TOP STORIES
A pair of Iranian financiers and more than a dozen people and firms across Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates were sanctioned Tuesday for allegedly coordinating $100 million worth of cryptocurrency transfers from the sale of Iranian oil for the benefit of Iran’s government and military.
French, British, German Foreign Ministers to Hold Call with Iranian Counterpart | Reuters
French, British, German foreign ministers will hold a call with their Iranian counterpart on Wednesday morning, a French diplomatic source said. The call aims to discuss the impending reimposition of U.N. sanctions by the European powers and to reaffirm conditions they had set to Tehran that would enable that decision to be delayed, the source said.
Iran Executes Man for Alleged Spying for Israel; Activists Say He Was Tortured | Washington Post
Iran said Wednesday it executed a man it alleges spied for Israel, something disputed by activists who say he was tortured into a false confession after writing a letter to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offering to fight for Kyiv.
UANI IN THE NEWS
E3 Has Snapped Back into Reality | UANI Research Director Daniel Roth in the Jewish News Syndicate
The 30-day countdown to the automatic reintroduction of U.N. sanctions against Iran—the “snapback”—has begun. Triggered by Britain, France and Germany (the E3), this long-overdue decision is a response to Tehran’s repeated violations of the 2015 nuclear deal. What matters now is that Europe stands firm and sees the process through.
‘Vital Blow’—US Moves to Choke off Iranian Military Funding with New Sanctions | Kyiv Post
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a non-profit organization dedicated to countering threats posed by the Islamic regime, told Kyiv Post on Tuesday that the action “further closes off illicit pathways for Iran’s regime to fund terrorism and rebuild its military programs.” Brodsky added that the US should “continue to sanction these actors and multilateralize the efforts by ensuring harmonization in designations with its allies and partners.”
Threat Status | Washington Times
… United Against Nuclear Iran has written a letter to Marriott International expressing concern that senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at the Ritz-Carlton in Doha, Qatar.
Mainstream Shipowners Circumventing Iran Sanctions, Barrister Claims | Lloyd's List
United Against Nuclear Iran using satellite coverage to track consignments.
According to Daniel Roth, research director at United Against Nuclear Iran, Hamas receives as much as $450 million per year through various taxation and extortion mechanisms.
The move was welcomed by Iran watchers in Washington. Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told The Kyiv Post that the new US sanctions close off additional illicit avenues Iran uses to fund what he called “terrorism and the rebuilding of its military program.” Mr. Brodsky added that the US needs to “continue to sanction these entities and multilateralize efforts by ensuring coordination in designation with allies and partners.”
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iran Says US Talks Depend on Washington’s Will, Not Mediators | Iran International
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Tuesday that possible negotiations with the United States will hinge on Washington’s readiness for a deal based on mutual interests without threats or intimidation, not on which regional state mediates.
Nuclear Deal with IAEA Sparks Accusations of Betrayal in Iran | IranWire
The word “betrayal” echoes through Iran’s political corridors these days, but it is not directed at foreign enemies. Instead, hardline voices within the Islamic Republic are turning their fury on their own officials—the foreign minister, parliament speaker, national security chief, and even the president. At the center of their anger is last week's agreement between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which critics say resembles the “bitter experience” of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA. For opponents, the pact represents not diplomatic progress but dangerous capitulation—one that could enable Israeli espionage and pave the way for future attacks.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Discounts for Iranian oil in China have widened on record stock levels at a major refining hub and as a shortage of import quotas towards year-end hindered buying by independent processors, six trade sources told Reuters. Slowing demand from Chinese independent refiners in Shandong province, known as teapots, adds to pressure on Iran to sustain its oil revenue amid Western sanctions aimed at curbing its uranium enrichment programme. Those sanctions have reduced shipments into a key Chinese port, according to data analytics firm Kpler.
UN Chief Urges Diplomacy to Avert Snapback of Iran Sanctions | Iran International
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday called on Iran and Western countries to intensify diplomatic efforts to prevent the so-called snapback of international sanctions on Tehran initiated by European states last month.
MISSILE PROGRAM
Iran Says Foreign GPS Systems Unsafe, Eyes National Satellite Network | Iran International
The head of Iran’s Space Research Center said on Tuesday that foreign global positioning systems (GPS) are not secure and that the country must develop its own national satellite navigation network to reduce dependence on foreign providers. . . . Western governments have repeatedly voiced concern that Iran’s satellite program could advance ballistic missile technology.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman on Wednesday said Washington had no right to criticize Tehran’s missile program, accusing the United States of blocking prospects for nuclear negotiations by insisting on restrictions that Iran calls non-negotiable. “America cannot speak about the defensive capabilities of a nation that has decided to preserve its independence and stand against the aggression of foreigners, including the US and the Zionist regime,” spokesman Esmail Baghaei told reporters in Tehran.
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran Excludes Political Prisoners from Amnesty | IranWire
Iran’s judiciary spokesperson said on Tuesday that most prisoners, particularly those detained on security charges, were excluded from a recent amnesty. . . . The judiciary spokesperson added that “security prisoners” remain a red line for the judicial system—referring to those targeted in protests and political cases. . . . Rights groups say Iran holds thousands of political prisoners, including many arrested during the 2022 protests.
Iran Targets Women Activists on Protest Movement Anniversary | IranWire
Iranian intelligence officials contacted and summoned several women activists in the Kurdish city of Sanandaj on Monday, a rights group said. The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported that intelligence officers made coordinated phone calls in recent days aimed at pressuring women activists and restricting their civic activities. The calls were described as threatening and intended to create fear and psychological pressure. Several activists were also summoned for interrogation by security officials.
The September 16, 2022, death of Mahsa Amini in police custody sparked massive protests and a deadly crackdown by the Iranian regime. But three years later, Iranian society has witnessed “irreversible” changes. In the streets of Tehran and in provincial towns, women are gradually rejecting the veil and other constraints.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS
US Urges Iran to Cease War Rhetoric, Address People’s Needs | Iran International
“The Iranian regime must focus on addressing the needs of its people instead of engaging in destructive war rhetoric,” the State Department said in a post on its Persian-language account on X. “After years of economic hardship and international isolation, the people of Iran deserve peace and prosperity.”
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
When President Donald Trump drew a red line on Iran’s nuclear program, U.S. bombers immediately began preparing to enforce it, according to the general who commanded June’s strike mission. And, Maj. Gen. Jason Armagost told Fox News Digital, the operation proved decisive: “We reestablished deterrence, and all of our adversaries watched that.” . . . When he learned Trump gave the two-month ultimatum [ for Iran to agree to a nuclear deal], Armagost, commander of the 8th Air Force and all bomber forces, immediately began setting a plan in motion to present the president with strike options.
Israel said it struck a military infrastructure site in its latest attack on Yemen’s Houthi terrorists at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah on Tuesday.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Gunmen Kill Police Officers in Iran’s Restive Southeast | Iran International
Armed men opened fire on a police vehicle in Sistan-Baluchestan province, killing at least two officers, Iranian state media reported on Tuesday. . . . The southeastern province, bordering Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been one of Iran’s most volatile regions. Earlier in September, gunmen shot dead a Revolutionary Guards intelligence commander, Iraj Shams, in the town of Pishin. . . . Authorities have accused Sunni militant groups of carrying out attacks in the area.
Gas Explosion at a Residential Building in Iran Kills 6 | Al Arabiya English
A gas explosion at a residential building in Iran’s southwestern city of Ahvaz killed six residents on Wednesday and destroyed the entire structure, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.
ISRAEL, THE PALESTINIANS, & IRAN
Iran Rejects Arab-Islamic Summit’s Call for Two-State Solution | Iran International
Iran rejected references to a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the final communique of the Arab-Islamic emergency summit in Doha, saying the approach would not resolve the issue and accusing US policies of sustaining Israeli aggression.
The Mossad deployed some 100 foreign agents in Iran at the start of the June war, tasked with destroying many of Iran’s missile launchers and air defense systems at the start of the war, Channel 13 reports. The report says the agents were highly trained and placed and operated missile systems that weighed hundreds of kilograms, and which had been smuggled into Iran, that were used to target Iran’s ballistic missile launchers and anti-aircraft missile systems.
GULF STATES & IRAN
Saudi Crown Prince Meets Iran’s Top Security Chief in Riyadh | Al Arabiya English
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with Iran’s top security chief Ali Larijani in Riyadh on Tuesday, the official Saudi Press Agency reported. . . . [Larijani’s] trip comes a day after the Saudi Crown Prince met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha, which was convened in response to Israel’s recent attack on Qatar.
Ecuador Blacklists Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Hamas and Hezbollah | Iran International
Ecuador has designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations in a decree signed by President Daniel Noboa on Monday. It cited reports from Ecuador’s National Intelligence Center (CNI) warning of the groups’ presence in South America and possible ties to domestic criminal networks.
ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS
Iran Faces Severe Water Crisis as Major Reservoirs Run Dry | IranWire
Iran’s water crisis has intensified as five major dams have completely emptied, while the government has failed to fund 90 per cent of emergency water projects, official reports show.