TOP STORIES
Iranian Journalists Say They Are Being Muzzled over Reporting Port Explosion | Guardian
Iranian journalists have warned of a media crackdown after a series of incidents, the most recent an explosion at a munitions company in which one person was killed and two injured. . . . Suspicion of cover-ups is rife, however, and the filing of criminal charges against media outlets and activists by the Tehran prosecutor’s office has caused journalists in Iran to voice concern about press freedom. Mizan news agency, the judiciary’s official media outlet, said violators would face legal consequences for attempting to publish “illegal news” about the explosion.
US Sanctions Six Firms in Iran and China Linked to Missile Program | Bloomberg
The US imposed sanctions on six companies based in Iran and China for their alleged role in securing ingredients for Tehran’s ballistic missiles, ramping up pressure on Tehran even as the Trump administration seeks a new deal to limit its nuclear program.
Iran-U.S. Nuclear Talks to Continue in Rome | IranWire
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi announced on Wednesday that the fourth round of indirect talks with the United States will be held in Rome [on Saturday].
UANI IN THE NEWS
The explosion that rocked an Iranian port, killing at least 70 people and injuring more than 1,000 others, had its epicenter at a facility ultimately owned by a charitable foundation overseen by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s office. That foundation, known as Bonyad Mostazafan, faces American sanctions over it helping the 86-year-old Khamenei “to enrich his office, reward his political allies and persecute the regime’s enemies,” the U.S. Treasury has said. Its top personnel also have direct ties to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which oversees Tehran’s ballistic missile arsenal and operations abroad targeting the Islamic Republic’s enemies. . . . “Mostazafan has de-facto been functioning as the IRGC’s ‘money box,’ whereby its financial assets and resources are made available to senior IRGC commanders, not least to fund terrorist activities,” alleges United Against Nuclear Iran, a New York-based pressure group, using an acronym for the Guard.
The Nuclear Deal Trump Should Make with Iran | UANI Senior Adviser Dennis Ross in The Hill
Good statecraft depends on marrying objectives to means. Although this is seemingly obvious, America often fails because presidents adopt the wrong objectives. . . . Can President Trump do the same to reach an agreement with Iran so that it gives up pursuit of a nuclear weapon? Trump is certainly trying to use threats to achieve that end—emphasizing that he wants diplomacy to succeed but, if it fails, there would be “bombing” and the consequences for Iran would be “dire.”
The acceleration of reflagging reflects the increasing agility and sophistication of deceptive actors, explains Claire Jungman, chief of staff for the US group United Against Nuclear Iran. “This behavior is rarely coincidental or administrative. It is often a deliberate tactic to conceal ownership, complicate enforcement, and maintain access to global shipping markets despite restrictions,” Jungman said.
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iran to Meet European Powers on Eve of Fourth Round of US Talks in Rome | The National
Iran and the E3 group of three European countries will hold talks in Rome on Friday, a day before the fourth round of nuclear negotiations with the US.
Fmr. Ambassador Warns of Possible Rift Between U.S. and Israel Over Iran Deal | Yedioth Ahronoth
A rift between the United States and Israel could emerge over the Iranian nuclear negotiations, according to Danny Ayalon, former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. He told ILTV News that “rifts are possible between the best of allies.” Moreover, he emphasized that it is very important to establish Israel’s independence in safeguarding its own security. Therefore, even if the United States reaches an agreement with Iran that does not fully eliminate Iran’s nuclear capabilities, the military option must still remain available to Israel.
While these negotiations have dominated media coverage, one critical element has been largely missing from the conversation: how the Iranian people itself feels about the talks. . . . [M]any Iranians are outraged that the United States has chosen to engage the regime diplomatically at this moment.
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran hanged a man on Wednesday who was convicted of working as a spy for Israel's foreign intelligence agency, the Mossad, and assisting in the 2022 assassination of a Revolutionary Guard colonel in Tehran, according to the Islamic republic's official IRNA news agency. Mohsen Langarneshin, identified by the news agency as one of the Mossad's “top spies inside Iran,” allegedly provided “technical support” in the killing of Col. Hassan Sayyad Khodaei, who was shot five times by two unidentified gunmen on a motorbike—said to have been purchased by Langarneshin—near his home in Tehran. . . . The Human Rights Activists News Agency, a non-profit group focused on rights issues in Iran, said Wednesday that a source close to Langerneshin's family had recently told the organization that he “had been promised that if he repeated what the interrogators wanted on camera, he would only face imprisonment. As a result, the confessions were extracted under pressure and coercion.”
Iran Confirms Media Ban on Port Blast as Threat of Prosecution Looms | Iran International
The Iranian government confirmed a media ban on coverage regarding last week's explosion at Rajaei port in Bandar Abbas where at least 70 people have died and more than 1,000 injured, with the threat of prosecutions confirmed by the judiciary. Fatemeh Mohajerani, Iran's government spokeswoman, said the decision is aimed at “maintaining a single voice across state institutions.” . . . Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said on Wednesday that legal cases have been opened against several media figures for reporting on the blast, with warnings issued to individuals on social media.
Iran’s State-Led Hate Speech Surged in March amid Religious Tensions | IranWire
Hate speech against religious and other minorities in Iran surged last month as Persian-language online spaces endured a dramatic rise in state-facilitated hate speech targeting religious minorities.
Iranian Border Guards Shoot Two Kurdish Kolbars | IranWire
Iranian border guards shot and seriously injured two Kurdish kolbars at the Baneh border on Sunday. Ako Sharifi, 22, and Shwane Alipour, 25, were shot without warning in the Hangazhal border area, according to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Gunpowder Factory Explosion Kills Two as Iran Faces String of Deadly Blasts | Iran International
A new explosion at a gunpowder company operating under Iran’s top security body in central Isfahan province killed two people on Tuesday, marking the latest in a wave of blasts across the country that have killed at least 73 people in just four days.
Cargo That Set Off Blast at Iran Port Was Improperly Documented, Investigators Say | New York Times
Iranian officials investigating a huge explosion at a strategic port in southern Iran have said they found “false statements” in the documentation for the shipment believed to have triggered the blast, which the authorities say has now killed 70 people.
The head of Iran’s Mostazafan Foundation said the transport ministry must be held responsible for the deadly explosion at Bandar Abbas port, and declined to comment further on the role of a foundation subsidiary.
Iran Rules Out Foreign Involvement in Deadly Port Explosion | IranWire
A spokesman for the Islamic Republic's parliamentary national security commission said initial findings show no foreign involvement in the Shahid Rajaee Port explosion. . . . [He] said that investigators had found evidence of “negligence and failure to observe safety protocols” at the site, which requires further expert review.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
Trump’s Ambitious but Erratic Iran Policy Hits the 100-Day Mark | Iran International
Talks with Tehran aim to deprive Washington's Middle East nemesis of a nuclear weapon, but time will tell whether US President Donald Trump will carry through on his threat to bomb the country. After a stunning political comeback landed Trump back in the White House for a second term, the outcome of a typically Trumpian, bumpy dash for a deal is not yet known after 100 days.
CONGRESS & IRAN
Republican Senators Argue for Barring Iran Enrichment, Moot Treaty | Iran International
Iran must agree to cease uranium enrichment in any nuclear deal and the US congress could move to enshrine such an agreement in a treaty should US President Trump wish, Republican senators told Iran International. . . . :I am grateful that they want to achieve a settlement with Iran, but it needs to be much stiffer. There could be no nuclear enrichment," Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa said. “We do hope for a very good deal. We want to avoid war, if at all possible. But no nuclear enrichment.”
Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) told Jewish Insider following a visit to Israel and Jordan last week that there is a “unique, potentially generational opportunity” to change the Middle East if the U.S. can help put an end to Iran’s nuclear weapons program and its support for regional terrorism.
IRAQ, SYRIA, & IRAN
Tehran Seeks Comeback in Syria Through Iraqi Training Camps | Yedioth Ahronoth
Iran is quietly rebuilding its military influence in post-Assad Syria by training former regime loyalists in remote Iraqi desert camps, using Shiite militias and Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers to shape a new pro-Tehran fighting force just miles from the Syrian border. Military and eyewitness sources confirmed that such training camps have popped up in western Iraq’s Anbar desert, which borders Syria.
ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON, & IRAN
About Half of Israelis Back Strike on Iran's Nuclear Facilities, Poll Shows | Iran International
A new poll showed that nearly half of Israelis support a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, even without US support, though divides between the Jewish and Arab demographic were stark.
Asked whether Israel should carry out a military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities, even without American backing, 45% of Israelis believe Israel should do so and 41.5% do not.
Israeli Convicted of Plotting Assassinations for Iran Sentenced to 10 Years | Times of Israel
The Beersheba District Court on Tuesday handed a 10-year prison sentence to Moti Maman, an Israeli man convicted in December of contacts with Iranian agents, some of them inside Iran, and discussing with them a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ex-Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen: Israel Must Stop Iran from Getting a Nuke | Jerusalem Post
Former Mossad director Yossi Cohen, speaking at the Remembrance Day memorial hosted by the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem and the IDF Widows and Orphans Organization (IDFWO), said that the Iranian threat against Israel is a strategic and moral challenge. . . . “The State of Israel must do everything in its power – diplomatically, politically, and if necessary, operationally – to ensure that Iran never acquires nuclear weapons,” he added.
AZERBAIJAN & IRAN
Iran, Israel Race to Court Azerbaijan as Rivalry in Caucasus Heats Up | Iran International
The Iranian president’s visit to Azerbaijan, soon to be followed by the Israeli prime minister's trip, highlights Baku’s sophisticated geopolitical maneuvering as Tehran and Tel Aviv vie for influence in the strategically vital South Caucasus.
ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS
Iranians Face a Sinking Feeling as Ground under Tehran Cracks Open | Financial Times
A long-running challenge in Iran has recently taken on added urgency: the ground is sinking beneath people’s feet, damaging vital infrastructure and endangering public safety. Iran suffers from some of the worst land subsidence in the world, brought on by drought, climate change and poor water management. Cracks threaten the country’s main airport and Unesco sites such as the ancient city of Persepolis, while dozens of schools were evacuated in one city because of fears of collapse last year. The situation is particularly urgent in and around urban areas including Tehran, where cracks have damaged nearby railway tracks and homes have become unstable.