TOP STORIES
A jury has convicted two men of plotting to assassinate Iranian American journalist Masih Alinejad at her home in New York City in a murder-for-hire scheme that prosecutors said was financed by the Iranian government.
US Slaps Iran-Related Sanctions on Oil Tankers, China ‘Teapot’ Refinery | Reuters
The U.S. on Thursday issued new Iran-related sanctions, targeting entities including for the first time a Chinese “teapot,” or independent refinery, and vessels that supplied crude oil to such processing plants.
U.S. and Israel to Hold High-level Iran Consultations Next Week | Axios
A senior Israeli delegation is expected to visit the White House early next week for strategic consultations about Iran, two Israeli officials and one U.S. official tell Axios. President Trump has given Tehran a two-month window to negotiate a new nuclear deal, as Axios reported, and has raised the threat of military strikes on Iran's nuclear program if no deal is reached. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his team think the odds of a deal are low, and want to align on a joint course of action should things escalate to military force, one of the Israeli officials said. This will be the first meeting of the U.S.-Israel Strategic Consultative Group (SCG) since Trump assumed office. It's the most senior forum for U.S.-Israeli discussion on Iran's nuclear program.
UANI IN THE NEWS
‘Maximum Pressure’ Ramps Up as OFAC Sanctions Chinese ‘Teapot’ Refinery | Lloyd's List
According to US advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), the refinery, Shandong Shouguang Luqing Petrochemical, imported at least 7.6m barrels of Iranian oil since 2023. The oil was labelled as Malaysian blend, the group said, which is common practice when Iranian barrels change hands in ship-to-ship transfers in the Riau Archipelago. “For years, UANI has called for sanctions on teapot refineries like Luqing Petrochemical, which serve as key enablers of Iran’s sanctions evasion and illicit oil trade,” said UANI’s chief of staff Claire Jungman. “Today’s designation is long overdue and underscores the vast, sophisticated network Iran relies on to fund terrorism, nuclear expansion and military aggression.”
Trump Officials Lob First Sanctions at Chinese Refiners over Iran Imports | TradeWinds
The government of US President Donald Trump has issued Washington’s first sanctions against a Chinese refiner for importing Iranian oil on shadow-fleet tankers. Based in Weifang in Shandong province, Shouguang Luqing is accused of importing at least five shipments of Iran’s Mal Blend of crude, according to data from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI).
South African Envoy ‘No Longer Welcome’ in US, Rubio Says | The American Israelite
Ebrahim Rasool, the South African ambassador to the United States, is persona non grata in Washington, and “we have nothing to discuss with him,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Friday. South Africa has led international efforts accusing Israel of genocide, and its envoy has praised Hamas. “Worth noting Rasool owns a keffiyeh signed by the late Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was indicted by the U.S. government on terrorism charges,” wrote Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran.
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iran’s Nuclear Crisis Finally Has a Deadline: Here’s What That Means | Jerusalem Post
Either Tehran will reach a deal with the US and the E-3 in the next two to three months, or it will face global sanctions and possibly an Israeli air force strike. Except that this table is not set so tightly. No one knows when Trump’s two months really start: from the day the letter was delivered earlier in March or from when the two sides start to negotiate.
Iran Rebuffs US Threats While Preparing Reply to Trump’s Letter | Bloomberg
Iran’s supreme leader reiterated a warning to the US and its allies that they won’t be able to force his country into negotiations through threats and vowed “harsh blows” against any American aggression. “We are never the ones to initiate a conflict,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a televised speech on Friday. “But the US, and others, would face harsh blows if they commit any act of malice against the Iranian nation.” Khamenei was addressing recent exchanges between Iran and the US, though he didn’t mention a letter from President Donald Trump that Tehran’s said it will respond to soon within days.
SANCTIONS, SHIPPING, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Oil Heads Towards Second Consecutive Weekly Gain on Supply Concerns | Reuters
Oil prices rose on Friday and were heading for a second consecutive weekly gain as fresh U.S. sanctions on Iran and the latest output plan from the OPEC+ producer group raised expectations of tighter supply. Brent crude futures were up 12 cents, or 0.2%, at $72.12 a barrel by 0850 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose 15 cents, also 0.2%, to $68.22.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Rubio Says Trump Will Take Action Against Iran If Nuclear Diplomacy Falls Short | Times of Israel
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday that President Donald Trump will order military action against Iran if necessary to prevent it from getting a nuclear weapon, albeit reluctantly, as Tehran said it would soon respond to the recent threats from the US over its nuclear program.
Iran's leader Says Yemen’s Houthis Act Independently, Warns Against US Action | Reuters
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that Tehran does not need proxies in the region and that Yemen's Houthis, who are among the groups in the Middle East that Iran is aligned with, act on their own motivations. Over the years, Iran has been aligned with groups across the region that describe themselves as the “Axis of Resistance” to Israel and U.S. influence. Those groups include Hamas, Lebanon's Hezbollah and various Shi’ite armed groups in Iraq. “Americans,” said Khamenei, “make a big mistake and call regional resistance centres Iranian proxies. What does proxy mean?”
Ali Khamenei Threatens Donald Trump over US Strikes on Houthis | Jerusalem Post
Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Friday that Tehran has no proxies in the region and that the groups it backs act independently. US President Donald Trump said on Monday he would hold Iran responsible for any attacks carried out by the Yemeni Houthi group that it says Iran supports in Yemen. “America needs to know that if it messes with Iran, it will receive a severe slap,” said Khamenei.
ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON, & IRAN
The US has asked Israel not to respond to an overnight missile attack by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, the Ynet news site reports citing an Israeli official. The request comes as the US has carried out widespread strikes against the Houthis in recent days. According to the report, the US told Israel to “let them deal with it.”
Netanyahu Wishes Iranians Freedom in Nowruz Message | Iran International
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wished the Iranian people a happy Nowruz in a video message on Thursday, calling for freedom from what he described as the oppression of the Islamic Republic.
MISCELLANEOUS
Earthquake Rocks Iran Near Key Nuclear Site | Newsweek
A 4.8 magnitude earthquake shook the Nantaz area of central Iran on Friday, said the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), near to the country's biggest nuclear research facility. The USGS said the quake struck 30 kilometers northwest of Ardestan and had a depth of 10 kilometers. The Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center “is Iran's largest nuclear research complex and employs approximately 3,000 scientists,” according to the Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative. There were no injuries, and it was not clear if the nuclear facility suffered any damage, Reuters reported, citing local media in Iran.