Iran has held secret talks with Russia and China to acquire large quantities of ammonium perchlorate, according to diplomats familiar with the matter. Ammonium perchlorate is an ingredient in solid missile propellant. Sajjad Ahadzadeh, Iran's "technology counselor" in China, has led the talks, which have also included Russian chemical maker FKP Anozit, according to the diplomats.
News Briefs
April 12, 2023
-- Politico
April 11, 2023
On April 5, Russian airline Aeroflot sent an Airbus A330 aircraft to Iran for repairs, where specialists from Mahan Air will service the landing gear. Iran and Russia reportedly signed an agreement in 2022 for Iran to supply Russian airlines with spare aircraft parts and maintenance services after sanctions cut off their access to the European suppliers they had previously relied upon. According to Russian state media, Iran was chosen as a maintenance location because it does not enforce Western sanctions.
-- Simple Flying
April 7, 2023
Niloufar Bahadorifar (a.k.a. “Nellie Bahadorifar”) was sentenced to four years in prison for providing financial services to Iran and the government of Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. Bahadorifar's services ultimately supported a plot to kidnap an Iranian dissident living in New York City, which was orchestrated by Iranian intelligence officials and included co-defendant Mahmoud Khazein. In one instance, Bahadorifar allegedly facilitated a payment to a private investigator for surveilling the target of the plot.
-- Department of Justice Press Release
March 30, 2023
The U.S. Department of Commerce issued an order denying the export privileges of Kenneth Peter Scott and his companies Scott Communications, Inc. and Mission Communications, LLC for a period of twenty years. As part of a settlement agreement, Scott Communications admitted to attempting to export two radios to Jordan, knowing that they were destined for Iran, without the required license.
-- Bureau of Industry and Security Press Release
Elk Grove and Las Vegas Residents Sentenced for Conspiring to Violate the U.S. Trade Embargo on Iran
March 27, 2023
Dariush Niknia was sentenced to 34 months in prison and Richard Lant was sentenced to 24 months of home detention and a $7,500 fine by a U.S. court in California in connection with a conspiracy to supply military goods to Iran. In 2015, Niknia, Lant, and others were involved in a scheme to supply 500 Russian-made tank helmets to a contact in Tehran through Lant's company, R&L Ltd.
-- Department of Justice
March 23, 2023
Gen. Mark Milley, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that Iran could assemble a nuclear weapon several months after producing the necessary fissile material. Milley's estimated timeframe was significantly shorter than those offered by other Western officials, who have said Iranian weaponization would take a year or more. Milley also said that the United States would not allow Iran to have a "fielded nuclear weapon."
-- Wall Street Journal
March 23, 2023
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen testified in a Senate committee hearing that U.S. sanctions have not forced Iran to change its policies in ways that the United States would like. Still, she said, the United States was looking at ways to strengthen its sanctions.
-- Reuters
March 16, 2023
Iran agreed to stop illicit weapons shipments to the Houthis as part of its agreement to re-establish diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia, according to U.S. and Saudi officials. The Iranian delegation to the United Nations declined to comment on the report.
-- Wall Street Journal
March 14, 2023
Russia has captured NATO-provided weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine and sent them to Iran on multiple occasions in the last year, according to four unnamed sources. The weapons have included Stinger man-portable air defense systems and Javelin anti-tank missiles. Experts believe Iran will dismantle, analyze, and attempt produce local copies of the weapons.
-- CNN
March 10, 2023
Iran and Saudi Arabia agreed to reestablish diplomatic relations in a breakthrough mediated by China. In a joint statement, the two sides agreed to reopen their embassies and exchange ambassadors within two months.
-- Associated Press