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Iran’s War With Israel and the United States

Iranian President Claims Iran Defeated U.S. Destabilization Efforts

  • President Ebrahim Raisi asserted that Iran’s cities were “safe and sound” after what he claimed was a failed U.S. attempt to instigate another Arab uprising in Iran (Reuters)

Regime Surveils Young People For Dissent

  • Security forces have used school report cards, attendance lists, and security cameras to surveil young anti-government protesters, the Washington Post reported (WaPo)

U.S. Official: Washington Will Not ‘Waste’ Time on Iran Deal

  • At an event in Washington, U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley said a potential return to the 2015 nuclear deal is “not our focus right now” and the United States will not “waste our time” on the deal while there is no movement in negotiations with Iran (AP, Times of Israel)

Videos Show Iranian Security Forces Targeting Protesters With Gunfire, Tear Gas

  • The videos appeared on social media as Iran’s anti-government demonstrators defied an ultimatum from President Ebrahim Raisi to stop protesting after seven weeks (Reuters)

Iranian Protests Escalate as Security Forces Attack Mourners of Mahsa Amini

  • Iranian security forces opened fire on protesters who gathered by the thousands in Kurdistan Province yesterday to mark forty days since the death of Mahsa Amini, who died following her detention by Iran’s morality police; demonstrations also occurred in Tehran and other cities across the country, with tens of thousands of anti-government protesters taking to the streets (BBC)
  • The Iranian government announced sanctions yesterday on European media companies covering the ongoing protests (DW)
  • Meanwhile, the self-declared Islamic State claimed responsibility for an attack that killed at least fifteen people at a Shiite Muslim shrine in southern Iran; President Ebrahim Raisi said the demonstrations had “paved the way” for the attack (Al Jazeera)

U.S. Imposes Further Sanctions On Iranian Officials

  • The United States designated ten individuals associated with the Iranian intelligence agency and Revolutionary Guard, as well as prison wardens over their continued repression of protestors and disruption of internet access (AP)
  • Additionally, President Biden is set to meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog to discuss developments in Iran, including the country’s nuclear program (Reuters)

Iran Advancing Nuclear Development as Talks with U.S. Stall

  • Iran has continued to bring additional advanced centrifuges on stream to expand its production of enriched uranium at its underground plant at Natanz and intends to continue its development activities, an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report indicates (Reuters)

White House: Iran Nuclear Deal Not Happening ‘Anytime Soon’

  • White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said that Washington does not foresee a nuclear deal with Iran “anytime soon” (Yahoo News)
  • In a separate briefing, European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he does not expect progress on the matter (Reuters)
  • The comments suggest that talks that began in 2021 to revive the 2015 nuclear deal could be indefinitely stalled; the talks have slowed in recent weeks as U.S. and other Western policymakers increasingly focus on punishing Iran for cracking down on anti-government protesters and allegedly supplying drones that Russia has used against Ukraine (The Hill)

Iranian Leader Breaks Silence on Protests, Blames ‘Foreign Enemies’

  • Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said the United States and Israel instigated Iran’s ongoing protests over the death of a young woman; U.S. President Joe Biden said Washington will impose “further costs” this week on those who commit violence against peaceful protesters in Iran (Al Jazeera)

U.S. Sanctions Ten Entities for Aiding Iranian Oil Exports

  • The sanctions targeting entities from China, Hong Kong, India, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates are part of an effort to ramp up financial pressure on Tehran and push it to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal (Bloomberg)

Iran Claims U.S. Meddling in Ongoing Protests

  • Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani accused the U.S. and other European countries of exploiting current nationwide protests to destabilize the Islamic Republic (Reuters)
  • Meanwhile, Iranian riot police and security forces confronted demonstrators in several cities across the country as they continued their violent repression of protests that began on September 16 in response to the death of Mahsa Amini while in morality police custody (Reuters)

U.S. Eases Sanctions to Support Protestors’ Internet Access

  • The U.S. Treasury Department issued guidance to expand internet services to Iranians, despite sanctions, to help prevent state surveillance and censorship amid ongoing protests (Reuters)
  • In response, Iran criticized the U.S. action, stating that it was evidence of the U.S.’ continued hostile policy toward the Iranian regime (Reuters)

U.S. Imposes Sanctions on Morality Police

  • The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Iran’s morality police and leaders of other government agencies suspected to be involved in the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody for violating the Islamic Republic’s strict dress restrictions (AP)

Clash at UN Between Iran, US

  • At the United Nations General Assembly, President Ebrahim Raisi denounced human rights allegations against the Iranian regime after the death of a woman in police custody as “double standards;” Raisi also called for former U.S. President Donald Trump to stand trial for the 2020 drone attack that killed Qassem Soleimani, Iran’s top Quds Force commander (Reuters)
  • Both the Iranian President and U.S. President Joe Biden stressed their countries were interested in reviving the nuclear deal, but Raisi raised concerns about the United States’ ability to maintain its commitments, given the potential for policy changes between administrations (AP)

U.S., Iran Resume Nuclear Deal Talks

  • The United States and Iran resumed indirect talks in Vienna, Austria, yesterday to try to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal (The National)

Russia to Launch Iranian Spy Satellite

  • Russia will launch the “Khayyam,” an Iranian satellite that will drastically increase Tehran’s intelligence capabilities; before handing over the reins, Russia will use the satellite in its own war against Ukraine (Washington Post)

Iran, the United States, and European Union Send Envoys to Vienna for Nuclear Talks

  • Iran, the United States, and the European Union (EU) said they would send envoys to Vienna in an effort to revive the 2015 nuclear deal as prospects for renewal have deteriorated in recent months (ABC)

United States Imposes New Iran Sanctions on Chinese, UAE Firms

  • The United States issued new Iran sanctions targeting firms in Hong Kong, the UAE, and Singapore to cut Iran’s profit from oil and gas exports (Reuters)

Iran to Keep UN Nuclear-Monitoring Cameras Off

  • The head of Iran’s nuclear agency said Iran will keep UN nuclear-monitoring cameras turned off until the 2015 nuclear deal is restored (Reuters)
  • Meanwhile, the Iraqi intelligence ministry claimed to have thwarted an attack by suspected Israeli cell members on a ‘sensitive center’ in Isfahan province (Al Jazeera)

Iranian Adviser Says Tehran is Capable of Building a Nuclear Bomb

  • A senior advisor to the Iranian Supreme Leader said Iran is capable of building a nuclear bomb but has not yet decided whether to do so; this rare suggestion of Iranian interest in nuclear weapons acquisition comes as Iran has enriched uranium up to 60 percent, with 3.67 percent being the cap under the 2015 nuclear deal (Reuters)
  • Meanwhile, Iranian officials have said Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Iran to discuss joint efforts to circumvent U.S. sanctions (Financial Times)

Biden Arrives in Israel for First Middle East Visit

  • U.S. President Joe Biden arrives in Israel yesterday to kick off his first visit to the Middle East as president; he discussed Iran’s nuclear program and economic cooperation with Israeli officials before meeting with Palestinian officials in the West Bank and traveling to Saudi Arabia (Associated Press)

Iran Reportedly Plans to Supply Russia with Drones

  • U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Tehran plans to send several hundred drones to Moscow this month as the war in Ukraine takes its toll on Russian weapon supplies (Politico).

United States Imposes New Iran-Related Sanctions

  • After talks in Qatar failed to make headway on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal, the United States imposed new sanctions on companies based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hong Kong, and Iran that were suspected of facilitating Iranian oil exports (Al Jazeera)

Indirect U.S.-Iran Talks Fail to Break Impasse

  • Two days of indirect talks between the United States and Iran, aimed at breaking an impasse in negotiating the reinstatement of the 2015 nuclear deal, have come to an unsuccessful close; U.S. and French officials point to the expansion of Iranian demands beyond the scope of the nuclear deal (Reuters)

Iranian Chief of Intelligence Removed Amid Security Failures

  • Hossein Taeb, who served as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) chief of intelligence, was removed from his position as Israeli efforts to undermine Iranian security successfully brought about security breaches inside Iran and created a diplomatic crisis with Turkey (Haaretz)
  • Separately, Iran has applied to join the BRICS group, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa; Russian foreign ministry officials hailed the application alongside other recent submissions as affirmation of the bloc’s appeal as an alternative to Western economic coalitions (Reuters)