Dutch Parliament Passes Motion To Designate IRGC As Terrorist Group

Foreign affairs spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Thursday Zelenskyy had made “baseless accusations” over Iran’s supply of military to drones to Russia. Kanaani reiterated Tehran’s contention it had not “issued any military equipment to any side for use in the war in Ukraine.”

Iran said in November that any its Shahed-136 drones – which employ many easily-bought US components – used by Russia had been sent before the current wave of hostilities began in February - which does not preclude their use in the war.

Kanaani charged that Zelenskyy had exploited the issue “with the hope of strengthening Ukraine’s defensive power and American support for the war.” In his emotional address, after which he handed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a Ukrainian flag signed by troops defending the city of Bakhmut, Zelenskyy asked for more arms and more sanctions against Russia.

At the White House, President Joe Biden promised to “keep the flame of liberty burning bright” and pledged an extra $1.85 billion in weapons, on top of the current $20 billion, while Congress prepared to vote another $45 billion in overall aid.

In his Congressional address, Zelenskyy presented Iran as “an ally [of Russia]…in this genocidal policy” and a “terrorist.” Responding, Kanaani said Tehran had “always respected the territorial integrity of countries, including Ukraine.” Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told the Third Tehran Dialogue Forum that Iran wanted the conflict resolved through dialogue “taking into account the legitimate security concerns of the parties.”

Back in July, when Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Tehran, Iranian Leader Ali Khamenei blamed the West, suggesting war had resulted, at least in part, from Nato failing to “recognize any limits or borders.” Citing the 2014 Ukraine “coup” – protests that removed Moscow-inclined President Viktor Yanukovich and prompted Russia’s seizure of Crimea – and Nato’s expansion to 14 eastern European countries since 1999, Khamenei said the “dangerous creature” of Nato, if not faced down, “would have started this war anyway.”

But what clearly showed that Khamenei supports Russia’s attack on Ukraine was his praise for Putin to have taken the “initiative” against Ukraine.

Although most of the drones have been easily shot down and US spokesman Ned Price has conceded their role as small, some analysts suggest the real US fear is Tehran replenishing Moscow’s missile stocks, which the US hopes to run down as the war continues.

US: Russia ‘illegally’ using Iranian, North Korean weapons

The US Thursday kept up denunciation of Russia-Iran links. In a statement Washington’s ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said Russia was “illegally” using weapons from both Iran and North Korea in its “Brutal War [sic] Against Ukraine.” Thomas-Greenfield called this a “violation of UN Security Council resolutions.”

She was apparently referring to North Korea’s launching ballistic missiles this year, which she said implicated Russia as a “partner to such behavior.” The illegality of acquiring Iranian military drones, she suggested, arose from “violations of UN Security Council Resolution 2231,” which in 2015 endorsed the Iran nuclear agreement, the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action). The US left the JCPOA in 2018 but along with France, Germany, and the United Kingdom now evokes the resolution in claiming the drones supply violates one of 2231’s clauses – a claim Tehran and Russia reject.

Israeli officials, meanwhile, cited in Haaretz newspaper Thursday, said Iran could use technology from its space program to launch nuclear weapons. These officials, the paper continued, “say that two of the rockets Iran has developed for launching satellites into orbit – the Zoljanah and the QAEM-100 – have similar capabilities [to those of ballistic missiles], including engines and fuel tanks that can accommodate solid fuel.”

Reporting that “building an intercontinental ballistic missile with such a range [over 4,000 km] is one of Iran’s strategic goals,” Haaretz informed readers this would “add Europe to the list of countries threatened by Iran’s weapons, whether conventional or nuclear.”

Britain’s Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told parliament Tuesday that in return for Iranian drones it uses in attacks on Ukraine, Russia will supply the military components to the Islamic Republic.

Wallace told the parliamentarians that Iran should be held accountable for supporting Russia in war on Ukraine.

“We must hold their enablers to account,” he noted. “Iran has become one of Russia’s top military backers. In return for having supplied more than 300 kamikaze drones, Russia intends to provide it with advanced military components, undermining both Middle East and international security. We must expose this deal.”

However, Wallace did not reveal more details about the technology that Tehran is going to receive.

Reuters says the Russian Defense Ministry and Iran’s foreign ministry have refused to give a comment regarding Wallace’s statements.

Earlier, Washington said Moscow was moving to provide Tehran with advanced military assistance including air defense systems, choppers, and fighter jets.

Russia was offering the Islamic Republic “an unprecedented level of military and technical support that is transforming their relationship into a full-fledged defense partnership,” said White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby on December 9.

The Biden administration recently unveiled sanctions against Iranian firms and entities involved in the transfer of drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.

The United States Treasury Department on Wednesday imposed sanctions on several Iranian officials, including the Prosecutor General Mohammad Montazeri, and key military officials accusing them of issuing a directive to courts in September to hand out harsh sentences to many of those arrested during protests.

“We denounce the Iranian regime’s intensifying use of violence against its own people who are advocating for their human rights,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “The United States and our partners are dedicated to holding Iranian officials to account for egregious abuses committed against Iranian citizens fighting for their fundamental freedoms.”

Also blacklisted was Iranian company Imen Sanat Zaman Fara, which the Treasury said manufactures equipment for Iran's Law Enforcement Forces, including armored vehicles used in crowd suppression.

Washington also imposed sanctions on two senior officials of Iran’s Basij Forces, a militia affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards that has been widely deployed during the crackdown, and two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials. The two are Moslem Moein, the chief of the Basij Cyberspace Headquarters, and Deputy Coordinator of the Basij, Hossein Maroufi. Hassan Hassanzadeh, the commander of IRGC forces in Tehran, and Seyyed Sadegh Hosseini, the commander of the Beit-al Moghadas Corps and IRGC Commander in Kordestan province were also designated in the latest move.

The move is the latest in a series of actions Washington has taken against Iranian officials over the regime’s crackdown on the unrest ignited by the death of Amini in September.

The United States, Canada ad their European allies have united against the regime’s crackdown on protesters especially after the Islamic Republic executed two detained protesters just for participating on the rallies.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) announced in its latest report that from September 16 until Tuesday, December 20, at least 506 protestors have been killed, of which at least 69 were minors.

While the Islamic Republic has not provided accurate figures of those detained, the watchdog went on to say that at least 18,457 protesters have been arrested including 652 students.

CNN reported Wednesday that different departments including Justice, Treasury, Defense, Commerce and State are involved in the task force.

Although strict measures were in effect to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining such materials, some evidence shows Tehran has more than enough access to US-made microelectronics that are used in manufacturing drones.

Last month, a UK-based investigative organization found that over 80 percent of the drones downed in Ukraine have components made by US companies.

Conflict Armament Research investigations revealed that processors built by Dallas-based technology company Texas Instruments as well as engines made by Austrian firm owned by Canada’s Bombardier Recreational Products have been used in the drones.

However, both tech companies in separate statements slammed the use of their products in the drones.

Bombardier Recreational Products said it had launched an investigation to see how its engines are used in the drones.

Microelectronic parts, however, are widely available to ordinary consumers even online.

Ukraine’s defense intelligence (GUR) spokesman Andriy Yusov said Monday that Russia has received a new shipment of Iranian-made Shahed-136 kamikaze drones from Iran.

Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian once again denied Iran has supplied drones to Russia to be used against Ukraine Monday, while previously he had acknowledged having provided drones to Moscow "before the Ukraine war began."

Esmail Ghaani (Qaani), the commander of IRGC’s Quds (Qods) Force -- a division primarily responsible for extraterritorial military and clandestine operations – said on Tuesday that it won't be long before the Palestinians eventually rid their land from Israelis. 

He gave the warning at a ceremony held on the occasion of the first death anniversary of former Iranian ambassador to Yemen Hassan Irlou, who died in suspicious circumstances. 

He claimed that Israel is “desperate and under intense pressure” as 40 to 50 operations are carried out against their forces in the West Bank per day. 

Lacking a coherent argument about the recent antiregime protests, Ghaani delivered a speech full of contradictions, and people immediately started making fun of him on social media, saying he was under the influence of a stimulant drug. 

Despite the growing number of Iranian women who appear in public without the mandatory dress code, Ghaani said that “no decent woman has unveiled in public,” practically insulting a significant part of the population. His attack on women showed the degree of anger and frustration among Islamic Republic officials over the new status, when many women have challenged the regime. 

The popular rebellion against forced hijab has shaken the ideological foundations and of the regime and its perceived control over the population.

He also repeated the famous paradox often seen in the Islamic Republic rhetoric: Violence and unrest in Iran is instigated by the West, especially the US and Israel, but at the same time they are unable to do anything against the interests of the regime.

Referring to the targeted killing of his predecessor Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by a US drone strike in Iraq in January 2020. Ghaani said the “Zionists will soon have to leave the occupied territories,” and warned Israelis to sell their houses and “leave Palestine. “ He added, “Today, we see that in the occupied territories, old Jewish figures have created organizations to [promote] leaving the occupied territories,” without citing any evidence.

No matter what is unfolding on the ground, the Islamic Republic authorities seem so clueless that they repeat the same rhetoric over and over. The entire country is gripped with the boldest challenge against the clerical regimesince 1979 and talks to revive .

The regime is also more isolated than ever in international arenas evident from its expulsion from the UN women’s body and an overwhelming unanimity to establish a fact-finding mission over its rights abuses, its long-time ally China is siding with its archnemesis Saudi Arabia and its partner Russia is competing with it to sell more oil to Iran’s buyers.

All of this is against the backdrop of regular strikes and protests by ordinary people as well as the elite who are fed up with the country’s lack of fundamental freedoms and dire economic situation. But the regime’s propaganda line does not change: The Supreme Leader claims the country is a regional powerhouse, and “Western imperialism” is on decline.