Iran’s Rouhani: ‘No Doubt’ Biden Will Rejoin Nuclear Agreement
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said there is “no doubt” that U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden’s administration will rejoin the 2015 nuclear agreement, which the Trump administration withdrew the United States from in 2018. His statement came after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appeared to endorse resuming Iran’s commitments under the deal if it would bring relief from U.S. sanctions (Washington Post)
Europe-Iran Forum Postponed Over Journalist’s Execution
A business forum between European countries and Iran that was set to begin today was postponed after France and other European nations boycotted the event to protest Iran’s execution of France-based dissident journalist Ruhollah Zam on Saturday (Agence France-Presse)
Iranian Authorities Make Arrests in Assassination of Nuclear Scientist
A parliamentary advisor told local media that authorities arrested some of the individuals involved in the assassination of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Iranian officials have given conflicting accounts of Fakhrizadeh’s killing (BBC)
Separately, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says Iran’s nuclear deal can be restored without negotiations if other signatories of the nuclear deal start fully implementing their commitments (Al Jazeera)
Iran Says Nuclear Law May Be Scrapped if Sanctions Lifted
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said a law passed by parliament to stop UN inspections of Iran’s nuclear sites and boost uranium enrichment would not be implemented if sanctions on Tehran are lifted and the United States and other signatories to the 2015 nuclear deal return to compliance with the agreement (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Iran’s Guardian Council Approves Bill that Would End UN Inspections of Nuclear Facilities
The Guardian Council, Iran’s constitutional watchdog, approved a bill passed by parliament that would end UN inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities and boost uranium enrichment above limits set by the 2015 nuclear deal if sanctions on Iran are not eased in one month. President Hassan Rouhani opposes the bill but does not have formal veto power. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who has the final say, has not taken a public stance (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)
Iran’s Rouhani Rejects Bill to Boost Nuclear Enrichment
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani rejected a bill approved by parliament that would have suspended international inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities and boosted uranium enrichment. Rouhani said the bill, passed in response to the killing of a top Iranian nuclear scientist, would hurt diplomatic efforts to restore the 2015 nuclear agreement and end U.S. sanctions (Associated Press)
Iran Blames Israel for Killing Nuclear Scientist
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday blamed Israel for the killing of a top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, and said Tehran would respond at the “right time” (Washington Post)
The assassination of Fakhrizadeh, who founded Iran’s nuclear program, on Friday is the latest in a string of covert attacks inside Iran and threatens to disrupt efforts by the incoming administration of U.S. President-Elect Joe Biden to reset relations on the Iran nuclear deal (New York Times)
Iran’s parliament called for an end to international inspections of its nuclear facilities in response to the killing (Al Jazeera)
Rouhani: Improving U.S. Relations Is Possible
In a televised speech, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that under a Joe Biden administration, the United States and Iran can “return to conditions” from before U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s time in office. Trump withdrew the United States from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, and imposed punishing sanctions on the country (Al Jazeera)
Iran Signals It Would Return to Nuclear Deal
Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tehran would return to compliance with the 2015 nuclear agreement if U.S. President-Elect Biden lifts sanctions on Iran and recommits to the deal (Al Jazeera)
Reuters reported that Iran has fired up uranium-enriching centrifuges at its underground Natanz site in violation of the deal, which President Donald J. Trump withdrew from in 2018 (Reuters)
Reports: Trump Sought Options for Attacking Iran’s Main Nuclear Site
President Trump asked top advisors what options he had to attack Iran’s main nuclear site, multiple outlets reported, citing unnamed officials. The advisors reportedly dissuaded him from taking military action, which could have sparked a war in the last weeks of his administration (New York Times, Wall Street Journal)
Iran Denies Reports of Al-Qaeda Leader’s Killing
Iran denied reports that Israeli agents in Tehran killed al-Qaeda’s second-ranking leader, Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, also known as Abu Muhammad al-Masri, at the behest of the United States. The New York Times first reported al-Masri’s death in August (New York Times)
UN: Iran Has Twelve Times the Enriched Uranium Allowed by Nuclear Deal
Iran has about twelve times the amount of low-enriched uranium allowed under the 2015 nuclear agreement and is continuing to grow its stockpiles, the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency said in a report. President Donald J. Trump withdrew the United States from the agreement in 2018 in favor of sanctions on Iran, but President-Elect Joe Biden has said he would recommit to the deal if Iran returns to compliance (Wall Street Journal)
Iranian Supreme Leader Mocks U.S. Elections
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei mocked the U.S. elections on Twitter, saying that Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of fraud and Biden’s opposition have exposed the reality of U.S. democracy (Al Jazeera)
Iran Is Building an Underground Nuclear Facility, UN Watchdog Says
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Iran is building an underground nuclear facility, said the agency’s head (Associated Press)
Satellite images released today show that Iran has begun construction at its Natanz nuclear facility, which was damaged in July by an explosion that Iran claimed was sabotage. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said that Iran is also stockpiling low-enriched uranium, though it does not appear to have enough to make a nuclear weapon (Associated Press)
U.S. Announces New Sanctions on Iran’s Oil Sector
The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Iranian oil companies over their financial support of Iran’s Quds Force, an elite unit of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (Reuters)
U.S. Sanctions Iran Over Election Interference
The United States sanctioned five Iranian groups it said attempted to interfere in the U.S. presidential election. The groups include the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the IRGC’s elite Quds Force. Iran denies the accusations (Al Jazeera)
U.S. Officials Warn of Election Interference From Iran
Top U.S. officials accused Iran and Russia of obtaining U.S. voter data, which they said Tehran has used to send fake, threatening emails. The announcement from Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe and FBI Director Christopher Wray marked the first time in the 2020 election that a U.S. adversary was accused of targeting voters to undermine the democratic process (Washington Post)
Some of the fake emails allegedly sent by Iran were made to appear as though they were from the Proud Boys, a far-right group that supports President Donald J. Trump, and sent to Democratic voters. Iran denied involvement (Wall Street Journal)
Iran Pledges to Resume Arms Deals After Embargo Expires
Officials in Iran said the country will begin responsibly selling arms after a UN embargo on conventional weapons deals with Tehran lapsed yesterday. The embargo’s expiration means that Iran can buy or sell conventional weapons, such as tanks and fighter jets, without a challenge from the UN Security Council. The United States, which attempted to reinstate the UN ban and has unilaterally imposed sanctions, maintains an arms embargo on Iran (Al Jazeera)
U.S. Imposes New Sanctions on Iran
The Donald J. Trump administration imposed new economic sanctions on eighteen Iranian banks in a move that could effectively cut off Tehran from the global financial system. Critics said the sanctions are unlikely to force Iran back into negotiations with the United States and will further alienate U.S. allies in Europe (New York Times)
U.S. Levies Human Rights Sanctions on Iran
The United States announced sanctions on three Iranian prisons, two judges, and a court for human rights violations, including in the case of Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari. Iran executed Afkari earlier this month after convicting him of murder during 2018 protests (State Department)
Saudi King Assails Iran in UN Speech
Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz censured Iran in his first-ever speech at the UN General Assembly, claiming the country exploited the 2015 nuclear deal for its expansionist activities and to create terrorist networks. He called for a “comprehensive solution” to contain Iran. An Iranian spokesperson called the king’s accusations “baseless” (Al Jazeera)
U.S. Announces New Sanctions on Iran
The United States imposed sanctions on twenty-seven Iranian individuals and entities, and said France, Germany, and the United Kingdom are required to enforce the sanctions. The U.S. State Department also declared the UN arms embargo on Iran “reimposed indefinitely” (Guardian)
U.S. Reimposes UN Sanctions on Iran, Triggering International Criticism
The United States declared a snapback of UN sanctions on Iran that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened consequences for UN members who do not cooperate (Al Jazeera)
The administration is also expected to impose new sanctions and outline enforcement mechanisms and penalties for violators today (Wall Street Journal)
Parties to the 2015 deal rebuked the U.S. announcement. France, Germany, and the United Kingdom argued that the United States, which withdrew from the agreement in 2018, lacks authority to reimpose sanctions on Iran or sanction countries that disregard them. Meanwhile, Iran pledged a “decisive response” against the United States and promised to uphold the nuclear agreement if the remaining parties do the same (Guardian)
Report: Iran Considers Killing U.S. Ambassador to Avenge Soleimani’s Death
An unnamed U.S. government official told Politico that the United States believes Iran is considering assassinating the U.S. ambassador to South Africa to avenge the death of Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani. A U.S. air strike killed Soleimani in January (Politico)
Iran Nuclear Deal Parties Reaffirm Commitment to Deal, Reject Sanctions
Representatives from Iran and other parties to the 2015 nuclear agreement met and reaffirmed their support for preserving the deal, European Union official Helga Maria Schmid said. The parties also recognized that the United States, which recently sought to use the deal to reimpose sanctions on Iran, is not a participant after it withdrew from the agreement in 2018 (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)