THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 8:00 PM CET
Al-Sharaa to Asharq Al-Awsat: Revolution Ended with Regime’s Fall, Will Not Be Exported
Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the head of the new Syrian administration, told Asharq Al-Awsat that “the Syrian revolution ended with the regime’s fall, and we will not allow it to spread elsewhere.”
He stressed that Syria “will not be used to attack or destabilize any Arab or Gulf country.”
Speaking from the Presidential Palace in Damascus on Thursday, Al-Sharaa said the Syrian opposition’s actions had “set the Iranian project in the region back by 40 years.”
“Syria had become a platform for Iran to control key Arab capitals, spread wars, and destabilize the Gulf with drugs like Captagon,” he said.
He added: “By removing Iranian militias and closing Syria to Iranian influence, we’ve served the region’s interests—achieving what diplomacy and external pressure could not, with minimal losses.”
Charity with Alleged Links to Iran Faces Police Investigation
A charity with alleged links to the Iranian regime is facing an investigation by Scotland Yard and the Charity Commission, The Times has learnt.
The activities of Dar Alhekma Trust (DAT), which is based near Regent’s Park in central London, are being examined by the national terrorist financial investigation unit. Detectives were passed a dossier of information on the charity and a second organisation, alleging links to groups supported by Tehran. Both deny wrongdoing.
The Times has extensively reported on links between other charities in the UK and the Tehran regime, which has been accused by MI5 of carrying out attempted assassinations, kidnaps and intimidation of dissidents.
UPDATE: 2:30 PM CET
Iran Expands Weaponization Capabilities Critical for Employing Nuclear Bomb
The Islamic Republic of Iran has continued its pursuit of obtaining a nuclear weapon by not only stockpiling enriched uranium to near-weapons-grade purity, it has expanded its covert actions in developing its weaponization capabilities. According to information obtained by sources embedded in the Iranian regime and supplied to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), an opposition organization based out of D.C. and Paris, there are indications that Tehran has once again renewed efforts to advance its ability to detonate a nuclear weapon.
At the head of Iran’s detonators program is an organization the NCRI has dubbed METFAZ, which is the Farsi acronym for the Center for Research and Expansion of Technologies on Explosions and Impact, and its recent movements at a previously deactivated site, known as Sanjarian, has drawn immense speculation.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Sanctioning Iran’s Oil Trade, Support for Proxies and Partners, and Violations of Human Rights
The Department of State is today imposing sanctions on four entities that have transported Iranian oil and identifying six vessels as their blocked property.
The United States is committed to curtailing Iran’s sources of revenue for its malign activities. As long as Iran devotes its energy revenues to funding attacks on U.S. allies and partners, supporting terrorism around the world, and pursuing destabilizing actions, we will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to hold the regime accountable. The Department of the Treasury is also sanctioning four entities and identifying three vessels as blocked property due to operations in the Iranian petroleum or petrochemical sectors. We will continue to work closely with allies and partners to reinforce these measures to address and counter Iran’s actions.
Iran Covertly Ramping Up Nuclear ‘Weaponization’ Work, Dissident Group Reveals
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei visits the Iranian centrifuges in Tehran, Iran, June 11, 2023. Iran has covertly accelerated activities to construct nuclear weapons despite publicly declaring that its nuclear program is for peaceful, civilian purposes, a coalition of Iranian opposition groups revealed on Thursday.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), which seeks to overthrow the country’s Islamist regime, held a press conference in Washington, DC in which it disclosed what it described as new findings about the Iranian nuclear program.
“The Iranian regime is covertly working on the weaponization aspect of its nuclear project to build a warhead, effectively obstructing verification through deceit,” said Soona Samsami, a representative for NCRI in the US.
UPDATE: 7:00 AM CET
Iran Regime’s Revolutionary Guards Tighten Grip on Oil Exports
Iran regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has significantly increased its control over the nation’s oil industry, commanding up to half of the exports that generate the bulk of Tehran’s revenue. These exports serve as a crucial funding mechanism for Iran’s regional proxy groups across the Middle East, according to Western officials, security sources, and Iranian insiders.
The IRGC’s influence extends to every aspect of Iran’s oil trade, including its shadow fleet of tankers that clandestinely transport sanctioned crude, logistical networks, and front companies facilitating sales, primarily to China. Interviews conducted by Reuters with over a dozen sources reveal the growing dominance of the IRGC in an industry that is vital to Iran’s economy and political leverage.
Iranian Rial Hits Historic Low Amid Economic and Energy Crises
On Wednesday, December 18, 2024, the Iranian rial plummeted to its lowest historical value, losing over 10% of its value since Donald Trump’s recent victory in the U.S. presidential elections. This sharp devaluation, compounded by an energy crisis and ongoing regional conflicts, has deepened the economic challenges facing Tehran. According to traders in Tehran, the rial’s exchange rate fell to 777,000 rials per U.S. dollar, compared to 703,000 rials on the day of Trump’s election victory. In response, Mohammadreza Farzin, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran, announced plans to inject $220 million into the market to stabilize the currency and increase the supply of foreign exchange. However, this intervention has so far failed to halt the rial’s decline.
The Collapse of Assad’s Regime: Unraveling the Captagon Trade and Iran’s Regional Influence
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the fall of Bashar al-Assad has disrupted the Captagon drug empire in the Middle East. This multi-billion-dollar illegal trade was run by the Assad regime with the backing of militant groups like Hezbollah. The exposure of this operation has intensified scrutiny of the Iranian regime’s role in supporting drug trafficking networks and financing militant activities in the region.
The fall of Assad has brought profound changes to Syria’s political and security landscape, including significant impacts on the illegal drug trade. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Captagon empire was one of the primary revenue streams for the Assad regime. This lucrative trade not only supported Assad but also bolstered groups like Hezbollah and other Iran regime’s regional militias.
Iranian Universities Switch to Online Classes Until January 10, 2025
Iran’s Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology announced that all universities across the country would remain online only until the end of the first semester of the 2023-2024 academic year. The last time such a measure was implemented was during the COVID-19 pandemic. This nationwide decision comes despite many provinces experiencing neither unusual cold nor severe air pollution. The Ministry’s announcement follows reports of sporadic protests over the past week due to Iran’s inability to supply adequate energy. Historically, universities have played a pivotal role in sparking protests in Iran, as seen in 2017, 2019, and 2022.
Before this announcement, Beheshti University reported on its Telegram channel on Wednesday night, December 18, that its classes would be held online from Saturday, December 21, until the end of the semester.
Disabled Man Dead Following Assault at Care Center in Iran
One of the residents of a center for people with disabilities in Hamadan Province, Iran, died after being beaten by staff at the facility.
On Wednesday, December 18, Iranian media reported that a 38-year-old man with intellectual disabilities was assaulted by staff at a supportive home overseen by Hamadan’s Welfare Organization and passed away.
Following this incident, Abbas Najafi, the prosecutor of Hamadan Province, announced the initiation of a judicial case and its referral to an investigative branch. He added that arrest warrants had been issued for the suspects under the charge of intentional assault and battery.
Acts of violence and mistreatment against citizens with disabilities have occurred previously in the country.
MEK Supporters in Paris Hold Book Exhibition Highlighting Iran’s Political Prisoners
Paris, France—December 18, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a book exhibition to raise awareness about the plight of political prisoners in Iran.
The event aimed to draw attention to the harsh conditions faced by those imprisoned for opposing the Iranian regime and to highlight the broader struggle for democracy and human rights in the country.