US President Confirms Airstrikes On IRGC Positions In Iraq, Syria
In a letter addressed to the House of Representatives and the Senate, President Joe Biden detailed recent US military actions against the Revolutionary Guard in Iraq and Syria.
In a letter addressed to the House of Representatives and the Senate, President Joe Biden detailed recent US military actions against the Revolutionary Guard in Iraq and Syria.
The president highlighted the 66 attacks carried out by militia groups affiliated with the IRGC against US personnel and facilities in the region, causing injuries and placing lives at risk. The uptick followed the outbreak of the war in Gaza, in which the US quickly stated its backing of Israel's right to defend itself following the Iran-backed invasion of October 7, the single most deadly day for Jews since the Holocaust.
Biden stated that on October 27, November 10, and November 14, Washington conducted targeted strikes against facilities in Syria used by the IRGC and its affiliated groups.
"The strikes were taken to deter future attacks and were conducted in a manner designed to limit the risk of escalation and avoid civilian casualties. I directed the strikes to protect and defend our personnel conducting military operations pursuant to the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force," explained President Biden.
Iran has denied direct involvement in the Gaza conflict, but its proxy forces in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, have initiated attacks against both Israel and US forces.
The attacks by Iran-affiliated groups have resulted in at least 62 US personnel sustaining minor injuries or traumatic brain injuries.
The Galaxy Leader car carrier, owned by Israeli billionaire Abraham "Rami" Ungar but operated by the Japanese company NYK Line, was seized by Houthi forces Monday. Japan is said to be in direct talks with the group the US is now considering redesignating.
The hijacking, captured in footage released by the Houthis, depicted armed men storming the vessel from a helicopter.
An Iranian spy ship, the Behshad, associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), is believed to have played a role in disclosing the Galaxy Leader's location to the Houthis. The Galaxy Leader had turned off its AIS transponder, raising questions about how the vessel's location was made known to the rebels. The Behshad, converted from a cargo vessel, has been present in the Red Sea since 2021, further deepening its connection to the IRGC.
Ronen Solomon, an independent intelligence analyst for IntelliTimes, says evidence points to IRGC Quds Force commander Brig Gen Abdolreza Shahlaei as the potential orchestrator of the hijacking.
The US government's Rewards for Justice program has a bounty of up to $15 million on Shahlaei's head, citing his involvement in attacks against Americans and US allies.
There are 25 hostages of various nationalities on the vessel being held in Yemen. Iran has a history of ship attacks since 2018, coinciding with the US's "maximum pressure" sanctions campaign.
It is believed the Houthis thought the vessel was Israeli, hoping to capture Israeli hostages, amidst the Gaza war. Iran-backed Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, resulting in relentless attacks from Israel. Regime leaders have condemned the Israeli assault and have activated Iran's proxies in the region, including the Houthis, which had threatened to hijack Israeli vessels in the region. The Houthis have also sent missiles towards Israel, along with proxies in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq.
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi made the remarks on the opening day of a quarterly meeting of the agency's 35-nation Board of Governors in the Austrian capital Vienna on Wednesday.
Presenting his latest report on verification and monitoring in the Islamic Republic of Iran in light of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231 (2015), Grossi said. “You will note that Iran’s stockpiles of uranium enriched up to 5%, enriched up to 20% and enriched up to 60% – high enriched uranium – have all increased since we met in September with the increase of the 60% continuing at the same rate as I reported at the time of the last Board."
He also urged cooperation for implementing commitments made by Iran in another report on the NPT Safeguards Agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran. “I regret that no further progress has been made in implementing the Joint Statement signed in Tehran on 4 March... I am seriously concerned that the implementation of the Joint Statement of 4 March 2023 has come to a standstill. A way forward must include an honest and cooperative implementation of the commitments we agreed.”
A few days after Iran secured a prisoner swap with the US that included unfreezing of about $6 billion of its oil revenues blocked in South Korea, Tehran withdrew the designation of several inspectors assigned to conduct verification activities in Iran under the Non-Proliferation Treaty Safeguards Agreement. he said the move “contradicts the spirit of cooperation agreed in the Joint Statement of March 2023.”
Grossi said, "It takes a long time to train inspectors of this kind... We will go ahead (with inspections) but this is a very negative development and a serious blow. We hope that this decision will be reversed."
He emphasized the need for Iran to provide technically credible explanations for the presence of uranium particles of anthropogenic origin at Varamin and Turquzabad and to inform the Agency of the current location(s) of the nuclear material and/or of contaminated equipment.
“These outstanding safeguards issues stem from Iran’s obligations under its Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement and need to be resolved for the Agency to be in a position to provide assurance that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful,” he stated.
Iran has enough uranium enriched to up to 60% for three atom bombs and is still stonewalling the agency on key issues, IAEA reports showed earlier in the month. Iran's stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% grew by 6.7 kg (14.8 pounds) to 128.3 kg (282.9 pounds) since the last report on September 4, one of the two reports to member states seen by Reuters said. That is more than three times the roughly 42 kg (92.6 pounds) that by the IAEA's definition is theoretically enough, if enriched further, for a nuclear bomb. Weapons-grade is around 90% purity.
Amid simmering tensions in the region -- started by Iran-backed Hamas's bloody invasion of Israel on October 7, Grossi also stressed the need to make the Middle East a nuclear-free zone. “I think there have been repeated calls for all countries in the Middle East – and this includes Israel – to join the NPT and to open all their nuclear facilities to comprehensive safeguards inspections and this is very clear... Every country in the Middle East should be party to the NPT which is the most successful treaty in arms control and non-proliferation in history.”
Grossi underlined “the fact that a nuclear war cannot be won and therefore should never be fought,” falling short of addressing the political aspect of a nuclear weapon as a sword of Damocles hanging over global security.
