TOP STORIES
Iran Said to Have Known Details of Trump’s Stay at NATO Summit | New York Times
“The Iranian threat that prompted President Trump’s secret Air Force One swap last month emerged as he was heading into his last day at the NATO summit in Turkey on July 8. According to two U.S. officials with knowledge of the threat, U.S. intelligence picked up multiple streams of information. They knew that there was a specific threat of a surface-to-air missile against Air Force One, meaning whichever plane was carrying the president, and that someone in the vicinity of the NATO summit had been spotted with a shoulder-fired missile. And the Iranians knew specifically where Mr. Trump was staying in Ankara, including which floor of the building, the officials said.”
Iran’s Military Pivots to ‘Offensive’ Mode for Next Round of War | Bloomberg
“Iran is reorganizing its military to be more agile and aggressive abroad in light of its war with the US and Israel, a sign that it’s positioning for a protracted confrontation even if the current conflict ends. This week’s raft of top military appointments marks a shift to an ‘offensive doctrine,’ Mohammad Reza Naqdi, a general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who advises the force’s new commander, said in an interview on state TV late Tuesday. ‘Whenever the conditions are favorable and the order is issued, we must be able to take the operation into enemy territory,’ he said, contrasting the approach with a pre-war doctrine that was ‘primarily based on defense and the preservation of the country.’’
Iran, US Not Discussing Ceasefire Extension, Senior Iranian Official Says | Reuters
“There were no discussions between Iran and the United States to extend their ceasefire because, from Tehran’s perspective, the deal had no start date and therefore had nothing to extend, a senior Iranian source told Reuters on Wednesday. The source’s comments came after Turkey's Anadolu news agency, citing Pakistani government sources, reported on Wednesday that Tehran and Washington had agreed to extend a 60-day ceasefire under their interim deal signed in June. . . . ‘One of the issues that is being discussed via mediators is the U.S. returning to the interim agreement and defining a timeframe for implementing the commitments. There has been absolutely no progress on this issue,’ the source added.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Interview with UANI CEO Amb. Mark D. Wallace | BBC News
“Any step in a positive direction could lead to another step in a positive direction. But history's past is prologue, and history has shown Iran has never been easy to convince in reducing its ballistic missile count, stopping its support for terror proxies, or ending its nuclear program.”
Four Crew, Two Rescuers Killed in Red Sea Attack; US Strikes Ship in Gulf of Oman | Reuters
“The ship recently made port calls in Mumbai and Port Klang, Malaysia, where Iran-linked ships have also been spotted, said Charlie Brown, senior advisor at US advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran, which monitors Iran-related tanker traffic using ship and satellite tracking. ‘The reported US disabling and stopping of the Panama-flagged Vela Nova near the blockade line in the Gulf of Oman, after its recent Mumbai port call alongside these vessels, underscores the heightened scrutiny now being applied to Iran-related shipping,’ he said.”
All Mojtaba’s Men: Old Guard Shapes Iran’s New Order | Iran International
“[New head of the Basij Hossein] Taeb has also long been identified with Mojtaba Khamenei's security network. When he was removed as IRGC intelligence chief in 2022, Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, described the move as ‘an earthquake in Iran’s intelligence community,’ noting his close relationship with both Ali Khamenei and his son.”
DIPLOMACY
Pakistan Says US-Iran Are Close to Some Arrangement on Peace | Bloomberg
“Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Asif said the US and Iran are close to ‘some sort of an arrangement,’ adding that a lasting peace will be in the region’s interest.”
Pakistani Interior Minister Visits Tehran amid US–Iran Talks Efforts | IranWire
“Pakistani Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Tehran on Tuesday, August 11, holding high-level talks with Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.”
MILITARY MATTERS & SHIPPING
How Iran Adapted Its Attacks as U.S. War Munitions Dwindled | New York Times
“During five intense days last month, Iran launched waves of drones and missiles at U.S. troops on three bases in Jordan, hoping to break through the formidable American air defenses. Using advanced missiles that can suddenly change course, Iran pummeled the bases’ defensive systems, forcing the Americans to burn through scarce supplies of Patriot interceptors. On the fifth day, the Iranians broke through. A missile struck prefabricated housing units at one of the bases on July 17, killing three U.S. soldiers and wounding more than 100. Pentagon officials later acknowledged that scores of other troops were injured and several aircraft damaged in attacks in Jordan that week. . . . The strikes reveal a deadly confluence of two important trends: First, Iran has become a more skilled adversary as the war has progressed, learning how to evade U.S. air defenses as it widened the battlefield to include most of the Middle East and enlisted allies like the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq. Second, the Pentagon’s supply of interceptors has quickly dwindled, with the weapons becoming more precious each day of the off-and-on conflict.”
“The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed as long as the United States does not change its behaviour and accept Iran’s conditions, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei said on Tuesday. The U.S. has to end the war and unfreeze Iranian funds overseas, while other conditions have been transmitted to the U.S. through mediators, Rezaei was quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying.”
INTEL
Former Mossad Chief Claims Operatives Visited Iran’s Fordow Site | IranWire
“Yossi Cohen, former director of Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad, stated that the organization’s operatives had previously visited Iran’s underground Fordow uranium enrichment facility multiple times to gather intelligence on the site.”
ASSASSINATION THREATS & PLOTS
Iran’s Trump Strategy—Dead or Alive | Wall Street Journal Editorial
“President Trump likely knows something about catering, but we doubt he ever thought he’d be smuggled off an airplane in a catering container to avoid an Iranian threat on his life. Yet that’s what happened in July, officials now say. Mr. Trump flew out of Turkey secretly on a military jet and then was returned to the original Air Force One after landing. The reporters aboard never knew he was gone. The press corps, which had been left on the decoy Presidential plane, understandably is up in arms. But the real story is the seriousness of Iran’s efforts to kill the President. These attempts are longstanding and help explain why the U.S. is fighting.”
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
Iran-China Chamber Chief Calls for End to US Naval Blockade | IranWire
“Majid-Reza Hariri, President of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce, has called for ending the US naval blockade ‘by any means possible,’ including through military force or a new armed conflict, warning that relying on overland transit from China could inflict an estimated $18 billion in additional annual costs on Iran’s economy.”
Iran to Join BRICS Development Bank Soon, Central Bank Governor Says | Reuters
“Iran will soon join the New Development Bank, the development lender established by the BRICS group of nations, central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said in a state media report published on Wednesday ahead of a BRICS finance meeting in India.”