Sanctions See Iranian Truck Drivers Banned From Europe

In the wake of the deadly explosions that targeted a memorial ceremony for slain Revolutionary Guard commander Qasem Soleimani at his grave, the Islamic Republic authorities are in hot water over the intelligence lapses and security failures that led to the incident, claimed by ISIS.

Trying to mend their blemished reputation, senior officials claim that they have arrested tens of people and foiled several other bombing attempts planned for the day, which saw the biggest terror attack since the Islamic Republic was founded in 1979. The blasts were described as "two suicide explosions" that killed about 90 people and injured over 200 others.

Head of the Armed Forces' Judicial Organization in Kerman, Ali Tavakkoli, claimed that over 64 bombs were discovered nationwide, intended to detonate during the fourth anniversary of the death of Soleimani, the former commander of IRGC’s extraterritorial force who is seen as the architect of Iran’s network of proxy militias and was killed by a US drone in 2020. 

Claiming that they had intel on enemy threats, Tavakkoli said that “16 explosive devices” designed to target the gathering at the cemetery were neutralized in Kerman prior to the January 3 attack. 

Echoing the clams, Mehdi Bakhshi, the prosecutor of Kerman, said that each of the 16 bombs discovered in Kerman province had a greater explosive power than the vests worn by suicide bombers in the twin blasts.

Bakhshi also claimed that, in recent months, 32 people, including 23 ISIS members related to the explosions, have been detained. He did not elaborate on how the individuals already in custody were involved in the attack. Additionally, he stated that two other suicide bombers who had planned to attack the funeral procession of the blast victims were also arrested. 

Meanwhile, the public relations office of Sarallah of Kerman, IRGC’s regional headquarters in charge of the security of the city, rejected reports of “neutralizing any bombs in recent days” in a statement on Sunday, labeling the reports as “rumors and fabrications.” It did not specify if the report about 16 discovered bombs mentioned by authorities is true or false. 

Bakhshi said that based on a series of on-site inspections and meetings with various security entities, including the Intelligence, IRGC, law enforcement, and army, “there has been no negligence” on the part of those responsible for the security of the event. “Our inherent duty is to address any deficiencies or negligence... We have no bias, and our approach is impartial, but as of now, we have not encountered any such findings."

However, critical voices are growing in Iran calling for punishment of senior authorities responsible for the security of the event. Jomhouri-e Eslami, a conservative Iranian newspaper, published an editorial Sunday saying that “security and intelligence officials must be accountable for every incident that occurs.” 

“Certainly, it is not the case that a crime as significant as the terrorist incident in Kerman occurs, and no one is found to be negligent or at fault,” said the daily, noting that one of the country's problems is that no one is held responsible for such incidents. “As soon as a major incident happens, officials start chanting slogans and delivering speeches aimed at directing all attention towards the enemy... Security is not ensured through speeches."

Former lawmaker Mohammad-Javad Haghshenas said Sunday that "There is no doubt about the negligence on the part of the Interior Ministry and security authorities in Kerman province,” calling on both the administration and the parliament to take punitive actions including impeachment. 

The failure that led to the Kerman attack has laid bare serious gaps in the country’s intelligence apparatus, which has intensified measures to silence any critical voice that defies the regime’s narrative of the incident. 

In addition to arresting dozens of people who discussed the incident online in recent days, Iran has also launched a targeted campaign on X (formerly Twitter), with cyber agents revealing the identities of anonymous dissident users and threatening them against sharing their thoughts about Soleimani’s bloody legacy for Iranians, who question how many more casualties the commander would cause even after his death. During Soleimani’s burial procession in 2020, about 60 people were crushed to death in a stampede. A few days later, the IRGC shot down Ukraine's flight PS752, killing 176 people onboard, as it was expecting retaliation for firing more than a dozen missiles at Iraqi bases hosting US troops to avenge Soleimani’s killing. 

Iran’s cyber police report that more than 500 people have been summoned to court over their online posts about the incident. Generally, questioning the efficacy of the security and intelligence services that had not seen the attack coming is not allowed and suggesting that the authorities were aware of the threats beforehand is also prohibited.

Generally, no one is allowed to question the efficacy of the security and intelligence services, nor can one suggest the authorities were aware of the threats beforehand.

The absence of high-ranking officials and the Soleimani family at the ceremony remains the elephant in the room and nobody dare describe the attendants of the memorial as supporters of “a terrorist” -- as labeled by former US president Donald Trump who ordered his killing. 

But questions now surround the atrocity which has left Iran with serious demands for answers.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claim the injured were identified as non-Syrian militia members affiliated with Iran, and were hospitalized. 

The attack took place on the road between Al-Ghabra city and Al-Hamdan Airport in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor after the truck crossed the Iraqi-Syrian border.

It follows action taken by Jordan on Friday, when airstrikes were launched on warehouses and hideouts linked to Iran-associated drug and weapons smuggling networks in Syria.

Jordanian officials, like Western allies, attribute the rise in smuggling activities to the influence of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group and other pro-Iranian militias in southern Syria.

UN experts, along with US and European officials, contend that the illicit drug trade is financing pro-Iranian militias and paramilitary forces, a consequence of more than a decade of conflict in Syria.

Named as the main suspects in the killing of slain IRGC Commander Soleimani, Kazem Gharibabadi, Deputy for International Affairs of the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic said on Sunday, "At the very least, their minimum punishment is the lack of security they feel, and you see how much is annually spent to protect them."

He outlined that three legal pursuit paths have been established within the Iranian system, the Iraqi territory, and international investigations, with the International Court of Justice recognized as the sole legitimate international authority.

“After extensive investigations, an indictment was formulated in June, charging the suspects with terrorist activities and financing terrorism. The scope of the case expands beyond American borders, involving documents from five to six other countries. The initial phase will focus on pursuing American suspects, and the UK and Germany are also implicated,” he added.

In December, an Iranian court ruling on the investigation into Soleimani's killing ordered damages of nearly $50 billion against the US government and affiliated individuals and entities. The court also demanded an official apology for the drone strike that claimed Soleimani's life in January 2020.

Former US president Donald Trump defended the action, asserting that Soleimani was actively planning attacks on American diplomats and service members.

Qassem Soleimani's role in overseeing external military and intelligence operations, including support for militant proxy forces, played a crucial part in hostilities against US forces in the region.

A report on the Etemad Online website said that out of the 290 lawmakers, 275 had registered their candidacy for the upcoming elections but the qualifications of only 26 have been rejected.

Etemad Online has published a "confirmed and verified list" of the 26 mainly conservative candidates. The names of at least two reformist figures, Jalal Rashidi Koochi and Majid Ansari both from Fars Province are also on the list.

The mass disqualification of candidates, who are considered regime insiders but relatively more moderate, is a repeat of what hardliners did in the 2020 legislative elections and in the 2021 presidential vote.

Meanwhile, verified reports from Tehran say former Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi, one of the most senior officials in the administration of former President Hassan Rouhani, has been also disqualified.

Another lawmaker Qasem Saedi told reporters that he has been disqualified because he had called for the impeachment of Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi for his poor performance. Saedi said he will definitely challenge the Guardian Council's decision.

Ahmad Alireza Beigi, an ultraconservative lawmaker close to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is said to have been part of the country's intelligence apparatus before becoming a member of the parliament has also been disqualified. Beigi, representing Tabriz, is the MP who disclosed a major financial corruption case involving more than 100 lawmakers who were bribed to avert an impeachment motion against one of President Raisi's Ministers.

The bribery scandal known as SUV-Gate involved the lawmakers receiving vehicles at low prices from the minister of industry, in order not to impeach him.

The lawmaker told the press that no one has told him anything about his disqualification and that he read the news about his rejection in the press. Other reports say he might have been disqualified because of the complaint made against him by a cabinet minister.

The candidates whose candidacy has been rejected by the Guardian Council have the next four days to challenge the Council's decision.

Meanwhile, conservative commentator Mohammad Mohajeri says several candidates close to former Majles Speaker Ali Larijani have also been disqualified. However, he did not name anyone.

In another development, outspoken former lawmaker Gholam Ali Jafarzadeh Imanabadi, a staunch critic of the government and Majles Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has also broke the news about his disqualification. He said he will never forget this and will never forgive those who have rejected his credentials.

In yet another report, conservative politician Mansour Haghighatpour said that most lawmakers who had registered their candidacy have been barred from running for the next parliament. He pointed out that disqualifying candidates for criticizing the government is against the law. Haghighatpour further called on the Guardian Council to revise its decisions regarding disqualification of candidates.

Haghighatpour, who is close to Larijani has confirmed the disqualification of the candidates who were close to the former Majles Speaker, however, he added that his own qualification has been endorsed by the Guardian Council.

Referring to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's call for a high-turnout election, Haghighatpour reiterated that candidates from different schools of thought should be allowed to take part in elections “if we really want a high-turnout parliamentary election.”

Haghighatpour claimed that four of those close to Larijani who have been rejected could have won half a million votes each if their qualifications were endorsed. He claimed candidates such as: Jafarzadeh Imanabadi from Rasht, Javad Kolivand from Karaj, Nader Qazipour from Urmia, and others former lawmakers such as Javad Jahangirzadeh and former chief justice Ezzatollah Yusefian Molla, who have been barred from running, can attract some one million voters to the polls and ensure a high-turnout election.

According to Al-Mayadeen, Esmail Qaani (Ghaani), the commander of Iran's extraterritorial Quds Force wrote to political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, that Israel 'seeks to mitigate its heavy defeat in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

However, the results on the ground tell a different story. Israel's Defence Forces announced it has now taken out all Hamas infrastructure in north Gaza and numerous top commanders have been eliminated, with the operation predicted to last several more months as the Jewish state vows to eliminate the designated terror group.

Since the beginning of the month, Israel has also withdrawn five whole units from Gaza as the operation continues to gain pace from air, land and sea, in a bid to reduce casualties while it makes significant gains in the strip.

An airstrike in Beirut on Tuesday claimed the life of Saleh Al Arouri, Hamas's deputy political leader. Known for his close ties to the Iranian regime, Arouri had engaged with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other top officials on multiple occasions. Qaani, in his message, emphasized that "the enemies and Zionists seek to mitigate their significant setbacks in Gaza by targeting the leaders of the resistance."

As a founding member of Hamas' military wing, Arouri had led the group's presence in the West Bank. Since the Hamas terror attacks of October 7 which sparked the most violent conflict since Hamas took over control of the strip, Israel also destroyed Arouri's West Bank family home.

Qaani said in the letter: "The world will witness how the brothers of the martyr Al-Arouri will turn into the nightmare of the Zionist child-killing regime."

While Iran openly supports Hamas, it denies any involvement in the Islamist militants' October 7 terror attack.