Iranian-Made Drones Attack Kyiv As US Set To Supply Patriots

The Oje Parvaz Mado Nafar, its director Yousef Aboutalebi were designated along with Brigadier General Abdollah Meehrabi, a military research head, and Afshin Khajeh Fard, head of Iran’s Aviations Industries Organization. A press release from the British foreign office cited James Cleverly, the foreign minister, saying that MADO was “the company responsible for manufacturing engines for the drones…used by Russia in Ukraine.”

Any assets held in the United Kingdom by those sanctioned can now be seized. The individuals will not be permitted to enter the UK, and no British citizen may transfer money to them.

The UK also designated 12 Russian military commanders, “including [those leading] units implicated in attacks on Ukrainian cities.” The press release noted that “directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects is a serious violation of international law – those responsible must be held to account.”

This followed the European Union Monday designating four individuals, including the head of Iran’s air force, over alleged drone supplies, as well four military contractors or design companies. This came in addition to two Iranian military commanders in November. Both the UK and the EU say the sanctions are intended to change the behavior of those sanctioned.

Cleverly said UK sanctions were “taking the wheels off the Russian war machine.” The press release referred to “information” released by the US December 9 - apparently a statement by White House Security spokesman John Kirby - showing Iran had become “one of Russia’s top military backers.”

100%

Kirby spoke mainly then of US “concern” that Russia “intended to provide Iran with advanced military components,” while senior US officials were widely quoted that Russia was ready to send Sukhoi SU-35 fighter jets to Iran, which has been unable to acquire modern fighters since the 1990s.

In other anonymous briefings, the Washington Post quoted a US “military official” December 9 that Russia had Iranian ballistic missiles, and that Tehran would receive “up to $1 billion” and “other, still unknown inducements” for setting up drone productions inside Russia. Kirby was one of two US officials saying on-the-record the same week that the US had no evidence of Iran transferring missiles to Russia.

‘Desperate need’

The UK press release explaining its latest sanctions reiterated that Iran sending “hundreds of drones to Russia” violated “its international legal obligations,” presumably referring to the US and UK argument this would violate a clause in United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, an agreement the US left in 2018 imposing ‘maximum pressure’ sanctions on Iran to slash its international trade.

Cleverly said the “Iranian regime” was “isolated internationally” due to “brutal repression of its own people” and a “threat it poses in the Middle East” and was therefore “in desperate need of support from [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.”

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson called this week in the Wall Street Journal for Nato to give Ukraine longer-range missiles including ATACMS (surface-to-surface missiles with a 300km range), but he also suggested the war could end with Russian retaining regions held before February 24. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy rules this out, with the US saying publicly it’s up to him to decide.

UK and US officials maintain their approach - arming Ukraine but not sending the most offensive weapons Zelenskyy demands – is slowly degrading Russian capacities. British military aid to Ukraine has reached £2.3 billion ($2.84 billion) and US aid $20 billion. The EU agreed Monday €2 billion ($2.1 million) in addition to the €2 billion already sent.

“Defence Intelligence reports suggest that Russian armed forces are struggling to replenish their missile reserves,” Cleverly said, according to the British press release, “while they are increasingly forced to rely on second rate [sic] drones supplied by Iran to keep up their inhumane bombardments of the Ukrainian people.”

Traders in Tehran exchanged 380,000 rials to one US dollar on Tuesday, up from a closing rate of 368,000 last week.

The accelerated fall of the rial has led to reasonable concerns in Tehran business and media circles that soon the dollar will surpass the 400,000 mark in a downward spiral no one can control.

Amid soaring prices, people on social media and websites said Ali Salehabadi, the CBI must be removed while some others believe he is going to resign soon; something he denied later in the day.

A lawmaker on Tuesday addressed the government, saying “President Raisi, Minister of Economy, Governor of the Central Bank, do you know the dollar rate has reached 380,000 rials?”

“What is the current situation you have created for people? They are facing problems in renting houses,” added Ramezanali Sangdavini.

According to a recent report by EcoIran website, food prices have jumped an average of 67.7 percent compared with the same period in the previous year.

Rials drop is directly tied to a 50-percent annual inflation rate. Recently, the CBI reported that housing prices in Tehran increased by 45.9% compared to the same period last year.

The average price of one square meter of housing in Tehran has reportedly reached 467,000,000 rials.

Catherine Colonna told Reuters that the Iranian diplomat was also questioned over the treatment of seven French nationals who are currently in custody in Iran.

France’s foreign ministry on Monday also condemned the public execution of an Iranian who was sentenced to death following his participation in the protests currently under way in Iran.

The Islamic Republic hanged a second protester, Majidreza Rahnavard in less than a week in public on Monday after charging him with killing two members of security forces.

In a statement the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of France stated, “this execution, the second in less than a week, comes in addition to the many other serious, unacceptable violations of fundamental rights and freedoms committed by the Iranian authorities.”

The statement also added that demonstrators must not be executed in response to the current protests in Iran, stressing France calls on Iranian authorities to halt these executions and to listen to the legitimate aspirations of the Iranian people.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom said Tuesday that Iran and Russia's sordid deals threaten global security.

James Cleverly said in a tweet that “We are holding their desperate alliance to account.”

He also noted that London has just sanctioned high-level Russian and Iranian figures in response to the “abhorrent strikes against civilian targets.”

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said Monday that Moscow burns through its stockpiles to carry out its nearly 10-month-old invasion of Ukraine, but the old ammunition have a high failure rate.

“They have drawn from (Russia's) aging ammunition stockpile, which does indicate that they are willing to use that older ammunition, some of which was originally produced more than 40 years ago,” added the official.

The United States accuses Russia of turning to Iran and North Korea for more firepower as it exhausts its regular supplies of ammunition.

According to the senior military official, Russia would burn through its fully serviceable stocks of ammunition by early 2023 if it did not resort to foreign suppliers and older stocks.

Iran last month acknowledged it had supplied Moscow with drones, but said they were sent before the war in Ukraine.

The United States in mid-November imposed sanctions on companies and people being involved in the production or transfer of Iranian drones to Russia.

The EU foreign ministers on Monday hit out at Iran for supplying drones to Russia, saying the weapons are being used indiscriminately by Russia against Ukrainians.

Last month, the EU imposed sanctions on the chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, the IRGC’s Aerospace Force and a company making drones.

In a tweet on Monday, Abdolhamid, the religious leader of Iran’s largely Sunni Baluch population, asked the authorities of the Islamic Republic to listen to the voice of the protesters.

His comments came after the Iranian regime hanged a second protester, Majidreza Rahnavard in less than a week in public on Monday after charging him with killing two members of security forces.

“Arbitrary executions and repression have no result other than God’s displeasure, public hatred, and igniting the nation’s anger,” reads his tweet.

He further asked the government to “see the facts and hear the voice of the people.”

During his trial, Majidreza Rahnavard was denied the right to choose a lawyer, and his execution was carried out only 23 days after his arrest, which has raised many questions about the trial process and judicial justice.

Abdolhamid had previously said in reaction to the execution of Mohsen Shekari, who was the first protester hanged by the regime December 8, “it is not correct from the viewpoint of the Quran and Sharia to execute a person who did not kill anyone and only blocked the road and used a knife.”

Mohsen Shekari, the 23-year-old protester was only accused by the judiciary of blocking a street and injuring a Basij militia.