Iran, IAEA Reach Deal on Servicing Surveillance Cameras
In a last minute deal to avoid censure by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran agreed to allow the IAEA to reset nuclear-site inspection cameras to monitor the progress of the Iranian nuclear program (New York Times)
UN Nuclear Watchdog Accuses Iran of Non-Cooperation
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) accused Iran of denying access to nuclear-related facilities and obstructing their investigation into Iran’s nuclear activities (Wall Street Journal)
Kazem Gharibabadi, Iranian ambassador to the IAEA, said that so long as U.S. sanctions against Iran continue, no one can tell Iran to cease its nuclear activities (Al Jazeera)
New Iranian Foreign Minister Open to Nucelear Talks With the United States
In his first comments about nuclear negotiations with the United States since taking office, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Tehran wants to negotiate with the West but suggested it is not in a hurry. He said the new government needs up to three months to plan (Axios)
Iranian Parliament Approves Most of New President’s Cabinet Picks
Iran’s parliament approved eighteen of the nineteen people nominated to President Ebrahim Raisi’s cabinet. Many of the new ministers worked in previous hard-line administrations. Iran’s new foreign minister is a career diplomat who said earlier this week he aims for an “Asia-centric” foreign policy (Al Jazeera)
Iran Confirms Abuse at Prison
The head of Iran’s prison system confirmed the authenticity of videos published by the Associated Press that showed abuse at the country’s Evin prison, saying he took responsibility for “unacceptable behaviors.” The prison has often held political prisoners and those with ties to the West (Associated Press)
Nuclear Watchdog Reports Iranian Progress in Uranium Enrichment
Iran has made progress in its efforts to enrich uranium metal, the UN nuclear watchdog reported, despite warnings from the United States and other countries that such a step would threaten efforts to reinstate the 2015 nuclear deal (Reuters)
With COVID-19 Cases Rising, Iran Announces New Lockdown
Authorities banned all nonessential travel and work until Saturday in an attempt to stem soaring COVID-19 cases. The coronavirus’s toll in Iran is thought to be one of the worst in the Middle East and has prompted criticism of the government for the country’s low vaccination rate (Al Jazeera)
Iran’s Raisi Promises to Pursue Diplomacy
New President Ebrahim Raisi pledged at his swearing-in ceremony yesterday to pursue diplomacy and international engagement (Al Jazeera)
A U.S. State Department spokesperson urged Iran to “advance diplomatic solutions” regarding stalled nuclear talks (BBC)
Hard-Line Iranian President Sworn In Amid Stalled Nuclear Talks
Hard-line cleric and former judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi will be sworn in today as Iran’s president, beginning his tenure as talks with the United States to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement have stalled (CNN)
Raisi takes office as economic stagnation and political disillusionment roil Iran, where his election saw historically low voter turnout. His predecessor, Hassan Rouhani, was a major backer of the nuclear deal. While Raisi plans to continue nuclear negotiations, U.S. officials say he could present “unrealistic demands” (Al-Monitor)
The talks in Vienna stalled in June, surprising U.S. negotiators (New York Times)
Iranian media reported this week that Iranian officials dropped discussions of a prisoner swap with the United States (Reuters)
U.S. Blames Iran for Attack on Tanker
U.S. Secretary of State Blinken joined British and Israeli officials in blaming Iran for an attack on an Israel-linked tanker on Thursday. Two people were killed. Blinken said the United States is consulting with partners on an appropriate response to the attack, which Iran denied carrying out (Bloomberg)
Iran’s Supreme Leader Criticizes U.S. in Stalled Nuclear Talks
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called the United States “stubborn” for discussing Iran’s missiles and regional influence during stalled nuclear negotiations in Vienna (Associated Press)
Iran Opens Oil Terminal in Gulf of Oman
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced that the country opened its first oil terminal in the Gulf of Oman. The terminal will allow Iran to export oil without depending on the strategically vulnerable Strait of Hormuz (Reuters)
Iranian Police Officer, Civilians Killed in Ongoing Water Protests
Iranian authorities said a police officer was killed yesterday and two civilians were killed on Friday amid ongoing protests over water shortages in Khuzestan, an oil-rich province in the country’s southwest. Sporadic internet blackouts have been reported across Khuzestan in recent days (Al Jazeera)
Iranian Operatives Charged in Kidnapping Plot
Four Iranian intelligence operatives were charged in a U.S. federal court for conspiring to kidnap an Iranian American journalist living in New York who criticized Iran’s government (New York Times)
Iran informed the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog that it has begun the process of producing enriched uranium metal. The United States called the development “an unfortunate step backwards,” and three European countries said it threatened talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal (BBC)
Iran Appoints New Judiciary Head
The country’s supreme leader has promoted hard-line Islamic cleric Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei to serve as head of its judiciary after the departure of President-Elect Ebrahim Raisi, who is set to take office in August (Al-Monitor)
UN Security Council to Discuss Iran Deal
The council is set to discuss the secretary-general’s biannual report on the implementation of the 2015 resolution endorsing the Iran nuclear deal. In the report, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for Iran to return to full compliance with the deal and for the United States to lift or waive sanctions on Iran as outlined in the agreement (Al Jazeera)
Iran Refuses to Give Inspectors Some Nuclear-Site Images
Iran’s speaker of parliament, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, said yesterday that the country will never hand over images from inside some of its nuclear sites, as a monitoring agreement with the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog expired last week. Today, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Iran has not decided whether to extend the deal (Reuters)
U.S. Seizes Websites Linked to Iran
The U.S. government seized around three dozen websites linked to Iranian state media. The Justice Department said the seizures were related to disinformation efforts (Associated Press)
Conference Seeks Progress in Libya’s Transition
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Berlin for a conference cohosted by Germany and the United Nations that aims to establish plans for securing Libya’s upcoming December elections and pushing foreign fighters to exit the country (Deutsche Welle)
Iran’s New President-Elect Describes Hard-Line Stance
Iranian President-Elect Ebrahim Raisi said in his first press conference that he will not negotiate over Tehran’s ballistic missile program or its support for regional militias (NPR)
He also said the team currently negotiating Iran’s return to the 2015 nuclear deal will stay in place, and that Iran will return to compliance with the deal after the United States, which left the agreement in 2018, fully reenters it (Al-Monitor)
Controversial Judiciary Chief Is Apparent Front-Runner in Iranian Election
Iran holds a presidential election today in which Ebrahim Raisi, who heads the country’s judiciary and is close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is widely viewed as the front-runner (Al Jazeera)
Raisi is under U.S. sanctions for overseeing the deaths of political prisoners in 1988 and suppressing the 2009 Green Movement protests. Turnout in the election is expected to be low amid an economic crisis, the pandemic, and calls to boycott the vote (CNN)
Three Iranian Presidential Candidates Drop Out
Former Vice President Mohsen Mehralizadeh, lawmaker Alireza Zakani, and former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili withdrew from Iran’s presidential race, state media reported. Only four candidates remain in tomorrow’s election, with Judiciary Chief Ebrahim Raisi leading in the polls (National)
U.S. Lifts Some Sanctions on Iran
Washington lifted sanctions on former senior officials from the National Iranian Oil Company and on companies involved in petrochemical shipping and trading. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States is committed to removing sanctions on those who demonstrate “a change in status or behavior.” A sixth round of nuclear talks with Iran begins this weekend in Vienna (Wall Street Journal)
Blink: Sanctions on Iran Likely to Remain in Place
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a Senate hearing that even if Iran returns to the 2015 nuclear deal, he expects hundreds of U.S. sanctions to remain in place (National)