TOP STORIES
In Rare Friday Prayers, Khamenei Calls For Fight Against Israel | Iran International
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei led Tehran’s Friday prayers for the first time in five years, delivering a sermon in Persian and Arabic where he reiterated his support for Arab groups attacking Israel. The speech came amid fears of an imminent Israeli retaliation against Iran following the October 1 large missile attack on Israel by the Islamic Republic. Khamenei began with calling for Muslim unity and the need to defend Palestinians and Hezbollah in Lebanon. He maintained that Hamas and Hezbollah have a legal right to fight Israel. "Every people have the right to defend their land, homes, country, and interests against aggressors."
Biden Says US Discussing Possible Israeli Strikes On Iran Oil Facilities | BBC
Joe Biden has said the US is discussing with Israel the possibility of Israeli strikes on Iran’s oil infrastructure. When asked if he would support such strikes, Mr Biden said: "We're discussing that. I think that would be a little... anyway." His off-the-cuff remarks, made as he left the White House, did not make clear Washington’s stance. Mr Biden has previously said he would not support Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
EU Moves To Sanction Iran For Providing Missiles To Russia | Bloomberg
The European Union is progressing toward a package of sanctions targeting Iran for providing Russia with ballistic missiles, according to people familiar with the matter. A first set of measures would hit about a dozen individuals and entities, including engineering, metals and aviation companies, the people said. The bloc aims to approve the move by the time EU leaders gather for a summit in Brussels later this month, said the people. Iran delivered ballistic missiles to Russia last month, according to US and European assessments. That prompted an initial set of penalties from the US, Germany, France and the UK.
UANI IN THE NEWS
Why Britain Keeps Communication Channel With Iran Open | The Times
An hour before Iran launched a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday, David Lammy, the foreign secretary, received a phone call from his counterpart in Tehran. [...] The US has no diplomatic relations with Iran and also uses the Swiss as an official “neutral arbiter” to convey messages, said Kasra Aarabi, a director of IRGC research at the campaign group United Against Nuclear Iran.
Israel Ready To Strike: Ayatollah’s Days Numbered | Times Radio
“Not only does it create invulnerability, in the eyes of the Ayatollah, who is facing an existential crisis right now, he has no logical successor.” There is fear amongst the Iranians that Israel could take out the Ayatollah after eliminating their proxies one by one, says former US ambassador Mark Wallace on World in 10.
Benjamin Netanyahu's Iranian Obsession | La Croix International
The scene takes place in Jerusalem as Jews prepare to celebrate the New Year, Rosh Hashanah. In a small café in West Jerusalem, the television is tuned to Kan 11, Israel’s public TV channel. “Iran has proven to the whole world that it is only interested in one thing: the destruction of Israel,” said an expert responding to a journalist before emphasizing: “We don’t need any more signs: it’s us or them.”... The escalation on October 1 changed the dynamics of a conflict where Israel’s wars against Hamas and Hezbollah have now taken a back seat to its conflict with Iran, which became Israel’s sworn enemy following the Islamic Revolution. “Since becoming Supreme Leader in 1989, Khamenei has taken a gradual approach toward Israel by creating a ‘ring of fire’ to slowly eradicate it,” explained Jason Brodsky, a researcher with the Middle East Institute’s Iran program, in an op-ed.
U.S. Opposes Israel Hitting Iran Nuclear Sites | Sky News
President Biden has failed to adequately deter Iran’s aggression and it’s morally bankrupt and inappropriate to suggest Iran’s nuclear sites are off limits. These nuclear sites are purely for military use and threatening the state of Israel and there is no legitimate civilian purpose. US and Israel should be authorized to strike any appropriate military target, UANI CEO and former Ambassador Mark D. Wallace told Sky News.
Iran Trade Crackdown Targets Flag-Hopping Ships After US Sanctions Seven Vessels | TradeWinds
Panama claims to have tightened up its procedures on flag-hopping after the US sanctioned seven ships on its books for their alleged oil trades linked to Iran and the militant group Hezbollah. […] Campaign groups, including United Against Nuclear Iran, have criticised Panama over its record in flagging ships linked to Iranian crude trades and its response when provided with evidence. The group said in March that nearly 40% of tankers carrying Iranian crude operated under the Panamanian flag.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Oil Jumps Over $3 A Barrel As Middle East Conflict Stokes Supply Worry | Reuters
Oil prices surged on Thursday as concerns mounted that a widening regional conflict in the Middle East could disrupt global crude flows. Brent crude futures settled up $3.72, or 5.03%, at $77.62 a barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures settled up $3.61, or 5.15%, to $73.71. Brent futures reached an intraday high of $77.89 per barrel, while WTI futures peaked at $73.97 per barrel, both hitting one-month highs.
Many Middle East Flights Still Grounded As Strikes On Lebanon Intensify | The National
Many flights to and from Middle East hubs remained cancelled on Friday morning as Israel and its rivals trade missiles and bombs fall on Lebanon. Iran's attack on Israel and a potential retaliation has left the Middle East in a precarious position, with multiple airlines cancelling flights to destinations in the region. Dubai-based airline Emirates said it was halting all services to and from Iraq (Basra and Baghdad), Iran (Tehran) and Jordan (Amman) on October 4 and 5 due to the situation.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS & NEGOTIATIONS
Biden Declines Public Negotiation On Israel's Stance On Iranian Oil Sites | Reuters
Democratic U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday he will not negotiate in public when asked if he had urged Israel not to attack Iran's oil facilities. Israel has been weighing options to respond to Tehran's ballistic missile attack on Tuesday. The U.S. said then it would work with Israel to make sure Iran faced severe consequences. Biden earlier in the day contributed to a surge in global oil prices when he said Washington was discussing strikes on Iran's oil facilities. A U.S. official later said Washington does not believe Israel has decided yet how to respond to Iran.
US Navy Shows Destroyer Fring Interceptor At Iranian Missile | The Hill
The Department of Defense confirmed two U.S. naval ships intercepted and destroyed missiles launched by Iran on the eastern Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday. USS Bulkeley (DDG-84) and USS Cole (DDG-67) fired a “dozen interceptors” at missiles targeting Israel. Naval reports say both destroyers have the aegis weapons system designed for ballistic missile defense. No ground-based interceptors were used. Officials said they were not aware of any prewarning by Iran about the attack.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Israel May Launch Symbolic Attack On Iran Nuclear-Related Facilities, Says Ehud Barak | The Guardian
Israel is likely to mount a large-scale airstrike against Iran’s oil industry and possibly a symbolic attack on a military target related to its nuclear programme, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak has predicted. Barak said there was no doubt there would be an Israeli military response to Iran’s assault on Tuesday with over 180 ballistic missiles, most of which were intercepted, but some landed on and around densely populated areas and Israeli military bases. “Israel has a compelling need, even an imperative, to respond. I think that no sovereign nation on Earth could fail to respond,” Barak said in an interview.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei used a rare public sermon to defend Iran's missile attack against Israel earlier this week, saying it was "legitimate and legal" and that "if needed," Tehran will do it again. Speaking in both Farsi and Arabic during Friday Prayers in central Tehran on October 4, Khamenei said Iran and the regional proxies it supports won't back down from Israel as fears of a wider regional conflict in the Middle East grow amid a wave of multiple massive air strikes and a land incursion by Israel into Lebanon. Iran will not "procrastinate nor act hastily to carry out its duty" in confronting Israel, Khamenei said, adding that the barrage of missiles fired at Israel earlier this week was "legal and legitimate."
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Massive Blasts In Beirut After Renewed Israeli Air Strikes | BBC
Israeli bombing caused large explosions in Beirut, including one close to the international airport during a further night of air strikes targeting Hezbollah. The airport borders Dahieh, Hezbollah's stronghold in the capital. Plumes of smoke could be seen over the city on Friday morning. US outlets citing Israeli officials reported the target was Hashem Safieddine, a cousin of Hezbollah's former leader Hassan Nasrallah. Safieddine has been widely regarded as the most likely candidate to replace Nasrallah after his death in an Israeli strike last week.
UN Peacekeepers Stay On Lebanon's Border Despite Israeli Ground Incursion | The Washington Post
U.N. peacekeepers are staying in their positions on Lebanon’s southern border despite Israel’s request to vacate some areas before it launched its ground operation against Hezbollah militants , the U.N. peacekeeping chief said Thursday. Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the commander and liaison officers from the U.N. force, known as UNIFIL, also are in constant contact with their counterparts in the Israeli and Lebanese militaries. He called that key to protecting the U.N.’s more than 10,000 peacekeepers.
Iranian Foreign Minister Arrives In Beirut | The Times Of Israel
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in Lebanon’s capital, official Lebanese media says, as Israel intensifies its air strikes and ground offensive against the Tehran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon. “An Iranian plane has landed at the Rafik Hariri International Airport with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on board,” the Lebanese National News Agency said of the first visit by a top Iranian official since an Israeli strike killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last week. A top-ranking Iranian general was also killed in that strike.
CHINA & IRAN
China Reacts To Widening Iran-Israel 'Turmoil' | Newsweek
China has responded to the widening hostilities in the Middle East after Iran fired missiles into Israel on Monday, raising fears of all-out war... "China is deeply concerned about the turbulent situation in the Middle East and opposes violations of Lebanon's sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, as well as the intensification of contradictions and the expansion of conflicts," China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement released Wednesday evening, without naming Iran.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
Gulf Arab states sought to reassure Iran of their neutrality in the conflict between Tehran and Israel in meetings in Doha this week on the back of concerns that a wider escalation in violence could threaten their oil facilities, two sources told Reuters. Ministers from Gulf Arab states and Iran attending a meeting of Asian nations hosted by Qatar centred their conversations around de-escalation, the sources said.
IRAQ & IRAN
Iraqi Forces Decide To Keep Out Of Israel’s Battles With Hezbollah And Iran | Middle East Eye
The Iraqi political and armed forces affiliated to Tehran have decided to distance themselves from Israel’s battles with Hezbollah and Iran, fearing that expanding the growing Middle Eastern wars could ruin Iraq and their own positions. Iraqi officials and leaders of Iranian-backed armed factions told Middle East Eye that the focus instead will be on providing humanitarian aid and financial support to civilians affected by Israel’s war on Lebanon. No US interests or military bases in Iraq or Syria will be targeted by Iraqi armed factions until further notice, commanders said. Over the past year, Israel’s onslaught on Gaza has drawn reprisals from Hezbollah in Lebanon, Yemen’s Ansar Allah (commonly known as the Houthi movement), and Iraqi paramilitary groups.