence unit and his deputy, according to Reuters citing regional sources. The source mentioned that the bombed building, utilized by "Iranian advisers," was completely leveled.

Iran's semi-official Mehr news website reported that two senior Iranian military advisers were killed. Later, Iranian state media shared photos of Hojjatollah Omidvar or Hajj Sadegh, the senior Quds Force general, and apparently a senior intelligence officer, who was killed the an airstrike.

According to the Hezbollah-affiliated news channel Al-Mayadeen, a residential building in the Al-Mazzeh neighborhood collapsed, with other Arab media reports indicating four deaths. While Arab media mainly showed images of a large column of smoke rising from the capital, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported smoke billowing from several sites.

The Syrian radio station Sham FM reported explosions in various areas, noting that the source of the incidents was not yet clear.

Recent similar attacks have predominantly targeted weapons depots linked to the Iranian military network in Syria and arms shipments intended for Iran-backed forces, notably Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel has explicitly declared its commitment to preventing further consolidation of Iranian forces in Syria.

On December 25, a suspected Israeli airstrike targeted and killed the top Iranian IRGC general, Razi Mousavi, at his residence near Damascus. Iran fired missiles at a residential building in northern Iraq earlier this week, claiming to have targeted a Mossad center.

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud in an interview with NBC on Friday emphasized the crucial need for de-escalation and conveyed a message to all regional actors.

"We all need to work towards de-escalation. The region is already in turmoil. Our message to everyone, including to our neighbors in Iran, is that we need to work towards de-escalation."

The conflict in Yemen has evolved into a proxy battle between the Saudi and Iranian governments. In 2014, Iran-backed Houthi rebels aimed to overthrow the Yemeni government, while Saudi Arabia supported the established government during the ensuing civil war. Hoping to establish a permanent cease-fire, Saudi Arabia sent a delegation to meet with Houthi officials last year.

Currently, the Houthis are actively attacking vessels in the Red Sea as part of Iranian pressure amid the Gaza war. They have declared that these assaults will continue until Israel ends its siege on Gaza.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu characterized Iran as "the head of the octopus," holding the regime responsible for the actions of both the Houthis and Hamas.

Despite global condemnation of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, the leader of the Islamic Republic has expressed admiration and approval for the militia.

In a speech delivered on Tuesday, Ali Khamenei asserted that the Houthis have dealt a significant blow to the "vital arteries of Israel."

The Shiite Houthi group in Yemen, recognized as Ansarullah, has received substantial financial and military support from the Islamic Republic.

This has been the sixth US attack on Houthi military sites in Yemen in about a week, bidding to ‘degenerate’ their capability to attack vessels in the Red Sea, as Biden stated at the start of the campaign against the group.

Biden also said at the start of the offensive last week that it was a “message” delivered to Iran, implying that he expected a change of course from Tehran. But the message seems to have been lost in translation –or not received at all. If anything, Iran and its proxies have become more aggressive.

The Houthi attacks on on international shipping began in mid-November after Iran's ruler Ali Khamenei called for blockading Israeli trade.

Iran’s IRGC launched missiles at three neighboring countries in 24 hours this week, claiming to be hitting terrorists or Israeli “spy centers” to avenge the killing of Iran’s top man in Syria and those Iranians who were killed in the twin bombings in Kerman on 3 January. The last target was in Pakistan, a nuclear power.

Then the Houthis on Friday launched their third attack in three days –targeting a US-owned Greek operated tanker, according to the US Central Command. “The crew observed the missiles impact the water near the ship. There were no reported injuries or damage to the ship,” CENTCOM announced on X.

Hours before the CENTCOM announcement, White House chief spokesperson John Kirby was asked why he thinks the airstrikes have failed to stop the attacks and why the Houthis aren’t afraid of the US.

“You’d have to ask the Houthis what’s in their mindset,” he joked away the question, “I’m not going to get in between the ears of the Houthi leaders.” Except that he –or someone in the Biden administration– needs to do exactly do that to understand what is required to end the disruption of global shipping in the Red Sea.

Then there’s Iran’s proxies in Iraq and Syria.

On Thursday, a $30 million US MQ-9 drone –used for surveillance or strikes– crashed near Balad airbase in Iraq. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a loose alliance of Iran-linked armed groups that oppose US support for Israel claimed credit.

Iran proxies in Iraq and Syria have launched about 140 attacks on US interests and troops since mid-October, according to the Pentagon. The US has responded with airstrikes from time to time, but attacks against its forces have not stopped.

Then there’s Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The strongest of Iran proxies has been engaged in a low-profile war with the Israeli army since Israel began its onslaught on Gaza last October. Cross-border fire has become a daily routine on both sides.

On Friday, a leader of Hezbollah warned Israel of harsh response, after the Israeli army announced it had destroyed three Hezbollah-linked buildings completely.

“If Israel decides to expand its aggression, it will receive a real slap in the face,” Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s number two said in a statement.”

More than a hundred days after the Hamas rampage of Israel and the subsequent Israeli onslaught on Gaza –which according to Hamas officials has killed at least 25,000 Palestinians– fears of an all-out regional war persist. The Biden administration has managed to avoid direct confrontation with Iran, which many believe is the administration’s main objective. But it has failed to stop Iran’s proxies attacking US interests.

“America’s enemies think Joe Biden is a complete joke,” Congressman Wesley Hunt wrote on X. “This is the weakest President in history, and because of him, the world has never been less safe in our lifetime.”

Three of the cases happened last week, Babak Shekarchi, Deputy Director of Research and Education in the Medical Council of Iran, told Etemad daily on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Etemad released disturbing information which suggests that the real number of resident physicians committing suicide in Iran could be higher than the number reported.

According to the newspaper, just over the past four months, there have been 14 reports of “early death and suspected suicide” among the young physicians who start their training immediately after graduation.

The Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, which operates as part of the judiciary, refuses to reveal the exact cause of the suspicious deaths of young doctors.

Shekarchi warned that the young trainee doctors who receive low wages are far from financially secure.

In August, Ali Selahshour, representative of the young trainees in Iran’s Medical Council, said those who work in the public health sector receive a monthly payment of at most $280. This can be even less for those who are not married, he added.

As part of the regulations set by Iran’s Ministry of Health, physician residents are also obligated to provide heavy legal collateral.

It is contended that this measure is taken by the ministry in an attempt to prevent young doctors from quitting the residency program and leaving the country for the sake of migration.

Over recent months and following the worsening economic and socio-political conditions in Iran, there have been alarming reports regarding the exodus of healthcare professionals, including doctors.

Back in October, Masoud Pezeshkian, a member of the Iranian parliament, warned of the growing migration of healthcare professionals, adding that this phenomenon could leave the country in a dire shortage.

“Those who have remained are often constrained by low salaries, making it increasingly challenging to maintain their quality of life. With a monthly income equivalent to $200 to $300, many healthcare professionals find it difficult to afford housing and their children's education,” he said.

On December 14, Mohammad Raeeszadeh, the head of Iran’s Medical Council, stressed that healthcare professionals should not “be allowed to leave the country easily.”

“The figures for the immigration of doctors are not publicized because they will be misused. Even the departure of one member of the medical community is a loss for us; because we need their expertise,” he went on to say.

This is while Iran's government severely represses any union protests, including those of medical professionals. Mohammad Sharifi Moghadam, the Secretary-General of the Nursing Association, announced on Thursday that nurses who took part in union protests have received heavy sentences, with some being suspended from their work for as long as six months.