On December 19, the German Foreign Ministry summoned an official from the Iranian regime’s embassy in Berlin for the alleged involvement of “regime institutions” in a plot to set fire to a synagogue in the city of Bochum.

The High Court in Dusseldorf confirmed on Tuesday that a conspiracy to set fire to a synagogue in Bochum last year had taken place with the cooperation of Iranian regime institutions.

According to the court’s announcement, “Babak J.,” who was identified as the perpetrator of a November 2022 school fire in Bochum, and a 36-year-old German-Iranian citizen, received orders from an individual inside Iran. The primary target of the arson attack was a synagogue located next to the school, not the school itself.

The High Court in Dusseldorf stated that “Babak J.” attempted to involve one of his acquaintances in the attack on the synagogue, but that acquaintance informed the police after refusing to cooperate with him. The suspect, unable to set the synagogue on fire, threw an incendiary device into the adjacent school instead.

According to the German magazine Der Spiegel, the suspect has been sentenced to 33 months in prison by the High Court in Dusseldorf.

Following the summoning of the Iranian regime official in Berlin, the German Foreign Ministry emphasized that there will be no tolerance for any violence carried out by foreigners in Germany, and the government will not allow the lives of Jews in thecountry to be attacked or endangered.

On March 5, 2023, The Washington Post reported, citing intelligence and security officials, that the mastermind behind a series of recent attacks on Jews and synagogues in Germany is an Iranian-German citizen named Ramin Yektaparast, who fled from Germany to Iran. According to the report, Yektaparast had been in contact with “Babak J.”

According to the report, Mr. Yektaparast had been running a brothel in the city of Leverkusen for a while and, due to his familiarity with criminal gangs in Germany, effectively acted as a remote contractor for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in achieving their objectives in Germany.

Ten countries, led by the United States, have agreed to jointly patrol the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to protect commercial ships from Houthi insurgent attacks.

Since the start of the conflict between Hamas and Israel, the Houthis, supported by the Iranian regime, have targeted Israeli ships and even those heading towards Israel under the pretext of supporting the people of Gaza against Israeli attacks.

Lloyd Austin, the United States Secretary of Defense, announced during his visit to Bahrain that several countries would participate in this initiative as part of an international force. It is unclear whether these countries will engage in the same activities as the US warships have done in recent days, which involve intercepting Houthi missiles and drones and providing assistance to attacked commercial vessels, or if their involvement will be symbolic.

The seriousness of the Houthi attacks, some of which have caused damage to ships, has prompted several shipping companies to instruct their vessels to remain in place and avoid entering the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the security situation is resolved.

“This is an international challenge that demands collective action,” Austin said in a statement. “Therefore today I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative.”

In addition to the United States, other countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy, Norway, Spain, Seychelles, and Bahrain are expected to be part of this coalition led by the United States.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated in a statement that on Monday, December 18, the Houthis once again attacked two commercial ships in the southern Red Sea. The oil tanker Swan Atlantic was targeted by a drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile. CENTCOM also reported a separate incident around the same time where the cargo ship MSC Clara experienced an explosion near its location. However, no damage to either of the vessels has been reported.

Yahya Saree, the spokesperson for the Houthis, claimed responsibility for the attacks on the two ships on December 18 and emphasized that these actions were taken because the crews of these two tankers did not respond to Houthi contacts. The Houthis have threatened to target all ships heading to Israel regardless of their nationality and have warned international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports.

Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political office, stated on Monday that his group could confront any coalition led by the United States that could be stationed in the Red Sea.

Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the chief negotiator for the Houthi rebels in Yemen, also told Reuters on Tuesday, December 19, that the group would not change its stance on the Gaza conflict due to the formation of a multinational naval coalition to protect shipping in the Red Sea.

AbdulSalam, describing the multinational naval coalition led by the United States as “essentially unnecessary,” pointed out that all waters adjacent to Yemen are safe, and only Israeli ships or ships heading towards Israel should be cautious. He attributed this insecurity to what he called an “unjust aggression against Palestine.”

On December 18, the US State Department announced that, Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, condemned the Houthi attacks on commercial ships in a call with Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs.

According to a senior US military official present in Bahrain, as reported by the Associated Press, under the new mission, the military ships that have increased their presence in the area do not necessarily escort a particular vessel but position military ships in a way that creates a security umbrella to protect them when needed.

Mr. Austin, in his statements on Tuesday, December 19, at a ministers meeting regarding the new naval mission, said that in the past four weeks, Houthi militias have attacked or seized 12 commercial ships, and 25 crew members of the Galaxy Leader oil tanker are still held hostage by Yemeni forces. The United States is actively pursuing the participation of member countries in this mission and increasing the number of naval forces present in this international coalition.

Some countries are expected to be involved in the patrols, while others will provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

An unnamed US defense official stated that several other countries have also agreed to participate in these operations but prefer to remain anonymous while cooperating with the coalition.

On Wednesday, December 19, the Swedish Court of Appeal upheld the life imprisonment sentence for Hamid Nouri, who was accused of involvement in the mass execution of political prisoners in the 1980s.

Hamid Nouri, also known by the alias Hamid Abbasi, a former deputy in the judicial system of the Iranian regime, was arrested in November 2019 following a court order in Sweden.

After 93 trial sessions at the Stockholm District Court, on July 14, 2022, he was convicted of complicity in the massacre of political prisoners in 1988 and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was also ordered to pay compensation to the families of the victims.

It is possible that Hamid Nouri’s lawyers may attempt to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court of Sweden.

The confirmation of Hamid Nouri’s sentence has been met with support from the opponents of the Iranian regime and the supporters of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran organization (PMOI/MEK). Some of them celebrated in Stockholm. In the summer of 1988, the regime executed more than 30,000 political prisoners, most of whom were supporters and members of the MEK. The event became known as the 1988 massacre.

Iranian authorities have been pressurizing Sweden to release Nouri, threatening them with hostage-taking and blackmailing.

In March 2023, the Iranian regime arrested Johan Floderus, a Swedish employee of the European Union diplomatic apparatus. Masoud Setayeshi, the spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary, announced on November 8 that the case of this Swedish citizen had been sent to court to issue an indictment.

The Swedish prosecutor’s office had accused Hamid Nouri, using the alias Hamid Abbasi, of deliberately causing the death of a large number of prisoners, members or supporters of the MEK and other opposition groups, when he served as an assistant to the deputy prosecutor or a similar position at Gohardasht Prison in the summer of 1988.

The Iranian regime claims that Hamid Nouri was deprived of basic rights, such as the right to contact his family and access to medical care during his detention, and that he was tortured during this period. Sweden has rejected these claims. Ironically, the prisoners who were executed by Nouri and his associates were tortured and deprived of their most basic rights, including a fair trial and access to a lawyer of their choosing.

On the other hand, the Iranian regime continues its policy of hostage-taking and putting pressure on Western countries.

On May 26, the Omani government disclosed its role in facilitating a prisoner exchange between Belgium and Iran’s regime. However, the release of Assadollah Assadi, a convicted terrorist diplomat from Tehran, drew strong condemnation from the Iranian opposition coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

Before this incident, the Belgian Constitutional Court had issued a mandate requiring Brussels to inform the victims before extraditing the convict to Iran, granting them the opportunity to seek legal recourse. Shockingly, Assadi was released without notifying the victims, blatantly disregarding their rights and violating the court order.

Tehran will persist in its nefarious acts of terrorism and hostage diplomacy, utilizing its embassies as hubs for these activities. European countries must confront the clerical regime’s terrorism sooner rather than later.

The United States and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions on several individuals associated with the Iranian regime’s IRGC Quds Force and paramilitary groups.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced in a statement on December 15 that it has imposed sanctions on Majid Zaree, a Quds Force official. Majid Zaree has been accused of supporting groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah.

Wally Adeyemo, the Deputy Secretary of Treasury, stated in a statement that the United States, in coordination with its partners, including the United Kingdom, continues to confront terrorism financing and threats posed by Iran.

This action blocks the assets of this individual in the United States and prohibits Americans from conducting transactions with him. Individuals who engage in transactions with the sanctioned person will also be subject to sanctions.

Earlier, the UK Foreign Office also announced in a statement that new sanctions against the Islamic Republic, which will be implemented from December 14, provide the country with new comprehensive powers to hold the Iranian regime and its agents accountable for human rights abuses, violent suppression of protesters, and destructive international activities.

The list of individuals sanctioned by the UK Foreign Office list includes Ismail Qaani, the top commander of the notorious Quds Force. He leads Iran’s operations outside the country and supports regional allies and proxy groups.

The statement mentions that seven individuals and one other entity have been sanctioned, all of whom are associated with Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, due to their involvement in hostile activities by these armed groups under the protection of the Iranian regime, including actions aimed at threatening, planning, or causing destabilization.

Also sanctioned were Mohammed Saeed Izadi, the head of IRGC-QF Palestine branch, and three other members from that branch: Ali Marshad Shirazi, Majid Zaree and Mostafa Majid Khani.

The entire branch itself is subject to asset freezes, the government said, while Hamas and PIJ representatives to Iran, Khaled Qaddoumi and Nasser Abu Sharif, respectively, also face travel bans and asset freezes.

“The behaviour of the Iranian regime poses an unacceptable threat to the UK and our partners,” UK foreign minister David Cameron said in a statement.

“It continues to threaten people on UK soil and uses its influence to destabilise the Middle East through its support to armed groups, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ).”