TOP STORIES
What Iran’s Attack On Israel Revealed About Its Weapons Arsenal | Washington Post
Iran’s first direct attack on Israel overnight Saturday demonstrated the country’s military might and the advances of its domestic weapons program, analysts said, while also revealing the limitations of its arsenal. With more than 300 drones and missiles launched in a layered onslaught, it was Iran’s largest-ever conventional show of force. That it inflicted only minimal damage was due in part to the choreographed nature of the attack — giving Israel and the United States ample time to prepare air defense systems — but may also be attributed to shortcomings in its medium- and long-range capabilities. “The operation showed that our armed forces are ready,” Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi told crowds gathered Wednesday in Tehran to mark Army Day. Parades in the Iranian capital featured many of the same munitions used in the attack on Israel.
Nearly 50 Nations Condemn Iran’s Attack On Israel, Call For De-Escalation | Voice Of America
Nearly 50 countries issued a statement late Wednesday condemning Iran’s missile and drone attacks on Israel, calling on parties in the region to work to prevent the situation from escalating further, and pledging to cooperate diplomatically on efforts to resolve tensions in the Middle East. The statement came from the permanent representatives to the United Nations from Albania, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Micronesia, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United States. “We note that Iran’s escalatory attack is the latest in a pattern of dangerous and destabilizing actions by Iran and its militant partners that pose a grave threat to international peace and security,” the statement said.
Iranian Commander Says Tehran Could Review 'Nuclear Doctrine' Amid Israeli Threats | Reuters
Iran could review its "nuclear doctrine" following Israeli threats, a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander said on Thursday, raising concerns about Tehran's nuclear programme which it has always said was strictly for peaceful purposes. Israel has said it will retaliate against Iran's April 13 missile and drone attack, which Tehran says was carried out in response to a suspected Israeli strike on its embassy compound in Damascus earlier this month.
UANI IN THE NEWS
Kasra Aarabi, director of research on Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) at United Against Nuclear Iran, told The Sun that Biden's policy has been a "complete failure". Aarabi, who specialises in Iranian military and security affairs, blasted the US president for falling asleep behind the wheel. "It’s no time for Biden to blink. The policy has been a complete failure," he told The Sun’s Never Mind The Ballots, which you can watch on The Sun's YouTube channel and thesun.co.uk. Aarabi stated: "Biden’s failure to impose consequences means Iran thinks it can get away with murder without facing any consequences." This has never been more important than now, he said, arguing that if Tehran sniffs weakness from Biden in his support for Israel, it will "escalate on all fronts".
…Iran exported nearly 1.4 million barrels of oil per day in October, sustaining its average for 2023. This is up 80% from the 775,000 barrels per day Iran averaged under the Trump Administration’s “maximum pressure” strategy, according to United Against Nuclear Iran, the group of former U.S. Ambassador Mark Wallace and Sen. Joe Lieberman, whose Tanker Tracker generates the best public data we have. The Iranian surge in oil exports since President Biden took over has brought Iran an additional $32 billion to $35 billion, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Crew Of Ship Seized By Iran Are Safe, Operator MSC Says | Marine Link
…The Advantage Sweet, Niovi and St Nikolas tankers, which were taken last year, were anchored in Iranian waters as of April 12, said Claire Jungman, chief of staff at U.S. advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, which tracks Iran-related tanker traffic via satellite data. Iran's foreign ministry said on Monday that the MSC Aries was seized for "violating maritime laws", adding that there was no doubt the vessel was linked to Israel. MSC leases the Aries from Gortal Shipping, an affiliate of Zodiac Maritime. Zodiac is partly owned by Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer. Recent attacks on merchant shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis have also affected the global maritime transport chain.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran Ship Linked To Houthi Attacks Goes Home Amid Tensions | Bloomberg
An Iranian ship that’s been linked to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea is returning home, removing a prominent asset in the area as the Islamic Republic braces for a potential Israeli attack. Behshad, which Iran calls an “intelligence and logistics” vessel, left its position near the coast of Yemen on April 4, then stopped broadcasting its location until it reappeared near the Strait of Hormuz early on April 18, according to tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. It’s signaling it will arrive at Iran’s Bandar Abbas port later Thursday. The US has said Iran is “deeply involved” in the Houthi campaign against commercial shipping in the Red Sea, an accusation that Tehran denies. Behshad in particular was the subject of a US cyberattack earlier this year for its alleged role in gathering intelligence for the attacks, NBC reported in February, citing three US officials. Analysts at EOS Risk Group and Dryad Global have also tied Behshad to the Houthi campaign.
EU To Impose New Sanctions On Iran Drone, Missile Producers | France 24
European Union leaders agreed Wednesday to impose new sanctions on Iran's drone and missile producers over Tehran's unprecedented weekend attack on Israel, EU chief Charles Michel said. "We have decided to put in place sanctions against Iran, it is a clear signal that we wanted to send," the European Council president said at an EU summit in Brussels. "The idea is to target the companies that are needed for the drones, for the missiles." Iran launched an unprecedented drone and missile onslaught over the weekend against Israel, which caused little damage after most of the projectiles were intercepted.
MISSILE PROGRAM
Inside Iran's Arsenal After Attack On Israel | NBC News
Iran launched more than 300 retaliatory drones and missiles on Israel in response to Israel's suspected attack on its consulate in Syria. NBC News' Gadi Schwartz breaks down what we know about Iran's weaponry.
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
Marjane Satrapi On Resistance In Iran: ‘A Real Revolution Is Cultural’ | New York Times
Marjane Satrapi, whose graphic novel series, “Persepolis,” about growing up in and leaving Tehran, won her international acclaim and millions of book sales, turned away from the form two decades ago and hadn’t looked back since. Then, in the fall of 2022, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman named Mahsa Amini was detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly violating the country’s hijab law, which requires women and girls to cover their hair. A photo of Amini bruised and bloodied in a hospital bed after her encounter with the police went viral. Days later, she died, and her country erupted. The Iranian government has said she died because of underlying health issues, but her family said that she had none, and that she died because she was beaten by police. Women took to the streets and tore off their veils in what became known as the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, one of the most significant cultural and political moments in Iran since the 1979 revolution. It is a widespread demand for women’s freedom that has been joined by men.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Israel Considered Striking Iran On Monday But Decided To Wait, Officials Say | Axios
Israel considered conducting a retaliatory strike against Iran on Monday night but eventually decided to postpone it, five Israeli and U.S. sources told Axios. Why it matters: Israel has vowed to respond to Iran's unprecedented missile and drone attack. The Biden administration has warned that an escalation with Iran wouldn't serve U.S. or Israeli interests and urged Israel to "be careful" with any retaliation, U.S. officials said. Zoom in: The U.S. is concerned that continued counterattacks could trigger wider regional escalation. "We are not sure why and how close it was to an actual attack," a U.S. official said. A second U.S. official confirmed Israel told the Biden administration on Monday that it decided to wait. A third U.S. official said a "small Israeli strike" inside Iran would likely trigger an Iranian retaliation. But the Biden administration hopes it would be more limited than Iran's strike on Israel on Saturday and would end the exchange of attacks between the two countries. This is the second time that a decision on Israel's retaliation has been postponed since Saturday.
Israel Will Defend Itself, Netanyahu Says, As West Calls For Restraint | Reuters
Israel will make its own decisions about how to defend itself, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, as Western countries pleaded for restraint in responding to a volley of attacks from Iran. The United States, European Union and G7 group of industrialised nations all announced plans to consider tighter sanctions on Iran, seen as aimed at mollifying Israel and persuading it to rein in its retaliation for the first ever direct Iranian strikes after decades of confrontation by proxy. Iran attacked in retaliation for a suspected Israeli airstrike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1. Israel and its allies mostly shot down all missiles and drones and there were no deaths, but Israel says it must retaliate to preserve the credibility of its deterrents. Iran says it views the matter as closed but will retaliate again if Israel does. Israel's Air Force said late on Wednesday its fighter jets had struck the "terrorist infrastructure" of Iran-backed Hezbollah in eastern Lebanon, stoking concerns about a further escalation in clashes across Israel's northern border.
International Diplomats Say Israel Looks Set To Respond To Iranian Attack | The Washington Post
After Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel over the weekend, “it’s clear that the Israelis are making a decision to act,” British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said while on a trip to Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said after meeting with Cameron that Israel appreciates the suggestions and advice from friends, but added: “We will make our decisions ourselves. The state of Israel will do whatever is necessary to defend itself.” Meanwhile, the United States and the European Union are planning fresh sanctions against Iran over the attack.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Iran's Hijab Clampdown Draws Condemnation From Jailed Activists | Iran International
Iran's recent crackdown on hijab rules has sparked outrage and drawn condemnation from women's rights advocates and prominent Iranian figures. The denouncements follow reports of widespread arrests and police violence throughout the country. Prominent Iranian scholar and university professor, Sedigheh Vasmaghi, denounced her arrest for defying mandatory hijab laws. Currently imprisoned in Tehran's Evin Prison, Vasmaghi, in a message dated April 2024, condemned the authorities' actions as "antipatriotic and against national interests." "Ordering engagement with people, particularly women, for a specific reason like hijab enforcement is not only unpatriotic and unforgivable, but also detrimental to the nation's well-being," Vasmaghi's message from prison reads. "The inevitable consequences of this order will undoubtedly fall on those who issued it and those who carry it out."
CONGRESS & IRAN
House Passes More Measures Countering Iran Following Attack On Israel | POLITICO
House lawmakers passed additional bills meant to counter Iran following last weekend's attack on Israel. The Standing Against Houthi Aggression Act, which would designate the Iran-backed Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. President Joe Biden reversed that designation, issued under the Trump administration, back in 2021. The Iran Sanctions Relief Review Act, which would require congressional review of any action to terminate or waive sanctions against Iran. Legislation led by Rep. August Pfluger (R-Texas) that would block the waiver allowing the transfer of $6 billion in Iranian funds as part of a prisoner swap. The Iran Counterterrorism Act, which would require Iran to cease support for international terrorism in order for the administration to waive secondary sanctions.
Iran's attack against Israel over the weekend has spurred a flurry of bipartisan legislative action in Congress, uniting lawmakers against the country even as the risk of a larger regional war looms. Several measures introduced and passed in the House and Senate seek to both publicly condemn Iran and punish the Islamic Republic financially. Lawmakers have denounced Iran's actions, which came in response to a suspected Israeli strike weeks earlier on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed two Iranian generals. “The world is on fire, and history will judge us for our action,” said Rep. Mike McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee, during a news conference Tuesday. The swift, bipartisan condemnation of Iran has put on sharp display the durability of American support for Israel, even amid growing partisan division over how the country is handling its more than six-month war with Hamas.
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Russia, Iran Turning Israel And Ukraine Into ‘Battlefield Laboratories,’ Experts Say | The Hill
Russia and Iran are using Ukraine and Israel as “battlefield laboratories” to probe at Western military vulnerabilities, experts told a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee Wednesday. “Together, Russia and Iran are using Ukraine and the Middle East as battlefield laboratories to improve their weapons and develop techniques to overcome U.S. and allied defensive systems,” Dana Stroul, director of research at the Washington Institute, told lawmakers at a hearing on the “Despotic Duo.” “Iran is extracting from Russia lessons in combined strike packages as well as insights into the strengths and weaknesses of Western-origin air and missile defense systems,” Stroul said in her written statement. The hearing comes just days after Iran launched an unprecedented aerial attack on Israel. The Israeli military said Iran fired approximately 170 drones, 120 ballistic missiles and 30 cruise missiles; nearly all were shot down.
Reports have claimed on Wednesday that Iran is currently preparing for a potential Israeli retaliation against its territory or proxies following Tehran's missile attack onto Israel on Sunday. As such, Iran has allegedly removed senior Hezbollah and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from Syria.This comes amid US and European pressure onto Israel to respond in a way that prevents further escalation following Tehran's missile and drone attack over the weekend. Reports citing Iranian officials said Wednesday claimed that that Iran is currently preparing its air force for potential strikes, and its navy would commence escorting Iranian commercial ships in the Red Sea. Additionally, Tehran has initiated the evacuation of personnel from sites in Syria with a significant presence of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to Syrian and Iranian officials and advisers.