TOP STORIES
Iran Fortifying Buried Nuclear Sites as Talks with US Continue, Report Says | Reuters
Iran is ringing two deeply buried tunnel complexes with a massive security perimeter linked to its main nuclear complex, a report said Wednesday, amid U.S. and Israeli threats of attack. Tehran has barred access to the tunnels to inspectors of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) who are monitoring its nuclear program. This has raised concerns that they could be used to store Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium or undeclared nuclear materials, and advanced centrifuges that could quickly purify enough uranium for a bomb, [Institute for Science and International Security President David] Albright said.
UN Watchdog Asks Iran to Clarify Tunnels But Upbeat on Deal | Agence France-Presse
The head of the UN nuclear watchdog agency called Wednesday on Iran to explain tunnels built around a nuclear site but voiced optimism that US-Iran talks would land a deal. . . . Grossi, who visited Tehran last week, said that all countries need to inform the IAEA of intentions for facilities around nuclear sites but that Iran has a stance “unique in the world” that it does not need to inform the agency ahead of time. “We're asking them, what is this for? They are telling us, it's none of your business,” Grossi said. Grossi said it "cannot be excluded" that the tunnels would store undeclared material but said he did not want to speculate on intentions.
Satellite Images Reveals Iran Building New Warship | Newsweek
New satellite images appear to show Iran constructing a large catamaran warship at its Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval facility in Bandar Bahonar, southern Iran. The vessel, analyzed by open-source intelligence monitors, is significantly larger and more heavily armed than many current IRGC naval assets, indicating a potential expansion of Tehran’s maritime ambitions as regional tensions rise and the third round of U.S.-Iran talks approaches.
UANI IN THE NEWS
The Daily View: An Evolving Risk Landscape | Lloyd's List
THERE are several baffling questions surrounding the saga of Tinos I, the newbuild gas carrier that was sanctioned by the US yesterday after sitting off Houston for more than nine months without lifting a cargo. . . . US advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran has called for the vessel’s seizure.
During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing prior to the congressional recess, Rep. Jim Baird (R-IN) questioned Claire Jungman, the Chief of Staff at United Against Nuclear Iran, about ensuring Iran does not receive critical technology amid nuclear tensions.
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
With Dueling Statements, US and Iran Approach Standoff over Enrichment | Iran International
The United States and Iran appear to be on a collision course over whether Tehran should be allowed to enrich uranium in any nuclear deal between the two arch-foes, potentially endangering talks headed for a third round on Saturday. US secretary of state Marco Rubio ruled out allowing any Iranian uranium enrichment, while Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said the talks would stumble if US demands stray from a sole focus on nuclear weapons.
Nuclear Watchdog Urges ‘Trust But Verify’ That Iran Engages in Good-Faith Negotiations | Fox News
Much remains unknown regarding the progress of Washington’s nuclear talks with Iran, but the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the international community must “trust but verify” that Tehran is engaging in good-faith negotiations.
Iran has agreed to allow in an International Atomic Energy Agency technical team in the coming days to discuss restoring camera surveillance at nuclear sites, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Wednesday, calling it an encouraging signal of Iran's attitude toward nuclear talks with the United States.
UN Nuclear Watchdog Says He’s Been Talking With Trump’s Iran Envoy | Bloomberg
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog agency said he’s in touch with President Donald Trump’s Iran nuclear negotiator and supports its efforts.
SANCTIONS, SHIPPING, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Seyed Asadoollah Emamjomeh, an Iranian national behind a sprawling corporate network responsible for shipping hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian LPG and crude oil to foreign markets over recent years, has been sanctioned by the US Treasury. [T]he US investigation has identified an extensive network controlled by Emamjomeh and his son, UAE-based British and Iranian national Meisam Emamjomeh that has exported thousands of shipments of LPG from Iran to Pakistan and have conducted tens of millions of dollars in business on behalf of Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industry Commercial Co. It is this network that the US Treasury claims has been a major source of revenue for the Iranian regime.
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Kurdish Cleric Arrested in Western Iran | IranWire
Ayat Gholami, a Kurdish Sunni cleric and former imam of a mosque in Kermanshah Province, was taken into custody after being summoned by the Special Clerical Court in the city. . . . No details have been released regarding the charges against him or his place of detention. According to the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Gholami was previously banned from leading prayers and participating in mosque activities in July 2024. Following the ban, he said in a video message that he had been ordered to ensure mosque classes were held only under security-approved supervision. Gholami cited the authorities’ actions against him as his opposition to the killings of kolbars, his criticism of the government, his condemnation of the execution of Mohammad Khezrnajad, and his protests against the arrests of other Sunni clerics.
Iranian Teachers Condemn New Police Powers in Schools Under Hijab Agreement | IranWire
An agreement between Education Minister Alireza Kazemi and Police Chief Ahmadreza Radan has triggered protests from teacher unions and civil activists. Iranian media reported on Sunday that, under the agreement, police forces will be allowed to intervene in schools to “strengthen the culture of hijab and chastity.” Mohammad Habibi, spokesperson for the Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Associations, said, “The Council condemns this humiliating position in the strongest terms.” He called the potential police entry into schools “illegal, repressive, and a violation of the rights of students and teachers.”
Enforcing Iran’s New Hijab Law Tops Parliament Cultural Agenda | Iran International
Enforcing Iran's new hijab law is the top priority for the parliamentary cultural committee, its spokesperson said as authorities come under mounting conservative pressure to implement legislation expanding surveillance and penalties.
Women in Iran Increasingly Deciding Not to Wear Headscarves in Public | Sky News
Women in Iran are increasingly deciding not to wear the veil in public, a senior journalist who visited Tehran has said. Mr Engel said although there are signs in restaurants, cafes and hotels telling them they have to wear Islamic dress according to the law, women are “brazenly” not listening to them anymore.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
CENTCOM Chief to Return to Israel Today for Meetings with Security Chiefs on Iran | Times of Israel
United States Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, head of the US Central Command (CENTCOM), is expected to land today in Israel for meetings with Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, an Israeli official tells The Times of Israel. The meetings will deal with Iran, among the other regional conflicts Israel is involved in, says the official.
Why and How Israel Missed Its Chance to Strike Iran’s Nuclear Sites | Jerusalem Post
JPost reveals for the first time the full extent of the debates between Israel’s political and security echelons over striking in Tehran.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned in a new interview that a potential war with Iran would be “much messier” and “more complex” than military engagements the American people have seen reported in recent years. “Any military action at this point in the Middle East, whether it’s against Iran by us or anybody else, could in fact trigger a much broader conflict,” Rubio said in an interview with The Free Press published Wednesday.
Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, who was injured in the Israeli detonation last year of thousands of pagers and communication devices held by Hezbollah operatives, claims he was not personally carrying the device and that the pager was located in his office, causing him to be wounded in the blast. In an interview yesterday with Lebanon’s Al-Jadeed TV, Amani says the device was meant as a protective measure.
CYBERSECURITY MATTERS
European Parliament’s Iran Delegation Chair Victim of Tehran-Linked Hacking | Politico
A prominent European Parliament member was the victim of what is believed to be a cyber-espionage operation tied to her role as chair of the chamber's Iran delegation, she told POLITICO. The group thought to be behind the attack is a hacking collective associated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, known as APT42, according to a report by the Parliament’s in-house IT service DG ITEC and seen by POLITICO.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran State TV Fires Managers After Offensive Program | IranWire
The Islamic Republic’s state television has dismissed two managers after airing a program that insulted Sunni Muslims. . . . Eight additional staff members involved in the broadcast have been referred to judicial authorities. The controversy arose when a guest on Wednesday’s program recited a poem that insulted Abu Bakr, the first caliph revered by Sunni Muslims. The Haalvash news website, which reports on Sunni-majority regions in Iran, noted that such insults toward Sunni beliefs have occurred repeatedly on the Islamic Republic’s broadcasting network
CONGRESS & IRAN
Fetterman Calls on Trump to ‘Strike and Destroy Iran’s Nuclear Facilities’ | The Hill
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is calling on President Trump to “strike and destroy” the nuclear facilities in Iran ahead of a third round of talks later this week. “You’re never going to be able to negotiate with that kind of regime that has been destabilizing the region for decades already, and now we have an incredible window, I believe, to do that, to strike and destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities,” Fetterman said Wednesday in an interview with the Washington Free Beacon. . . . Fetterman dismissed foreign policy experts who say the U.S. striking Iran would lead to a regional war.
CHINA & IRAN
China Hits Out at ‘Illegal’ US Nuclear Sanctions on Iran | Reuters
China supports Iran in holding nuclear talks with the United States but opposes resorting to force and “illegal” unilateral sanctions in resolving the issue, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi tells his Iranian counterpart.
ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON, & IRAN
Lebanon to Iran: Refrain from Interfering in Country’s Internal Affairs | Al Arabiya
Lebanon on Thursday told Iran’s envoy to Beirut to refrain from interfering in the country’s internal affairs after suggesting that Lebanon was surrendering to US demands on disarming its ally, Hezbollah.
Eight-Year-Old Injured in Iran Attack Leaves Rehab After Year of Medical Care | Jerusalem Post
Eight-year-old Amina Al Hassuni was released from Tel Hashomer Hospital's rehabilitation unit on Tuesday, a year after being critically injured in the head by shrapnel during the first Iranian attack on Israel, her father Mohammad Al Hassuni said. According to her father, Amina is alert, talking freely, and her memory has not been affected. However, her left hand is non-functional, and she has limited movement in her left leg, allowing only slow and laborious walking.
Netanyahu Slams Iran, Hamas as Israel Commemorates the Holocaust | Agence France-Presse
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking Wednesday at an annual Holocaust commemoration, said Iran was an existential threat and warned that “the fate of all humanity” was at stake if it acquires nuclear arms.
GULF STATES & IRAN
Inside the Saudi King’s Letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader | Amwaj
[T]he recent visit of [Saudi Arabia’s] defense minister to Tehran, which featured a rare high-profile meeting with Iran’s top decision maker, signals a significant step toward the strengthening of bilateral ties as the two neighbors seek to confront common challenges together. Amwaj.media has also learned that the Saudi visit entailed an offer to help mediate between Tehran and Washington, in support of the diplomatic process taking place in Oman. Informed sources confirmed that during his conversation with Khamenei, [the defense minister] brought up the possibility of hosting an informal meeting between American and Iranian officials during Trump’s upcoming visit to Riyadh next month. However, Iranian political sources indicated to Amwaj.media that there is currently a sense in Tehran that the time may not be ripe for a meeting between Reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian and Trump.
AFGHANISTAN & IRAN
Afghanistan: Is Iran Seeking an Alternative to Syria? | Special Eurasia
The collapse of the Assad regime and Israel’s intensifying operations in Gaza have dramatically weakened Iran’s traditional influence axis through the Levant. Iran is pragmatically engaging the Taliban regime, despite longstanding ideological discord, highlighting a calculated pivot towards Afghanistan as a compensatory zone of influence.
CENTRAL ASIA & IRAN
The anticipated visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Baku underscores a significant shift in the regional balance of power. Although the date has not yet been announced, official sources confirm that the visit is imminent. This move highlights Azerbaijan's emerging role as a strategic bridge between Israel and Turkey, particularly in relation to Syria, and signals new geopolitical dynamics with far-reaching implications. For Iran, this development is deeply unsettling. Tehran views Baku's mediation between Jerusalem and Ankara as a direct threat to its ability to project power in both the Levant and the Caucasus.