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A missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on a commercial ship in the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday killed three of its crew members and forced survivors to abandon the vessel, the U.S. military said. It was the first fatal strike in a campaign of assaults by the Iranian-backed group over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The attack on the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier True Confidence further escalates the conflict on a crucial maritime route linking Asia and the Middle East to Europe that has disrupted global shipping. The Houthis have launched attacks since November, and the U.S. began an airstrike campaign in January that so far hasn’t halted their attacks.
U.S. Urges Iran To Dilute All Its Near-Weapons-Grade Uranium | Reuters
The United States called on Iran on Wednesday to dilute all of the uranium it has enriched to up to 60% purity, close to the weapons-grade level of roughly 90%, in a statement denouncing many of Tehran's recent nuclear moves. The International Atomic Energy Agency said in a confidential report to member states last week that Iran's stock of uranium enriched to up to 60% had fallen slightly in the past quarter as it had diluted, or "downblended", more of its most highly enriched material than it had produced. Iran still has enough of that material, if enriched further, to fuel two nuclear weapons by a theoretical IAEA definition, and enough for more bombs at lower enrichment levels, the report seen by Reuters showed. "Iran should downblend all, not just some, of its 60% stockpile, and stop all production of uranium enriched to 60% entirely," the United States said in a statement on Iran to a quarterly meeting of the 35-nation IAEA Board of Governors.
At Least Two Injured In Iran's Aftab Refinery Incident, No Deaths, State Media Says | Reuters
At least two people were injured in an incident during a maintenance operation at the Aftab oil refinery in Iran's Bandar Abbas, Iranian state media outlets reported on Thursday, citing the operating company. Earlier, Iranian state news agency IRNA said several people had been killed and injured due to an accident there, but cautioned there had been no official statement. Several state media outlets later described it as a "partial incident that happened during a maintenance operation", without giving details of what that entailed, and said there were at least two injured, with no mention of any dead. The facility did not sustain any major damage and the injured have been deemed as being in a stable condition after being taken to hospital, semi-official Fars News Agency said.
UANI IN THE NEWS
Whistling Past The Iranian Nuclear Program | Wall Street Journal
… When a mild move such as censure is considered a bridge too far, you know the incentive structure for Iran is all wrong. After its proxies have started a war against Israel, fired on and killed U.S. troops, and almost shut down an international waterway, Iran still seems to have little to fear. Even its oil is still flowing. A March 1 report by United Against Nuclear Iran, which tracks tankers, found that under the Biden Administration, “Iran has managed to sell $90 billion worth of U.S.-sanctioned oil, setting new export records in the process.” The culprit? “Ongoing hesitance to enforce oil sanctions on Iran.” Hesitance may come to define the Biden foreign policy, even as Iran grows bolder. The IAEA’s Mr. Grossi cited Feb. 12 remarks by Ali Akbar Salehi, the former head of Iran’s nuclear agency, who said Iran has all the components needed to make nuclear weapons, and need only assemble them. Maybe it’s time someone made Iran fear escalation more than Mr. Biden does.
Two More Tankers Sanctioned By U.S. For Support Of Iran And Houthis | The Maritime Executive
… The latest action targets two Hong Kong and Marshall Islands-based shipowners and two vessels for their role in the scheme. The ships had previously been identified by the watchdog organization United Against a Nuclear Iran for their role in the shadowy oil trade. Today’s action was also related to the joint U.S. and UK sanctions announced on February 27 against individuals and ships involved in the Iranian oil trade.The first vessel listed is the Palau-flagged Reneez, a 22-year-old crude oil tanker, which is owned and managed by Marshall Islands-based Reneez Shipping. According to U.S. officials, the vessel has transported tens of thousands of metric tons of Iranian commodities for the network of Iran-based IRGC-QF-backed Houthi financier Sa’id al-Jamal. They report that Al-Jamal’s network often uses falsified cargo documents to mask the Iran-origin cargo onboard and to obfuscate its ties to Iran and al-Jamal’s network.
U.S. Calls On Iran To Dilute Highly Enriched Uranium | i24 News
The UN nuclear watchdog says it has lost track of Iran's nuclear progress, all the while the US asks Tehran to dilute its enriched uranium 'Tehran knows it has nothing to fear right now,' Jason Brodsky says.
Iranian 'Spy Ship' In Spotlight After Undersea Data Cables Linking Continents Severed | Zero Hedge
The IRGC's goal to covertly spark chaos in the Middle East has boosted crude prices and allowed Tehran to collect $90 billion in illicit oil sales under the Biden administration. "Iran has managed to sell $90 billion worth of U.S.-sanctioned oil, setting new export records in the process," according to the latest figures published by United Against a Nuclear Iran. UANI continued: "The administration has not published a correspondingly detailed report with respect to Iranian oil exports—despite the equally vital role oil sales play in funding Iran's malign activities: sponsorship of terrorism, development of WMDs, and domestic repression. There is a conspicuous absence of robust pronouncements and clear-eyed reasoning with respect to Tehran and its oil."
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
US, EU Call On Iran To Dilute 60% Uranium, Stop Short Of Censure | Iran International
The US is expressing deep concern over Iran's expanded nuclear activities, urging Tehran to dilute its near-weapons-grade uranium. In a statement to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors, the US emphasized the need for Iran to down-blend its entire 60-percent uranium stockpile and cease production of uranium enriched to 60 percent. This call comes after the head of the UN nuclear watchdog informed the Board that his agency has lost crucial "continuity of knowledge" regarding Tehran’s activities. While Iran has failed to cooperate with the IAEA on multiple issues since 2021 – recent points of friction between Tehran and the agency are piling up. During the agency's regular meeting in Vienna, IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi highlighted concerns, including the deactivation of surveillance devices, barring of senior inspectors, and refusal to disclose new nuclear facilities.
Iran Hits 'New Nuclear Heights' As Uranium Stockpile Grows | The National
Iran's nuclear activities are reaching "new heights" as the country continues to enrich uranium with "no credible peaceful purpose", western diplomats said. A slight reduction in Iran's stockpile of 60 per cent enriched uranium should not give "false hope" because it could soon be replenished, the International Atomic Energy Agency was told… A separate statement by Laura Holgate, US ambassador to the IAEA, said Iran's nuclear activities "remain deeply troubling" and that its enrichment has "no credible civilian purpose". "We continue to have serious concerns related to the stockpile of highly enriched uranium that Iran continues to maintain," she said. "No other country today is producing uranium enriched to 60 per cent for the purpose Iran claims and Iran’s actions are counter to the behaviour of all other non-nuclear weapons states party to the NPT [non-proliferation treaty].”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran Seizes US Cargo On Oil Tanker Over Sanctions: Judiciary | AFP
Iranian authorities have confiscated the American cargo of an oil tanker seized last year after US-led sanctions prevented the entry of medication into the Islamic republic, the judiciary said Wednesday. The Marshall Islands-flagged Advantage Sweet was seized in April 2023 while sailing in the Gulf of Oman, a key route for the oil industry. The vessel, chartered by Chevron Corp, had picked up oil from Kuwait and was bound for Texas before it was seized, an Advantage Tankers spokesperson said at the time. The Iranian judiciary's Mizan Online website on Wednesday said a Tehran court "ordered the seizure of the American oil cargo on Advantage Sweet", with the cargo's value said to be worth more than $50 million.
Iran Should Immediately Release Seized Tanker, U.S. Says | Radio Free Europe
Iran should immediately release the Advantage Sweet tanker, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on March 6, after the semiofficial Fars news agency reported that Iran will unload about $50 million worth of crude from the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker seized last year. Miller added that Iran's continued harassment of vessels and interference in navigational rights and freedoms is a threat to maritime security, regional stability, and the global economy.
Half In Poverty, Prices Skyrocket: Iran’s Economy In Crisis | Iran News Update
On the eve of Nowruz, amid rising inflation and surging prices, Mohammad Mokhber, the first vice president of Iran’s regime, conceded the government’s inability to control the market. He urged guilds to “take control themselves” in a meeting on Wednesday, March 6th. This admission contradicts his previous statements. In August, Mokhber had promised to demonstrate successful economic management by year’s end. According to Iranian news reports, Mokhber stated, “Monitoring the market and controlling prices cannot be achieved solely through government measures and punitive actions.” He emphasized the regime’s expectation that “market participants seriously address price monitoring and control, especially during Nowruz and Ramadan.” While the US Dollar exceeding 60,000 tomans and the purchasing power of the people is facing a drastic decline, Mokhber said that the, “the worn-down market of Tehran is depleting the spirit of marketers and the people, draining their motivation and hope amidst the challenging economic conditions.”
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
Sweden's Supreme Court Rejects Appeal From Iranian Jailor | Iran International
Sweden's Supreme Court rejected an appeal from former Iranian prison official Hamid Nouri, who faces life imprisonment for his role in the purge of dissidents in 1988. The decision marks the final ruling in a case that has stirred international attention. Nouri, 62, received the life sentence from a Swedish district court in July 2022 for "grave breaches of international humanitarian law and murder." After months of legal fight, a appeals court upheld the verdict in December 2023, leading Nouri to seek recourse with the Supreme Court. In a statement released on Wednesday, the Supreme Court affirmed its decision, stating, "The judgment of the Court of Appeal stands." The case revolves around the execution of over 5,000 prisoners in Iran, allegedly ordered by the then-Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini as retaliation against attacks by the opposition group, the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), towards the end of the Iran-Iraq war (1980 –1988).
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran Subjects Women To 'Draconian' Hijab Surveillance, Rights Group Says | Voice Of America
Iranian authorities are subjecting women to widespread surveillance to enforce the obligatory headscarf, even inside cars, and then imposing punishments including the confiscation of vehicles, Amnesty International said on Wednesday. The Islamic republic's leadership was shaken in 2022 by mass protests that saw women denounce the dress code but has made clear it has no plan to abandon the obligatory hijab imposed after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Amnesty said in a report, based on “a review of official documents” and the testimony from more than 40 women inside Iran published ahead of the March 8 International Women's Day, that women were being targeted with "widespread surveillance" in public spaces and "mass police checks" targeting women drivers. It said pictures captured by surveillance cameras or reports from plain clothes agents using the police app Nazer identify license plates of vehicles with female drivers or passengers deemed to have violated the rule.
Iran's President Says Protesters Should Be Confronted 'Decisively | Radio Free Europe
President Ebrahim Raisi has said that Iran must "deal decisively with those who oppose the country's security and tranquility," state media reported as the number of people killed in more than a week of anti-government protests more than doubled, according to official accounts. State media said that at least 35 people have been killed in more than a week of protests in Iran that were sparked by the death of a young woman arrested by the morality police for failing to properly wear a mandatory headscarf, or hijab. "The number of people who died in recent riots in the country has risen to 35 people," the Borna news agency, which is affiliated with Iran's Sports Ministry, said late on September 23, citing state television. The official toll had previously stood at 17 dead, including five members of the security forces.
Iranian Teachers Sent To Prison For Participating In Protests | Iran Wire
A Revolutionary Court in the northern Iranian city of Rasht has sentenced ten teachers to two years in prison each, along with fines, for protest participation. The teachers are all members of the Iran Teachers' Trade Association. They were convicted for "disturbing public order by participating in and organizing protest gatherings and resisting police officers." The court verdict also prohibits them from joining any political or civil groups for two years.The teachers have been identified as Anoosh Adeli, Mahmood Sedighipour, Aziz Ghasemzadeh, Teymoor Bagheri Koodakani, Tahmasb Sohrabi, Gholamreza Akbarzadeh Baghian, Ali Nahali, Mohammad Javad Saeedi, Jahanbakhsh Lajevardi, and Yadollah Baharestania.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Iran Proxy Attacks On US Troops In Iraq, Syria Drop Off As Red Sea Heats Up | Politico
It’s been more than a month since Iran-backed militia groups attacked U.S. troops in Iraq, Syria or Jordan. U.S. officials hope it’s a sign that previous airstrikes — and the threat of more — are working. But the Pentagon says it’s not getting complacent, as nearby in the Red Sea, the Yemen-based Houthis, another Iranian proxy, continue launching missiles and drones on international shipping. Two people were killed and six injured when a Houthi missile struck a Liberian-owned ship, the MV True Confidence, on Wednesday, the first deaths of the Houthis’ campaign. Meanwhile, a U.K.-owned ship the Houthis struck last month, the MV Rubymar, sank on Saturday, the first vessel lost in the attacks. But in Iraq and Syria, a tenuous cease-fire appears to have taken hold. The last time Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria launched an attack on American forces in the region was Feb. 4, according to Defense Department spokesperson Lt. Col. Bryon McGarry. In total, the groups attacked U.S. troops there 170 times since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel, spiking tensions in the region. Three U.S. soldiers died on Jan. 28 in a drone strike in Jordan, sending shockwaves through the Pentagon and prompting President Joe Biden to vow a strong response.
CONGRESS & IRAN
US Senate members focus on countering Iran and its proxies' attacks, especially on Israel, post-Hamas's Oct 7 terror, where they see bipartisan consensus on Iran's threat but division on Biden's Iran policy US Senate Foreign Relations Committee members have been hyper-focused on finding solutions to stopping Iran and its proxies from attacking the United States and its allies, primarily Israel. This has only intensified following the over 150 attacks on the US and its allies since the October 7 terrorist attacks by Hamas, a number that does not include the near-daily rocket attacks and other forms of terrorist activities conducted against Israel by Iranian-backed Hamas and Hizbullah. Former US Army intelligence officer Captain Abraham Hamadeh, who led a US Army intelligence detail in Saudi Arabia during the Yemen War and was subjected to Houthi missile attacks during the tour, spoke to The Media Line following a hearing on Tehran’s proxy network, “How many more ships need to be taken down? How many more Navy SEALs—sailors—need to be killed? … Iran is at war with the United States through its proxies.” Hamadeh, an American of Druze descent, is now a Trump-endorsed candidate running to fill Representative Debbie Lesko’s (R-Arizona) congressional seat in Congressional District 8 and said he supports the aerial campaign against Iranian proxies such as the Houthis. “Tehran is playing a long game. Its supreme leaders favor strategic patience. Iran thrives on chaos and suffering,” US Senator Ben Cardin (D-Maryland), chair of the committee, said.
MISCELLANEOUS
Cyberterrorism, Iran's Nuclear Gains Concern Americans Most | Gallup
More than three-quarters of Americans view cyberterrorism (79%) and the development of nuclear weapons by Iran (77%) as critical threats to U.S. vital interests, making these the top concerns of 13 global issues rated in Gallup’s annual World Affairs survey. Close behind, North Korea’s nuclear program is seen as a critical threat by 73% and international terrorism by 71%. At the other end of the spectrum, 40% of Americans consider the conflict between North and South Korea a critical threat. Global warming is the only other risk measured that less than half of Americans (49%) consider critical… Majorities of all party groups agree that China’s military power, Iran’s nuclear weapons program and international terrorism represent critical threats to the U.S., but the rates are much higher among Republicans than Democrats or independents.