Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at deadly explosions in Iran, a United Nations Security Council meeting on Red Sea security, and escalating Russia-Ukraine strikes.

Deadly Blasts in Iran

Two explosions rocked central Iran on Wednesday at the four-year commemoration of former military commander Qassem Suleimani’s assassination. The remote-detonated explosives killed at least 103 people and injured 188 others attending a procession for Suleimani at a cemetery in the province of Kerman, where he is buried. Iranian state-run media said the death toll is expected to rise.

U.S. forces under orders from then-President Donald Trump assassinated Suleimani at Baghdad International Airport in 2020. Suleimani ran the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, an expeditionary branch of the paramilitary organization that oversees Tehran’s foreign operations and is deemed a terrorist organization by the United States.

Under Suleimani, the Quds Force strengthened Iran’s regional alliance network to project Tehran’s power and interests in the Middle East as well as counter the United States and Israel. This included funding, training, and otherwise supporting militant groups such as Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and an array of groups in Iraq and Syria.

No one has claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s blasts, which Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called a “terrorist” act. Iranian Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei said Tehran’s intelligence, security, and military agencies will begin investigating immediately. “We will, God willingly, deliver a big slap to those responsible for this terrorist attack,” Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said. “They are mistaken to think our resolve will be broken by such cowardly attacks.”

Local officials placed all medical facilities in Kerman on standby to treat patients, many of whom remain in critical condition, and national authorities deployed emergency aircraft for medical evacuation flights to Tehran. State security and law enforcement are now overseeing Kerman, Vahidi said.

Wednesday’s explosions escalate already heightened tensions in the Middle East, coming just one day after Israel killed top Hamas leaders, including senior commander Saleh al-Arouri, in Beirut. On Wednesday, Israel went on high alert, fearing an escalation in violence from Hezbollah for the Beirut bombing. Still, the director of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, David Barnea, vowed on Wednesday to hunt down every Hamas member involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel—no matter where they are. Arouri was allegedly one of the masterminds behind the assault that killed around 1,200 Israelis.

Today’s Most Read

• 10 Conflicts to Watch in 2024 by Comfort Ero and Richard Atwood
• Elections to Watch in 2024 by Allison Meakem
• 8 Simmering Threats You Shouldn’t Ignore in 2024 by FP Contributors

What We’re Following

Red Sea security. The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting on Wednesday to discuss security concerns in the Red Sea. For weeks, Houthi rebels in Yemen have targeted commercial vessels allegedly tied to Israel, forcing major shipping companies to suspend routes through the vital waterway. On Tuesday, Danish shipping giant Maersk confirmed its extension of an indefinite pause on Red Sea and Gulf of Aden operations.

“The numerous unjustified attacks originating from Houthi-controlled territories in Yemen are a grave threat to international commerce and maritime security,” U.N. spokesperson Nate Evans said after Houthi rebels launched two ballistic missiles into the Red Sea late Tuesday—marking the 24th attack on merchant shipping since Nov. 19. The militant group said it will continue to target regional shipping until Israel ends its war in Gaza.

Intensifying attacks. Ukraine launched a slew of missile and drone strikes at the Russian city of Belgorod on Wednesday. A previous Ukrainian strike on the city on Saturday was one of the deadliest attacks on Russia thus far, the Kremlin said, estimating that at least 25 civilians, including five children, were killed. It is Ukrainian policy not to confirm or comment on military operations.

Wednesday’s assault followed a large-scale Russian bombardment against Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities over the New Year weekend that killed at least 92 people nationwide. According to comments made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Tuesday night, Moscow had launched more than 500 attacks against Ukraine since Friday, with strikes against the capital on Tuesday lasting six hours.

Despite the intense tit-for-tat fighting, the two countries carried out their first prisoner of war exchange in months on Wednesday in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates. Ukraine released 248 Russian military service members from custody while Russia released more than 200 Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Chaos on Capitol Hill. More than 60 Republicans from the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Speaker Mike Johnson, visited the U.S.-Mexico border on Wednesday to pressure the Biden administration to enact stricter immigration policies. The delegation criticized increased migrant crossings and demanded that Democrats grant funding to resume border wall construction. The group threatened to “shut down” the government if their demands aren’t met, just two weeks ahead of a looming deadline to fund the federal government. Congress has also failed to pass an emergency spending bill that would provide additional aid to Ukraine, which was held up over GOP immigration demands.

Across the aisle, U.S. prosecutors charged Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey on Tuesday with using his power as head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to aid the Qatari government. The indictment alleges that Menendez accepted bribes—including cash, gold bars, Formula 1 tickets, and designer products—in exchange for using his Senate office to benefit the government of Qatar as part of a scheme to help a New Jersey developer secure backing from an investment fund run by a Qatari sheikh. In September 2023, Menendez was also accused of working for the Egyptian government without informing the U.S. Justice Department.

Odds and Ends

In the cutthroat world of chess, even fashion violations are taken seriously. The International Chess Federation fined Dutch player Anna-Maja Kazarian $111 last week for wearing Burberry sneakers, deemed too sporty for the 2023 World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Uzbekistan. The tournament’s dress code, which explicitly aims “to promote a good and positive image of chess,” forbids participants from wearing “sports sneakers.” Apparently even Burberry isn’t classy enough for the world’s chess masters.