TOP STORIES
U.S. Strikes Iranian Oil Tankers in Response to Tehran’s Attacks on Navy Ships | Wall Street Journal
“The U.S. launched new attacks on Iranian oil tankers on Tuesday in response to a fresh attempt by Tehran to strike U.S. warships in the Middle East, according to a U.S. official. Iran launched a missile attack against a U.S. Navy ship on Monday after firing ballistic missiles at an aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer over the weekend, according to U.S. officials. . . . No American warships were struck in Iran’s missile attacks, but Iran’s recent attempts to hit American naval assets are raising alarm that the regime is using more sophisticated weapons and could be getting assistance from China or Russia, according to the officials.”
Iran Attacks US Base in Jordan, Ships near Hormuz After Tankers Sunk | Reuters
“Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it fired ballistic missiles at a base in Jordan used by the U.S. military and attacked 10 ships on Wednesday, after the U.S. said it had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers, in a sharp escalation of the six-month-old war. . . . Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said it fired ballistic missiles at a base in Jordan used by the U.S. military and attacked 10 ships on Wednesday, after the U.S. said it had destroyed five Iranian oil tankers, in a sharp escalation of the six-month-old war.”
“A suspected Iranian nuclear site buried under granite has seen a flurry of construction work this year as the war with the US has transpired, according to a group of analysts who reviewed six years of satellite imagery. The Pickaxe Mountain site, located near the Natanz nuclear complex roughly 140 miles south of Tehran, has been the subject of steady discussion by intelligence agencies which view it as a likely location for Iran to protect future nuclear program efforts. . . . But there are signs the US is working to devise some means of striking those sites, even as US forces have largely focused on other types of targets during the six-month conflict with Iran.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
“The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed sanctions on additional elements of Iran’s aviation industry, targeting more than two dozen commercial and private airlines as well as foreign cargo service providers in its new push to isolate Tehran from its remaining trading partners. . . . The Trump administration accused the 36 entities targeted this week of supporting the Islamic Republic’s efforts to use its aviation sector to move weapons, personnel, and illicit cargo. The moves will subject foreign firms and governments that do business with the targeted entities to sanctions themselves, including a freeze on any assets they may have in U.S. jurisdictions.”
Secret Documents Expose New Network Selling Sanctioned Iranian Oil | Iran International
“A new Iranian oil trading network has been entrusted with selling millions of barrels of sanctioned crude even though its members still owe billions of dollars from earlier sales, according to documents obtained by Iran International and Oil Ministry sources. One document, a confidential letter from the Supreme National Security Council’s protection unit to the Oil Ministry, raises concerns over the ministry’s decision to hand large volumes of crude to four trusted intermediaries, known as trustees, on credit and at steep discounts.”
Iran Turns to Crypto to Get Around Sanctions | Financial Times
“Iran is turning to cryptocurrencies to try and keep trade flowing during the US war and blockade, relaxing its strict foreign currency controls in order to counter tightening sanctions.
UK Sanctions Hezbollah-Linked Finance Group Al-Qard Al-Hassan | Iran International
“Britain is sanctioning Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a financial institution run by Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Foreign Minister Ed Miliband said on Tuesday. Lebanon’s central bank last year barred banks and brokerages from dealing with Al-Qard Al-Hassan, which describes itself as a charitable organization providing interest-free loans under Islamic principles.”
MILITARY MATTERS & SHIPPING
Oil Tanker Hit in Iraqi Waters, as Vessels Get Caught in US-Iran Attacks | Reuters
“A tanker carrying about 2 million barrels of Iraqi fuel oil was struck by a drone in Iraqi territorial waters on Wednesday, port officials said, and British navy-affiliated UKMTO reported that several merchant vessels in the Gulf had been hit by disabling fire overnight. A fire broke out aboard the Panama-flagged oil tanker New Andros after it was hit in Iraqi waters at around 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Wednesday, two Iraqi port officials told Reuters. There were no reports of casualties among the 22 crew members, the officials added. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency had said earlier that vessels in the northern Gulf and Gulf of Oman were hit by disabling fire during military activity in the region overnight. . . . Separately, UKMTO reported another incident on Wednesday, 24 nautical miles from Port Rashid, in the United Arab Emirates. It said a vessel was sighted listing while at anchor, possibly indicating it had taken on water following an attack by an unknown projectile.”
Iran Signals Readiness to Escalate Fight in Face of Rising U.S. Pressure | New York Times
“Iran has signaled that it is willing to escalate its fight with the United States, with senior leaders issuing increasingly sharp warnings in recent days after attacking American warships for the first time. The country’s leaders are taking a more aggressive approach as Iran faces mounting economic pressure and they worry that their grip on the Strait of Hormuz is slipping. The American blockade is making it nearly impossible for Iran to ship oil, its main money source. And in effect, Iran sees escalation as the primary leverage it has against the United States.”
Iran Claims to Have Seized American Drone US Says Had ‘Malfunctioned’ | Guardian
“Iranian forces claimed to have seized an American underwater drone in the strait of Hormuz that the US military said had ‘malfunctioned’ more than a day earlier. . . . Earlier on Tuesday, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that its naval forces ‘captured one of the most modern, unmanned, and smart submarines of the US terrorist army at the entrance to the strait of Hormuz,’ according to Iranian TV.”
PROXY WAR
“In July, Saudi Arabia and the United States bombed Iran-backed militias in Iraq after blaming them for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities that had been claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, another Iranian ally. Now, regional officials tell The Associated Press that the Houthis helped the Iraqi militias plan and execute the two-day swarm attack, showing a new level of coordination. . . . Regional officials and experts say Iran is now using the Iraqi militias and the Houthis to threaten Saudi Arabia and other American allies in the Gulf in order to drive up the costs of the war launched by the U.S. and Israel in February.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Iranian Prisoners in 62 Facilities Join 137th Week of Anti-Execution Hunger Strike | IranWire
“On Tuesday, September 8, prisoners across 62 prisons in Iran went on a hunger strike during the 137th week of the ‘No to Execution Tuesdays’ campaign to protest the ongoing implementation of death sentences. In a statement, campaign members reported that at least 11 prisoners were executed in Iran over the past week, bringing the total number of executions since late August to over 45.”
Growing Concern Over Child Soldiers in Iran | IranWire
“The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations has warned against the potential militarization of children’s education at Iran’s first police boarding high school, calling for the public disclosure of the institution’s curriculum and administrative regulations. In a report titled “’oncerns Over Child Soldiery,’ the council stated that the direct involvement of military and law enforcement entities in general education could undermine the civil character of schools and erode oversight by the Ministry of Education.”
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Sunni Kurdish Cleric Killed in Northwest Iran, Guards Blame ‘Separatists’ | Reuters
“Sunni Kurdish cleric Mamosta Mohammad Nezhati was killed in northwestern Iran, the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement reported on Wednesday by the semi-official Mehr news agency. The statement accused what it called ‘Zionist-American Kurdish separatist groups”’of carrying out the attack. The Guards’ West Azerbaijan provincial command said the killing of the local cleric was an attempt to create divisions between Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims and undermine security in the province.”
GULF STATES & IRAN
Gulf Nations Race to Bypass Hormuz and Build Defenses as Iran War Drags On | Washington Post
“The Persian Gulf nations are building up their own defenses and finding routes around the Strait of Hormuz, officials said, as they confront a U.S. war against Iran with no end in sight.”