The Alabuga special economic zone business park, where the United States has said Russia and Iran are working together to establish an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) factory, has begun recruiting drone engineers and Farsi speakers. Albatross, a Russian agricultural drone manufacturer, has already inaugurated a production facility at the same site and has supplied 50 M5 reconnaissance drones to the Russian military. Among its suppliers is Alabuga-Fiber, a carbon fiber producer that operates in the same business park and that is sanctioned by the United States. Albatross also claims to import parts from China and advertises equipment made by U.S., European, and Asian companies.
News Briefs
July 6, 2023
The United States filed a complaint seeking the forfeiture of over 9,000 rifles, 284 machine guns, approximately 194 rocket launchers, more than 70 anti-tank guided missiles, and over 700,000 rounds of ammunition that the U.S. Navy seized during four interdictions at sea, two of which took place in 2021 and two in 2023. The weapons were allegedly being shipped to militant groups in Yemen by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
-- Department of Justice
July 6, 2023
Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized a commercial ship in the Persian Gulf that was possibly involved in smuggling, according to the U.S. Navy. The seizure occurred a day after the U.S. Navy said it had prevented Iran from seizing two other tankers in the Gulf of Oman, one of which was managed by the U.S. oil company Chevron.
-- Reuters
June 29, 2023
European diplomats have told their Iranian counterparts that they plan to retain certain ballistic missile-related sanctions against Iran that are otherwise set to expire in October. The 2015 nuclear agreement stipulated that such sanctions would be lifted on Transition Day, eight years after the agreement was adopted. Retaining the sanctions would require the approval of all 27 EU member states.
-- Reuters
June 21, 2023
The United Kingdom launched an investigation into allegations that researchers at British universities have contributed to research that could aid Iran's military drone program. The investigation followed a report by the Jewish Chronicle that scientists at universities including Imperial College London and Cranfield University, which has a partnership with the UK Ministry of Defence, worked with Iranian counterparts to publish studies on drone engine performance and aircraft control systems. At least one of the studies, published in 2019, was supported by Iran's Ministry of Science.
-- Financial Times
June 16, 2023
Iran's crude oil exports exceeded 1.5 million barrels per day in May, the highest monthly rate since the United States reimposed sanctions against Iran in 2018, according to the commodities tracking firm Kpler. Although Iran is selling oil to Syria and Venezuela, China is its biggest customer.
-- Reuters
June 9, 2023
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Iran is helping Russia build a drone factory in the Yelabuga region east of Moscow, and that the facility could be operational by early 2024. The White House released a satellite image of the factory's probable location. Kirby also said that Iran continues to supply Russia with complete drones via a shipping route across the Caspian Sea.
-- Associated Press
June 8, 2023
Based on an analysis of papers published in scientific journals since 2017, the Jewish Chronicle found that researchers affiliated with at least 11 British universities collaborated with Iranian counterparts on at least 16 studies that have potential military applications, particularly for Iran's drone program. The studies' topics included optimizing drone engine performance, testing new jet engine control systems, and employing drones as mobile communication relays. UK-based universities whose researchers were involved in the studies included Cranfield University, Imperial College London, Cambridge University, the University of Liverpool, Northumbria University, and University of Glasgow, while Iran-based universities included Shahrood University of Technology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran University of Science and Technology, Sharif University of Technology, Shahid Beheshti University.
-- The Jewish Chronicle
June 6, 2023
Iran unveiled a new ballistic missile, called "Fattah," which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) characterized as a hypersonic missile. The missile's separating warhead has a solid fueled motor and can conduct terminal maneuvers. The commander of Iran's missile force claimed the missile can reach speeds of Mach 13 and has a maximum range of 1,400 km.
-- Tasnim News Agency
May 31, 2023
In a confidential report, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that it had closed two safeguards-related inquiries with Iran. One was related to inspectors' discovery of uranium particles enriched to 83.7% purity at Iran's Fordow enrichment site earlier in the year. The IAEA said Iran's explanation that the particles were a byproduct of fluctuations in the enrichment process was "not inconsistent" with data reviewed by the Agency. The other inquiry was related to traces of man-made uranium found at Marivan, a site linked to Iran's early-2000s secret military nuclear program. The IAEA said Iran's claim that the uranium traces were left by instruments used at a mine operated in the area by a foreign entity in the 1960s and 70s was "possible." The Agency also reported that it had re-installed enrichment monitoring devices at Fordow and Natanz and had installed cameras at a centrifuge workshop in Isfahan.
-- Associated Press