Iranian Naval Commander Applauds Houthi Shipping Attacks

The Hengaw Human Rights Organization reported that attempts to allow Salimi's family a last visit were thwarted on Tuesday. The family arrived at the prison only to discover that the execution had already taken place.

Salimi, Khosro Besharat, Kamran Sheikheh, and Anwar Khezri, all sentenced to death in the same case, had been on a hunger strike since December 30, protesting the execution of three co-defendants and fearing their own impending fate.

Amnesty International had expressed serious concerns about Salimi's execution, calling on Iranian authorities to halt the process immediately. This follows a pattern, as three other co-defendants faced a similar fate in Ghezelhesar prison in recent months.

The case dates back to the arrests of seven individuals in West Azerbaijan province in December 2009 and January 2010, accused of belonging to "Salafist groups." In 2018, the Revolutionary Court of Tehran convicted them of "corruption on Earth" and alleged involvement in the 2008 murder of Abdolrahim Tina. Despite consistent denials, the Supreme Court upheld their convictions in 2020, refusing a retrial.

Since the uprising of 2022 hundreds of political prisoners have been executed in Iran, which has now been named the world's highest executioner per capita, with an average of three killings per day according to US-based Iran Human Rights Activists News Agency. 

“Sometimes, the positions and statements of officials from Islamic countries are mistaken because they talk about issues like the Gaza ceasefire that are beyond their authority and are in the hands of the sinister Zionist enemy. Islamic countries' officials should take action on matters that are within their purview,” the 84-year-old authoritarian ruler said.

Khamenei, a long-time supporter of Hamas and a strong opponent of Israel’s existence, repeated his earlier calls to boycott and blockade Israel. “The matter that is within the reach of officials of Islamic countries is cutting the vital lifelines to the Zionist regime. Islamic countries should sever their political and economic ties with the Zionist regime and refrain from assisting this regime,” he said.

Khamenei called for a blockade of Israel on November 1, 2023, weeks after the Hamas invasion of Israel and the start of the Gaza war. Two weeks after his call, Iran’s Houthi proxies in Yemen began firing missiles and drones at commercial vessels sailing in the Red Sea area, claiming that they were targeting ships headed for Israeli ports or affiliated with Israel.

The Houthi attacks have continued, disrupting commercial maritime traffic in the vital waterway. The United States and some of their allies have formed a naval coalition to protect shipping. US and UK have attacked Houthi military position in Yemen several times to degrade their ability to fire missiles and drones.

According to the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency, the ceremony marking the integration was attended by Army Commander-in-Chief Abdol-Rahim Mousavi and Defense Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani on Tuesday.

The report detailed the integration of various multipurpose strategic drones, including Ababil-4 and Ababil-5, designed for a range of missions such as reconnaissance, surveillance, electronic warfare, and combat operations. Additionally, “the Arash and Bavar drones, known for their long-range and precision strike capabilities, along with the jet drone Karrar, capable of performing various interception missions,” were also added to the army's arsenal.

“The drones have been significantly upgraded and are equipped with advanced features such as self-protection and anti-jamming systems, indigenous multi-navigation systems, and smart precision weaponry. They are reportedly designed for special and updated capabilities, enabling combined operations with other weapon systems and for network-centric warfare,” added Tasnim.

While the exact number of drones delivered was not disclosed by the Iranian regime, they have regularly made similar announcements regarding new weapons developments. Iran's development of drones has drawn international criticism, particularly following the provision of so-called “kamikaze” drones to Russia's military in 2022.

However, Iranian officials have consistently defended their drone program as “essential for national security.” Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, the deputy chief of the Iranian Army for Coordination, previously stated to IRNA that nearly 200 drones are operational over the strategic waters of the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman. 

“The American-British aggression will only increase the Yemeni people’s determination to carry out their moral and humanitarian responsibilities towards the oppressed in Gaza,” Mohammed Albukhaiti, a member of the Houthi’s ruling council, said Monday evening, shortly after the latest round of airstrikes.

US and British forces carried out a fresh round of strikes late on Monday against eight locations in Yemen, targeting a Houthi underground storage site as well as missile and surveillance capabilities used by the Iran-aligned group against Red Sea shipping, the Pentagon said.

This is the eighth time in about two weeks that the US has hit Houthi targets, validating suggestions last week that the Biden administration may be gearing up for an extensive and prolonged campaign against Iran’s ‘wild card’ in its fight against the interests of the United States and its allies.

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Iran has made it known that its ultimate goal is to ‘oust’ the Americans from the Middle East and fill in the ensuing power vacuum.

Late Monday, hours after the airstrike on Houthis in Yemen, Iran’s foreign minister Amir-Abdollahian once more threatened the US and UK –this time on US soil.

“We have sent a serious message to the Americans, warning them that what they did with the UK in attacking certain areas in Yemen endangers peace and security in the region,”Amirabdollahian told Iran’s official news agency IRNA, while in New York to take part in meetings at the UN. “This is intensification of war.”

Iran and the US seem to be on a collision course, despite signs that both the Iranian regime and the Biden administrations prefer to avoid direct confrontation.

On Monday, a top US Navy commander told the Associated Press that Iran was “very directly involved” in the Houthi operations in the Red Sea, which began in response to Israeli onslaught in Gaza mid-October.

“What I’ll say is Iran is clearly funding, they’re resourcing, they are supplying and they’re providing training,” said Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of the US Navy’s 5th Fleet “They’re obviously very directly involved. There’s no secret there.

He said Iran-related attacks have outgrown the Persian Gulf to reach waters across the Middle East.

Iran and its regional proxy forces are engaged in attacks on the US and its allies almost daily, from Yemen to Iraq and Syria and Lebanon. The Biden administration seems to have failed to stop the attacks, despite repeated warnings and airstrikes.

Biden critics say his soft stance against Iran in the past three years has emboldened the regime and its proxies to the detriment of American troops and interests.

“There's a direct link between the Biden Admin’s futile Iran policy and our inability to stop attacks against American troops,” Senator Jim Risch, ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee posted on X Monday night. “Iran doesn't think the U.S. is willing to act. We must permanently freeze funds, enforce oil sanctions & restore credible deterrence.”

Experts warn that the Houthis may continue their attacks on vessels in the Red Sea –as they have repeatedly stated– and force the Biden administration to pursue harsher measures that some argue should include direct attacks on IRGC targets.

Early Tuesday local time, Mohammad Ali al-Houthi, a member of Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, vowed to leave no airstrike unanswered.

“Trust well that every operation and every aggression against our country will not be without a response,” he wrote on X.

The latest round of airstrikes on the Houthis was not as extensive as the first round ten days earlier. The objective, as set out by the Biden administration, is to degenerate the Houthis’ capabilities –something that the President himself has admitted has not been achieved.

Mohammad Ghobadlou was accused of hitting and killing a policeman with his car during the 2022 protests in Iran. He and his defense attorney consistently denied the charge, providing evidence to show his innocence.

In a complete collapse of judicial process, Ghobadlou’s defense was informed of the decision to hang him with half a day's notice. Attorney Amir Raisian published the notice on his X account, saying that the execution would amount to “murder”, since the initial verdict had been overturned and his client had a right to appeal.

Monday night, hours after the news broke out that the imminent execution of the 23-year old, his family and dozens of concerned citizens gathered in front of the prison, hoping that their presence could at least delay the execution –that is usually carried out with the morning call to prayer just before the sunrise.

Right after sunrise, the Islamic Republic Judiciary outlet Mizan News announced that Ghobdalou had been executed.

A short clip emerged on X, showing Ghobadlou’s mother at the prison gate shouting at the guards, “you killed my Mohammad, he’d taken to the streets for all you youngsters.”

Iran executed around 800 people in 2023, including several political prisoners. Political detainees almost in all cases face unfair trials without due process of law or a fair chance of self-defense.

This the first time, however, that a death sentence has been carried out after being rejected by a higher court, raising questions over the reasons and the timing of the execution, in particular.

During nationwide anti-regime protests in 2022-2023, security forces killed around 550 protesters and arrested 22,000 people. Hundreds of civilians, mostly young people, were injured, many bearing permanent loss of eyes and other permanent damages.