Hamas Leader Haniyeh Loses 3 Sons To Israeli Air Strike

Lebanese citizen Sarur was found at home in possession of an undisclosed sum of money left untouched by the assassin.

Sarur has known affiliations with financial institutions linked to terror group Hezbollah, backed by Iran. In August 2019, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on Sarur and others, accusing them of transferring "tens of millions of dollars" from the foreign operations arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards through Hezbollah in Lebanon “to Hamas for terrorist attacks originating from the Gaza Strip.”

The Treasury revealed Sarur's role as a “middleman” between Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force and Hezbollah, collaborating with operatives to also facilitate funds for Hamas's armed wing, the Izz-a-Din al-Qassam Brigades in Gaza.

“As of 2014, Sarur was identified as in charge of all money transfers” between the Quds Force and the Qassam Brigades, the Treasury added.

According to the Treasury, Sarur also has an extensive history working at Hezbollah's sanctioned bank, Bayt al-Mal. Washington blacklisted Bayt al-Mal in 2006.

Since October 7’s Hamas invasion of Israel, alongside the subsequent war in Gaza, Lebanese Hezbollah has been engaged in daily clashes with the Israeli military. Proxies in Syria and Yemen have also joined the offensive in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza.

October 7’s attacks saw 1,200 mostly civilians murdered and 250 or more hostages taken to Gaza. Israel’s retaliatory offensive in a bid to rescue the hostages and eliminate Hamas has led to over 32,000 deaths according to Hamas. Israel claims around 13,000 terrorists have been killed since the war began.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, one of the organizers of the call who heads Iran Human Rights, says the UN Office on Drug and Crime has remained silent about the sharp hike in drug-related executions in the country – while it cooperates with Tehran on combating drug trafficking.

“In addition to legitimizing the state’s use of the death penalty, this cooperation also leads to more executions through financial aid and equipment. A UN entity must not be complicit in drug executions in Iran,” Amiry-Moghaddam said.

“This joint action is to raise awareness and sensitise the international community and public about drug-related executions in Iran and increase the political cost of these executions for the authorities. The execution of more than one person per day under the pretext of drug offences should become intolerable for the people and the international community.”

Amnesty International’s latest report this month says at least 481 executions – more than half of the total 853 executions recorded in 2023 – were carried out for drug-related offenses.

“The number of executions in 2023 is the highest recorded since 2015 and marks a 48% increase from 2022 and a 172% increase from 2021. Iran’s killing spree is continuing into 2024, with at least 95 recorded executions by 20 March,” the Amnesty report read.

“Aimed at instilling fear and preventing more protests, the Islamic Republic executed at least 471 people for drug-charged in 2023, without any political cost and consequences,” Amiry-Moghaddam highlighted.

Execution numbers recorded by human rights groups are often the minimum figures and organizations like Amnesty International have often said that it believes the real number is higher.

“We are concerned that hundreds more will be executed in the coming months if we do not increase the political cost of these executions for the Islamic Republic. We call on all human rights organizations and activists to take part in a special global campaign to stop drug-related executions in Iran,” the statement read.

The signatories noted that the international community's muted response and limited media coverage for drug-related executions have led to these daily executions to take place with minimal public scrutiny. "On the other hand, the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) which cooperates with Iran in combating drug trafficking, has not only remained silent about the sharp hike in drug executions, but signed a new agreement with the Islamic Republic in May 2023."

Iran's top Sunni cleric Mowlavi Abdolhamid said in October that a lot of people are hanged In Iran for petty crimes involving only a few dollars. Abdolhamid told his congregation in Zahedan, capital of southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan Province, that lack of jobs in his province and some other impoverished areas is the prime reason people are driven to smuggling fuel, minor drug-related offences, or drug trafficking. "Many of these individuals end up in prison or are even executed for committing crimes that involve profiting as little as 5 million rials ($10)."

While on the surface, Iran has some of the world’s harshest drug laws – many of the regime’s own members are known to run parts of the drug business inside the country, including officials and high-ranking members of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, managers from Tehran’s Municipality and members of parliament.

Farshid Manuchehri said, "Afghanistan buys our saffron and exports it as an Afghan-produced product to the destination markets and target markets of our country, and at a higher price”.

Afghanistan’s own production is now also soaring, becoming a possible contender with the world’s largest producer of the spice.

Gholam Reza Miri, chairman of the Iranian Saffron Exporters and Sellers Union, said in January that most of Iran's saffron is smuggled to Afghanistan and packed in Spain.

Miri said that high customs duties and embargoes are among the factors for trafficking with almost half of the value of Iran's annual saffron production ending up in the pockets of smugglers.

He said that last year, 90 tons of saffron, accounting for 40% of Iran's total production of 225 tons, were subject to smuggling with Afghanistan and Spain holding 21% and 16% of the global saffron markets, respectively.

Extreme weather has also halved production of the world’s most expensive spice in Iran, with areas once dependent on what is also known as desert gold, decimated by climate change.

Iran produces nine tenths of the world’s supply but climate change has meant devastation for farmers.

As Iran battles a cost of living crisis, the mainstay of Iranian cuisine has become less consumed than ever before in the country as economics make the spice prohibitive as prices continue to rise. It has been pushed up by high demand from major markets such as China, which accounts for almost half of Iran’s exports.

According to reports from NGO United Against A Nuclear Iran (UANI), the oil originated from Kharg Island, Iran, and was transferred in United Arab Emirates waters before being sent for delivery to Bangladesh.

UANI has urged Bangladesh to take a stand against the transaction and return the oil to Iran. The organization highlighted concerns over the use of ship-to-ship transfers by Iran to avoid detection of the destination of its cargo. This method involves turning off vessel transponders at sea and covertly transferring oil cargos.

The Islamic Republic employs various mechanisms, involving a network of entities and organizations, to sell its oil via third parties and evade sanctions.

Additionally, Iran has reportedly begun providing oil to state organizations, including the IRGC, as a means to bolster their budgets without direct financial allocation.

Such operations are typically orchestrated by state bodies and business figures with close ties to the regime, yielding substantial profits in the process.

Iran's oil exports have experienced a notable increase in recent years, rising from less than 500,000 barrels per day after the US re-imposed sanctions in 2019 to over 1,500,000 barrels per day.

Regime officials attribute the surge to strategies aimed at bypassing punitive measures rather than engaging in transparent dealings with the international community.

Ahmad Alamolhoda, who is close to Iran's ruler Ali Khamenei and is the father-in-law of President Ebrahim Raisi, remarked on Wednesday, "Those women who improperly wear hijab should be aware that they are collaborating with an enemy who has targeted not only Islam but also the soil of the country."

The Iranian government has long drawn parallels between dissent and supporting ‘enemy’ nations, usually referring to the US and Israel. Hundreds of Iranians have been arrested on trumped up charges of collaborating with the enemy and espionage while the regime cracks down on all forms of dissent as its legitimacy crumbles.

Alamolhoda’s comments come in the wake of a speech by Ayatollah Khamenei, stressing the significance of compulsory hijab for women as the state fails to stem the tide of disobedience, stemming back to the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom uprising.

Even legislative efforts surrounding hijab have been met with contention. A bill, initially proposed by the government and later revised by hardline factions in parliament, has faced scrutiny for proposing penalties, including heavy fines, for women not adhering to the dress code.

Despite efforts to pass the bill, it has not been approved by the Guardian Council yet, which has requested amendments from parliamentarians.

The head of the Judiciary and Legal Commission of the Parliament, Mousa Ghazanfarabadi, detailed the latest criticisms from the Guardian Council on Tuesday saying that final amendments will be made in the coming week.

International scrutiny over Iran's mandatory hijab laws has intensified, with human rights experts from the United Nations expressing concerns over systematic discrimination against women.