TOP STORIES
US Transfers Thousands Of Seized Iranian Guns, Rocket Launchers And Munitions To Ukraine | CNN
The US transferred thousands of machine guns, sniper rifles, rocket launchers and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition seized from Iran to Ukraine last week, US Central Command announced on Tuesday. Ukraine has been suffering from shortages of weapons and munitions on the battlefield in its war against Russia, with the US unable to send more equipment from its own stockpiles until more funding is approved by Congress. CENTCOM said the materiel transferred to Ukraine is enough to equip one Ukrainian brigade — around 4,000 personnel — with small-arms rifles. “These weapons will help Ukraine defend against Russia’s invasion,” CENTCOM said in a statement. The munitions were originally seized by the US military and its partners “from four separate transiting stateless vessels between 22 May 2021 to 15 Feb 2023,” but the US government did not obtain ownership of the equipment via the Justice Department’s civil forfeiture process until December of last year, CENTCOM said.
US Reportedly Issues Visa To Iran's Foreign Minister | Iran International
Following Israel's bombing of Iran's embassy complex in Syria, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian's upcoming visit to New York has stirred controversy. Sources have told Amwaj.media that entry visas have been issued for Amir-Abdollahian and his delegation, while Tehran continues to support militant groups in the Middle East, who are engaged in attacks on international shipping and against Israel. Observers have raised alarms, particularly as his visit aligns with the anniversary of the 1983 bombing of the US embassy in Lebanon, believed to have been organized by Iranian agents working with proxies. Against the backdrop of the Gaza conflict, Iran and the United States have reportedly engaged in indirect communication, seeking to prevent further escalation. Talks between the two nations, held in Oman in January, have continued through parallel channels, with Iran pressing for US intervention to compel a ceasefire in Gaza while the US seeks to limit Iranian activities in Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.
Iran Calls Iraq’s President To Slam Israel | Jerusalem Post
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid to call for a “collective effort” against Israel, according to a report in the pro-Iranian Al-Mayadeen media. "Stopping the genocide carried out by the Israeli occupation against the people of Gaza is an important legal and humanitarian responsibility for all Muslims and free people of the world,” Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said. Iraq’s presidency is not the central power in Iraq. It is largely a ceremonial role, and it has been held by Kurdish politicians since 2003. As such the phone call is more symbolic of Iran’s messaging, than having any real weight in Iraq’s policies.
UANI IN THE NEWS
Inside The Newsroom: Jason Brodsky | Jewish Insider
Senior Political Correspondent Lahav Harkov and United Against Nuclear Iran Policy Director Jason Broadsky discuss Iranian influence and proxy warfare around the world, including its efforts to threaten Israel on all of its borders, attacks to U.S. troops in the Middle East and prominent critics of Iran on American soil, the Houthi threat, and more. Plus, the advances in Iran’s nuclear program getting little notice as the world is distracted by Gaza.
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Nuclear Deal In Tatters, Iran Edges Close To Weapons Capability | Washington Post
For the past 15 years, the most important clues about Iran’s nuclear program have lain deep underground, in a factory built inside a mountain on the edge of Iran’s Great Salt Desert. The facility, known as Fordow, is the heavily protected inner sanctum of Iran’s nuclear complex and a frequent destination for international inspectors whose visits are meant to ensure against any secret effort by Iran to make nuclear bombs. The inspectors’ latest trek, in February, yielded the usual matrices of readings and measurements, couched in the clinical language of a U.N. nuclear watchdog report. But within the document’s dry prose were indications of alarming change. In factory chambers that had ceased making enriched uranium under a 2015 nuclear accord, the inspectors now witnessed frenzied activity: newly installed equipment, producing enriched uranium at ever faster speeds, and an expansion underway that could soon double the plant’s output.
Israel Prepares For Potential Strike On Iranian Nuclear Sites | Iran International
In the wake of last week's airstrike in Iran’s consulate in Damascus, Israel has reportedly indicated its readiness to target Iranian assets should Iran launch a direct retaliatory attack. According to a report by the London-based Elaph News, citing an “anonymous Western security official,” Israel has been conducting air force drills, specifically preparing to target Iranian nuclear facilities and other critical infrastructure. The airstrike killed Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi, alongside six other senior members of the IRGC. Although Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the strike, both Damascus and Tehran have blamed Israel. However, unnamed US intelligence sources, as reported by CNN, suggest that Iran is unlikely to launch a direct attack, fearing retaliation from both the US and Israel.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
U.S.’s New Hopes In Iraq Are Dashed As It Signs Longest Ever Gas Deal With Iran | Oil Price
…Iraq has long been at the top of Washington’s list of countries in the region with which it wants a deeper working relationship. In many ways, the U.S.’s end of combat mission in the country on 31 December 2021 was regarding by the White House as a temporary tactical retreat, before a new diplomacy-led relationship could be forged. Washington’s long-running financial aid to Iraq would be used as the basis for this diplomatic renaissance, which could be gradually leveraged into a weakening of the bond Iraq has with Iran - and by association, therefore, with China and Russia too. A good starting point for this, the U.S. believed, would be the substitution of Iranian gas used by Iraq to keep its power grid going with supplies from elsewhere. Iraq has always been well-aware of Washington’s strategy and has been keen to play along, offering scraps of hope at regular intervals – the occasional engineering award to a U.S. firm, being a favourite – in exchange for hundreds of billions of dollars given it as a reward. Given this long-running game of bluff and double-bluff, it is exceptionally interesting to see that Iraq has now apparently thrown all caution to the wind and signed its longest ever deal with Iran to keep supplying it with gas for the next five years.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran Frees Jailed Conservationists Who Worked To Save Cheetahs | Associated Press
Iran released four conservationists who had worked to save the endangered Asiatic cheetah before they were convicted on espionage charges and spent five years in prison, local media reported on Tuesday. The Tehran newspaper Etemad said authorities released on Monday night Niloufar Bayani and Houman Jowkar, who were part of a group of five activists convicted in 2019 on internationally criticized espionage charges. Later on Tuesday, several Iranian media outlets, including the semiofficial ILNA news agency, said two other conservationists were also released, Sepideh Kashani and Taher Ghadirain. The four are among more than 2,000 prisoners granted amnesty on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, which celebrates the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The United Nations Environment Program on Monday welcomed the release of Bayani and Jowkar, who are members of the nonprofit Persian Wildlife Heritage Foundation. Iranian authorities released Sam Rajabi, another member of the group, in 2023.
Turkmen Pop Star's Fate Unknown After Reported Drug Arrest In Iran | Radio Free Europe
Having been previously convicted of a felony, imprisoned, and enduring widespread allegations of drug use, Turkmen pop star Nazir Habibov is no stranger to controversy. But recent reports surrounding Habibov's latest troubles have shocked his fans, as it's claimed the 35-year-old singer was detained in Iran for narcotics possession and attempted drug smuggling. Habibov is "awaiting trial in Iran" after being arrested with one of his band members on the Turkmen-Iranian border in March "with 20 grams of heroin," the independent Turkmen.news reported. The men were arrested while they were "under the influence of drugs and in possession of drugs," which they attempted to smuggle into Turkmenistan, the Europe-based news site reported, citing an unnamed source. It also published photos that purportedly show the two men -- with their faces obscured -- as they were detained and the alleged drugs confiscated from them. Turkmen.news claimed the photos were provided by a source at a Turkmen ministry.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Iran Smuggles Arms To West Bank, Officials Say, To Foment Unrest With Israel | New York Times
Iran is operating a clandestine smuggling route across the Middle East, employing intelligence operatives, militants and criminal gangs, to deliver weapons to Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, according to officials from the United States, Israel and Iran The goal, as described by three Iranian officials, is to foment unrest against Israel by flooding the enclave with as many weapons as it can The covert operation is now heightening concerns that Tehran is seeking to turn the West Bank into the next flashpoint in the long-simmering shadow war between Israel and Iran. That conflict has taken on new urgency this month, risking a broader conflict in the Middle East, as Iran vowed to retaliate for an Israeli strike on an embassy compound that killed seven Iranian armed forces commanders. Many weapons smuggled to the West Bank largely travel along two paths from Iran through Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Israel, the officials said. As the arms cross borders, the officials added, they change hands among a multinational cast that can include members of organized criminal gangs, extremist militants, soldiers and intelligence operatives.
Iran Drones Using US Tech Get Customized By Militants | Bloomberg
Using a scavenger-style approach that relies on parts purchased from Asian suppliers or spirited from the US and Europe through front companies, Iran has mastered relatively low-tech drone warfare. It has proliferated the disruptive technology to militias and militaries near and far, roiling regional animosities on four continents. This drone diplomacy helped make the Islamic Republic a player with increasingly far-flung ambitions — to which the US and allies such as Israel are struggling to respond.
Cyber defense chief Gaby Portnoy warned on Tuesday that the intensity of cyberattacks against Israel has tripled since the outbreak of the Hamas war on October 7, as Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah, are increasingly joining hacking efforts. “When [Hamas’s military wing commander Mohammed] Deif and [Hamas leader in Gaza Yahya] Sinwar surprised Israel on Oct. 7, they succeeded in undermining the physical security of people in Israel. And at the same time, on the digital level, by the order of Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei, cyberattacks by Iran and Hezbollah in the region and beyond started around the clock against Israel,” said Portnoy, head of the Israel National Cyber Directorate, at the 10th global Cybertech conference in Tel Aviv. “The attack intensity is higher than ever before with Iranian and Hezbollah groups cooperating to attack Israel in every sector,” he added.
Israel Threatens To Strike Iran Directly If It Attacks From Own Territory | Times Of Israel
Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday threatened that if Iran launches an attacks from its own soil then Israel will strike back inside Iran, amid increasingly belligerent rhetoric between the two countries. Katz’s warning came after Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel “must be punished and it shall be” for allegedly attacking an Iranian consular building in Syria’s Damascus, killing two generals among several Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers. Khamenei said that in bombing an embassy site, Israel “attacked our territory.” “If Iran attacks from its territory, Israel will react and attack in Iran ” Katz posted in Hebrew to his official account on social media platform X. He then repeated the same warning in a Persian-language post and tagged Khamenei’s official X account.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Gunmen Kill 6 Policemen In Southeast Iran, Media Reports Say | Voice Of America
Gunmen ambushed a police convoy in Iran's restive southeast on Tuesday, killing six police officers, media reports said. The attack on a road in Sistan and Baluchistan province also wounded two more police officers, according to Young Journalists Club, a website affiliated with the state broadcasting company. The report said the Jaish al-Adl militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The report could not be independently verified. The militants have allegedly been fighting for greater rights for the ethnic Baluch minority in the region. Iran and some other nations consider it to be a terrorist group. The attack was the second in as many weeks targeting security forces, indicating deterioration of the security situation in the region. Last week's clashes in three separate areas of the province killed 10 Iranian troops and 18 militants. Six more members of the security forces died later in the hospital.
Global Campaign Aims To Halt Iran's Drug-Related Executions | Iran Wire
Over 80 Iranian and international human rights organizations have launched a coordinated campaign to stop executions linked to drug offenses in Iran. They released a statement on April 10 urging the international community to take action and called on the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime to pressure Iran to halt these executions. The statement criticizes the lack of international response to the "alarmingly high number" of drug-related executions in Iran. It highlights a concerning rise in death sentences over the past three years, attributing it to the perceived low cost of execution for the Iranian government. "The fear is that hundreds more could be put to death in the coming months if we don't raise the cost of these executions for the Islamic Republic," the statement warns.
IRANIAN REGIONAL AGGRESSION
Iranian Commander Calls For Muslim Coalition To Combat Israel | Iran International
Frustrated over the apparent inaction of Iran after Israel's airstrike on the country's Damascus consulate, a senior Revolutionary Guard Commander has called for a coalition of Muslim armies to retaliate. Alireza Tangsiri, Commander of the Navy of the IRGC, claimed that “the only way to confront Zionists is to create a coalition of Islamic armies,” the latest in a string of military top brass in Iran along with government officials to call for strong retaliatory action. His comments come as an unconfirmed report suggests that Tehran made assurances to Washington that it would not retaliate against Israel following an airstrike that killed two IRGC commanders and five senior military officials in Syria. The alleged agreement is seen by some as Tehran's attempt to avoid escalating tensions with both Israel and the United States, potentially in pursuit of sanctions relief. Speculation remains that Iran's proxies would carry out retaliatory attacks as opposed to Iran.
CONGRESS & IRAN
US Senators Slam Biden's Iran Policy In Sanctions Hearing | Iran International
US Senators heaped harsh criticism on President Joe Biden in a hearing Tuesday, accusing the administration of putting Americans “in harm's way” with releasing sanctioned funds to Iran. "Every dollar this administration gives to Iran is another dollar that will be used against our sons and daughters,” said Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) at a Banking Committee hearing. “The treasury has the ability to stop the dollars… that bolsters the Iranian regime. However, this White House has reduced those barriers through so-called electricity waivers…, licenses, and further billion-dollar payouts.” Biden’s Iran policy has been a constant source of controversy, especially after October 7th when Hamas, funded and equipped by the Iranian regime, rampaged Israeli areas bordering Gaza, killing hundreds of civilians. The Senate hearing Tuesday, titled Countering Illicit Finance, Terrorism and Sanctions Evasion, aimed to explore the ways in which the administration’s decisions may have benefited Iran financially and the ways in which such benefits could be stopped.
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
The Moscow Terror Attack Shows The Limits Of The Russia-Iran Partnership | The Hill
A regional branch of the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for two recent terrorist attacks, each of which killed more than 100 people. Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) was behind both the attack at a Moscow-area concert hall on March 22 and the bombing of a memorial ceremony in southeastern Iran for Qassem Soleimani, commander of the elite Quds Force, in January. This mutual threat could have further bound together Russia and Iran, two nations which have been deepening their ties during the war in Ukraine. Instead, it seems more likely to become a point of friction. Although ISIS-K has claimed responsibility for the Crocus City Hall attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin characterized Ukraine as being complicit or involved. Russian investigators also have made baseless claims that the gunmen had links with Ukrainian nationalists. Laying the blame on Ukraine may help Putin reinforce public support as his war enters its third year, but he risks alienating Tehran in doing so.
Khamenei Says Israel 'Must Be Punished' For Syria Embassy Attack | Reuters
Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Wednesday that Israel "must be punished and it shall be" for attacking the Iranian embassy compound in Syria. In a major escalation of Israel's war with regional adversaries, suspected Israeli warplanes bombed Iran's consulate in the Syrian capital on April 1 in a strike that Iran said killed seven military advisers. "When they attack the consulate, it is as if they have attacked our soil," Khamenei said in a speech marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. "The evil regime made a mistake and must be punished and it shall be," he added.
Media In Tehran Accuse Russia, Syria Of Betraying IRGC | Iran International
Media and citizens in Iran have been discussing the potential involvement of Russia and Syria in providing intelligence to Israel regarding the locations of IRGC officers prior to a precision strike last week. Speculations are arising amidst calls from Iranian hardliners for a rapid and decisive reaction to the Israeli strike on April 1, targeting the Islamic Republic's Consulate in Damascus, resulting in the deaths of two top IRGC Quds Force generals and five other officers. Meanwhile, Iranian officials and military commanders have maintained their stance that Iran will retaliate at a time of its choosing. Conversely, reports in some Arab media outlets suggest that Iran might refrain from seeking revenge on Israel if Tel Aviv backs away from the notion of attacking Rafah in its conflict with Hamas. In an editorial on April 8, Masih Mohajeri, the influential managing editor of Jomhouri Eslami daily, a newspaper that was founded by Ali Khamenei in 1979, asked: "Why Russia, which controls the Syrian airspace does not prevent air strikes on Iranian targets in Syria?"