Oil Tanker Attacked With Missile In Red Sea

Many commercial shippers have diverted vessels following attacks by the Houthis, who control much of Yemen and say they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians as Israel and Hamas wage war in Gaza. The attacks began in mid-November after Iran's ruler Ali Khamenei called on Muslim nations to blockade Israel.

"The ongoing escalation of violence and the threat to life and limb of the crews of ships, particularly in the southern Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, require a robustly equipped military operation," the government spokesperson said during a regular press conference in Berlin.

Germany's participation still hinges on parliamentary approval. A vote on the matter is scheduled for next Friday and is widely expected to go through.

Parliamentarians are to receive a motion for a mandate running up till the end of February 2025 with an upper limit of 700 soldiers deployed, the spokesperson said.

In early February, a German air defense frigatewas sent to join the EU mission. France, Greece and Italy are among the countries that will participate in the mission, named Aspides, meaning protector. The United States and many allied nations have formed a task force to protect shipping in the area.

They will be mandated to protect commercial ships and intercept attacks, but not take part in strikes against the Houthis on land.

Reporting by Reuters

Amin Sabeti told Iran International that digital security cannot rely solely on slogans and rhetoric, predicting further large-scale cyberattacks against Iranian targets.

The latest episode in a long series of cyberattacks in the past few years, was a major of hack of parliament’s servers that brought to light troves of documents, including the real income of lawmakers and US sanctions evasions.

He further stated that many projects aimed at developing what the regime terms “domestic services” have failed due to their reliance on corrupt connections and nepotism rather than meritocracy and expertise.

According to Sabeti, both public and private organizations in Iran do not take information security audits seriously. He emphasized that severing ties with the global internet cannot guarantee cybersecurity, highlighting the inefficacy of the regime’s costly “national internet” project.

Meanwhile, an Iranian lawmaker acknowledged the country's vulnerability to cyberattacks due to structural weaknesses in its cyberspace control. Shahriar Heydari, deputy chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Iranian parliament, stated that the National Organization for Passive Defense and the Intelligence Ministry should be held accountable for recent cyberattacks against Iran.

“Cyberspace is a war of information. Every country needs to secure its systems against hacking and data theft,” Heydari stressed.

His remarks came two days after a cyberattack targeted over 600 Iranian government servers, including the Khaneh Mellat News Agency, the Iranian parliament’s media arm. Hacktivist group Uprising till Overthrow, closely linked with the Albania-based opposition Mujahideen-e Khalq (MEK) organization, claimed responsibility for the attack.

Heydari accused MEK of attempting to defame the Iranian parliament ahead of the upcoming parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections on March 1. Documents leaked following the hack uncovered a wide range of Tehran’s strategies to circumvent US sanctions. The documents revealed the parliament's coordination with designated Iranian entities and individuals to facilitate their trade activities and conceal their identities and connections from international regulatory bodies.

Some other documents were also released by a group calling itself ‘Uprising till Overthrow’, including those related to the high salaries of Iranian lawmakers. Lawmakers have incomes that are at least 20 times more than what an ordinary government employee earns.

In December, a cyberattack paralyzed gas stations across Iran. The hacking group ‘Gonjeshk-e-Darande’ or Predatory Sparrow announced the attack on X, claiming that they took out “a majority of the gas pumps throughout Iran.” Tehran accuses the group of having links to Israel.

According to Heydari, the head of Iran’sPassive Defense Organization was invited to a session of the parliament’s National Security Commission following the December cyberattack.

“Instead of being accountable, he just justified and described the incident. Our problem is that if we invite an organization, the first thing they do is to justify and provide performance statistics, instead of discussing the main issue,” the lawmaker added.

However, the Iranian regime has been involved in sustained cyber operations against different targets around the world, to gain information or disrupt government operations and private companies.

Microsoft disclosed on Wednesday that state-backed hackers from Iran, Russia and China have been leveraging tools developed by Microsoft-backed OpenAI to enhance their cyber espionage capabilities.

Earlier in November, Microsoft’s Threat Analysis Center (MTAC) reported that Iran has intensified its cyberattacks and influence operations since 2020, targeting Israel and other countries. The report also warned that Iran, Russia and China are likely to plan to influence the upcoming elections in the United States and other countries in 2024.

In December 2023, Iran-linked hackers targeted a water facility in the rural area of County Mayo in Ireland, leaving the residents without water for two days. The attack was carried out by pro-Iran Cyber Av3ngers group which claimed that the facility was attacked because it used an Israeli-made piece of equipment.

Iran International revealed last month that Iran’s Intelligence Ministry conductscyberattacks against Israeli civilian targets via a cover tech company. The cyber group ‘Black Shadow’ (“Saye-ye Siah” in Persian), which targeted Ziv Medical Center in the northern Israeli city of Safed in November is in fact a tech company in Iran.

Kioumars Heydari said Friday, "We intend to block our borders, and no one can object why we erect a fence near their border. This is not unjust to neighboring countries, as it is common practice in all countries."

Heydari’s comment came in reaction to remarks by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, who said earlier in the week that Afghanistan is safe and poses no threat to any country, claiming that any blockade at the border should be coordinated with Kabul.

Denouncing Iran’s plans for a border fence, Mujahid told Afghanistan’s TOLOnews that "if such actions were taken when there was no security or there was war... there would be some justification. Now there is no need for such measures."

The rising number of Afghans migrants in Iran has led to controversy among citizens and officials, unsure whether the presence poses a threat or an opportunity for the regime. There are multiple estimates regarding the size of the Afghan diaspora population in Iran, but precise numbers are scarce due to Afghans' reluctance to participate in official counts and registrations.

Heydari emphasized that occupation and invasion of neighboring countries are not part of the Islamic Republic's strategy and approach, stating, “However, ensuring sustainable security is a mission entrusted to the armed forces, and this security is achieved through drones or cameras at times, and at other times through physical presence of security forces and border blockades. Therefore, others cannot dictate to us what we should do at our borders."

Iran’s Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi confirmed Iran’s plans to block the border areas with Afghanistan earlier in the month, explaining that “It's not a wall, it's a border blockade that is being pursued according to the plan.”

In an interview with CBS published Thursday evening, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said IRGC personnel are on the ground “advising” Houthis and “providing target information”, which helps them attack commercial vessels and even US warships in the Red Sea.

With IRGC’s crucial help, the Houthis have targeted more than 40 ships in the Red Sea since October. They claim to be targeting Israeli-connected vessels only, but their operation has effectively disrupted global maritime trade, with many major operators avoiding the passage altogether and going around the southern end of Africa.

The Houthis began their attacks in mid-November after Iran's ruler Ali Khamenei called on Muslim nations to enforce a blockade against Israel. They have continued to launch missiles and one-way drones despite several rounds of US/UK airstrikes on their sites.

"[IRGC is] resupplying them as we sit here right now at sea," Vice Adm. Cooper

said in his interview.. "We know this is happening… This is crystal clear."

When asked about the US efforts to counter IRGC support and “degrade” the Houthi capabilities, Cooper pointed to the Biden administration –in what some may read as an indirect criticism of the administration’s Iran policy.

“In the end it’s a policy decision,” he said, “our role at this point is simply be ready and continue to be aggressive and exercise our right to self defense.”

The Biden administration has faced constant criticism over its cautious approach towards Iran. The critics say the policy of ‘avoiding confrontation at all costs’ has in fact cost American lives and raised the cost of confronting Iran, which, they say, may be inevitable, given the regime’s growing belligerence –not to mention its nuclear program.

One of President Biden’s earliest decisions entering the White House in 2021 was to delist the Houthis as a terrorist organization. It was a controversial decision from the outset, and was eventually reversed after three years when the Houthis carried out numerous attacks on commercial ships (and US warships) in the Red Sea.

Earlier Thursday, US Central Command announced that US Coast Guard forces had intercepted a vessel in the Arabian sea with Iranian weapons headed for Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

"This is yet another example of Iran's malign activity in the region," CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said in a statement. "Their continued supply of advanced conventional weapons to the Houthis is in direct violation of international law and continues to undermine the safety of international shipping and the free flow of commerce."

The cargo contained components that would be assembled on site, including for medium-range ballistic missile and underwater drones. There were also military-grade communication and network equipment, as well as anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies.

NBC News also reported that the US also conducted a cyberattack recently against an Iranian military ship in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden that had been collecting intelligence on cargo vessels.

The cyberattack took place a week ago as part of a government response to a drone attack by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq that killed three US service members in Jordan late last month and wounded dozens of others, the report said.

Iran has been arming and supporting the Houthis for at least a decade. The rebel group began fighting the government in 2014 and has been controlling one third of the country for some time.

He made the plea during a phone conversation with OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha on Thursday, Iranian state media reported.

The call for the meeting comes amid mounting international apprehension over Iran's backing of militant groups exacerbating tensions in the region.

Iran-backed Hamas launched an invasion of Israel on October 7, resulting in the deadliest single day for Jews since the Holocaust. The subsequent retaliation by Israel, backed by US support for its right to self-defense, has escalated into a regional proxy conflict.

Iran's proxies in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen have joined the fray in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. Despite Tehran's continual denial of involvement in the October 7 attack, which claimed the lives of 1,200 people, predominantly civilians, and led to the capture of over 250 hostages taken to Gaza, Iranian officials continue to engage in public meetings with Palestinian militant groups long known to be supported, armed, and trained by Iran.

On Tuesday, Amir-Abdollahian held a meeting with Hamas' political bureau head, Ismail Haniyeh, in Qatar.

The meeting came during a whirlwind tour of the region, which commenced last Friday. During his visit to Doha, where Hamas maintains a significant presence, Amir-Abdollahian held separate discussions with Qatari officials, including his counterpart, and the Emir of Qatar.

The conclusion of his regional tour in Qatar came after engagements with regime-backed militant leaders in Syria, including discussions with President Bashar al-Assad.