U.S. and Israeli Pressure Pushes Growing Fears in Iran
The Trump administration’s push to reimpose UN “snapback” sanctions on Iran is straining its economy and fueling concern of renewed Israeli attacks, per the Washington Post; Israel, which struck Iran in June, has hinted it may strike again, while Arab and European officials continue pushing for diplomacy (WaPo)
New U.S. Sanctions Target Iran
The U.S. Treasury sanctioned twenty-one entities and seventeen individuals for supplying Iranian forces with technology for ballistic missiles and military aircraft (U.S. Treasury)
U.S. Deportations to Iran
The United States deported a planeload of Iranians to Tehran this week as part of an agreement between the two countries, an Iranian foreign ministry official said; the wife and lawyer of one deportee said he was a political dissident who was forced onto the flight (NYT)
Poor bilateral diplomatic relations in recent years have hindered cooperation on deportations (Politico)
A White House spokesperson said the move was in line with the Trump administration’s commitment to carry out the largest mass deportation operation in history (BBC)
UN Reimposes Nuclear Sanctions After Ten-Year Hiatus
The economic penalties had been lifted in 2015 as part of a deal in which Tehran agreed to limits on its nuclear program; although Washington pulled out of the nuclear accord in 2018, the deal remained in place, even as Iran accelerated its enrichment activities (NYT)
The United States and European countries say they still seek to curb Iran’s nuclear activities through negotiations, but the sanctions snapback underscored how such diplomacy has grown more strained in the wake of Israeli and U.S. strikes on Iran earlier this year (Bloomberg)
The United Nations reinstated an arms embargo on Iran, as well as asset freezes and travel bans on some Iranian entities and officials; the sanctions also authorize countries to stop and inspect cargo going to and from Iran (NYT)
To stave off the sanctions, Europe had called on Iran to allow outside inspections of its nuclear facilities, to disclose the location of its highly-enriched uranium stockpile, and to open direct nuclear talks with the United States (BBC)
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said that Tehran agreed to negotiations and inspections—but rejected Washington’s demand that Iran hand over the entirety of its stockpile in return for a three-month suspension of the snapback (Bloomberg)
Following the snapback, Iran recalled its ambassadors to France, Germany, and the United Kingdom for consultations (Reuters)
Iran Threatens to End Nuclear Oversight
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned that Tehran will cancel its new inspection deal with the International Atomic Energy Agency if Western powers reinstate UN sanctions under the “snapback” mechanism, which Britain, France, and Germany triggered over Iran’s nuclear violations (Reuters)
Iran Likely Carried Out Secret Missile Test
Satellite photos analyzed by the AP show scorch marks at Iran’s Imam Khomeini Spaceport, indicating an undeclared missile launch may have occurred last week; Tehran has not confirmed the launch, but a parliament member claimed a successful intercontinental ballistic missile test, though without providing any evidence (AP)
Iran Rebuilding Missile Sites
Satellite images show Iran is repairing missile-production facilities damaged by Israeli strikes in June, but Tehran still lacks planetary mixers, which are crucial for making solid-fuel missiles; experts say that the regime may seek to obtain these mixers from China and that the overall rebuilding efforts demonstrate Iran’s priority to restore deterrence as fears remain of a renewed war with Israel (AP)
Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN General Assembly that the June U.S. and Israeli attacks dealt a “grievous blow” to peace efforts; he also accused Europe of operating in “bad faith” on the 2015 deal, as talks proceed over the possible snapback of UN sanctions (Politico)
Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad stated that Tehran’s exports to China will continue even if the snapback sanctions return, as sales to China currently account for the majority of Iran’s oil revenue (Reuters)
No Breakthrough From Nuclear Talks With Europeans
Iran’s talks with representatives from the European Union, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom yielded no tangible results even as a Saturday deadline to impose new UN sanctions nears, barring new commitments from Iran (Politico)
Separately, Iran’s top leader said in televised comments that he rejected the prospect of direct negotiations with the United States on the matter (AP)
Iran’s Nuclear Chief Arrives in Moscow for Nuclear Power Plant Deal
Iran’s atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami arrived in Moscow to sign agreements with Russia, including plans for eight new nuclear power plants, even as the UN Security Council considers reimposing sanctions on Tehran over its nuclear program (Reuters)
Iran Denies Reported Meeting With Europeans Amid Sanctions Threat
An Iranian Foreign Ministry official denied reports that Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi would meet British, French, and German officials in Vienna, suggesting he is instead headed to New York; the European powers have offered to delay reimposing UN sanctions for up to six months if Tehran allows inspector access and engages in talks (Reuters)
UN Security Council Rejects Iran Sanctions Relief
The UN Security Council voted 9–4 against permanently lifting sanctions on Iran, with two abstentions, instigating the return of European sanctions by September 28 unless a deal is reached; Russia, China, Pakistan, and Algeria opposed the reintroduction of sanctions, while Iran condemned the move as “politically biased” (Al Jazeera)
Macron Says European Powers to Reinstate Iran Sanctions by Month’s End
French President Emmanuel Macron said France, Germany, and the United Kingdom will trigger the UN “snapback” mechanism to restore sanctions on Iran by the end of September after talks with Tehran failed to show serious engagement (France 24)
United States Sanctions Iran’s Shadow Banking Network
The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned two Iranian nationals and over a dozen other individuals accused of using cryptocurrency and front companies to launder more than $100 million in oil sales to fund Tehran’s military and proxy groups (Treasury)
Iran’s Uranium Stockpile
Hundreds of kilograms of fissile material is still located underneath the sites of facilities bombed in June by the United States and Israel, Iran’s foreign minister said; he added that UN nuclear inspectors were assessing whether they could access it (FT)
International sanctions on Iran are due to take effect at the end of this month if it does not address concerns about its nuclear fuel (WSJ)
Iran-IAEA deal
Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), reached an agreement to resume nuclear inspections, both sides said; the full details of the deal, which was negotiated in Egypt, were not immediately available (The National;Anadolu Agency)
Iran had blocked inspections following attacks by Israel and the United States earlier this year (NYT)
France, Germany, and UK Prepared to Reimpose Sanctions on Iran
The countries stated that they would trigger a process to reimpose international sanctions if Tehran does not enter negotiations on its nuclear program by the end of this month. UN sanctions on Iran were lifted as part of a 2015 deal (BBC)
Amid a war with Israel in June, Iran considered leaving the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (Reuters)
Iran later halted cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog (CNN)
Iran’s Stance on Inspections
A senior International Atomic Energy Agency official traveled to Iran for the first time since the Israel-Iran war in June (Le Monde)
Ahead of the talks, Iranian officials said they would not permit inspections of Iran’s nuclear sites until reaching a new framework agreement for cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog (CNN)
Iran Executes Alleged Spy
Iranian authorities executed Rouzbeh Vadi, an alleged spy who passed on information to Israel about an Iranian nuclear scientist and “committed a wide range of crimes against the country’s internal and external security” (Reuters)
Iran Appoints New Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian appointed Ali Larjani, a senior advisor to the Supreme Leader, as secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, a position he previously held from 2005 to 2007 (Reuters)
Fourteen Countries Condemn Iranian Intelligence Threats
The United States, France, the United Kingdom, and eleven other states denounced an alleged surge in attempts by Iranian intelligence services “to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America” in conjunction with international criminal networks (Reuters)
The joint statement said Iran’s intelligence services are increasingly targeting officials, dissidents, Jewish people, and journalists (FT)
Earlier this week, the bipartisan U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom issued a report accusing Iran of carrying out attacks on Jewish sites and individuals abroad (Globe and Mail)
U.S. Issues Sweeping Sanctions on Iranian Oil Shipping Network
The U.S. Treasury Department placed sanctions on over 115 people, ships, and entities linked to Mohammed Hossein Shamkhani, a network controlled by the son of an advisor to Iran’s top leader; Shamkhani’s network reportedly operates in 20 countries and is known for “the sophisticated techniques it uses for evading sanctions, laundering money, and obfuscating paper trails” to funnel tens of billions of dollars in oil revenue to Iran (FT; Politico)
Additionally, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that threats towards Iran regarding the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons “cause serious concern” (Reuters)
Trump Warns Iran Against Restarting Nuclear Program
While speaking to reporters, Trump said that if Iran chooses to restart its nuclear program, the United States will “wipe it out faster than you can wave your finger at it” (Reuters)
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi replied on X that American or Israeli aggression will be met with “a more decisive” response (Reuters)
Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit Iran within the next two weeks, during which Iran will present a manual outlining the future of the Iran-IAEA relationship (Reuters)
Iran Holds Nuclear Talks With ‘E3’
Iranian diplomats met with their German, British, and French counterparts in Istanbul to discuss the snapback mechanism, which would reinstate UN sanctions on Iran by the end of August, as per the 2015 nuclear deal; Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi posted on X that the parties agreed to continue consultations (France24)
Meanwhile, Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that Iran was prepared to restart technical-level discussions on its nuclear program with the group (Reuters)
Iran Sends Warning If Sanctions Reimposed
Abbas Moqtadei, a member of Iran’s parliamentary national security commission, responded to European countries’ warning the day before, claiming that Iran can “withhold [its] security in the region, Persian Gulf, and Hormuz Strait” if European states reimpose international sanctions (Reuters)
To assess its new space technologies, Iran used a Qased satellite launch vehicle to conduct a suborbital test (Reuters)
Iran Holding Nuclear Talks With France, Germany, and United Kingdom on Friday
The three European countries had warned they would push for renewed international sanctions on Tehran by the end of August if it did not return to the negotiating table (Reuters)
Separately, Iran’s Army Deputy for Operations stated that Iran replaced air defenses that Israel damaged last month (Reuters)