Houthi Missile Hits A US-Owned Cargo Ship In Red Sea

The Judiciary's announcement reveals that, following a lawsuit filed by 93 plaintiffs, including victims and survivors of the 2010 Chabahar suicide bombing, a special branch dealing with international lawsuits issued a verdict against the US government.

The incident, which took place on December 14, 2010, involved two suicide bombers targeting a Shia Muslim mourning procession in Chabahar, killing 39 people and injuring nearly 70.

Iran accuses Washington of orchestrating the attack and supporting the Jundullah group, a Sunni extremist rebel group that claimed responsibility for the bombing. US officials have not reacted to the accusation.

As part of the verdict, Iran claims “the US government has been ordered to pay a total of $290m for 58 injured ones of the terrorist incident (equivalent to $5m per claimant) and $140m for 35 family members of the victims (equivalent to $4m per claimant) as material damages.”

Additionally, Washington is sentenced to pay a total of $744 million for 93 claimants (equivalent to $8m per claimant) as “emotional damages.” The court has further condemned the US government to pay “punitive damages” equal to twice the emotional damages, totaling $1.488b, along with covering litigation costs and attorney fees.

In this case, the collective order for the defendant amounts to $2.662b.

Facing scrutiny for backing terrorist groups such as Hamas and the Yemeni Houthis, Tehran is seemingly attempting to shift blame onto the US to alleviate international pressure on itself.

Jason Brodsky, Policy Director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), expressed concerns regarding Hossein Amir-Abdollahian's connections with Hamas. Brodsky, in light of the WEF's theme of Rebuilding Trust, criticized the invitation, pointing to the foreign minister's defense of individuals accused of severe crimes.

“This is a man who defended Hamas terrorists as they raped women, baked babies in ovens, sliced women's breasts off, mutilated genitalia, and murdered citizens on 10/7 in Israel from many of the countries gathered in Davos,” he added.

Brodsky raised questions about whether WEF partners, including major corporations like Goldman Sachs, want their brands associated with someone tied to sponsoring terrorists engaged in atrocities. He highlighted the inconsistency of not inviting Hamas leadership while extending invitations to sponsors purportedly linked to such groups.

Calls have been made for the World Economic Forum to rescind Amir-Abdollahian's invitation due to his close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Mark Wallace, CEO of United Against Nuclear Iran, and Alireza Akhondi, a Swedish parliament member of Iranian descent, conveyed their concerns in a letter to the forum and Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis.

The letter underscored Amir-Abdollahian's affiliation with the IRGC's Basij paramilitary force and the IRGC Quds Force, citing his involvement in planning meetings before the October 7 Hamas onslaught on Israel. Wallace and Akhondi urged Switzerland and the WEF to deny a visa and invitation to a major Iranian sponsor allegedly connected to Hamas.

The 54th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum is scheduled to take place from January 15 to January 19, 2024.

This latest Houthi attack comes only a few days after the airstrikes by the US and Britain on dozens of Houthi sites in Yemen, signaling that the group, which claims to be acting in support of Gaza under the Israeli onslaught, is not just undeterred but may be radicalized.

Shortly after the airstrikes last week, the Houthi leadership spoke of retaliation and threatened that all American and British interests would be “legitimate targets”.

Sunday afternoon (Yemen time), the Houthis fired an anti-ship cruise missile” towards USS Laboon (DDG 58), according to US Central Command. “The missile was shot down in vicinity of the coast of Hudaydah by U.S. fighter aircraft. There were no injuries or damage reported.”

The Houthis are no match for US and UK military power, but they seem to have enough determination and weaponry –provided by Iran– to make the Red Sea entirely unsafe for shipping, and escalate the conflict in the Middle East.

Initial assessments from the US suggests that no more than a quarter of the Houthis’ capability has been destroyed in the US/UK airstrikes.

The intercepted attack on a US warship may mean more airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, something that most countries in the region, including US ally Saudi Arabia and Nato member Turkey, do not like for different reasons.

President Biden said following the airstrikes that there could be more if the Houthis don’t back down. He did issue a thinly veiled warning to the Iranian regime as well, saying a message had been delivered and they wouldn't do anything. Any further Houthi aggression could be testing for Biden as he’d have to juggle domestic calls for a show of strength and calls for restraint from crucial regional countries.

Britain will "wait and see" before deciding to launch fresh military strikes against the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen in order to protect international shipping, Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said on Monday.

"Let's wait and see what happens, because it's not that we want to be involved in action in the Red Sea. But ultimately freedom of navigation is an international right," Shapps told Sky News, when asked if Britain would carry out more strikes.

All this comes amid an ongoing Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which Biden wants to contain as he enters the 2024 election campaign begins in earnest

A new poll by ABC and Ipsos shows Biden’s approval rating has fallen to its lowest and “a record low for his presidency and for any president in the last 15 years."

In the survey, conducted the first week of January, only 33 percent of those surveyed said they approved of Biden, a 4-points drop from the previous poll in September 2023, while 58 percent said they disapproved of his performance, a 2-points rise since September.

The situation in the Middle East is likely to surface as a key theme during the election campaign, especially since Biden’s unconditional support for Israel seems to be losing him indispensable Arab/Muslim votes in such key states as Michigan –as well as some younger ‘progressive’ votes.

On the 100th day of the Israeli war on Gaza, the White House national security council spokesman John Kirby said that the Biden administration had been discussing with Israel “a transition to low-intensity operations” in Gaza.

“We believe it’s the right time for that transition,” he said in an interview with CBS. “And we’re talking to them about doing that.”

Abbas Golroo, belonging to the hardliner faction and member of the parliament's national security committee, made the comments in a Sunday interview with Jamaran website.

The Kerman attacks resulted in nearly one hundred deaths and hundreds of injuries along the route leading to a cemetery, where former IRGC commander Qasem Soleimani is buried.

While the ISIS of Afghanistan claimed responsibility for the suicide bombings, social media speculation within Iran continues, with some accusing the country's security and intelligence agencies of orchestrating the attacks to garner sympathy for the regime.

Golroo claimed that Iran has played a role in attacks against Israeli targets in European countries. He also highlighted Hamas' recent attack as a “successful challenge to Israel's defense capabilities.” He hinted at ongoing and planned actions against the Israeli interests in various regions.

“A portion of the actions that we receive reports about is actively taken against this regime, both in European countries and within the occupied territories, as well as in the region. Additional actions are also being planned,” added the MP.

Despite accusations against Israel for allegedly organizing the Kerman incident, the United States rejected any suggestion of Israeli or American involvement in the Kerman explosions.

EU foreign ministers are expected to approve a naval mission later this month to join efforts in protecting international shipping amid attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on commercial vessels.

Speaking at her party's reception for the new year on Sunday, Maria-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann said the aim of the mission would be for EU frigates to protect commercial vessels passing through the strait.

The approaches to the Suez Canal, one of the world's most important shipping lanes, have been all but paralyzed by attacks on passing vessels by Iran-backed Houthi forces on the Yemen coast.

"This is an attack on free trade and has to be countered," Strack-Zimmermann said. Newspaper Welt am Sonntag earlier reported that the German frigate Hessen would set sail for the Red Sea on Feb. 1.

Parliament must approve any foreign deployment of Germany's armed forces.

The United States has already formed a naval coalition to guard the Red Sea shipping lanes. American and British militaries recently launched air and missile attacks on Houthi bases in Yemen after repeated warnings to the militant group to stop its attacks remained ineffective.