WAR Main Persian Gulf Trouble thread

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criticalthreats.org


Iran Crisis Update, October 9​




3 hours ago​


October 9, 6:00 pm ET

The Iran Crisis Updates are produced by the Critical Threats Project (CTP) at the American Enterprise Institute with support from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
To receive Iran Crisis Updates via email, please subscribe
here.
Iran may be preparing to escalate militarily against its foreign adversaries, including the US, in response to the ongoing, anti-regime protests.
Likely Iranian-backed militants conducted a rocket attack against a US military base in northeastern Syria on October 8. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other senior political and security officials have accused the US, Israel, and Saudi Arabia of coopting and stoking the protests in recent days.https://www.timebomb2000.com/xf/abo...tober-9#_edndb9cd9027e245c0c3b049150b24b9dae1 Senior Iranian military officers released a statement vowing to retaliate on October 6.[ii] Iranian forces or proxies may conduct additional attacks against US positions in the Middle East, especially in Iraq and Syria, in response to what they claim is Washington’s role in the protests.

Iranian proxies may also escalate against Turkey to redirect Iraqi resentment over Iranian attacks into Iraqi Kurdistan toward Ankara rather than Tehran. Likely Iranian-backed Iraqi militants conducted a rocket attack on a Turkish military base in Mosul Province on October 8.[iii] Liwa Ahrar al Iraq—a front group that Iranian-backed Iraqi militants use to claim attacks against Turkish forces —claimed responsibility. Iranian-backed Iraqi militants frequently used Liwa Ahrar al Iraq to claim attacks against Turkish positions during a period of escalatory attacks in June and July 2022.[iv] The Iraqi public and political establishment rallied against Turkey and its attacks into Iraqi Kurdistan during this period. Liwa Ahrar al Iraq resurfacing to claim attacks on Turkish forces may indicate that Iran and its proxies are preparing to escalate against Turkish forces and seek to again divert Iraqi citizens’ and officials’ anger toward Ankara rather than Tehran.

Iran may be preparing to conduct a ground incursion into Iraqi Kurdistan to attack anti-regime Kurdish militant groups operating there. The IRGC Ground Forces conducted daily artillery, drone, and missile attacks against Kurdish militants in Iraqi Kurdistan from September 26 to October 7.[v] An IRGC-affiliated social media account tweeted on October 8 threatening that IRGC armored and special forces units would intervene against these militant groups if Iraqi Kurdish political authorities do not remove these groups from the border region.[vi] IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency echoed this threat on October 9.[vii] Social media rumors on October 9 alleged that the IRGC has begun concentrating forces in Baneh, Kurdistan Province near the Iran-Iraq border.[viii] CTP is unable to corroborate those rumors at this time.
Key Takeaways
  • Anti-regime protests occurred in at least 18 cities in 15 provinces.
  • Anti-regime group The Neighborhood Youth of Tehran announced their expansion to other unnamed cities in Iran.
  • Some low-level military and security personnel may have defected.
  • Iranian leadership may have ordered the IRGC Ground Forces to participate directly in the protest crackdown.
Supreme Leader Succession
There was nothing significant to report today.
Anti-Regime Protests
Anti-regime protests occurred in at least 18 cities in 15 different provinces on October 9.
Protest activity on October 9 declined somewhat from its October 8 peak. Protesters nevertheless sustained large-scale demonstrations without evident advanced planning—unlike the preplanned October 8 protests—and despite the regime’s increasingly violent suppression tactics. The October 9 protests continued to feature a broad swath of the Iranian population, including marginalized ethnic groups, urban elite, students, and Iran’s merchant class.
CTP assesses with high and medium confidence that protests occurred in the following locations:
  • Karak, Alborz Province
  • Najafabad, Esfahan Province
  • Gorgan, Golestan Province
  • Bandar Abbas, Hormozgan Province (violence reported)
  • Kermanshah, Kermanshah Province
  • Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi Province
  • Saghez, Kurdistan Province (violence reported)
  • Sanandaj, Kurdistan Province (violence reported)
  • Arak, Markazi Province
  • Qazvin, Qazvin Province
  • Tehran, Tehran Province
  • Mahabad, West Azerbaijan Province
  • Zanjan, Zanjan Province
CTP assesses with low confidence that protests occurred in the following locations:
  • Rasht, Gilan Province
  • Yasuj, Kohgiluyeh and Boyed Ahmad Province
  • Babol, Mazandaran Province (violence reported)
  • Bukan, West Azerbaijan Province
  • Piranshahr, West Azerbaijan Province
Iran-protests-1024x791.png

Anti-regime group The Neighborhood Youth of Tehran announced its expansion to other unnamed cities in Iran.[ix] The group has participated in organizing protests in recent weeks.

Some low-level Iranian military and security personnel may have defected to the protesters. A Persian-language social media account tweeted on October 8 that the regime has arrested some officers from the Artesh Ground Forces 21st Hamzeh Infantry Division, which is headquartered near Tabriz.[x] Videos on social media depict LEC officers marching with protesters around Tehran on October 9.[xi] CTP cannot verify the authenticity of these videos nor whether the officers were joining the protests or simply escorting them. Parliamentarian and former IRGC officer Brigadier General Mohammad Esmail Kowsari stated that the regime should hold accountable security personnel who do not fulfill their duties, suggesting that there are such personnel.[xii]

Iranian leadership may have ordered the IRGC Ground Forces to support the protest crackdown directly. Protesters killed a member of the IRGC Ground Forces 22nd Beyt ol Moghaddas Operational Division in Sanandaj on October 8.[xiii] Iranian state media reported that the guardsmen was killed while trying to disperse protesters and protect property. Another guardsman was injured. An unverified social media account tweeted that the IRGC Ground Forces deployed the 27th Mohammad Rasoul Ollah Operational Division and 10th Seyyed ol Shohada Operational Division in Tehran.[xiv]

The deployment of the IRGC Ground Forces would indicate that the regime considers the protests an extremely serious threat. The IRGC Ground Forces is the regime’s last line of defense against internal unrest and the most prominent internal security service after the Law Enforcement Command (LEC) and Basij Organization.[xv]
The IRGC Ground Forces would likely use extreme force to suppress protests. IRGC Ground Forces units are equipped with armored and mechanized vehicles and the full panoply of equipment suitable for insurgency, counterinsurgency, and mechanized war. The regime used the IRGC Ground Forces briefly during the countrywide gasoline protests in November 2019. These forces deployed to Mahshahr, Khuzestan Province, where they killed around 148 protesters.[xvi] The deployment of elements of multiple IRGC Ground Forces divisions, if confirmed, would indicate that the regime has grown very alarmed about its ability to control the ongoing demonstrations and may suggest that it is preparing to use greater levels of brutality to suppress them.

Radio Farda reported that forces from the LEC Special Units transferred from Zahedan to Kerman.[xvii] The LEC Special Units is a highly trained, anti-riot force that deploys when regular police cannot contain protests.[xviii] This LEC branch is known as one of the most ideologically fervent in the Iranian armed forces. A regime decision to deploy the LEC Special Units away from Zahedan would be surprising given the recent deadly unrest there and explicit threats from anti-regime militant groups to escalate further. The IRGC Ground Forces could deploy its 110th Salman Farsi Independent Special Forces Brigade, which is headquartered in Zahedan, to suppress protests in place of the LEC Special Units if it felt the situation merited such force.[xix]
A popular English-language social media account tweeted that the Office of the Supreme Leader dismissed some of its security personnel and replaced them with a new cadre of officials.[xx] CTP cannot verify this rumor.
Axis of Resistance and Regional Developments
There was nothing significant to report today.


 

jward

passin' thru
https://www.timebomb2000.com/xf/abo...er-9#_edndb9cd9027e245c0c3b049150b24b9daeref1 Iran Crisis Update, October 6
[ii] https://akharinkhabar dot ir/politics/9305719
[iii] https://english dot alaraby dot co dot uk/news/turkish-base-northern-iraq-targeted-rocket-attack
[iv] Profile: Liwa Ahrar al-Iraq
[v] Iran Crisis Update, October 8
[vi] View: https://twitter.com/Sepah_Com/status/1578651936311500800

[vii] http://www.tasnimnews dot com/fa/news/1401/07/17/2785594
[viii] View: https://twitter.com/IranIntlbrk/status/1579191406694141953

[ix] View: https://mobile.twitter.com/javanane_t/status/1579017697312268289

[x] View: https://twitter.com/saeedaganji/status/1578741192413806592?s=46&t=Gr01pWJ4f_Pjj-VUGHWx0w

[xi] View: https://twitter.com/GEsfandiari/status/1579014741606813696;
and View: https://twitter.com/ManotoNews/status/1578996345461182464

[xii] عضو کمیسیون امنیت ملی، به مسئولان امنیتی برای عمل به وظایف هشدار داد
[xiii] www.kayhan dot ir/fa/news/250930
[xiv] View: https://twitter.com/RezaVaisi/status/1578790187995627521

[xv] Whatever it takes to end it: Iran's shift toward more oppressive governance
[xvi] Commemoration of the Massacre of Mahshahr and Designation of Iranian Officials Due to Involvement in Gross Violations of Human Rights
[xvii] View: https://twitter.com/RadioFarda_/status/1579080581463560192

[xviii] Whatever it takes to end it: Iran's shift toward more oppressive governance
[xix] https://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Irans-Reserve-of-Last-Resort.pdf
[xx] View: https://twitter.com/no_itsmyturn/status/1578844037208895488

CD Link: Login / Sign In - Critical Threats and Institute for the Study of War [ZC1]
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Zagdid

Veteran Member

Russian, US troops in Syria share 'rare moment' of congeniality​

Issued on: 10/10/2022 - 14:34Modified: 10/10/2022 - 14:33

1665428459268.png

Qahtaniyah (Syria) (AFP) – US and Russian troops exchanged friendly greetings and posed for pictures together over the weekend on a northeast Syria highway in a rare display of congeniality between the rival forces.

Both Washington and Moscow have troops on the ground in Syria backing opposing sides of the war that has ravaged the Middle Eastern country since 2011.

Russia's war in Ukraine since February has exacerbated geopolitical tensions with the United States.

But on Saturday morning, US and Russian patrol routes intersected at an oil field near the town of Qahtaniyah in the northeastern province of Hassakeh, according to AFP correspondents.

It was not the first time they cross paths in the Kurdish-held region but, instead of just zipping past each other, the convoys stopped and soldiers stood side by side as they spoke and posed for pictures.

Several troops even exchanged small patches worn on their uniforms as momentos of the interaction, the correspondents said.

It was a "very rare moment", said Syria expert Samuel Ramani, and a sign "that Russia and the US still want deconfliction in Syria".

A staunch opponent of the Syrian regime, Washington first deployed troops in northeast Syria in 2014 as part of a coalition to combat the Islamic State group.

The Russian military, for its part, has backed the government of President Bashar al-Assad since 2015, but did not deploy forces in the northeast until 2019, following a Turkish invasion against Kurdish fighters.

Deconfliction channels have been in place since 2015 to prevent any clash between the Russians and the Americans.

The presence of Russian troops has also helped US forces avoid a face-off with Syrian regime forces.
 

jward

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EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3

Update: IAEA: Iran plans to install 3 more sets of advanced centrifuges in Natanz.

IAEA report: Iran is racing against time to intensify enrichment at the Natanz reactor.
 

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EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3

Update: Iran International: The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has deployed a large number of its forces on the borders of Iraq.

4:36 PM · Oct 11, 2022
·Twitter Web App
 

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NCRI-FAC
@iran_policy
1m

NCRI Statement on #IranProtests2020 N. 49
Iran: On the 26th Day of Uprising, Student Demonstrations and Protests, Clashes with Suppressive Forces
#IranRevolution
View: https://twitter.com/iran_policy/status/1580243686893694978?s=20&t=fmq_8hh2IgEG4ImVQQaUNw



Iran: On 26th Day of Uprising, Student Demonstrations and Protests, Clashes with Suppressive Forces​


Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)

4-5 minutes



Iran-Protests-Statement-NCRI.jpg

Iran Protest-No. 49
On the 26th day of the nationwide uprising, the cities of Sanandaj and Divandareh witnessed demonstrations and street clashes between the youths and the regime’s suppressive forces. The shopkeepers’ strike continued in Kermanshah. In Kerman, the regime’s Red Crescent building was set on fire. The young protesters set fire to the Friday prayer office in Fuladshahr, Isfahan, and a statue symbolizing the regime in Saqqez. Large posters of Qassem Soleimani and Revolutionary Guards in Tehran were also torched. The youths set fire to a paramilitary Basij base in Qom. In Yazd, they burned the banner of Qassem Soleimani and Brig. Gen. Hossein Hamedani, and in Baneh, they burned a symbol of the regime in the Prison Square.
On Tuesday, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi visited Sanandaj to supervise the suppression of protests in the city. On Tuesday evening, the people of Sanandaj held nightly demonstrations once again and clashed with the suppressive forces. The youths took control of Behesht Mohammadi ring road by lighting fire and forcing the agents to flee in some areas.
In Saqqez, people held demonstrations in the evening, and in Baneh, the youths obstructed the path of suppressive agents by setting up roadblocks. Drivers showed their solidarity by honking their horns. In Borazjan, demonstrations led to clashes with the suppressive forces.
October 11 – Sanandaj, western #Iran
More footage of today's intense clashes as locals continued the nationwide protests against the regime on the 26th day of the uprising.#IranRevolution2022#مهسا_امینی #آزادی_آزادی_آزادی pic.twitter.com/dZIkKuaGLY
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 11, 2022
On Tuesday evening, the chants of “Death to the dictator” and “Death to the IRGC” echoed in the Vahdat-e-Islami district of Tehran. In Sadeghieh, Tehran, chants of “Death to the dictator” could be heard from the rooftops. Youth protesters took control of some streets in Yazdanshahr. In Qom, people held a nightly demonstration in the Nirougah area while chanting “Khamenei is a murderer, his rule is void”.
On Tuesday, university students in Tehran, Gilan, Tarbiat Modarres, Arts of Tehran, and Noshirvani in Babol chanted anti-regime slogans such as “Dignified students, support, support,” “We will not leave Sharif University students alone,” “Iran soaked in blood from Sanandaj to Zahedan,” and “From Kurdistan to Gilan, I sacrifice my life for Iran.” They also staged demonstrations and strikes and condemned the arrest and killing of students.
Students protested in some areas of Tehran, as well as in Mahabad, Saqqez, Bandar Anzali, Sanandaj, and Mashhad with slogans such as “Death to the dictator,” “I will kill whoever killed my sister” and “Iran has become a detention center.”
October 11 – Tehran, #Iran
Students of Tarbiat Modares University continuing the nationwide protests against the regime on the 26th day of the uprising.#IranRevolution2022#مهسا_امینی #آزادی_آزادی_آزادی pic.twitter.com/qpNTWrUZEs
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 11, 2022
According to the state-run news agency, Mehr, on October 11, Youssef Nouri, the Minister of Education, admitted to the arrest of the students and said: “I cannot give exact statistics of the number of those arrested. Students will return to school after rehabilitation. Some detained students have been referred to psychological centers for rehabilitation to prevent them from becoming anti-social characters.”
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
October 12, 2022

Iran: On 26th Day of Uprising, Student Demonstrations and Protests, Clashes with Suppressive Forces​


Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)

4-5 minutes


Iran-Protests-Statement-NCRI.jpg

Iran Protest-No. 49
On the 26th day of the nationwide uprising, the cities of Sanandaj and Divandareh witnessed demonstrations and street clashes between the youths and the regime’s suppressive forces. The shopkeepers’ strike continued in Kermanshah. In Kerman, the regime’s Red Crescent building was set on fire. The young protesters set fire to the Friday prayer office in Fuladshahr, Isfahan, and a statue symbolizing the regime in Saqqez. Large posters of Qassem Soleimani and Revolutionary Guards in Tehran were also torched. The youths set fire to a paramilitary Basij base in Qom. In Yazd, they burned the banner of Qassem Soleimani and Brig. Gen. Hossein Hamedani, and in Baneh, they burned a symbol of the regime in the Prison Square.
On Tuesday, Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi visited Sanandaj to supervise the suppression of protests in the city. On Tuesday evening, the people of Sanandaj held nightly demonstrations once again and clashed with the suppressive forces. The youths took control of Behesht Mohammadi ring road by lighting fire and forcing the agents to flee in some areas.
In Saqqez, people held demonstrations in the evening, and in Baneh, the youths obstructed the path of suppressive agents by setting up roadblocks. Drivers showed their solidarity by honking their horns. In Borazjan, demonstrations led to clashes with the suppressive forces.
October 11 – Sanandaj, western #Iran
More footage of today's intense clashes as locals continued the nationwide protests against the regime on the 26th day of the uprising.#IranRevolution2022#مهسا_امینی #آزادی_آزادی_آزادی pic.twitter.com/dZIkKuaGLY
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 11, 2022
On Tuesday evening, the chants of “Death to the dictator” and “Death to the IRGC” echoed in the Vahdat-e-Islami district of Tehran. In Sadeghieh, Tehran, chants of “Death to the dictator” could be heard from the rooftops. Youth protesters took control of some streets in Yazdanshahr. In Qom, people held a nightly demonstration in the Nirougah area while chanting “Khamenei is a murderer, his rule is void”.
On Tuesday, university students in Tehran, Gilan, Tarbiat Modarres, Arts of Tehran, and Noshirvani in Babol chanted anti-regime slogans such as “Dignified students, support, support,” “We will not leave Sharif University students alone,” “Iran soaked in blood from Sanandaj to Zahedan,” and “From Kurdistan to Gilan, I sacrifice my life for Iran.” They also staged demonstrations and strikes and condemned the arrest and killing of students.
Students protested in some areas of Tehran, as well as in Mahabad, Saqqez, Bandar Anzali, Sanandaj, and Mashhad with slogans such as “Death to the dictator,” “I will kill whoever killed my sister” and “Iran has become a detention center.”
October 11 – Tehran, #Iran
Students of Tarbiat Modares University continuing the nationwide protests against the regime on the 26th day of the uprising.#IranRevolution2022#مهسا_امینی #آزادی_آزادی_آزادی pic.twitter.com/qpNTWrUZEs
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 11, 2022
According to the state-run news agency, Mehr, on October 11, Youssef Nouri, the Minister of Education, admitted to the arrest of the students and said: “I cannot give exact statistics of the number of those arrested. Students will return to school after rehabilitation. Some detained students have been referred to psychological centers for rehabilitation to prevent them from becoming anti-social characters.”
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
October 12, 2022

Iran: On 26th Day of Uprising, Student Demonstrations and Protests, Clashes with Suppressive Forces
 

jward

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Missile attack targets gas field in Iraq’s Kurdistan region: Sources​


Al Arabiya English


Several missiles were fired at the Khor Mor gas field in Iraq's Kurdistan region on Wednesday, a security source and a local Kurdish source told Reuters.
No damage or injuries were immediately reported, and it was not immediately clear if the field operations were affected.
The Pearl Consortium, United Arab Emirates energy firm Dana Gas and its affiliate, Crescent Petroleum, have the rights to exploit Khor Mor and Chemchemal, two of the biggest gas fields in Iraq.
Read more:
Exiled Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani lauds protests over Amini’s death\\
 

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jward

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Those kids might just do it this time, eh.... the smell o' revolution appears to be in the air. . .


Faytuks News Δ
@Faytuks

BREAKING: Heavy fire reported at Evin prison in #Iran's capital Tehran which holds political prisoners. Shots and alarms heard.
View: https://twitter.com/Faytuks/status/1581349068604723201?s=20&t=d4RaOA9_GldnxFrBs1uE_g




Faytuks News Δ
@Faytuks
4m

Locals are saying that intense gunfire is currently heard. It's unclear what is happening.
View: https://twitter.com/Faytuks/status/1581350060658659328?s=20&t=d4RaOA9_GldnxFrBs1uE_g
 

jward

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EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
2h

Update: America's Special Representative for Iran discusses with Iranian activists steps to support the protesters and the people.
 

jward

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https://twitter.com/JasonMBrodsky
Jason Brodsky
@JasonMBrodsky


#BREAKING:
@POTUS

was just asked about fire at #Iran's Evin Prison. According to the pool report he replied the Iranian "government is so oppressive," "not a good group," and that he had "enormous amount of respect for people marching in the streets." 1/2
There has been an increase in presidential comments on Iran--this is the second time over the course of two days he's addressed Iran. Previously he rarely spoke about the topic. Here in Oregon he also says he was surprised by the protesters' courage. 2/2
 

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Iran International English
@IranIntl_En


The Iraqi Kurdistan Government's representative in Tehran says the KRG will not disarm Iranian Kurdish dissidents. "Whenever the Islamic Republic planned to attack Iranian Kurdish dissidents, we've informed them of the plan, as we're duty-bound to protect Kurds and Kurdistan."
"The Kurdistan Regional Government officials have clearly told the Islamic Republic they are opposed to Tehran's request for disarming and dismantling the positions of these parties (which act against the Islamic Republic," Kurdistan's Iran envoy Nazim Dabbagh said.
 

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Israel Radar
@IsraelRadar_com

#Russia threatens Israel:
Ex-President Medvedev openly warns Israel not to supply weapons to Ukraine, says this would destroy Israeli relations with Moscow, @i24NEWS_EN
reports.
 

jward

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zerohedge
@zerohedge

*IRAN ARRESTS 14 FOREIGN NATIONALS FOR ROLE IN ‘RIOTS’: FARS

11:49 AM · Oct 19, 2022
·TweetDeck

Replying to
@zerohedge

CIA/MOSSAD operation. Will probably be declassified in 50-75 yrs due to what I imagine is the HCS(HUMINT CONTROL SYSTEM) classification of this operation. By the way, none of what I said above is classified, merely “speculation” from open sources
 

jward

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Iran International English
@IranIntl_En

Iranian hacktivist group @black_reward
says it's hacked the internal email system of Iran's Nuclear Power Production and Development Company & warned that it'll publish the data it's obtained in 24 hours unless the Islamic Republic releases all political prisoners and protesters.
The hacktivist group said the Islamic Republic's officials well know what impact the release of these hacked data will have on their "sloppy nuclear program". "There's no cure but giving in to the popular demands, which means the end of the Islamic Republic,"
@black_reward
said.

4:22 PM · Oct 21, 2022
·TweetDeck
 

jward

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EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
17m

Update: Iran International: Hackers publish Iran's atomic energy contracts with domestic and foreign partners.

Iran International English
@IranIntl_En
1h

#BREAKING The Iranian hacktivist group @black_reward
which said last night it had hacked the email system of Iran’s Nuclear Power Production and Development company, is releasing videos and documents related to Iran’s nuclear program.
View: https://twitter.com/IranIntl_En/status/1583862529679556610?s=20&t=TRr8kXHjO1kwF2CMMbbGMA
 

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Samuel Ramani
@SamRamani2


BREAKING: Britain sanctions Iran for supplying drones to Russia

Shahed Aviation Industries, the drone manufacturer has been targeted, along with 3 Iranian generals

This includes Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, which suggests that British sanctions are targeting the IRGC Command Network
 

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Israel Radar
@IsraelRadar_com
2h
Israeli defense sources (via @WallaNews):
90% of planned Iranian & Hezbollah arms production & transfers in Syria hit in airstrikes; IDF gravely disrupts Iranian smuggling routes in sea, air and land.
 

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Mzahem Alsaloum
@Mzahem_Alsaloum

EXCLUSIVE | Two sources confirmed that the Iranian and Yemeni command of Houthis all over #Yemen issued orders that the launching of ballistic missiles and drones must remain only inside Yemen after the end of the truce at the end of September & that they shouldn't target any ...
... any locations outside Yemen. This new situation has led to a secret visit by a #Saudi delegation to Sana'a, during which they met a Houthi delegation and exchanged lists of prisoners' names, in preparation for a major prisoner exchange that will take place soon.

12:19 PM · Oct 24, 2022
·Twitter Web App
 

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ISIS attack leaves at least 15 worshipers dead as protests engulf Iran
Jesse O’Neill
4-5 minutes

At least 15 people were killed and more than three dozen injured when an Islamic State terrorist attacked a Shi’ite Muslim shrine in Iran Wednesday.

The massacre escalated tensions as anti-government protests rocked the nation following the death of a Kurdish woman at the hands of Iranian morality police.

ISIS later took credit for the slaughter of religious pilgrims at the Shah Cheragh shrine in Shiraz, a Muslim site that dates back to the 12th century.

An attacker shot a worker at the shrine’s entrance before his weapon jammed and he was chased by worshipers, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
The floors of the Shah Cheragh mausoleum were stained with blood following the attack.
The floors of the Shah Cheragh mausoleum were stained with blood following the attack.
ISNA NEWS AGENCY/AFP via Getty I

The terrorist then fixed his Kalashnikov rifle as he ran from the crowd and began opening fire at them in a courtyard, according to the report.

The apparent lone-wolf attacker was wounded and taken into custody by security officials. Earlier reports said police were seeking two additional suspects.

Women and two children were among the dead, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA. The suspect had opened fire into the women’s section of the shrine during a call for prayer, a witness told state media agency Press TV.

“I heard sounds of gunfire after we prayed,” a victim said. “We went to a room next to the shrine, this lowlife came and fired a barrage of shots. Then [the bullet] hit my arm and leg, it hit my wife’s back, but thank God my child was not hit, he is 7 years old.”

President Ebrahim Raisi told state media Iran would respond to the terror attack.

“Experience shows that Iran’s enemies, after failing to create a split in the nation’s united ranks, take revenge through violence and terror,” said Raisi, before ISIS took responsibility.

“This crime will definitely not go unanswered, and the security and law-enforcement forces will teach a lesson to those who designed and carried out the attack.”

Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi blamed widespread protests marking the 40-day anniversary of the police custody death of Mahsa Amini for laying the ground for the slaughter.

At least 234 protesters, including 29 children, have been killed by security forces since Amini’s death, according to Iran Human Rights, a Norway-based group.

The bloody nationwide clashes between demonstrators and police marked one of the biggest challenges to Iran’s hardline clerical leadership since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Protesters from all stripes of life have flooded streets to call for the downfall of the Republic and the death of the Ayatollah, escalating the security crackdown.
Protesters marched to Mahsa Amini’s grave Wednesday, 40 days after she was killed while in police custody on charges she inappropriately wore her hijab.

The terror attack in Shiraz came on the same day riot police opened fire on some 10,000 mourners who were holding a vigil at Amini’s grave in her Kurdish home town of Saqez, according to the semi-official news agency ISNA.

Internet service was cut off after the clashes, which resulted in “dozens” of arrests, according to a witness.

Meanwhile, crowds packed streets in Tehran and other cities as protestors shouted “Death to [Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei,” video posted to social media appeared to showed.

A social media clip depicted members of the Basij militia shooting at demonstrators in the capital as other unauthenticated footage captured protestors throwing stones at security officials and setting fire to a police vehicle.

“We will fight, we will die, we will get Iran back,” protestors chanted in videos posted online.

Clerical leaders had blamed the US and other Western countries for provoking the “riots,” and said some 30 security officials had been killed.
 

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Israel Radar
@IsraelRadar_com
·
15m
Drama in #Iran: Israeli soldier serving in sensitive position lands in Iranian airport after flight from Azerbaijan makes emergency landing; high tension in Israel until soldier left safely; unclear if Iranians were aware of Israeli on board (via @BenCaspit
)
 

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Housecarl

On TB every waking moment
Posted for fair use.....

HomeMiddle East

UAE Deploys Its First Indian-Israeli Missile Defense System Amid Threats From Iranian-Origin Drones & Missiles — Reports​



BySakshi Tiwari

October 30, 2022

The UAE has reportedly deployed its first-ever Indian-Israeli missile defense system, which it acquired from its new ally and military partner, Israel, to avert the threat posed by Iran-backed militia groups.

Haaretz reported that the United Arab Emirates had deployed Barak-8 aerial defense system to defend itself from Iranian-origin missiles and drones. The missile battery is deployed south of Abu-Dhabi, close to the Al-Dhafra airbase.
The reports confirming deployment come days after Breaking Defense indicated that the first battery of Barak-8 had already been deployed to the UAE.

At the time, an unknown defense source informed the publication that the deal for Barak-8 systems would be very substantial. The Emiratis require several of these to guard some major sites where missiles have repeatedly struck.

The Barak-8 was developed jointly by Israel’s Ministry of Defense and India’s DRDO. The Barak-8 can intercept aircraft, low-flying anti-ship and cruise missiles, and stealthy targets with a range of roughly 70 kilometers.

View: https://twitter.com/IranIntl_En/status/1586100886958374913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1586100886958374913%7Ctwgr%5Eda3032a425de3a76e5b7db3ad5681491e85ae835%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Feurasiantimes.com%2Fuae-deploys-its-first-indian-israeli-missile-defense-system-amid%2F


The deployment by the UAE is a significant move as Iran-backed Houthi rebels have targeted military installations and vital infrastructure in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, including air and seaports, oil depots, and ships in the Gulf of Aden.

The strikes on January 17 this year hit an industrial location outside Abu Dhabi, setting fire to fuel trucks and killing three foreign workers.

Later that month, media reports suggested that the UAE had “quietly and unofficially asked Israel about acquiring missile defense systems to help protect it from Houthi missile attacks.”


While Barak-8 was picked first, Israel reportedly later agreed to sell the United Arab Emirates its SPYDER air defense system. EurAsian Times had reported that Abu Dhabi contemplated employing Israeli weapons as a stopgap measure before acquiring a South Korean surface-to-air missile system in 2024.

The South Korean Cheongung II KM-SAM weaponry deal was signed on January 16.

The UAE already has the American Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors. Still, they could not detect some low-flying drones and missiles that struck assets in the UAE.

This is where the Israeli Barak-8, as well as the SPYDER, comes into the picture. It is pertinent to note that the Indian military also uses both systems.

Barak-8, A Potential Component Of Air Defense?

Israeli defense companies have been scouting for new clients since the Abraham Accords was signed in 2020, which restored relations between Israel, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Morocco.

Not just that, since the two sides are up against a common adversary, they are also in the process of becoming parties to a missile defense alliance that’s been worked on by the United States.

On June 20, Defense Minister Benny Gantz stated that Israel was assisting in forming an air-defense regional coalition against Iran and that the alliance had already foiled attempted Iranian attacks.

Israel has attempted to establish alliances with the Gulf Arab nations to present a unified front against Iran. Since the Houthi militias frequently launch drone and missile attacks on the two countries, the UAE and Saudi Arabia appear to be a logical alliance.

However, Israel has withheld the names of the nations that could join the coalition.

Even though it wasn’t a signatory to the agreements, Saudi Arabia, one of Israel’s historically fiercest regional rivals, had also shown interest in Israeli systems. However, recently escalating tensions over oil production between Saudi Arabia and the US have dampened Israel’s prospects in that country.

The regional aerial defense alliance currently relies on weapons systems that are already in place and either belong to member nations or that the United States has placed in the region, such as the extensive radar system in Israel’s Negev desert, the AEGIS weapons systems installed on US Navy ships patrolling the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, and other aircraft and missile defense systems placed throughout the region, according to Haaretz.

The first time Barak’s missiles were put to use was in June when they successfully took out two of the three drones Hezbollah had fired into Israel’s Karish gas field. Israeli Air Force jets destroyed the third drone.

With its deployment in the UAE, the Emirati kingdom would have another air defense system to thwart the Houthi drone and missile attacks.
 

jward

passin' thru
Global: MilitaryInfo
@Global_Mil_Info
1h

IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL:
- Biden admin not going to waste time on trying to revive the Iran nuclear deal at this time.
- U.S. already looking at the situation as if there is no nuclear deal and is taking the proper steps to make sure the U.S. has a ready military option (per Axios).
 

jward

passin' thru

US Iran envoy: We’re not wasting our time on the nuclear deal​


By AP and TOI staff​



WASHINGTON— A top Biden administration official on Monday pushed back against growing criticism from Iranian American activists who are calling on the White House to abandon its efforts to resurrect the Iran nuclear deal.
The US special envoy to Iran, Robert Malley, said that the administration “makes no apology” for “trying to do everything we can to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.” The White House has become increasingly pessimistic about reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement, but has stopped short of declaring the deal dead.
Malley spoke during an appearance at a virtual event hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington think tank.

The White House has faced growing pressure to scuttle the deal altogether following Tehran’s brutal crackdown of a women-led protest movement and its decision to send hundreds of drones to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine.
Malley said that a fact sometimes lost in the debate is that, as the administration has pursued a nuclear deal, it has also continued to pile sanctions on Iranian officials.

The administration has announced sanctions against Iranians for the brutal treatment of demonstrators after last month’s death of a young Iranian woman while in the custody of Iranian security forces. Washington also hit Iran with sanctions for supplying drones and technical assistance to Russia and ordered US military strikes in August against Iranian-backed militias in Syria in response to attacks on US forces in the region.
“I think people have to understand that they were not tying our hands because of… this hope that someday maybe there’ll be a deal,” Malley said. “No, we are taking action. We’re not waiting. We’re taking the action that we think is consistent and necessary to promote our values and our national security interests.”

Malley stressed the US is not “wasting” time trying to pursue a new deal, He added that there has been no movement in the negotiations since Iran imposed new, unconnected conditions in August.

“It’s really not our focus now. We are not going to focus on something that is inert when other things are happening,” he said, naming the protests in Iran and Tehran’s decision “to get involved in a war in Europe” by transferring drones to Russia.
“So that’s what we’re focused on because nothing is happening on the nuclear deal, so we are not going to spend our time, waste our time on it if nothing is happening. We are going to spend our time where we can be useful,” Malley added.
Those remarks echoed comments earlier this month by US State Department spokesman Ned Price, who said the nuclear deal was “not our focus right now,” instead vowing to “support” the “bravery and courage” of Iranian protesters.
WATCH: Rob Malley to @aarondmiller2 on JCPOA status: "There has been no movement since [late Aug./early Sept.]… It’s really not our focus right now, it’s not on our agenda because nothing has changed… We're not going to… waste our time on it if nothing's going to happen." pic.twitter.com/gvWsWVR3S1
— Marc Rod (@marcrod97) October 31, 2022
The Biden administration this month levied new sanctions against Iran over the crackdown on antigovernment protests spurred by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Morality police had detained Amini last month for not properly covering her hair with the Islamic headscarf, known as the hijab, which is mandatory for Iranian women. Amini collapsed at a police station and died three days later.

At least 270 people have been killed and 14,000 arrested, according to the group Human Rights Activists in Iran. Demonstrations have continued, even as the feared paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has warned young Iranians to stop.
The White House has also said that Iranian troops are “directly engaged on the ground” in Crimea supporting Russian drone attacks on Ukraine’s power stations and other key infrastructure. The Iranians have provided the technical assistance after selling the Russians — desperate for precision-guided weapons — hundreds of the drones. The Iranian government has denied selling Moscow drones or providing it with assistance.
The Iran nuclear deal already has been teetering toward collapse despite US President Joe Biden’s efforts to revive it since August, with his administration saying Tehran has sought to push extraneous issues into the indirect talks. Still, the administration has not given up all hope for a turnaround.

The pact, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, would provide Tehran with billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for the country agreeing to roll back its nuclear program to the limits set by the 2015 deal.
The deal was brokered by the Obama administration before being abandoned by the Trump administration in 2018. It includes caps on enrichment and how much material Iran can stockpile and limits the operation of advanced centrifuges needed to enrich.
 
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