UAE names three Uzbeks arrested in case of murdered rabbi

“Issuing an arrest warrant is not enough; a death sentence for Netanyahu should be issued,” Khamenei said in a speech to members of the Basij militia.

The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, issued arrest warrants on November 21 for Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Mohammed Deif, the Hamas military leader who is presumed dead.

These warrants allege war crimes and crimes against humanity stemming from the Gaza conflict triggered by Hamas’s attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023. However, Khamenei demanded harsher penalties for Israeli officials, accusing them of criminality in their military operations against Gaza and Lebanon.

The Gaza conflict led to direct military confrontation between Israel and Iran this year, and can still turn into a more serious war in the region. Iran also faces more potential sanctions and pressure by the incoming Trump administration.

Khamenei’s demand comes as international legal bodies, including the ICC, stand firmly opposed to capital punishment. Human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized Iran for its extensive use of the death penalty, labeling it a violation of international norms.

This contradiction underscores the disparity between Khamenei’s calls for justice abroad and the practices of his system at home, where capital punishment is frequently employed against political dissidents and protesters.

Khamenei justified his remarks by referencing Israel’s military response to Hamas’s October 7 attacks, which killed approximately 1,200 Israelis, including 46 Americans, and led to the abduction of nearly 250 hostages.

Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the European Union and the United States, receives significant support from Tehran.

Khamenei’s criticism of Israel comes as the Islamic Republic has cracked down on domestic dissent. Groups like Iran Human Rights have documented systematic killings and repression since protests erupted in 2022. Hundreds of protesters have been killed, and thousands more injured or imprisoned, with these actions widely condemned by international human rights organizations.

Khamenei also hailed the growth of the so-called Resistance Front, a term used by Iranian officials to describe Tehran-backed armed groups in the region, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and other militias.

“Today, the Resistance Front has grown significantly; tomorrow, this growth will multiply,” Khamenei said, emphasizing his commitment to supporting anti-Israel factions despite international criticism.

The sentences for Mehran Hasanzadeh and Hamid Abdollahzadeh add to growing concerns over the escalating use of capital punishment against political dissidents in the country.

Hasanzadeh, a resident of Oshnavieh, was convicted on charges of rebellion (Baghi), a capital offense under Iran's Islamic law.

According to HRANA human rights organization, the charge stemmed from an accusation of killing a member of the Basij paramilitary force.

“Mehran has been accused of killing a Basij member, which ultimately led to the charge of rebellion and the issuance of the death sentence against him,” a source familiar with the case told HRANA.

Hasanzadeh was previously detained during the 2022 protests, released on bail, and later rearrested before being transferred to Urmia Prison​.

In a separate case, Abdollahzadeh, a resident of Urmia, received a death sentence on suspicion of "membership in an opposition party."

Arrested by security forces in late 2023, he was taken to Urmia Prison following interrogation.

The sentencing of Hasanzadeh and Abdollahzadeh reflects a broader trend of intensifying repression since nationwide protests erupted in September 2022. Sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody of the morality police, the demonstrations have been met with severe crackdowns, including mass arrests and the targeting of civil and political activists.

In recent months, Iranian authorities have increasingly resorted to the death penalty. Human rights groups report that over 42 political prisoners are currently at risk of execution.

In its November 21 report, HRANA documented at least 133 executions in since the past month, averaging more than four per day. This surge follows another statistic from the Iran Human Rights Organization, which recorded at least 166 executions in October​​.

HRANA’s reports indicate an average of 811 executions occurred between October 2023 and October 2024, encompassing both political detainees and ordinary prisoners.

The heightened execution rate coincides with rising tensions between Iran and Israel, and some suggest that the government uses the cover of geopolitical crises to deflect attention from internal repression.

Emirati authorities on Sunday identified the body of missing Chabad emissary Rabbi Zvi Kogan. They later announced that three suspects had been arrested in connection with the murder, which is being investigated by Israel's intelligence service and the UAE.

Senior Israeli officials told Walla News on Saturday that the focus of investigations was "a terrorist squad of Uzbek origin that operated in Dubai on behalf of Iran and allegedly carried out the abduction and then fled to Turkey."

However, the Iranian embassy in the UAE told Reuters on Sunday that it "categorically rejects the allegations of Iran’s involvement in the murder of this individual."

The statement came hours after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the murder "an antisemitic terror attack" and vowed that "Israel will act with all means to bring justice to the murderers and those who sent them."

Over the past two days, Israeli media have been reporting that the rabbi's murder may be related to Tehran's plan to avenge Israel's October 26 air strikes on Iranian military targets.

Israel has not yet accused Iran of involvement in the murder. However, the country has in the past alleged Iran's involvement in numerous attempts to kidnap Israelis abroad. Iran has also been involved in the kidnapping and killing of foreign nationals in the UAE, according to the Emirati and Western officials.

Iran suspected in hoax targeting Israeli ministers

In one of the latest cases, several Israeli government ministers recently received an invitation to an event hosted by Chabad in New York. Upon further investigation, it turned out that the invitation was signed in the name of a fictitious figure, raising suspicions the message was an Iranian attempt to lure government ministers, Israel's Ynet website reported.

Estimations now suggest the Iranians, or whoever orchestrated the attempt, used artificial intelligence to fabricate the identity of a rabbi, the report added, shortly after the murder of the Chabad emissary to the UAE.

In a similar case in May 2020, Israel’s security agency Shin Bet uncovered an alleged plot by Iranian intelligence to lure Israeli academics and former defense officials to travel abroad in order to kidnap them.

The agency said Iranians contacted the Israelis while posing as academics, journalists, businesspeople and philanthropists, using spoofed emails with the identities of real people living overseas who were unaware their names were being used.

Iran's intelligence targets thousands of Israelis

Israel Hayom reported on Sunday that Iranian intelligence agencies have compiled detailed profiles on thousands of Israelis, identifying them as potential targets for operations both within Iran and abroad.

Citing security sources, the report said hundreds of these individuals are classified as "high-risk," with some reportedly receiving direct threats from Iranian agents. The targets include current and former defense officials, scientists, and academics.

This effort, ongoing for over a decade, is viewed as Iran's strategic retaliation against the alleged Mossad-orchestrated assassinations of Iranian officials and scientists. In response, Tehran has reportedly established cells in various countries, aiming to target Israelis living or traveling in these regions, the report said.

Mossad Director David Barnea warned in September 2023 that Iran's leaders would pay a direct price at "the highest echelon" if Israelis or Jews are harmed in what he said was an ongoing, significantly stepped-up, state-organized Iranian "terror effort" worldwide.

"Military officials are planning various strategies to respond to Israel," Ali Larijani said in an interview with the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News.

Iran has been threatening to retaliate against Israel over the air strikes, which according to Israeli and US officials, knocked out Iran's last three Russian-provided S-300 air defense missile systems and left the country "naked".

Larijani's remarks came shortly after the body of an Israeli rabbi was found in the United Arab Emirates following his abduction by an allegedly Iran-linked cell, giving rise to suspicions that his assassination may be related to Tehran's plan to avenge the Israeli attacks.

Washington's 'shadow war' against Iran

In his Sunday interview, Larijani accused the United States of orchestrating the Israeli actions in the Middle East, including its operations against Iran.

"Israel was counting on the United States' support when planning its operation against Iran, with many US resources and aircraft operating in the region to assist them," he said.

"It can be said with certainty that the Americans are orchestrating events here. But why are they doing this? Because they prefer to engage in a "shadow war," staying out of sight while pushing others into the forefront," the senior advisor to Khamenei said.

He also called on the incoming administration of Donald Trump to stop its support for Israel and prevent what he called the tarnishing of the US image in the region.

"It seems that the United States and its current leadership, which has undergone changes, need to gain a proper understanding of the situation. The officials of the Zionist regime (Israel) are drowning themselves and dragging the Americans down with them, tarnishing the US's reputation in the region," he said.

Trump’s incoming administration plans to revive its “maximum pressure” policy to “bankrupt” Iran’s capacity to support its so-called Axis of Resistance and pursue nuclear development, The Financial Times reported last week.

Trump’s team is preparing executive orders for his first day in office that would tighten existing sanctions and introduce new ones on Iran’s oil exports, the FT report said citing unnamed sources.

Iran’s Statistics Center revealed that rental rates in urban areas rose by approximately 42% in the last 12 months compared to the same period last year. This rate significantly outpaced general inflation by 8.6 percentage points, despite a government-imposed cap of 25% on rent hikes announced in July.

Since July, following the implementation of a cap on rent increases, annual inflation in this sector, as reported by the Statistics Center, has been recorded at 41.4% in August, 41.7% in September, 41.8% in October, and now 41.7% in November.

Throughout these four months, rent inflation has exceeded general inflation. From September to November, rent inflation compared to general inflation has been reported to be higher by 6.6, 7.5, 8.2, and 8.6 percentage points, respectively.

The cost of renting has faced a significant surge since 2020, a combination of housing prices rising and the country's inflation rising since 2019. The government’s strategy of command pricing is not addressing the root causes of inflation, reported the financial newspaper Donya-e-Eqtesad.

Rental price inflation is part of a wider trend of rising costs in Iran, with recent moves by the government signaling potential price increases in gasoline and automobiles. It comes alongside rising energy costs and insufficient incomes.

The government recently authorized controversial measures to burn mazut in power plants to address the energy crisis, exacerbating environmental and public health concerns. Meanwhile, a resolution by the Economic Council mandates higher gas tariffs to curb overconsumption, further burdening households.

Simultaneously, domestic carmakers Iran Khodro and SAIPA announced price increases of up to 30% for their products, citing financial losses and heavy debts. Critics have called the car market one-sided, accusing the government of supporting monopolistic practices by banning imports.

The situation is reminiscent of the 2019 fuel price protests which saw widespread unrest and the deaths of hundreds of protesters. Economists warn that any rise in fuel prices could trigger inflationary shocks across the economy.

Hossein Raghfar, an economist at Al-Zahra University told Jamaran News: “Raising fuel prices without addressing systemic economic issues will harm everyone and increase tensions."

As the Iranian government struggles to manage rising costs and budget deficits, the consequences of inflation are felt acutely by ordinary citizens with one third of Iranians now living below the poverty line and basic goods like food becoming ever harder to afford.