Following a trip to Tehran, Rafael Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that Iranian officials had pledged new cooperation in the agency's longstanding investigation into uranium particles found at undeclared sites in Iran. According to Grossi, Iran promised to give the IAEA access to information, locations, and people relevant to the investigation. Grossi also said that Iran agreed to allow the reinstallation of Agency cameras and other monitoring equipment that had been removed from declared sites in June 2022. However, a spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Organization later said that there had been no agreement regarding the cameras or access to individuals relevant to the IAEA investigation into undeclared sites.
News Briefs
March 2, 2023
On February 23, the British Royal Navy seized Kornet anti-tank guided missiles, jet vanes for medium-range ballistic missiles, and impact sensor covers for a ballistic missile's re-entry vehicle from a small boat traveling between Iran and Yemen. The U.S. Navy supported the operation.
-- Associated Press
February 24, 2023
The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Aerospace Force, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, announced that Iran had deployed a new land-attack cruise missile, called Paveh, with a range of 1,650 kilometers. The television broadcast included launch footage of the missile.
-- Reuters
February 24, 2023
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Iran shipped artillery and tank rounds to Russia in November 2022. In return, according to Kirby, Russia has been offering defense cooperation on missiles, electronics, and air defense. The United States believes Iran is seeking to purchase billions of dollars worth of fighter jets, attack helicopters, radars, and combat trainer aircraft.
-- Politico
February 19, 2023
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors detected uranium particles enriched to 84% fissile purity in Iran in recent weeks, according to three senior diplomats. Iran does not however appear to be accumulating uranium stocks at that level, according to the diplomats. A spokesman for Iran’s atomic energy agency did not deny the report, but he suggested that more highly enriched particles could be a byproduct of enrichment to lower levels.
-- Wall Street Journal
February 19, 2023
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed Iran for an attack on the Campo Square oil tanker. The vessel, which is Liberian-flagged but linked to an Israeli businessman, was damaged by an airborne object on February 10 while it was sailing through the Arabian Sea, according to the ship's captain.
-- Reuters
February 15, 2023
The U.S. military said in a statement that it had shot down an Iranian-made drone flying over Mission Support Site Conoco in northeast Syria, where American troops are based. No group claimed responsibility for flying the drone.
-- Associated Press
February 13, 2023
The United Kingdom presented new evidence at the United Nations that Iran is supplying advanced weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Investigators found records of 22 test flights carried out at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force headquarters saved on the hard drive of a quadcopter drone seized by the Royal Navy en route to Yemen in February 2022.
-- Associated Press
February 7, 2023
The Iranian Air Force unveiled a long-range air-launched cruise missile called Asef, which is designed to be carried by Su-24 tactical bomber aircraft. Officials claim the missile is manufactured domestically.
-- Tasnim News Agency
February 7, 2023
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) announced the beginning of operations at the Narigan Mining and Industrial Complex in Yazd province. At the inauguration ceremony, Mohammad Eslami, head of the AEOI, said that uranium from Narigan will be sent to Esfahan for "purification" and will be used for making nuclear fuel. He claimed that the site contained an estimated 650 tons of natural uranium and 4,600 tons of molybdenum.
-- World Nuclear News