Terrorism

On January 16, on the heels of deadly strikes against Iraq, the Islamic Republic of Iran launched a deadly missile and drone attack on western Pakistan in a clear violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.

In a startling revelation, Semafor News and Iran International have exposed the Iran Experts Initiative (IEI), a covert operation initiated by Iran’s foreign ministry in 2014. The IEI was meticulously planned to strategically position Iranian analysts within Western think tanks, subtly advancing Iran's diplomatic objectives.

On Sunday, May 22, Iranian media reported the assassination of Col. Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, who was a senior officer of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force. Khodaei was shot five times by men on a motorcycle in an unarmored Kia Pride, in what was thought to be a secure area near the Iranian parliament.

By Yossi Yehoshua and Reuben Weiss

Translated by David Daoud

Original Source: Yedioth Ahronoth

Original Publication Date: March 12, 2021

Original Link: https://www.yediot.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-5896909,00.html

In January 2020, UANI profiled Saeed Mohammad, head of the IRGC’s Khatam-al Anbia Construction HQ (“KAA”).  Despite this prominent role, he has managed to evade U.S. scrutiny and sanctions and remained a relative ‘unknown’ - until now. Having just quit the KAA, Mohammad is emerging from the shadows with a potential Presidential run in June.

With the U.S. presidential election approaching, the Trump administration has increased the pace of sanctions designations on Iran. While such penalties are aimed to build economic leverage against Tehran, a pattern has emerged in the recent U.S. actions. The United States is seeking to blur the distinction between Iran’s armed and elected states to document publicly that they are two sides of the same terror coin.

About three weeks ago, the Afghan intelligence arrested a senior Taliban commander moments after he crossed the border from Iran to Afghanistan. The smooth capture stunned the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force (IRGC-QF), which until now has not faced difficulties in transporting Taliban fighters across the border.

Last week, Pakistani and Iranian army chiefs talked terrorism over the phone. But the official readouts by their respective militaries could not be more different. This is the latest sign of simmering tensions between Tehran and Islamabad that have wider implications for next-door Afghanistan and the Gulf.  

Last week, the U.S.

Today, the U.S. Treasury designated a little-known ‘charitable’ organization called the Headquarters for the Restoration of Holy Shrines (HRHS). Despite its name, HRHS is in reality an Iranian IRGC terrorist front group that has been smuggling men and material into Iraq for almost two decades.