Heated Discussions at UN Meeting on Iran
- The United States and its allies clashed with Iran and Russia over Tehran’s continued uranium enrichment and supply of combat drones to Russia for the war in Ukraine (AP)
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Iran’s War With Israel and the United States
U.S. Navy: Iran “Forcibly Seized” Commercial Ship in Persian Gulf
- Iran regularly seizes and inspects tankers suspected of smuggling oil, and the incident comes after the U.S. Navy rebuffed two similar attempts days earlier (Reuters)
- Meanwhile, four countries with citizens that died in the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane by Iranian jets in January 2020 filed a suit against Iran at the International Court of Justice, seeking compensation and a full account of events (NYT)
U.S. Navy: Iran Tried to Seize Two Oil Tankers in Strait of Hormuz
- Iran reportedly fired shots at one of the tankers before backing off when the U.S. Navy responded to prevent the seizures; the United States says Iran has seized five commercial vessels and harassed others over the past two years (AP)
U.S. Special Envoy for Iran on Leave as Security Clearance Is Reviewed
- Rob Malley said that his security clearance is under review; he had led the Joe Biden administration’s exploration of a possible return to the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. More recently, the United States and Iran have been in indirect talks brokered by Oman (Al-Monitor)
European Union Plans to Extend Ballistic Missile Sanctions on Iran
- The sanctions are set to expire in October under the terms of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, but diplomats have reportedly informed Iran that the sanctions will remain in place due to Iran’s military support for Russia’s war in Ukraine (Reuters)
Iran Willing to Swap Prisoners With United States
- The foreign ministry spokesperson said Iran is waiting to see if the United States is “ready to make a final decision;” two months ago, Iran conducted a prisoner swap involving European citizens (AFP)
Iran’s Foreign Minister Promotes Regional Dialogue Forum
- On a four-country visit to neighboring Gulf states, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian expressed support for a UN proposal to hold a regional dialogue and cooperation forum in New York in September (Al Jazeera)
Iran Seeks Thaw in Relations With United Arab Emirates
- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian discussed plans for a bilateral tax and investment deal with Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed in Tehran yesterday, as Iran seeks to mend fences with other Arab countries (Al-Monitor)
EU, Iran Discuss Lifting Sanctions
- Iran’s lead nuclear negotiator said he discussed the potential lifting of sanctions with European Union (EU) officials amid a Western push for an informal deal that limits Iran’s nuclear activities (Bloomberg)
Russia, Iran Could Sign Regional Free Trade Deal
Saudi Foreign Minister Set to Visit Iran
- According to Iranian news reports, Prince Faisal bin Farhan will visit the country in the coming days, a sign that ties continue to thaw between the historical adversaries (Reuters)
NYT: U.S. Seeks Informal Deal to Limit Iran’s Nuclear Program
- U.S. diplomats have been pushing for the deal to also free imprisoned Americans and halt Iran’s and its proxies’ lethal attacks on U.S. contractors in Iraq and Syria; in exchange, the United States would refrain from tightening sanctions, seizing oil-bearing tankers, and seeking punishments for Iran in international forums for its nuclear activity (NYT)
Iran Confirms Ongoing Indirect Talks with United States
- Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the talks in Oman addressed the potential lifting of sanctions (Axios)
- In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “Israel will not be bound by any deal with Iran and will continue to defend itself” (Times of Israel)
- During Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Venezuela yesterday, state energy companies from both countries signed a deal to facilitate new joint oil projects, Venezuelan state television reported; both countries want to increase bilateral trade from $3 billion to $20 billion, Raisi said (Reuters)
Iranian President Visits Latin American Partners
- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi began his five-day tour of three Latin American countries in Venezuela, with which Tehran has the closest ties and has strengthened energy cooperation in recent months; he will also visit Cuba and Nicaragua (Al Jazeera)
“Nothing Wrong” With a Nuclear Deal, Iran’s Supreme Leader Says
- Amid rumors of an interim deal between Tehran and Washington, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that there is “nothing wrong” with a nuclear deal with the West as long as its nuclear industry is not touched (Reuters)
United States to Unload Oil from Seized Iranian Tanker
- In a potential escalation of the “shadow tanker war,” the United States will sell an estimated fifty-six million dollars of oil (FT)
U.S. Announces New Sanctions on Those Aiding Iran’s Ballistic Missile Program
- The U.S. Treasury Department said that seven people and six companies in Iran, China, and Hong Kong who helped Iran procure materials for the program will face sanctions; Tehran’s military envoy in Beijing was among those sanctioned (Bloomberg)
- Meanwhile, Iran unveiled a hypersonic missile, called Fattah, which the head of its aerospace program claims can evade any air defense system; President Ebrahim Raisi heralded the weapon as a “deterrent power” and “an anchor of lasting security and peace” (AP)
Iran Reopens Embassy in Saudi Arabia Amid Rapprochement
- Iran is reopening its embassy in Saudi Arabia this week after a seven-year closure, Iran’s foreign ministry said; Iran will also reopen its consulate in Jeddah and its office with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (WaPo)
UAE Pulls Out of U.S.-Led Sea Force to Counter Iran
- The force includes nearly forty countries working to counter Iranian attacks on commercial sea traffic (WSJ)
- A day before the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced its withdrawal, the Wall Street Journal reported that it had been dissatisfied with the force’s recent efforts to deter Iran (WSJ)
- Meanwhile, Tehran has reinstalled monitoring equipment and increased cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency at its nuclear sites while also boosting its stockpiles of uranium enriched near weapons-grade, the UN nuclear watchdog reported (Bloomberg)
Biden Advisor Met With Omani Officials Over Iran’s Nuclear Program
- A senior advisor to U.S. President Joe Biden made a low-profile visit to Oman earlier this month to discuss the two countries’ possible roles in helping to broker a deal with Iran to freeze parts of its nuclear program, Axios reported (Axios)
Journalist Who Covered Mahsa Amini’s Death on Trial
- Iran’s justice system began a closed-door trial for one of two female Iranian journalists who were detained last year for covering anti-government protests; they could face the death penalty (AFP)
Belgium, Iran Swap Prisoners in Oman
- A Belgian official said a Belgian aid worker was freed, while Iranian state television said an Iranian diplomat convicted of planning a bomb attack was also released (AP)
Iran Unveils New Missile, Claims It Can Fly 1,240 Miles
- Tehran says the new ballistic missile’s two-thousand-kilometer range would enable it to strike Middle Eastern countries but not Western Europe (AP)
President Raisi Replaces Security Chief
- President Ebrahim Raisi named Ali Akbar Ahmadian, a general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as head of Iran’s top security body; he will replace Ali Shamkhani, who helped mediate the country’s rapprochement with Saudi Arabia last month (AFP)
Iran Conducts More Unannounced Executions
- Two men were executed yesterday on blasphemy charges, Iran’s judiciary said; many executions in the country have gone unannounced in the past few weeks, according to the Norway-based Iran Human Rights group, which calculated last week that Iran had executed forty-two people in ten days (Al Jazeera)