The United States plans to send advanced anti-missile defense systems and about one hundred troops to Israel to bolster the country’s defenses against Iran, the U.S. Department of Defense said (WSJ)
U.S. and Israeli officials have been in talks on how to respond to what the Pentagon called Iran’s “unprecedented attacks” against Israel in April and earlier this month (Department of Defense)
The decision to send this latest round of war aid marks the first significant deployment of U.S. troops to Israel since the war in the Gaza Strip began (WaPo)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi posted on social media site X that Tehran has “no red lines” when it comes to defending its people and interests in response to an expected Israeli retaliation for Iran’s recent missile attacks (Times of Israel)
Iran Delivers Satellites to Russia for Launch, Tasnim News Reports
The two Iran-made satellites dispatched on Friday were “developed by a private-sector company,” according to the news agency, which is linked to Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Tasnim News)
Russia sent Iranian satellites into orbit earlier this year and in 2022, raising concern among U.S. officials about the collaboration of the two U.S.-sanctioned countries (RFE/RL)
Israel Vows ‘Surprising’ Response to Iran After Biden, Netanyahu Speak
U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke yesterday for the first time in more than a month in what the White House called a “direct and productive” call (The Guardian,Times of Israel)
Israel continues to mull its response to Iran’s missile attack last week; Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who delayed a planned visit to Washington yesterday, said in a video released last night that the retaliation would be “deadly, precise, and above all, surprising” (Reuters)
Iran’s Foreign Minister Holds Security Talks in Saudi Arabia
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi is beginning a multi-country trip in Riyadh today, where he plans to discuss Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon; unnamed sources told Reuters that a meeting last week between ministers from Iran and Gulf Arab countries focused on de-escalation (Reuters)
Global Oil Prices Rise in Continued Mideast Clashes
U.S. President Joe Biden said that he was discussing with Israel the possibility of strikes on Iranian oil facilities as Israel continues to weigh its response to the missile barrage of early this week; when Biden was asked if he’d support this move, his ambiguous reply was followed by oil prices rising (NYT)
Israel Vows Retaliation After Iran Attacks With Nearly Two Hundred Missiles
Israel vowed retaliation after Iran launched nearly two hundred missiles at the country yesterday, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu saying Iran would “pay for” the attack (Axios)
Israel intercepted many of those missiles, and the United States, France, and the United Kingdom said their forces helped with interception efforts (NYT)
As Israel weighs its next step, Iran said it would meet any forceful response with renewed attacks (CNN)
Israeli officials said they would consult with Washington; U.S. President Joe Biden emphasized after Iran’s attack that Washington was fully in support of Israel (Reuters)
World leaders condemned Iran’s strikes on Israel, with many also calling for restraint (France 24)
Israel’s foreign minister said today that UN Secretary-General António Guterres was banned from entering the country after Guterres did not “unequivocally condemn Iran’s criminal attack” during a statement yesterday (Politico)
Iran Fires Nearly 200 Missiles at Israel
Iran launched approximately 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday in response to Israeli military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and the September 27 assassination of Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah(Al Jazeera)
Despite some missiles making impact in central and southern Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) reported no known Israeli casualties after a successful air defense operation executed by Israel with the help of the United States (NYT). One Palestinian civilian was killed in the West Bank when pieces of an intercepted rocket fell on him from the sky (Times of Israel)
Iran Expresses Willingness for Peace, Nuclear Negotiations
Speaking to reporters in New York, Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian said that Tehran is prepared to deescalate tensions with Israel if he sees the same level of commitment on the other side (Bloomberg)
He added that Iran wants peace but will stand up in the face of injustice against his allies, and that he was willing to sit down with the U.S. and European leaders for nuclear negotiations (AP)
Intelligence Agencies: Iranian Hackers Sent Stolen Information to Biden Campaign
In June and July, the hackers sent unsolicited emails to people associated with President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign that contained stolen content from former President Donald Trump’s campaign, three U.S. intelligence agencies said in a joint statement; they added there is no evidence the recipients replied (FBI)
A spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign said some people were targeted on their personal emails with what was considered a spam or phishing attempt, while a spokesperson for the Trump campaign called the revelations “further proof the Iranians are actively interfering in the election to help Kamala Harris and Joe Biden” (NYT)
Senior Russian Security Official Visits Iran
Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu met with Iran’s president in an unannounced visit, Russian state media reported; on his way to Iran, Shoigu also made stops to speak with the leaders of North Korea and Syria (Bloomberg)
Iran’s New President Says ‘No Place for Hostility’ With Saudi Arabia
Relations have remained fairly brittle between the two countries, despite Chinese efforts in facilitating a deal last year to restore ties after a seven-year row; Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called the countries “brothers” in a press conference and said he planned to visit Riyadh when he had an opportunity (Al-Monitor)
Thirty-Four Jailed Female Activists Begin Hunger Strike From Iranian Prison
The activists, including Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi, are calling for deeper political rights in the country and honoring the two-year anniversary of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protest movement (AFP)
One of Two U.S. Aircraft Carrier Strike Groups Deployed to the Middle East Departs for Asia-Pacific
The decision ended a period of roughly three weeks during which the United States took the rare move of having two carriers in the area; the dual-carrier presence had been in response to heightened Israel-Iran tensions (Reuters)
Iran’s New President Begins Multi-Day Trip to Iraq
On Masoud Pezeshkian’s first foreign trip as Iran’s president today, he pledged to deepen ties with Iraq as part of efforts to reduce Iran’s international isolation (Al Jazeera)
Trade between the countries has nearly doubled since last year; Iraq is Iran’s second-largest trade partner behind China (NYT)
U.S., Allies Announce Sanctions on Tehran For Sending Missiles to Russia
The United States unveiled new sanctions on Iran’s main airline and France, Germany, and the United Kingdom (UK) said they would cancel air services to and from Iran; the countries said the actions were a response to Tehran’s transfer of ballistic missiles to Moscow for use in Ukraine (CNN)
Senior U.S. Officials Visit London Over Concerns of Iranian Missiles in Russia
Multiple media outlets reported that U.S. officials assert that Iran has transferred short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, but Iranian officials denied the claim; Group of Seven leaders have warned of coordinated sanctions on Iran should such a transfer occur (WSJ)
New Iranian President Gets Full Slate of Cabinet Nominees Through Legislature
Reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian’s cabinet is the first to receive across-the-board approval in more than two decades (AP)
He chose a career diplomat who helped negotiate the 2015 nuclear deal as foreign minister and a former deputy chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces as defense minister (Al-Monitor)
U.S. Intelligence Agencies: Iran Has Sought to Breach Presidential Campaigns of Both U.S. Parties
Such efforts to influence the election process had been previously reported but not openly attributed by U.S. intelligence officials until now; Iran’s mission to the United Nations denied involvement (FBI,AP)
U.S. Military Bolsters Mideast Presence Amid Warnings of Iranian Attack
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and expedited the travel of a carrier strike group equipped with F-35C fighter jets to the region; yesterday, Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant about reinforcing U.S. capabilities to defend Israel as regional tensions escalate (WSJ)
Iran has vowed to retaliate for the July 31 killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which it blames on Israel (NYT)
Iran’s President Proposes Former Nuclear Negotiator as Foreign Minister
Nominee Abbas Araghchi was part of the team that reached the 2015 nuclear deal; lawmakers have two weeks to review minister nominations, which also include a nominee that, if selected, would be Iran’s first female minister in more than ten years (AP)
Microsoft Researchers Say Iran Is Upping Apparent Attempts to Interfere in U.S. Election
Iran’s efforts include creating fake news sites, impersonating activists, and targeting a presidential campaign with an email phishing attack, researchers from Microsoft said today in a new threat intelligence report; Iran’s mission to the United Nations denied any election interference in a statement to the Associated Press (AP)
Iran Executes Man Detained in 2022 Protests
A news agency overseen by the country’s judiciary said authorities executed Reza Rasaei, who was arrested in 2022 antigovernment protests and convicted of murdering a police officer in a trial that human rights groups said was marred with irregularities; Amnesty International said he had been tortured in prison (NYT)
Diplomats Aim to Control Mideast Escalation as Many Evacuate Lebanon
Efforts to control growing tensions between Israel and Iran continued over the weekend, with Jordan’s foreign minister making a rare visit to Tehran yesterday(Reuters)
Iran has accused Israel of being behind the death of a Hamas leader in an airstrike and vowed revenge; many see Hezbollah possibly joining forces in such a retaliation (WaPo)
Biden Urges Cease-Fire Deal in Call With Netanyahu Amid Rising Tensions in the Middle East
President Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday amid rising tensions across the Middle East after the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran earlier this week (Bloomberg)
Biden pledged to support Israel amid threats of reprisal from Iran and its allied militias and stressed the importance of de-escalation across the region, the readout of his call said (White House)
Meanwhile, flight data show that some commercial airlines appear to be avoiding airspace above Mideast countries such as Lebanon, Iran, and Israel at a time of rising regional tensions; over the past few days, carriers including Air India, Delta, Lufthansa, and United Airlines have suspended flights to Tel Aviv (Reuters)
Killing of Hamas’s Political Leader in Tehran Spurs Fears of Broader Conflict
Hamas accused Israel of the overnight assassination of its political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, with the group’s military wing warning that his death would have major repercussions for the entire region and Iran vowing to retaliate (FT). Israel did not claim responsibility for Haniyeh’s assassination, which came hours after it said it had struck a senior Hezbollah military leader in Beirut; together, the events have fueled fears of further regional escalation between Israel and Iran-backed forces (NYT)