TOP STORIES
One of the three nuclear enrichment sites in Iran struck by the United States last month was mostly destroyed, setting work there back significantly. But the two others were not as badly damaged and may have been degraded only to a point where nuclear enrichment could resume in the next several months if Iran wants it to, according to a recent U.S. assessment of the destruction caused by the military operation, five current and former U.S. officials familiar with the assessment told NBC News. . . . NBC News has also learned that U.S. Central Command had developed a much more comprehensive plan to strike Iran that would have involved hitting three additional sites in an operation that would have stretched for several weeks instead of a single night, according to a current U.S. official and two former U.S. officials. President Donald Trump was briefed on that plan, but it was rejected because it was at odds with his foreign policy instincts to extract the United States from conflicts abroad, not dig deeper into them, as well as the possibility of a high number of casualties on both sides, one of the current officials and one of the former officials said.
US Military Says Yemeni Force Seized Iranian Arms Shipment Bound for Houthis | Reuters
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a post on X on Wednesday that a military group known as the Yemeni National Resistance Forces (NRF) seized a ‘massive’ Iranian weapons shipment bound for Houthi militants. . . . Yemeni forces “seized over 750 tons of munitions and hardware to include hundreds of advanced cruise, anti-ship, and anti-aircraft missiles, warheads and seekers, components as well as hundreds of drone engines, air defense equipment, radar systems, and communications equipment,” it added.
Trump Expects Iran to Resume Talks, State Department Says | Iran International
US President Donald Trump expects Iran to return to nuclear negotiations, saying that diplomacy is in Tehran’s best interest, according to the State Department Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. “I know that he expects them to begin to negotiate because that's in their best interest,” Tammy Bruce said . . . “He has believed and continues to believe that diplomacy will work here."
UANI IN THE NEWS
Trump Administration Sets August Deadline for Iran Nuclear Agreement | Fox News
Iran has until the end of August to agree to a nuclear deal with the United States and its allies, Fox News has learned. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of France, Germany and the United Kingdom set the de facto deadline, according to three sources with knowledge of a call Wednesday among the officials. If Tehran fails to agree to a deal, it would trigger the "snapback" mechanism that automatically reimposes all sanctions previously imposed by the United Nations Security Council. . . . United Against Nuclear Iran, a nonprofit that opposes Tehran's effort to develop a nuclear weapon, applauded Wednesday's news. “Tehran has learned that, for the Trump administration, a deadline means a deadline,” UANI Chairman and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace said in a joint statement. “After failing to agree to a deal within 60 days of diplomacy, the United States and Israel undertook targeted military action against the regime in June. Consequently, Tehran should take this new deadline seriously.”
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iranian Nuclear Program Cannot Recover from US Strikes, Trump Says | Iran International
President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Iran’s nuclear program had been dealt an irreparable blow by US attacks last month and that he was in no rush to resume negotiations with Tehran despite its alleged eagerness. . . . “We knocked out their entire potential nuclear capacity. And it was obliterated,” he added. “It turned out it was more than obliterated. They can't go back.” . . . “They want to negotiate,” Trump added on Wednesday. “They want to negotiate badly. We're in no rush. We could have made a deal. They should have made a deal—and then we bombed the hell out of their various places.”
Iran May Approach Bomb-Grade Enrichment If UN Sanctions Restored—IRGC Media | Iran International
Iran could boost its uranium enrichment to 90%, weapons-grade level, and consider exiting the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) if European powers move to trigger the UN snapback sanctions mechanism, Tasnim News reported on Tuesday. . . . Tasnim warned that Iran could raise uranium enrichment from 60% to 90%, and may use its enriched uranium stockpile for what it called “non-prohibited military purposes.”
SANCTIONS, SHIPPING, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Israel Urges E3 to Trigger Iran Sanctions Snapback Before October Deadline | Yedioth Ahronoth
Israel is urging the European E3 powers — Britain, France and Germany—to activate the “snapback” mechanism that would reinstate sanctions on Iran that were lifted as part of the 2015 nuclear agreement. . . . A senior Israeli official said there are no longer any valid reasons to delay reimposing sanctions. “All the previous excuses not to trigger the snapback no longer apply,” the official said. “They used to argue that Iran would escalate uranium enrichment from 60% to 90% if we acted—but that’s no longer relevant.”
Tehran Anxiety Grows as Europe Moots Sanctions Snapback | Iran International
Tehran’s commentariat is sounding the alarm over the economic toll of renewed United Nations sanctions that European powers say they could trigger against Iran by the end of August. The sanctions were lifted as part of a nuclear deal in 2015, which effectively unraveled in 2018 when the United States, under President Donald Trump, withdrew from it. . . . Such warnings are dismissed as signs of weakness by more hardline voices in Iran—who are instead ramping up combative rhetoric.
HOSTAGES
Family of French German Cyclist Detained in Iran Says He is ‘Innocent’ | Agence France-Presse
The family of a 19-year-old Franco-German cyclist arrested in Iran while on a Europe-to-Asia bike trip said on Thursday he was “innocent” and demanded proof he was alive from Iranian authorities. Family and friends of Lennart Monterlos said in a statement sent to AFP they had not received any explanation for his arrest since he disappeared in Iran on June 16, several days into unprecedented Israeli air strikes on Iran.
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran Lodges UN Complaint Accusing Musk’s Starlink of Operating Illegally | Iran International
Iran submitted a formal complaint to the United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) over the unauthorized provision of Starlink satellite services within its territory last month amid the country's war with Israel. . . . Last weekend, Iran’s judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said authorities would take legal action against individuals and entities using Starlink. According to a new proposed espionage-related bill, penalties ranging from six months to 10 years would apply to the use or distribution of unauthorized communication equipment, including satellite internet services like Starlink, depending on scale and intent.
As Iran Deports a Million Afghans, ‘Where Do We Even Go?’ | New York Times
At the sand-swept border between Iran and Afghanistan, nearly 20,000 are crossing every day — shocked and fearful Afghans who have been expelled from Iran with few belongings in a wave of targeted crackdowns and xenophobia. . . . They are being dumped at an overcrowded border facility in western Afghanistan, where many expressed anger and confusion to New York Times journalists over how they could go on with few prospects in a country where some have never lived, or barely know anymore.
Afghan Women and Girls Deported From Iran Fear ‘Coming Back to a Cage’ | New York Times
No more evening walks. No more jobs at the supermarket. No more hopes for school. As three Afghan sisters returned to Afghanistan after being deported from Iran last week, the reality of what they had once enjoyed and was now out of reach sank in amid their sighs and dwindling claims of defiance. Marwa, 18, noted they should start by getting head scarves and outfits to cover themselves, which they didn’t have. “Afghanistan is like a cage for women, and we’re coming back to that cage,” said Khurshid, 17, the youngest of the three and a self-taught painter.
When Seeking Divorce Means Death: How Iran’s Laws Leave Women Trapped in Fatal Marriages | IranWire
Yasmin Nosrati was found dead in an abandoned Peugeot on May 17, on the outskirts of Shahroud. Her body showed clear signs of strangulation. She was 23 years old and had been married for two years. Her crime: asking for a divorce. “Either you live with me or you don’t live at all,” her husband had told her when she raised the subject of separation, according to a family member who spoke to IranWire. Weeks later, he drove her to the city’s outskirts and strangled her with a belt. Yasmin is one of hundreds of Iranian women killed each year for seeking to end their marriages. Under Iran’s family law, derived from Islamic jurisprudence, only men have the right to divorce. Women cannot start divorce proceedings without proving extreme circumstances, creating a legal trap that often turns deadly when women attempt to leave abusive relationships.
Iranian Forces Arrest Kurdish Artist on New Charges | IranWire
Iranian intelligence agents arrested a Kurdish artist on Wednesday in western Ilam province, according to a human rights organization. Sasan Chamanara was detained by intelligence forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and transferred to an undisclosed location, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported. Two days earlier, Chamanara had received a summons from the Ilam prosecutor's office on charges of "unauthorized access to data, computer systems, or telecommunications networks," his brother Javad Chamanara wrote on X.
Iran’s GPS Scrambling Wreaks Chaos on Daily Life | Iran International
Iranian jamming of GPS devices aims to baffle Israeli drones and missiles after a punishing wave of assassinations in a war last month, but now mostly thwarts daily commutes and food deliveries for ordinary citizens. “If you look at the map, you sometimes find yourself tens or even hundreds of kilometers from your real location—sometimes in another country or even in the middle of the Caspian Sea!” said Amir-Ali, a company accountant in Tehran. Another Tehran resident said friends were nearly stranded after a navigation app misled them. “They ended up in a remote valley far from the usual trail. Luckily, they made it back before dark.”
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Nearly a month after Israel’s Operation Rising Lion and the U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei resurfaced Wednesday with renewed threats toward Israel. Speaking in Tehran, Khamenei called Israel a “cancerous tumor” and branded the United States a partner in its crimes. He praised the fight against both the U.S. and what he called its “leashed dog,” Israel.
Iran Ready to Respond to Any New Attack, Supreme Leader Says | Reuters
Iran is ready to respond to any renewed military attack, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday, adding that Tehran was capable of delivering a bigger blow to adversaries than the one it gave during the 12-day Iran-Israel war. “The fact that our nation is ready to face the power of the United States and its dog on a leash, the Zionist regime (Israel), is very praiseworthy,” Khamenei said in comments carried by state TV.
US Unveils LUCAS Combat Drone to Counter Iran’s Shahed on Global Battlefields | United24 Media
The United States has introduced a low-cost combat drone intended to compete with Iran’s widely deployed Shahed-136, aiming to boost affordable airpower capabilities on today’s battlefields, according to Defense Blog on July 17. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reviewed the LUCAS (Low-Cost Uncrewed Combat Attack System) drone during a demonstration of multi-domain autonomous systems in the Pentagon courtyard.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Second Senior Iranian Security Official Dies in Less than a Week | Iran International
Iranian state media on Wednesday announced the death of a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander five days after the death of top figure who also helped oversee the Islamic Republic’s suppression of protests. The death of Gholamhossein Gheybparvar, deputy commander at the Revolutionary Guards’ Imam Ali base was attributed to “illness caused by chemical injuries” from the Iran-Iraq war which ended in 1988. No such condition had been previously disclosed, and in a visit last month to the northern Iranian city of Qazvin he wore a face mask but appeared otherwise healthy. Known by the alias Shahram, Gheybparvar held prominent roles across IRGC institutions involved in domestic crackdowns.
CONGRESS & IRAN
Democratic Lawmakers Demand Accounting of Iran Attack Costs, Toll | Iran International
Democratic lawmakers have demanded a formal reckoning of the costs and results of a surprise US attack on Iranian nuclear sites last month with mixed success, as misgivings with the strikes persists in some quarters of Congress. As Congress works through the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), two prominent Democrats have pushed for legally binding disclosures related to the June 22 strikes on three Iranian nuclear sites.
ISRAEL, SYRIA, & IRAN
“Iran tries to recruit as many [spies] as possible. Maybe most of them are small fish, but they’re hoping eventually to catch a big shark, recruit a quality agent—that’s their way,” explained reporter and spycraft expert Yossi Melman in an interview with The Times of Israel. The suspects in Israel, state prosecutors’ indictments show, come from all corners of the country’s society. Among those charged with espionage are Russian-Israeli soldiers from the Haifa suburbs, a Haredi man from Bnei Brak, a West Bank settler and an Arab Israeli college student. The common thread linking these suspects is not ideology but the promise of quick cash.
Dozens of Israelis have been arrested in recent months on suspicion of spying for Iran, prompting the Israeli government to launch a PR campaign designed to dissuade collusion. Titled “Easy Money, Heavy Price,” the campaign will include ads on radio, websites and social media meant to convince Israelis that spying for the country’s sworn enemy is not worth the costs.
Khamenei Says Israel Launched War to ‘Overthrow System’ in Iran | Times of Israel
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that Israel’s attacks during last month’s 12-day war were intended to weaken the Islamic Republic’s system and spark unrest to topple it.
Iran Condemns Israel’s ‘Unhinged Aggression’ in Syria | Agence France-Presse and Times of Israel
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemns a wave of Israeli strikes on Syria, demanding an end to the “unhinged aggression.” “The rabid Israeli regime knows no bounds… The world, including the region, must unite to end its unhinged aggression,” Araghchi says on X, adding that Iran—which fought a war with Israel last month—“supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, and will always stand with the Syrian people.”
ARMENIA & IRAN
Why Armenia Won’t Break with Iran | Yedioth Ahronoth
Armenia shares a 26-century history with Iran and has no plans to turn its back on its neighbor—despite Israel’s recent war with the Islamic Republic. That was the message from Armenian Ambassador to Israel Arman Akopian . . . “Iran has always been there on our borders, and we always manage to find some modus operandi,” Akopian said. “Our cooperation with Iran is mostly economic. It’s a purely civilian cooperation.”
MISCELLANEOUS
A US professor has been suspended following comments publicly calling for Iran to carry out a “symbolic strike” on a US military base in response to recent attacks on the country’s main nuclear facilities. "I’m not an expert, but I assume Iran could still get a bomb easily. I hope Iran does some symbolic strike on a base, then everyone stops,” Dr. Jonathan Brown, the chair of Islamic Civilization at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, posted on X in June after the US struck Iran's three main nuclear sites.