Iran Armed Forces To Launch Air Defense Drill Amid Rising Tensions

Deputy Special Envoy Abram Paley called for her unconditional release, emphasizing the need to end the Iranian regime's oppressive campaign against critics and human rights activists, including Mohammadi.

“The Iranian regime’s campaign to silence critics and human rights activists, including Ms. Mohammadi, must stop,” he wrote in an X message on Wednesday.

The statement coincides with the one-year anniversary of the Without Just Cause initiative launched by the US State Department, a campaign aimed at raising awareness about political prisoners around the world.

Narges Mohammadi, a prominent Iranian activist, has faced multiple detentions since 1998. Despite legal challenges, she continues her unwavering commitment to civic activism, advocating for human rights and gender equality. Mohammadi recently appeared before the Evin District Security Court on the fifth case initiated against her in the past six months by the Ministry of Intelligence.

Facing a sentence of nine years and eight months with 154 lashes and additional penalties, Mohammadi rejects the legitimacy of the government and its court verdicts. The charges against her, based on politically motivated "national security" claims, exemplify a broader pattern of the Iranian regime imprisoning non-violent political activists, human rights defenders, and individuals from religious and ethnic minority groups.

Human rights organizations report that the Iranian authorities arrested approximately 20,000 people following peaceful protests in September 2022, triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced in a post on X that 14 missiles belonging to Iran-backed Houthis were targeted at 11:59 p.m. (Sanaa time) on January 17, adding that the missiles were all “loaded to be fired in Houthi controlled areas in Yemen.”

“These missiles on launch rails presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and U.S. Navy ships in the region and could have been fired at any time,” the post added.

Meanwhile, CENTCOM commander Michael Erik Kurilla vowed that Washington will continue its efforts to protect the lives of Americans and innocent mariners against Yemeni Houthis’ threats in the Red Sea.

“The actions by the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists continue to endanger international mariners and disrupt the commercial shipping lanes,” he stressed.

CENTCOM’s offensive action came hours after the Biden administration listed Houthis as specially designated global terrorists (SDGT) in response to the group’s rising threats in the region. The US, however, has not decided yet to include Houthis in the list of foreign terrorist organizations (FTO). 

The Biden administration delisted Iran-backed Houthis’ designation as both a foreign terrorist organization and as a specially designated global terrorist, when it assumned office in early 2021.

Although Tehran has avoided any direct involvement in the Israel-Hamas conflict, the regime has used its proxy groups in the region such as Houthis and Hezbollah to attack Israeli and American targets.

On Wednesday, the Office of the US Special Envoy for Iran condemned Tehran’s backing of Houthi rebels, with a commitment from Washington to ensure freedom of navigation.

A local official in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province, bordering Pakistan, confirmed Thursday morning local time that multiple explosions had occurred near the city of Saravan at around 4:00 am.

The deputy governor general of the restive province told the state TV that airstrikes carried out by Pakistan targeted a border village, killing three women and four children, all non-Iranian citizens. It is not clear if Pakistan used warplanes, missiles or drones. Missiles have been mentioned in local reporting, but all three weapons platforms could have been used.

Later in the day, Pakistan's Foreign Ministry announced in a statement that the country had undertaken "a series of highly coordinated and specifically targeted precision military strikes against terrorist hideouts in Sistan and Baluchistan province of Iran."

"A number of terrorists were killed during the Intelligence-based operation – codenamed 'Marg Bar Sarmachar' (Death to Insurgents)," the statement said.

"Over the last several years, in our engagements with Iran, Pakistan has consistently shared its serious concerns about the safe havens and sanctuaries enjoyed by Pakistani origin terrorists calling themselves 'Sarmachars' on the ungoverned spaces inside Iran. Pakistan also shared multiple dossiers with concrete evidence of the presence and activities of these terrorists," it noted.

However, it added, "because of lack of action on our serious concerns, these so-called Sarmachars continued to spill the blood of innocent Pakistanis with impunity. This morning’s action was taken in light of credible intelligence of impending large scale terrorist activities by these so called Sarmachars."

Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said that Tehran has not yet taken an official position regarding Pakistan’s strikes. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani condemned Pakistan’s attack, without elaborating.

Malek Fazeli, Saravan’s representative in the Iranian parliament, rejected Islamabad’s allegations about the presence of Pakistani terrorists in the town.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry summoned the Pakistani embassy’s charge d’affaires demanding an explanantion for the airstrikes. Pakistan's foreign ministry said the aim of the attack was to defend national security, but Islamabad is not pursuing tensions with Tehran.

China and Saudi Arabia have held negotiations with the Iranian government in an attempt to prevent further escalations. According to reports, Beijing and Riyadh are trying to dissuade Iran from retaliating to Pakistan’s airstrikes.

Images have emerged on various local media purporting to show fire, smoke and destroyed structures in the area, including Shamesar near Saravan.

In early hours of Wednesday local time, Iran’s IRGC launched missiles and drones against targets in Pakistan, in an operation that Iran said was against two bases of the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl.
Pakistan called the attacks “illegal” and “completely unacceptable” and warned of “serious consequences.”

The two neighbors’ relations soured rapidly as Pakistan recalled its ambassador and ordered the Iranian ambassador to Islamabad to stay in Iran until further notice.

Iran and Pakistan have rocky but functioning ties. Clashes in border areas occur from time to time, mainly involving groups such as Jaish al-Adl, which has claimed responsibility for attacks on, and the killing of, several Iranian border patrols.

On Tuesday, hours before the airstrikes, Iran and Pakistan had a joint military exercise in the Persian Gulf, according to Iran’s official news agency IRNA, and Iran’s foreign minister met Pakistan’s caretaker prime minister on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Before the attacks on Pakistan, IRGC had hit several targets in Iraq and Syria, triggering the Arab League to adopt a resolution condemning Iran's violation of Iraq's sovereignty.

Many in the region –and beyond– fear that Iran’s escalation in various fronts across the region may lead to a full-scale war. That fear is now much greater as the regime’s dangerous game has reached nuclear armed Pakistan.

Iranian missile attacks on the Kurdish region of Iraq, along with similar strikes on targets in Syria and Pakistan, have heightened concerns among Iranians that a war may erupt involving Iran at any moment.

While some Iranian pundits have suggested the possibility of a war between Iran and the United States within the next two years, other observers argue that such a scenario is unlikely unless there are exceptional circumstances. Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, has labeled Iran as the most significant regional security threat, coupled with Iranian proxy groups' daily attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Iran launching missile strikes on three countries in less than a day.

The Iranian currency, rial, has fell to its eight-month low against the US dollar this week, trading at 540,000 per dollar.

Pro-reform daily Setareh Sobh [Morning Star] on Wednesday directly linked the turmoil in the rising dollar exchange rate and the price of gold in Tehran to the prevailing geopolitical tensions.

According to the daily, diplomacy could be the only way to control the markets in Iran. However, with a war raging on in the region, and Iran playing a major part in the conflict, leaves little chance for diplomacy. In the meantime, the Iranian government has proven during the past three years that it is absolutely incapable of influencing the markets.

Meanwhile, Iranian economist Hossein Raghfar told Fararu website that the most vulnerable segments of the Iranian society are suffering more under the pressure of rising inflation. Prices of foodstuff have been rising exponentially during the past months.

The government's spokesman has acknowledged that the surge in prices is a direct result of military developments in the region. He pointed out that the US and its allies' airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen have generated a feeling of insecurity in Iran, contributing to an overall atmosphere of instability. Nevertheless, Iranian Minister of Economy Ehsan Khandouzi asserted that the government is making every effort to manage the "price fluctuations."

Mohammad Kashtiarai, the Chairman of the Iranian Goldsmiths Trade Union has also told Khabar Online that the rising price of gold in Iran is the outcome of political developments in the region.

This sense of instability comes after years of a longer trend of uncertainty for Iranians, who no longer see a decent future for themselves and their children.

The sense of instability and insecurity is also reflected in a report by the presidential Office's Strategic Studies Center that painted an alarming picture of hopelessness among Iranians that leads to a flood of emigration. Former government spokesman Ali Rabiei has agreed with the report, highlighting that the main reason for the emigration of educated and skilled Iranians is the government's poor performance that has left no hope regarding the future of the country.

Rabiei wrote: "The report indicates that the underlying factors driving migration from Iran are not primarily economic or related to issues such as unemployment. The central issue is the lack of a clear vision for the country's future provided by the government." He further commented, "Today, immigration differs from the past. For example, when an Iranian chooses to move to Germany, it's not for political aspirations or business prospects. They are leaving solely because they no longer wish to reside in Iran. This is profoundly concerning."

Rabiei also warned that "Iran is the world's number one country in terms of wasting its human resources. He pointed out that the inclination to migrate among educated Iranians has risen from 23 percent in 2014 to 46 percent in 2021." 

Mohammad Dehghan told reporters, “Any individual, whether Iranian or non-Iranian, who takes actions against the national security of the country will face consequences. Relevant authorities will take timely measures in this regard,"

Currently residing in Europe, Karimi gained prominence during the 2022 anti-regime protests, using his influence on social media to defend young protesters facing brutality by security forces. Concerned about his influence, government officials have issued threats against him several times since he left the country. 

Reza Naqipour, deputy head of the presidential office and former Head of Security of the Football Federation, used a threatening hashtag on January 5, suggesting a fate similar to the journalist Ruhullah Zam who was kidnapped from France in 2019 and executed in 2020, saying, "One day you will return the way that we like, not the way you like!"

Iran’s state television attempted to discredit Karimi for a tweet following a deadly twin bombing in Kerman. In the tweet, Karimi criticized the regime’s policy of offering food and drink at pro-government events, stating, "Go for free food and drink, but you will get a hard revenge."

Despite official efforts, Karimi's direct communication through social media has resonated with tens of thousands of supporters, highlighting the government's growing unease over his influential reach.