Iran-Backed Houthis Attack Container Ship In Red Sea

The 6th Exhibition on Export Potential of the Islamic Republic of Iran, dubbed ‘IRANEXPO 2024,’ is being held in Tehran from 27 April to 1 May.

North Korea's official media reported last week that a delegation led by the cabinet minister for international trade was visiting Iran, marking a rare public acknowledgment of ties between the two countries with presumed secret military cooperation.

Despite long-standing suspicions of collaboration between North Korea and Iran on ballistic missile programs, Kanaani rejected such claims, denouncing certain media outlets for "biased speculations by publishing untrue and baseless news".

The minister for external economic relations, Yun Jong Ho, led the delegation's visit to Iran, according to North Korea's KCNA news agency. Yun, who has previously focused on Syria relations, has been actively involved in bolstering ties with Russia, leading a delegation to Moscow earlier this month.

In the face of denials, suspicions persist regarding ballistic missile collaborations between Iran, North Korea, and Russia, with reports indicating Iran's supply of ballistic missiles to Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

The ongoing encampments on campuses across the US have featured on the cover pages of many Iranian dailies in the past few days, triggering a considerable backlash from ordinary Iranians who view the stunt as ‘glaringly hypocritical’ from a regime that suspends, beats and imprisons students for much less than what students have been doing in the US in the past ten days.

“US universities are in the hands of students and professors that while condemning Israeli crimes in Gaza, are calling for the release of protesting students and the reinstatement of sacked students and members of faculty,” wrote the ultra-hardline Keyhan, which has been heralding the ‘demise’ and ‘end’ of the US and Israel for many years.

And, this time it is not just celebrating present events — but, the future, in which the author speculates that the US election hinges on the candidates’ support for Palestine.

The regime in Iran has always presented itself as the only true champion of Palestinians and their cause. This sentiment has become much stronger and prevalent since October 7th when Hamas, backed by Iran, rampaged border areas inside Israel, killing hundreds of civilians and drawing an Israeli onslaught – which has killed more than 30,0000 in Gaza.

Enraged by the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, students across the US have began organizing pro-Palestinian rallies and sit-ins to pressure their institutions to disclose and divest from funds and corporations that do business with Israel.

“See what is happening in the world,” Iran supreme leader Ali Khamenei posted on X Sunday.” In Western countries, in England and France, and in states across the US itself, people are coming out in huge numbers to chant slogans against Israel and America. US and Israel's reputation has been ruined. They truly have no solution.”

There’s little doubt that pro-Palestinian action has become more pronounced than ever. And there are many in the US who have expressed their displeasure with what they see as ‘heavy-handed’ response by university administration and law enforcement. But Khamenei may be the worst placed leader to address the issue.

The irony, as ordinary Iranians have been pointing out on social media, is hard to miss. It is a case of 'astounding hypocrisy', many say, of a regime who cheers on American students exercising their freedom of expression, while its prisons are humorously called ‘universities’ for hosting sheer numbers of students, graduates, and educators who have dared to speak their mind.

The ruling regime in Iran has a horrendous record in respecting the rights of its citizens. But its treatment of students and of modern, secular education has been particularly poor.

From shutting down universities in the name of Cultural Revolution in the early 1980s, to the bloody attack on dormitories at University of Tehran in the late 1990s, and the siege of Sharif University of Technology in 2022, the clerical regime has proven itself to be an archenemy of free and critical thinking that’s both the cornerstone and ultimate fruit of higher education.

It’s not at all surprising, then, that many Iranians, those with exposure to higher education, in particular, cannot help pointing out the regime’s hypocrisy on social media. “Those responsible for the calamity at the [University of Tehran] dorm, are now worried about American students,” posted an Iranian user on X last Friday –just one of dozens, perhaps hundreds, publicly voicing the same sentiment.

The announcement was made through the IRGC-linked Tasnim news agency, which also released a video showcasing the yet-to-be-named drone, drawing comparisons to Russia's Zala Lancet model first produced in 2020.

The new drone reportedly resembles the Lancet in its capabilities, expected to have a flight endurance between 30 to 60 minutes, carry a payload of 3 to 6 kilograms, and achieve a range of up to 40 kilometers.

Iran's history with drone technology has been marked by its extensive provision of Shahed-type drones to Russia, which have been deployed against civilian targets and residential areas in Ukraine, which has led to global sanctions on the regime.

Furthermore, Iran's recent actions include an unprecedented assault on Israel using 350 missiles and suicide drones, although they were successfully intercepted by Israel and a US-led coalition.

Additionally, drones supplied to Iranian proxy groups in Iraq, Yemen, and Lebanon have repeatedly targeted US forces, Israeli territories, and maritime assets in strategic waters, inflicting damage and escalating regional tensions.

The deployment of the new drone technology occurs in the wake of new sanctions imposed by the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States, aimed at curtailing Iran's missile and drone production capabilities.

In response, Nasser Kanaani, a spokesman for the Iranian foreign ministry, criticized the sanctions, asserting that they would not impede the ongoing development of Iran's drone industry. 

The semi-official ISNA news agency reported that amid the ongoing Gaza war, “Iranian students and professors conducted rallies across Iran's universities, showing support for their Western counterparts and condemning the harsh responses of American police.”

Images from the limited gatherings at universities such as Amirkabir, Science and Technology in Tehran, and others in Qom, Kermanshah, and Tabriz were circulated by local media.

The rallies used slogans typically employed by student movements and protests against the Iranian government, which Iranian state media has co-opted in describing the US events in a bid to propagandize the support for the thousands of civilians who have died in Gaza amid the war sparked by the Iran-backed Hamas invasion of October 7.

Around 1,200 mostly civilians were murdered and Israel’s retaliation has, according to Hamas, seen the deaths of over 33,000 in Gaza.

The move is seen as an attempt to equate the US protests with those protesting the government in Iran, where government responses have been significantly more violent.

Protests have taken place in at least 18 universities in the US, leading to clashes with police and the disruption of classes.

Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, has labeled the protests at American universities as a "nationwide uprising", a term widely used in Iran in 2022 after the state killing of Mahsa Amini. She was killed while in morality police custody after her arrest for alleged hijab violations.

Fars News Agency, under the headline "University is not a barracks", claimed that snipers were positioned at Ohio University, and police arrested 500 students during the "nationwide protests".

The narrative comes amid harsh criticism of Iran's own handling of protests. The Bloody Friday in Zahedan on September 30, 2022, is one of the most infamous examples, where direct government gunfire killed at least 100 people, including children.

“This comprehensive effort includes the installation of fences, walls, and intelligent border control systems, ensuring a robust defense of our borders,” Iran's Deputy Interior Minister Majid Mirahmadi said.

On Thursday, Taliban forces captured five Iranian border guards in Afghan territory and handed them over to intelligence officials. Later that day, Iranian state media reported that they had been released.

The Iranian government and the Taliban have been involved in several border disputes over recent months.

According to the representative of Sistan-Baluchestan province, a heavily drought-stricken region in southeastern Iran, the Afghan government diverts the Helmand River's water through canals and dams. Water from the river plays a crucial role in agricultural irrigation and potable water supply.

While Iran has accused Afghanistan of violating a 1973 treaty by restricting the flow of water, the Taliban has denied the claims, saying there was not enough water to flow toward the Iranian border.

Iranian authorities have claimed for the past two years that the Taliban have agreed to allot 820 million cubic meters of Iran's water share from Helmand every year. However, the Taliban has not confirmed this agreement, nor has any water been released to Iran.

Clashes at the border over water rights in May last year claimed the lives of at least two Iranians and one Taliban soldier.

Additionally, the situation has been tense along Iran's eastern borders as the insurgent Sunni Baluch group known as Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice) has intensified its operations against Iranian security forces. A key objective of the group is to promote enhanced rights and improved living conditions for the Baluch ethnic minority.

For years, Jaish al-Adl has been a source of tension between Iran and its nuclear neighbor, Pakistan. In January, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) attacked positions in Pakistan in what it described as an attempt to target terrorists. The Pakistani military retaliated by attacking locations in the southeastern region of Iran.

The Jaish al-Adl militants ambushed police vehicles along the Sib and Suran county routes in Sistan-Baluchistan province earlier this month, killing six law enforcement officers. During the same week, the group attacked military posts in Chabahar and Rask, killing 16 police officers; 18 Jaish al-Adl militants were also killed.

Last year, the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran stated that Baluchis are disproportionately targeted and executed by the Iranian criminal justice system. According to him, the level of killings, torture, and brutality against the Baluch minority in Iran is “shocking.”