Ukraine Shoots Down 36 Iranian Drones In Fresh Russian Attack

Iranian-made Shahed drones supplied to Moscow have played a major role in Russia's attacks on cities and infrastructure, though Zelenskyy said Kyiv's air defenses were now skilled at downing them - about 900 of 1,160 aimed at Ukrainian targets.

"The simple question is this: what is your interest in being an accomplice to Russian terror?" Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address.

"What is the benefit to Iran of such cynical killing? By Russian hands, but with your weapons, your weapons...Your Shaheds, which terrorize Ukraine every night, mean only that the people of Iran are being driven deeper and deeper into the dark side of history."

Western powers have strongly objected to Iran's decision to arm Russia with the Kamikaze drones, and possibly other weapons and ammunition.

Nuclear talks with Tehran that can result in suspending crippling economic sanctions, have been put on hold by the United States, which has called Iran's military cooperation with Russia one of the obstacles to a deal.

Russia has boosted its military cooperation with Iran since it launched its invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

Iran initially denied supplying Shahed drones to Russia but later said it had provided a small number before the conflict began.

"IDF Machine Gun fire was directed towards the originating area of the shots in Syria," a statement from the military said. "The drone successfully completed its mission and no damage was caused."

Israel has for years been carrying out attacks against Iran-linked targets in Syria, where Tehran's influence has grown since it began supporting President Bashar al-Assad in the civil war that started in 2011.

Iran-backed militias have tried to set up strongpoints near the Israeli border in the Golan Heights, while the regime in Tehran openly calls for attacks against Israel.

The Israeli military also said on Wednesday that it convicted two soldiers of abusing a Palestinian man, along with additional soldiers. One other soldier was convicted of exceeding his authority to the extent of endangering life or health, it said.

Human rights groups accuse Israel of not taking strong action against soldiers who abuse their authority, particularly in the occupied West Bank.

According to the indictments, the soldiers took a Palestinian man in a military jeep and drove to a distant location, a military statement said. During the drive and afterwards, the man was abused and then left in the remote location, it said.

Report by Reuters

Etemad, one of the two leading reformist dailies in Tehran wrote in a commentary on Tuesday that Shamkhani’s replacement might have been the result of fears on the part of hardliners that following his success in forging the Beijing-brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March, he could have played a key role in reviving the 2015 nuclear deal with the United States. 

According to Etemad, "the change was swift and odd." But this was not the only thing that was strange about the shift. The development completely played out on Twitter, a social media platform that is officially banned in Iran. Yet, first Shamkhani alluded to his departure by tweeting a piece of Persian poetry. Then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei announced the replacement on his Twitter, and finally Ahmadian started his mission as security chief by tweeting a verse in Arabic from the holy Koran. 

Subsequently, social media users came up with all sorts of analyses. Some even said it was the end of Shamkhani’s political career and linked his removal from the key post to his family's alleged financial corruption. However, Khamenei quickly appointed him as his political adviser and a member of the Expediency Council, some sort of an upper house in Iran's parliamentary system. 

Within a few hours, many politicians including the hawkish Saeed Jalili, a Paydari Party figurehead, and a former nuclear negotiator, were mentioned as possible candidates for the post. Khamenei’s choice, however, was more pragmatic. 

Another odd thing was the Raisi administration's absolute silence on the matter, other than the releasing an official announcement everyone knew was coming from Khamenei's house rather than the presidential palace. 

Etemad pointed out that the execution of Shamkhani's former deputy Alireza Akbari, on charges of espionage, may have played a part in his replacement, as his hardliner political opponents were calling for his removal in recent months for the same reason. 

Tehran's other leading reformist daily Shargh wrote in a long commentary on Tuesday that the change was expected for a long time. But it also pointed out that it marked the 10th anniversary of Shamkhani's presence at the security council. Khamenei usually changes his appointees at different institutions after five or 10 years. However, there are exceptions such as his representative to ultraconservative Kayhan newspaper, Hossein Shariatmadari who has kept his posts for a few decades. 

Shargh wrote that regardless of Shamkhani's denial of his links to his former deputy Akbari, it was clear that the system was getting rid of Shamkhani at such a prominent position. The move, according to Shargh, started when a week after Akbari's execution, vice President Mohammad Mokhber fired Shamkhani and his relatives from the Arvand Free Trade Zone in Khuzestan. 

According to Shargh, Paydari had a role in all those developments that were clearly part of the usual factional infighting in Iran. Some hardliners such as former lawmaker Hamid Rasaee openly called for Shamkhani's removal. 

Critics on social media have opined that Shamkhani's appointment as Khamenei's political adviser does not necessarily mean anything. They pointed out that former Prime Minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi who has been under house arrest more than a decade now, is still officially Khamenei's political adviser! And with the caliber of other Expediency Council members, it is obvious that the appointment is only an excuse to keep Shamkhani under control like others such as former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Nonetheless, Donya-ye Eghtesad newspaper wrote on Tuesday that Shamkhani who once ran for president as a reformist candidate in 2001, is likely to prepare himself for the next presidential election in 2025. The daily pointed out that Shamkhani is not one of those politicians who would sit at the Expediency Council and do nothing.

Hardliners revealed this weak that dozens of exquisite carpets are missing from the Saadabad Palace complex in Tehran, insinuating that they disappeared during the presidency of centrist Hassan Rouhani (2013-2021).

However, "an informed source", who seems to be close to Rouhani, told ILNA news agency on Wednesday that the disappearance of the carpets dates back to the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (2005-2013).

He claimed that those raising the issue now want to "distract minds".

“The transfer of any documents or assets in public offices follows specific instructions, and the more sensitive the centers are, the more precise these instructions are. How is it that a bundle of carpets disappeared without the permission of the security guards that operate under the supervision of the Ministry of Intelligence and the IRGC,” he added.

The unnamed source also called for the intervention of "legal and judicial authorities" in this regard.

IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency reported Monday that 48 exquisite and expensive hand-woven carpets of Saadabad Palace were removed from a building and disappeared during the administration of Hassan Rouhani.

Sadabad is a 110-hectare complex built by the Qajar and Pahlavi monarchs, located in Shemiran, north of Tehran. Today, the official residence of the President is located adjacent to the complex.

The complex was initially built and inhabited by the Qajar dynasty of monarchs in the 19th century. After extensive expansions, Reza Shah of the Pahlavi Dynasty resided there in the 1920s. His son, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, moved there in the 1970s.

Large parts of the complex are museums, which are accessible to visitors.

Speaking to reporters after a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Director Mohammad Eslami insisted that the government would cooperate with international inspectors on any “new activities.”

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is working under the IAEA safeguards, and whenever it wants to start new activities, it will coordinate with the IAEA, and act accordingly,” Eslami said, referring to the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.

He made the remarks following an Associated Press report that showed the regime is building a deep underground nuclear facility near the Zagros Mountains in central Iran, close to the Natanz nuclear site, with experts claiming development “is likely beyond the range of a last-ditch US weapon designed to destroy such sites."

Describing the new claims as “bogus” and “a psychological operation” originated by Israel, Eslami added that whenever Israel finds itself stuck in difficult situations in the region, it “intensifies these psychological operations more and more." He did not elaborate on what he meant by a difficult situation.

The report analyzed expert opinions as well as satellite imagery from Planet Labs PBC to prove Iran’s activities near the Natanz nuclear site, which has come under repeated sabotage attacks amid Tehran’s standoff with the West over its atomic program. According to experts, photographs of the piles of dirt from the excavations suggest the new tunnels will be between 80 meters (260 feet) and 100 meters (328 feet) deep.

The report sparked wider conversation across the Middle East about the construction, with Israel’s national security adviser saying Tuesday the site would not be immune from attack even if its depth put it out of range of American airstrikes. Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi, chief of Israel's armed forces raised the prospect of "action" against Iran, warning that "Iran has advanced with uranium enrichment further than ever before ... There are negative developments on the horizon that could bring about (military) action.”

The US Air Force released rare images of the weapon, the GBU-57, known as the “Massive Ordnance Penetrator,” designed to destroy weapons of mass destruction located in well protected facilities. However, it immediately took the photos down because they revealed sensitive details about the weapon’s composition and punch.

Natanz, about 225 kilometers (140 miles) south of Tehran, has been a point of international concern since its existence became known two decades ago. This is not the first time reports surface about Iran building a vast tunnel network near Natanz, purportedly able to withstand cyberattacks and bunker-penetrating bombs.

The Islamic Republic claims the new construction will replace an above-ground centrifuge manufacturing center at Natanz struck by an explosion and fire in July 2020.

Last year, the spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Behrouz Kamalvandi, reacted to a report by the New York Times revealing underground work, claiming Iran had notified the UN nuclear agency of its plan to relocate the activities of the Iran Centrifuge Technology Company (TESA) complex in Karaj to the city of Natanz.

He claimed the move aimed to prevent the recurrence of attacks, referring to a recent drone attack at the TESA complex near Karaj which manufactures parts for centrifuges.

Over the years, a series of attacks has seemed to slow Iran’s nuclear activities. In 2010, the Natanz uranium enrichment facility suffered serious damage following a major cyber-attack involving the Stuxnet virus. Three years later, the Fordow enrichment site was rocked by an explosion. More recently, in July 2020, a centrifuge assembly facility was hit by an explosion and in April 2021 an explosion at the enrichment plant caused a power outage that reportedly damaged thousands of centrifuges.