Russia airlifted 4,000 Iranian troops from Syria to Tehran, Putin says

A few of these hardliners, who were born or lived in the United States, have become a particular focus of criticism.

Entekhab wore on Tuesday that several hardliners with US ties—whether born, raised or having resided there—are promoting radical ideas in foreign policy. The paper regarded this as a strange phenomenon that people who benefited from education or experience in the United States are now promoting policies that could increase Iran's isolation.

The website featured images of several individuals with similar backgrounds, including political commentators Foad Izadi and Mohammad Marandi, as well as former Paydari Party leader Morteza Aqa-Tehrani. It further alleged that "all of these hardline figures support ultraconservative former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili."

Entekhab quoted Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, the former head of the Iranian parliament's Foreign Relations and National Security Committee, criticizing Iranian ultraconservative academic Foad Izadi. Falahatpisheh remarked, "Izadi grew up, attended school, and lived in the United States for several decades. Yet, upon returning to Iran, he was appointed as a university faculty member and introduced on state television as a political expert on the United States. In all the programs he has participated in, he has done nothing but promote international tensions. Isn't there something wrong here?"

According to Entekhab, Izadi is a member of the ultraconservative Paydari Party. "Yet, he is not the only Iranian hardliner who grew up in the United States and lived there for some time."

Just last week, Mohammad Marandi, a vocal critic of Iran's nuclear agreement with the United States and other world powers, sparked controversy by suggesting that Iran might target Qatar, and a major US military base located there. Marandi, who frequently appears on Iranian state television and international channels to voice his anti-US rhetoric, raised the threat in an X post about a potential US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. He wrote: “Slight problem. The US Al Udeid air base is in tiny Qatar. In case of aggression, the natural gas facilities and infrastructure in Qatar will be totally destroyed. Hence, there will be no natural gas from Doha. Hence, there will be no Qatar. Things won’t end there either…”

According to Rouydad24 news website in Tehran, Mohammad Marandi was born in the US in 1966 form an Iranian father and an American mother. He is the son of Alireza Marandi who is Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's family doctor. When he first came to Iran after his father was appointed health minister, he was only 13. He was part of Iran’s nuclear negotiating team in Vienna in 2021-2022.

Hardline cleric Morteza Aqa-Tehrani, who has denied holding US citizenship, acknowledged to the press that he possesses a green card, having lived in the United States for many years while serving as the Imam of an Iranian mosque in New York. Notably, Iran's parliament did not address his US residency status when enacting a law that prohibits US citizens and permanent residence permit holders from holding key positions in Iran.

Nonetheless, Mohammad Mohajeri, a former editor of hardline daily Kayhan pointed out that it was because of his US citizenship that Aqa-Tehrani was forced to step down from his position as the leader of the ultraconservative Paydari Party.

Entekhab wrote: "While the hardliners label former Foreign Minister Zarif and his aides as 'the New York Gang,' it seems these ultraconservative figures are the true members of that gang." The website also criticized Mohammad Marandi for his unrealistic claims that Europe would capitulate to Iran's demands during the "hard winter" of 2022 due to a need for Iranian natural gas. In reality, not only did Iran lack gas to supply Europe, but it was forced to purchase gas from Turkmenistan and struggled to pay for it. Marandi used the argument to persuade others that there was no need to make a nuclear deal in mid-2022 and Tehran could wait for the West to capitulate.

The website also charged that "Marandi and his hard winter theory were the main reason why Iran was not able to conclude successful negotiations with the West over its nuclear program."

According to the Tasnim news website, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, the bank will inject 1.5 billion UAE dirhams and 300 million US dollars in cash into Tehran’s free exchange market.

The rial has depreciated by over 25% since September, driven by regional conflicts and Iran’s setbacks in Syria and Lebanon. On Thursday, the rial traded at nearly 770,000 per US dollar, a sharp drop from around 600,000 in September.

Since the establishment of the Islamic government in 1979, the Iranian currency has experienced an 11,000-fold decline in value.

“In line with the inherent duties of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and diplomatic and consular missions to defend and support citizens abroad, the matter is being actively pursued,” the embassy said in a statement published by Iranian media.

According to Le Monde, five people were killed in northern France on Saturday, including two Iranian men, aged 19 and 30, who were living in a local migrant camp.

A 22-year-old suspect surrendered to authorities and was taken into custody on the same day.

“The representatives of the nation have summoned the minister of economy to parliament with questions, and if necessary, they will initiate impeachment proceedings,” Goudarzi said.

The Iranian rial plummeted to a historic low against the US dollar on Wednesday, trading at over 780,000 rials per dollar. The Iranian currency has lost about 50% of its value in less than a year.

A notable shock to the currency market occurred on November 6, when the dollar surged past 700,000 rials following news of Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential election. However, the currency’s decline had already begun in September, triggered by severe setbacks inflicted by Israel on Iran's key regional proxy, Hezbollah, and an Israeli airstrike that destroyed much of Iran's air defenses.

Since October 7, when Iran-backed Hamas invaded Israel sparking the Gaza war, Iran’s Houthis in Yemen have launched more than 200 missile and 170 drones at Israel, most of which were intercepted before reaching Israeli territory.

But the early Thursday morning attack, which badly damaged a school in Ramat Gan, north of Tel Aviv, triggered a wave of counterattacks, after almost daily firing from Yemen over recent weeks.

Israel sent 14 fighter jets that flew a distance of more than 1,700 kilometers, among the targets, the ports of Ras Issa, Hodeidah and al-Salif. A total of eight tugboats were attacked and in Sana'a, fuel tanks, oil, and a power plant were hit. Nine people were believed to have been killed in Yemen so far.

The attacks, which followed the missile strike on Israel at 2:38am, began at 3:15am, the first wave in the coastal area of ​​Yemen, and the second wave at 4:30am in the Sana'a area.

The Houthis have been targeting Israel directly along with imposing a maritime blockade on the Red Sea region. Initially aimed at forcing a ceasefire in Gaza, and targeting Israeli-linked shipping, it has since expanded to all international shipping, with dozens of international seamen taken hostage since it began in November 2023.

A statement from the Israeli military said IAF fighter jets worked with the direction of the Intelligence Directorate and the Israeli Navy.

Calling out Iran for its role in the more than one year bombardment, having funded, trained and armed the group, designated terrorists by countries including the US and UK, the military said: “The targets struck by the IDF were used by the Houthi forces for military purposes. The strikes degrade the Houthi terrorist regime, preventing it from exploiting the targets for military and terrorist purposes, including the smuggling of Iranian weapons to the region.

“Over the past year, the Houthi terrorist regime has been operating with the direction and funding of Iran, and in cooperation with Iraqi militias in order to attack the State of Israel and Israeli civilians, undermine regional stability and disrupt global freedom of navigation.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that the strikes represent the further collapse of Iran's network of military allies which Israel has been fighting in the wake of last year's Iran-backed Hamas invasion of Israel on October 7.

"After Hamas, Hezbollah and the Assad regime in Syria, the Houthis are almost the last arm of Iran's axis of evil. They are finding out, and will find out, the hard way that whoever harms Israel – will pay a very heavy price," he said, referring to a devastating campaign against Iran's largest ally, Hezbollah, in recent months, and more than a year of war against Gaza-based Hamas, which has left the group massively weakened.

In July, the US levied yet more sanctions against members of the Houthis for involvement in financing. “The Houthis in Yemen continue to receive vast revenues from the illicit shipment of Iranian commodities. This funding stream enables the Houthis’ ongoing attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea and surrounding waterways,” a statement from Matthew Miller, the State Department spokesman said.

According to the Council of Foreign Relations, Iranian military support to the Houthis began as early as 2009, amid the Houthis’ first war against Yemen’s government.

“Most experts agree that the Houthis were receiving weapons from Iran by 2014, the year they captured Sanaa. In both cases, military intervention against the Houthis by Iran’s regional rival, Saudi Arabia, likely catalyzed Tehran’s increased interest in the group,” research from the think tank found.

The group, like Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, have become part of what is known as Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’ of militia around the region, formed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as a means to bolster power and bring down Israel and the US presence in the Middle East.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday morning: ”We attacked strategic targets of the Houthi terrorist organization in Yemen once again tonight … We will not accept rockets being fired at Israel, nor damage to shipping lanes. We will strike with force and will not allow the continuation of the situation of shooting and threats against the State of Israel."

In the aftermath of the attacks, Muhammad al-Bahithi from the Houthi political bureau, said that "the American-Israeli attack on civilian facilities in Yemen, power plants and ports, exposes the hypocrisy of the West”, though Israel and the US had not confirmed their involvement in the strikes overnight.

The US and UK have, however, launched a series of joint strikes against the Houthis since the blockade began last year, the US heading an international coalition to combat the action which has massively impacted global shipping.

“Our military operations in support of Gaza will continue, escalation will be met with escalation until the genocide in Gaza stops and food, medicine and fuel are brought in for the residents,” al-Bahithi said.

On Thursday, the Israeli military said that an interception had led to shrapnel damage in the wake of the attack.

"It is likely that the damage was caused by partial interception of the missile launched from Yemen and that the missile warhead was the part that exploded and damaged the school," a statement said, an investigation underway.