NATO Chief Warns About Iranian, North Korean Arms For Russia

The prisoners described the action as “a desperate attempt to quell dissent”.

"The sentencing of Madani is a clear demonstration of the authorities' willingness to oppress even non-violent dissenters," said one prisoner.

The statement, released by the prisoners, denounced the government's ongoing systematic suppression of political dissent which has seen hundreds of arrests of academics and students in the wake of the 2022 unrest. Universities have been at the heart of the Women, Life, Freedom movement sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.

Saeed Madani, known for his involvement in the national-religious movement, faced a nine-year prison sentence in November 2022 on various charges including “forming and managing opposition groups, conspiring against national security, and propagating against the regime.” The Tehran Appeals Court upheld the verdict, with eight years deemed executable.

"Saeed Madani's resilience in the face of adversity is commendable," stated a fellow inmate. "His unwavering commitment to activism despite immense pressure serves as an inspiration to us all."

Among the signatories are Golrokh Iraee, Alireza Eradati, Rasoul Bodaghi, Mostafa Tajzadeh, Mahvash Sabet.

The annual publication highlights a significant escalation in cyber warfare tactics during the period from the October 7 invasion from Iran-backed Hamas, to the end of 2023.

According to the report, Israel encountered a 2.5-fold increase in cyber intrusions compared to previous years, with a total of 3,380 attacks documented during the specified timeframe. Notably, 800 of the attacks were deemed to possess "significant potential for damage" by the National Cyber Directorate.

"The war brought with it an increase in cyber attacks that intensified gradually, shifting from a focus on information theft to disruptive and damaging attacks," the report stated. It said the attacks had aims from simply spreading public discord to more sophisticated endeavors designed to disrupt essential organizations and influential companies within supply chains.

The Directorate underscored the targeting of hospitals as central objectives, attacks aimed at undermining the war effort and intelligence gathering, and a burgeoning collaboration between Iran and Hezbollah in executing cyber operations.

Throughout 2023, the Directorate registered a total of 13,040 verified cyber attack reports, representing a 43% surge compared to the preceding year. Notably, 68% of these reports coincided with the Gaza conflict.

Of the reported attacks, 41% targeted social networks, 25% were phishing attempts, and 13% exploited vulnerabilities in computer systems. The remaining assaults comprised malware attacks, disruptions to operational continuity, and communication disruptions.

The report also emphasized the prevalent use of compromised login data and phishing techniques by attackers, underscoring the need for heightened vigilance and enhanced cybersecurity measures across critical sectors.

Fatah, the movement that controls the Palestinian Authority, said it would not allow "our sacred cause and the blood of our people to be exploited" and said it would act against any interference from outside aimed at harming security forces or national institutions.

Israel has long accused Iran of helping Palestinian armed groups including Hamas, which led the October 7 attack on Israel, and which has become more deeply entrenched in the West Bank over recent years.

The leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad visited Iran last week, attesting to the Tehran's growing influence on Palestinian politics, almost six months after the attack on Israel.

In addition to financial and logistical support, Tehran does everything it can to tilt the balance of power among Palestinian factions away from the Palestinian Authority and towards Hamas and Islamic Jihad, whom, unlike Fatah, Iran considers friends and allies.

Last month, the Israeli military said security forces had stopped advanced weapons including anti tank mines from being smuggled into the West Bank.

In the past, Iran has not denied providing support to the armed groups, saying whatever backing it gives is at the request of the Palestinians.

The statement from Fatah came as the Palestinian Authority has asked the United Nations Security Council to vote this month to make it a full UN member, a move that would add to mounting global pressure for a two state solution with Israel.

Occupied by Israel after the 1967 Middle East war, the West Bank has been at the heart of decades of conflict with the Palestinians, who want the area as the heart of a future independent state that would also include Gaza and have East Jerusalem as its capital.

(With reporting by Reuters)

Globus, an environmental organization in Kazakhstan, reported that satellite imagery had detected a significant oil spill in the northern Caspian Sea vicinity of Kashagan. Galina Chernova, director of Globus, shared on Facebook that images from the European satellite Sentinel-1A depicted a slick spanning approximately 7 square kilometers (2.7 square miles).

However, North Caspian Operating Company, primarily owned by Western oil majors such as Shell and Exxon Mobil, overseeing the Kashagan field, dismissed the claims, attributing the satellite images to a different, natural phenomenon.

The oil pollution in the Caspian Sea poses a significant threat to Iran's environment and economy. As one of the Caspian littoral states, Iran is particularly vulnerable to the consequences of oil spills and pollution in the region. The spills not only endanger marine life and ecosystems but also impact Iran's fishing industry, which relies heavily on the health of the Caspian Sea.

The contamination can also affect coastal communities and pose health risks to residents who rely on the sea for their livelihoods.

Iran stands as the sole Caspian Sea littoral state refraining from oil and gas extraction activities, contrasting with Russia, Azerbaijan, and other nations which have collectively invested over $160 billion in Caspian fields.

In 2024, all littoral states, with the exception of Iran, are striving to boost oil and gas production from the fields. Their combined output from the fields amounted to over 1.2 million barrels per day of oil and 50 billion cubic meters per year of gas in 2023.

The air strike, reportedly launched by an Israeli F-35, flattened a building in the diplomatic compound on a national Iranian holiday, killing two senior Revolutionary Guard generals and five other officers. The incident is seen as the hardest blow at the clerical regime and its regional ambitions since Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani was eliminated in a similar US strike in Baghdad in January 2020.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei vowed revenge on Tuesday, saying in a statement that “The nefarious regime will be punished by our brave men. We will make them regret this crime and other ones like it, by God's will.” Now, the Iranian regime must retaliate to save face, but any direct attack can spark an open war with Israel, a scenario many believe Tehran wants to avoid.

Media outlets in Tehran that do not directly belong to the government or the Revolutionary Guard, published numerous opinions on Wednesday urging caution.

Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, a prominent commentator and former head of the Iranian parliament's foreign policy committee, strongly indicated that the Israeli attack on the embassy was a deliberate ploy to entangle Iran in a war. “We should not see the issues emotionally. I have said many times since October 7th that this is a trap for Iran. Since October 7th, the trajectory of events has been a setup to drag Iran into war, and what happened was that the balance between diplomacy and the battlefield was disrupted. This imbalance gradually led Iran into a conflict that serves none of its national interests.”

Qasem Mohebali, former head of Iran’s foreign ministry Middle East section, told Faraz Daily website that Netanyahu would like to expand the war to save his premiership, which is under attack by disenchanted Israelis. Netanyahu aims to “to escalate the war and involve Iran, the United States, and the West in it, while also neutralizing the Arabs. Therefore, Israel's objective in this matter is clear, and it remains to be seen what the next steps of both sides will be,” he said.

Fararu website published an interview with political commentator Abdolreza Farajirad, who argued that Israel, and especially Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, currently face numerous challenges. Therefore, Israel is planning a wider war with Hezbollah on its northern border to push Iran’s most powerful proxy military force away from its territory. To make such a conflict winnable, Israel wants to disrupt the supply chain from Tehran to Beirut, and hence more attacks on Iranian targets in Syria.

While these commentators sounded cautionary notes, hardliners in parliament and elsewhere called for a harsh response to Israel, without receiving much resonance from others. It is not clear if the government is encouraging commentators who are allowed to speak to the media to express their concerns about escalation. Government censored media in Iran is not allowed to speak to any political activist or pundit on sensitive issues.

One notable exception among the media was the Asr Iran website, which argued in an analysis that if Iran fails to respond forcefully to Israel, it will embolden the enemy to launch further attacks. The website contended that weakness would only invite aggression. It refuted the notion that Israel may not seek a wider conflict and therefore Iran should exercise self-restraint. According to Asr Iran, if Israel is not prepared for direct conflict, Iran can respond without fear of escalation. In conclusion, the website emphasized that Iran has nothing to lose and everything to gain from a forceful response.