TOP STORIES
China, Iran, Russia Host Naval Drills | Voice Of America
China, Russia and Iran are holding joint naval exercises this week near the Gulf of Oman, according to the Chinese defense ministry. According to a ministry statement Monday, the exercises, dubbed “Security Bond-2024,” will take place from Monday to Friday and aims to “strengthen maritime cooperation” and “jointly safeguard regional maritime security.” A similar round of drills was held last year in the same area between the three countries. According to Iran’s state news agency, IRNA, the drills are set to start Tuesday with naval representatives from Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Oman, India and South Africa also set to observe the exercises. Iranian state media added that the purpose of the drills is to “consolidate security and its foundations in the region and expand multilateral cooperation among the participating countries.”
EU Leaders To Mull Measures Against Iran Over Possible Missile Transfers To Russia | Jerusalem Post
European Union leaders are ready to respond with new and significant measures against Iran amid reports that Tehran may transfer ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine, draft conclusions of a summit to be held next week said. "The European Council calls on third parties to immediately cease providing material support to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine," said the draft text, seen by Reuters. Iran has provided Russia with a large number of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, six sources told Reuters, deepening the military cooperation between the two countries, which are both under U.S. sanctions.. "Reports that Iran may transfer ballistic missiles and related technology to Russia for use against Ukraine are very concerning," the draft conclusions of the March 21-22 summit said.
A New Terror Threat Is Emerging In Europe Linked To Iran, Gaza War | Wall Street Journal
Authorities in Europe say they have foiled several terror plots, some involving suspects posing as refugees, raising alarm about a growing array of threats from extremists. In one previously unreported investigation last December, police in Austria and Bosnia arrested two separate groups of Afghan and Syrian refugees who carried arms and ammunition, including Kalashnikov assault rifles and pistols.
UANI IN THE NEWS
Israel At War – Day 157 | i24 News
Iran, China and Russia hold joint naval drills near Oman 'I don't think it's anything new, they've been doing this for a number of years now. They like to showcase these kind of drills to the United States' UANI’s Jason Brodsky says.
'Grow A Spine': US Visa For Iranian Vice-President Leaves People Seething | India Today
... Jason Brodsky policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran also questioned the US State Department for visa to Ensieh Khazali. "Ensieh Khazali has supported child marriage and lied to the world about IRI’s suppression of its people. The US could have made a statement here by denying her a visa. The @StateDept needs to grow a backbone and start isolating Tehran diplomatically," he said.
"Iran Does Not Cooperate": The Threat Of A Nuclear Bomb Within The Year | Il Giornale
… The climate of uncertainty due to the US electoral campaign and the recent election in parliament in Tehran of representatives opposed to the JCPOA could lead to a worsening of the crisis in the Middle East. Kasra Aarabi, an expert at United against Nuclear Iran , explains to the British newspaper that "the Biden administration's refusal to impose direct consequences on Iran "after the attacks unleashed by its proxies starting on October 7 "has encouraged the regime" and made believe at the top of the theocracy that we can move on to "escalation without repercussions." Aarabi therefore predicts that between now and the end of the year there may be " extreme volatility " since the Iranians, aware of having the "best opportunity" to equip themselves of nuclear weapons, they could decide to checkmate before Trump's possible return to Washington.
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Tehran Says Committed To Nuclear Talks, Rejects Washington’s Threats | Asharq Al-Awsat
Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday his country is committed to the negotiation table for the removal of sanctions, adding that Tehran remains in full cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog to resolve certain ambiguities about its nuclear program. At a weekly press conference in Tehran, the spokesman then rejected the recent US threat against Iran if the latter fails to cooperate with international inspectors. At the quarterly meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation Board of Governors in Vienna last week, the US threatened future action against Iran if Tehran keeps “stonewalling” the watchdog by denying it the cooperation and answers it seeks on issues including long-unexplained uranium trace. The United States and its three top European allies - Britain, France and Germany - had opted against seeking a resolution against Iran at the meeting but Washington said that if Iran did not provide the necessary cooperation soon, it would act.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran Frees Seafarers From Seized Greek Tanker That Escalated Red Sea Crisis | Trade Winds
Iran is releasing the 17 crew members still on board the Empire Navigation suezmax seized in January. The Greek manager said at the weekend that it was happy to report that 11 Filipino seafarers on board the 159,100-dwt St Nikolas (built 2011) had been freed and were due to return to Manila, starting on Sunday. The remaining six crew members “are expected to also return as soon as their replacements arrive”. “We express our sincere gratitude to our crew for their commendable behaviour and resilience during this trying period, our manning agent in Manila and the [Philippines’] Department of Migrant Workers for their excellent cooperation,” Empire said. The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed the news. Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said the contracts of the 11 Filipinos had officially expired and the manning agency had already replaced them with foreign crew members.
Biden Faces Critical Decision On $10 Billion Iran Sanctions Waiver | Iran International
This week, US President Joe Biden is confronted with a critical decision regarding a $10 billion sanctions waiver for Iran – and whether to renew it, or not. With the ongoing war in Gaza and continued attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis in the Red Sea, the deadline could not come at a worse moment for the administration. Last year, the US extended the sanctions waiver by four months, allowing Iraq to continue purchasing electricity from Iran. Additionally, the waiver granted Iran limited access to approximately $10 billion in Iraqi payments held in escrow accounts, ostensibly for purchasing "humanitarian goods" without facing US sanctions. However, both Republicans and Democrats swiftly challenged this decision, contending that the fungibility of money would effectively empower the Tehran regime to divert these funds towards arming its proxies, despite the humanitarian guise.
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
Gallant To Troops: Iran Smuggling Arms Into West Bank, Gird For Ramadan Terror | Times Of Israel
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says Iran is seeking to promote major terror attacks by smuggling weapons into the West Bank. “We must prepare for an increase in terror during Ramadan,” Gallant says to troops of the elite Duvdevan unit. “Iran is working to up the severity of attacks by smuggling in many weapons,” he says, describing the arms as “high-quality.” Israel has previously announced that it had foiled attempts to smuggle Iranian-made explosives into Israel and the West Bank from Jordan.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Controversy Surrounds Iranian VP's Visit To UN Women's Summit | Iran International
The presence of Iran’s Vice President at the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women has sparked controversy in light of the regime's systemic oppression of women and girls. Ensieh Khazali arrived in New York on Sunday amid Iran's dismal human rights record, including its treatment of women and suppression of dissent. Khazali's agenda at the UN summit is to highlight the plight of Palestinian women in Gaza but in the light of Iran's oppression of women and girls, the move has drawn widespread criticism, with activists condemning the US State Department for granting Khazali a visa despite Iran's human rights violations. Critics argue that granting a visa to Khazali, who has been implicated in supporting oppressive policies such as child marriage, undermines the principles of human rights and sends the wrong message to Tehran amid wider criticism of the Biden administration for being too lenient on the regime.
Teachers' Rights Activist Sentenced To Prison In Southern Iran | Iran Wire
A Revolutionary Court in Fars province has sentenced a teachers' rights activist to one year in prison. Asghar Amirzadegan was charged with "propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic" in a case initiated by the prosecutor of Firoozabad city, according to the HRANA human rights organization. Amirzadegan, known for his involvement in union activities, has faced previous arrests and convictions related to his work. The Department of Statistics of Human Rights Activists in Iran documented 1,700 reports related to the rights of unions and associations in 2023. This number included 53 individuals sentenced to a combined total of 10 years (1,230 months) of imprisonment.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
China, Russia And Iran Capable Of Disrupting 2024 Elections, Intel Assessment Warns | Next Gov
The intelligence community says that China, Russia and Iran are capable of and willing to launch cyberattacks seeking to disrupt the U.S. presidential election in November, according to an assessment released Monday by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The annual threat assessment which collates findings from U.S. spy agencies released at the cusp of a high profile Senate hearing examining worldwide threats to U.S. national security, which included vast analysis of cyber and technology threats. Misinformation and disinformation operations that seek to sway public opinion of electoral and other political processes “are increasingly deployed cheaply by an array of adversarial actors,” said Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, in opening remarks…Iran, meanwhile, “may attempt to conduct influence operations” aimed at U.S. elections, having done so in the past, it adds. Iranian-linked hackers became the subject of major headlines last year after they deployed cyberattacks targeting logic controllers in U.S. water treatment plants.
CONGRESS & IRAN
GOP Senator Blocks State Department Nominee Over Malley Controversy | Iran International
A US State Department nominee is being blocked by a GOP member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who demanded transparency on the suspension of former envoy to Iran, Robert Malley. "I’ve been asking for 8 months for information regarding the suspension of Special Envoy Robert Malley’s security clearance,” Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, stated during the hearing. President Biden’s special envoy on Iran, Robert Malley, was placed under administrative leave in 2023 and is currently under investigation by the FBI for possible “mishandling of classified documents.” Since then, several Republican members of Congress have tried to obtain information on the circumstances of his suspension – and the reasons his security clearance was suspended. “The department’s defiance left me no choice but to hold this nomination until the [Department of] State responded,” Risch said. Margaret Taylor's nomination as Legal Advisor for the Department of State by the Biden administration appeared unrelated to Robert Malley's case – though the confirmation hearing itself provided Senate Republicans with a chance to pressure the Department.
GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN
Qatar’s Gas Ambition Affects Iran’s Reserves | Iran International
As Qatar sets higher ambitions for its gas output, Iranian officials scramble to justify their under-performance in developing the South Pars field, resorting to statistical maneuvers to deflect criticism. Sakhavat Asadi, the chief executive of Iran’s Pars Special Economic Zone Organization, has claimed that Iran's natural gas production from the joint Persian Gulf South Pars gas field (called North Dome by Qatar) surpasses that of Qatar's. He boasted of Iran's daily gas output from the field reaching a staggering 700 million cubic meters daily (mcm/d). However, a report from the Iran National Gas Company, obtained by Iran International, presents a different perspective. It reveals that Iran extracted approximately 590 mcm/d of raw gases from South Pars during the first half of 2023, of which only 510 mcm/d of natural gas (methane) were injected into the network after processing. Additionally, alongside 30 mcm/d of ethane, butane, propane, and other gases, approximately 6 mcm/d of the extracted raw gas comprised toxic gases like CO2 and H2S.
Houthi Missiles Fired At Ship In Red Sea, U.S. Military Says | Reuters
Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group fired missiles at a Liberian-flagged container ship in the Red Sea but did not hit the vessel, the U.S. Central Command said on Tuesday. Two anti-ship ballistic missiles were fired at the Pinocchio from Yemeni territory, CENTCOM said, resulting in no damage or injuries. Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea earlier on Tuesday said the group had targeted and hit the ship, which he described as "American". The Pinocchio is a Liberian-flagged container ship owned by Singapore-registered company OM-MAR 5 INC, according to shipping databases operated by Equasis and the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO). Sarea said the Houthi group would escalate their military operations during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in solidarity with Palestinians in response to the war in Gaza.