The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported that Iran has continued to expand its uranium enrichment activities, increasing its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent by more than 17 kg, to a total of 182.3 kg. According to the report, during a recent visit to Iran by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, Iran offered to cap its stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent, but that offer is reportedly conditional on an IAEA board censure resolution failing to pass.
News Briefs
November 15, 2024
Israel’s attack on Iran on October 26 destroyed an active Iranian nuclear weapons research facility in the Parchin military complex, according to U.S. and Israeli officials. The facility, known as Taleghan 2, contained equipment for designing the shaped plastic explosives used to detonate a nuclear weapon and is part of a recent effort by the Iranian government to conduct research that could be used to develop nuclear weapons. The facility was part of the Amad Plan, a pre-2004 Iranian program to develop nuclear weapons.
-- Axios
November 5, 2024
Russia launched two Iranian satellites into orbit aboard a Soyuz rocket: the Kowsar (a high-resolution imaging satellite) and Hodhod (a small communications satellite). The Iranian satellites were among 53 small satellites launched by the rocket, according to Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos.
-- Reuters
October 26, 2024
Israel conducted an attack against Iran dealing substantial damage to its ballistic missile production capabilities. The operation targeted 12 planetary mixers, specialized equipment used in the production of solid propellant that Iran cannot replace on its own. The attack also included strikes on four S-300 air defense installations, a drone production factory, and a symbolic strike on a facility at Parchin associated with Iran's nuclear research and development.
-- Axios
October 25, 2024
A U.S. federal jury convicted Brian Assi (Brahim Assi) of conspiring to export U.S.-origin blasthole drills to Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. Assi secretly coordinated the illicit export of the drills with Iran-based Sakht Abzar Pars Co. (SAP-Iran) while working as a salesman for the drills’ manufacturer, a multinational company with a U.S.-based subsidiary. He arranged for an Iraq-based distributor to purchase the drills and had them shipped from the United States to Turkey. Assi falsely claimed that the equipment was intended for Iraq, but actually intended to reexport them from Turkey to Iran. The drills are used for mining.
-- U.S. Department of Justice
October 22, 2024
The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Halkbank, a Turkish state-owned financial institution, can face criminal prosecution for allegedly having helped Iran circumvent U.S. sanctions by laundering billions of dollars of frozen Iranian oil revenue. The ruling dismissed Halkbank’s argument that it was protected by sovereign immunity, a doctrine that shields foreign governments from prosecution in U.S. courts, noting the commercial rather than governmental nature of the bank's activities.
-- The Wall Street Journal
October 15, 2024
According to battlefield evidence and a report by an independent expert group, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran have fueled the civil war in Sudan by shipping arms to opposing sides. The report identified 32 flights from the UAE between June 2023 and May 2024 that were likely involved in delivering arms to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and munitions captured from the RSF had markings indicating they were produced by Serbia's state-owned Jugoimport-SDPR JP and sent to the UAE Armed Forces Joint Logistics Command before ending up in Sudan. The report also identified seven flights from Iran supplying the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and contained evidence that Iranian Mohajer-6 drones are in use by the SAF.
-- Washington Post
October 11, 2024
The U.S. Department of the Treasury expanded sanctions on Iran's petroleum and petrochemical sectors in response to Iran's October 1 attack on Israel. According to the new determination, Treasury may now sanction any person or entity operating in either sector.
-- U.S. Department of the Treasury
October 8, 2024
According to evidence compiled by the National Council for Resistance in Iran (NCRI), Iran has recently expanded the Shahid Soltani Garrison, a secretive military base northeast of Tehran. Satellite images from July 2024 show increased activity at the site, and NCRI alleges that it is involved in storing and preparing ballistic missiles before they are shipped overseas.
-- Telegraph
October 1, 2024
Iran launched approximately 180 ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for the assassinations of Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah in Beirut and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. The attack targeted the Nevatim and Tel Nof airbases as well as the Mossad headquarters in Tel Aviv. Israel's defense systems, including the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3, engaged the incoming missiles, aided by U.S. naval forces in the Mediterranean.
-- Washington Post