TOP STORIES
U.S. Sanctions Russian Bank in Latest Target for Campaign Against Iran | Wall Street Journal
“The Treasury Department on Monday identified Russia’s second-largest financial institution, VTB Bank, as a key financial node for Iran’s Islamic Republic and put further sanctions on the bank. The new sanctions on VTB are a bid to pressure international partners to cut off dealings with it, according to people familiar with the matter.”
North Korea, Iran Ordered to Pay $487 Million to US Victims of Terrorism | NK News
“A U.S. federal court has ordered North Korea and Iran to pay roughly $487 million in damages to 47 Americans and their families who were victims of terrorist attacks in the Middle East and Africa. The ruling, issued on Sept. 8 by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, held the two countries liable for supporting militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah with weapons, military training and tunnel-building expertise. The court determined Pyongyang and Tehran’s support contributed to seven attacks between 2019 and 2023, including those in Iraq, Syria and Kenya that targeted U.S. personnel, as well as Hamas’ large-scale attack against Israel in Oct. 2023.”
Missile Shortages, Damage to US Facilities: Pentagon Watchdog Issues First Review of Iran War | CNN
“The Pentagon’s official watchdog released a special report about the Iran war on Monday, representing the Defense Department’s first formal accounting of US equipment and facility losses from the conflict. The inspector general, citing its communications with US Central Command, said that ‘Iranian strikes damaged and destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman and Jordan’ during the war’s first months. The report, which covers the start of the war on February 28 through June 30, also acknowledged the depletion of key US munition stockpiles.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Iran Is Using Houthis To Unleash ‘Hell’ in Mideast—Yet Sparing Israel | New York Sun
“‘The Houthis have increased their role in the Iranian regime proxy and partner network because of the degradation of Hezbollah,’ the policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, Jason Brodsky, tells The New York Sun. ‘You see Houthis increasingly becoming the glue between different Iranian regime proxies and partners.’”
Tanker Boom Breaks Every Historical Benchmark | Splash
“The 309,200 dwt Xi Xiu, built by Samsung Heavy Industries in 2003 and linked to Chinese interests, has been reported sold by brokers at more than double the just-under-$31m price achieved when the ship, then Loggam, changed hands early last year. The vessel is listed by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) as part of Iran’s shadow fleet, although it is not currently sanctioned by the US, UK or EU.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
US Justice Department Says Millions in Iran Oil Proceeds Laundered on Binance | Business Times
“The US Justice Department is seeking forfeiture of US$61 million it says was generated from Iranian black-market oil sales and laundered through the cryptocurrency exchange Binance. In a civil forfeiture claim filed on Monday, federal prosecutors in Manhattan alleged that Iran used cryptocurrency to launder more than US$1.5 billion in illicit oil money. According to US prosecutors, two Chinese entities used trading accounts on Binance as part of a scheme to funnel the oil proceeds to Iran, its agents and proxies where it was used to finance military and terrorist activities.”
U.S. Treasury Calls on Whistleblowers to Expose Iran’s Financial Activities | IranWire
“U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday, September 14, called on individuals worldwide with information about the financial and commercial activities of the Islamic Republic and its affiliated networks to share those details with the U.S. government.”
DIPLOMACY
Iranian FM to Visit China for Second Time Since War Started | Bloomberg
“Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit China on Wednesday, his second such trip since the US and Israel attacked his country in late February. Araghchi will meet with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, the Chinese government said in a statement on Tuesday.”
After Trump Floats Talks, Iran Security Chief Rejects Negotiations Until ‘Conditions’ Met | Agencies
“Iran’s security chief on Tuesday rejected any talks with the United States after US President Donald Trump said he was open to resuming discussions on the Middle East war. ‘Don’t get distracted by the US president’s mixed signals—from ‘no negotiations’ to ‘we’re ready to talk,’’ the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei, posted on X. ‘The stakes around oil and the straits have changed. Damage control won’t stop what’s coming. No talks until Iran’s conditions are met. Period!’ he added.”
Iran Says It Is Ready to Negotiate Its Nuclear Program If Washington Lifts the Sanctions | i24 News
“Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian said Monday that Tehran was ready to resume negotiations with Washington, particularly on its nuclear program, provided that the United States lifts its sanctions and abandons any policy of pressure.”
Iran Reacts to Delayed Regional Talks on Hormuz Transit Framework | IranWire
“Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran, announced on Monday, September 14, that Saudi Arabia requested the postponement of the regional summit in Muscat, describing efforts to link this request to developments in Yemen as a ‘deviation from the root causes of the crisis.’ . . . These remarks followed a report by Tasnim News Agency, an outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which cited an ‘informed source’ identifying Saudi Arabia and Bahrain as the primary factors behind the cancellation of the Gulf coastal states’ meeting regarding the Iranian-Omani proposal on the Strait of Hormuz. Tasnim claimed Saudi Arabia manufactured ‘pretexts,’ while Bahrain acted under the ‘influence’ of the United States and Israel to obstruct the summit. The news agency added that reports indicated ‘negative behind-the-scenes maneuvers by the UAE,’ though Abu Dhabi did not publicly oppose holding the talks.”
PROXY WARS
Breakaway Iran-backed Cells Attacked Saudi Oil Pipeline, Iraqi Sources Say | Alhurra
“An attack on a Saudi oil pipeline was carried out by small armed groups that recently broke away from established Iraqi factions aligned with Tehran, Iraqis familiar with the matter told MBN. An Iraqi intelligence source told MBN that the ‘small cells’ operate independently of the larger factions and are linked to the ‘most hardline wing’ of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which Washington designates as a terrorist organization.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
17 Afghan Migrants Died of Thirst near Iran Border, Says Rights Group | Afghanistan International
“The Haalvsh human rights organisation says at least 17 Afghan migrants, including women, men and children, died from severe thirst in the Mak Sookhteh area near the Rotak border zone in Saravan, Iran.”
Iranian Court Sentences Writer Nima Saffar over Instagram Activity | IranWire
“Nima Saffar, a poet and writer, has been sentenced to four years and eight months in prison by Branch 1 of the Bandar Abbas Revolutionary Court. Human rights news agency HRANA reported on Monday, September 14, that the ruling against Saffar was issued in absentia. Under the court’s verdict, Saffar received eight months in prison for ‘propaganda against the system’ and four years for ‘educational activity or deviant propaganda contrary to the sacred religion of Islam.’ A source close to Saffar’s family informed HRANA that part of the case centers on his management of an Instagram page and its alleged link to a political defendant in Bandar Abbas.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
“Molavi Yusef Gorgij, a senior Sunni Muslim cleric, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in southeastern Iran on Monday, the official news agency IRNA reported. IRNA quoted a local governor as saying Gorgij ‘was active in the fight against divisive elements and Zionism,’ a description suggesting the cleric was pro-government.”