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TOP STORIES
Nikki Haley, United States Ambassador to the United
Nations, said that based on a new report by the U.N. Secretary
General, new pressure on Iran's continued behavior could lead to a
new resolution against the Tehran regime or the strengthening present
ones... Haley warned the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could be
included for its many violations.
US President Donald Trump recognized
Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on Dec. 6. In a matter of days,
Iran voiced its rejection. On Dec. 11, for the first time ever, Maj.
Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Quds Force, called the
leaders of the military wings of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad
to offer military support... Also on Dec. 11, the Beirut-based
pan-Arab Al-Mayadeen News reported that in the telephone call,
Soleimani stated that all the Arab resistance movements, such as
Hezbollah and other groups that emerged during the Syrian war, are
prepared to defend Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque.
A viral propaganda video depicting a Saudi Arabian
invasion of Iran has dominated social media in the Middle East in
recent days as the proxy war between the two rival nations has
continued to play out across the region to devastating effect. The
animated video, titled "Saudi Strike Force," has been
viewed nearly a million times on YouTube and imagines Saudi Arabia's
one-sided takeover of Iran following an unprovoked attack on a
humanitarian vessel.
IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL
Congress isn't likely to pass new Iran-related
legislation any time soon, if ever. So the ball is now back in
Trump's court. If he wants to re-impose sanctions on Iran, he will
have to do it himself. The good news for the White House is that the
president has the power to do just that. All he has to do is stop
signing executive orders waiving the sanctions that were suspended
once the Iran nuclear deal went into effect. He has waived them twice
so far in his presidency, most recently in September. The sanctions
can be waived for up to 120 days, which means Trump will have to
decide whether to waive them again before January 12. Mark that date
on your calendar. It's going to be important.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
Iran is likely to be a major policy target in the new
year when the McMaster strategy is completed. With American troops
fighting in Afghanistan for the 17th year, presenting a case for
confronting Iran anew is likely to take considerable public education
and selling, short of a direct attack by Iran on Israel or American
troops.
SANCTIONS ENFORCEMENT
A New York jury is deliberating the fate of a Turkish
banker in a sanctions-busting trial full of political intrigue and
international tension.
TERRORISM AND EXTREMISM
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel
said his country was concerned about Iran's role in the region and
noted that Berlin and Riyadh agreed on the external political role
played by Iran in the region and the role of Hezbollah.
HUMAN RIGHTS
The husband of jailed British woman Nazanin
Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been given fresh hope after learning that an
Iranian judiciary database has listed her as 'eligible for release.'
Four UN rights experts on Wednesday called on Iran to
"immediately" annul the death sentence against an academic
accused of espionage during nuclear talks with world powers, warning
his trial had been marred by violations. Ahmadreza Djalali, an
Iranian emergency medicine specialist resident in Sweden, was
sentenced to death in the Islamic republic in October for spying for
Israel.
MILITARY MATTERS
Revolutionary Guard Chief of Staff Major General
Mohammad Hossein Bagheri highlighted on Tuesday local efforts being
poured into widening a rift between the Revolutionary Guard and the
national army. On the other hand, Iranian Army Commander-in-Chief
Abdolrahim Mousavi vowed to introduce radical structural changes to
the Iranian army so it becomes "more in keep with the
revolutionary (in reference to the Revolutionary Guard) style"--
Mousavi said it was according to orders of Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei.
SYRIA CONFLICT
On his first night fighting ISIL in Syria's Aleppo
province, Afghan Ali Hoshman witnessed the death of 41 of his fellow
militiamen. "We lost that battle along with 30 Afghan and 11
Iranian colleagues, one of whom was my bunk mate," he said. Over
the next five months, Ali, now 25, would witness countless deaths,
strengthening his resolve to be a part of the forces loyal to Syrian
president Bashar Al Assad.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, LEBANON, AND IRAN
On Tuesday, the Middle East grew a little more tense.
For at least the second time in as many months, Saudi Arabia
announced that it had intercepted a missile fired by Yemen's Houthi
rebels at Riyadh.
Recent changes in the dynamics of Yemen's civil conflict
- widely seen as a proxy war between rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran -
are making it very hard to predict what could happen next in the
Middle East.
Earlier this month, Qais al-Khazali,
leader of the Iranian-backed Iraqi militia Asaib Ahl al-Haqq, showed
up in southern Lebanon to issue threats against Israel alongside
fellow Shia militants from Hezbollah. At first glance, highly
publicized video of the incident seemed to signal that Tehran was
might expand its military activities from Syria into Lebanon... But
for all its tough talk, Tehran does not want to spark a fight in
Lebanon, which is far too important to Iranian interests to be turned
into another battlefield-at least not before Hezbollah solidifies its
grip there in the coming months.
IRANIAN DOMESTIC ISSUES
Amid speculation about an increase in gasoline prices in
Iran, reports of a 70% surge in the salaries of parliament members
have infuriated both public opinion and the media.
Iran has raised the price of fuel by up to 50% during
the next year's budget and will move to cancel the monetary support
of more than 34 million people.
A former deputy of Iran's hardline ex-president Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad revealed Wednesday that he had been sentenced to 15 years
in prison on financial charges.
Schools were closed for a fourth straight day in Tehran
on Wednesday as dangerous air pollution covered the Iranian capital
and traffic restrictions failed to clear the thick smog.
Average airborne concentration of the finest and most hazardous
particles (PM2.5) was "unhealthy" at 160 microgrammes per
cubic metre, slightly worse than Tuesday, authorities said.
As a 28-year-old woman born and raised in the holy city
of Qom - the Vatican of Iran's Shia Islam - Zeynab Mousavi is
breaking numerous barriers to become the country's first female
standup comic to find fame, and notoriety, on a national scale.
Mousavi has found legions of young fans, but has also touched a nerve
in a country where standup comedy is relatively new, and being a
female performer remains taboo for many.
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