Naim Qassem, head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, said that the militant group’s supply route through Syria had been severed by the fall from power of Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Hezbollah had used Syrian territory to transport weapons and equipment from Iran via Iraq.
News Briefs
December 12, 2024
In a confidential report, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that Iran agreed to "increase the frequency and intensity of the implementation of safeguards measures" at its Fordow uranium enrichment facility. A week earlier, the IAEA had reported that Iran was accelerating enrichment at Fordow to produce at least 35 kg of uranium enriched to 60% purity a month, up from 5-7 kg a month previously.
-- Reuters
December 6, 2024
Iran’s regular army launched a Fakhr-1 nanosatellite, a Saman-1 orbital transfer vehicle, and a research payload into low-Earth orbit using a Simorgh carrier rocket. The Fakhr-1 satellite was designed and built by the Iranian Army, SA Iran Corporation, and Malek Ashtar University of Technology. The 300 kg payload was the heaviest yet delivered to orbit by Iran's space program.
-- Tasnim News Agency
December 3, 2024
A fuel oil smuggling network operating in Iraq has been generating at least $1 billion a year for Iran and its proxies since 2022 by diverting oil allocated to asphalt plants at subsidized prices. Between 3.4 and 5 million barrels of heavy fuel oil is illicitly exported from the plants every month, mostly to Asia. The illicit exports benefit the Iraqi paramilitary force and political party Asaib Ahl Al-Haq (AAH), which is supported by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Kataib Hezbollah, another IRGC-backed Iraqi group, also controls some plants involved in the diversion scheme. Some of the exported fuel oil is blended with Iranian oil to help Iran evade sanctions.
-- Reuters
December 3, 2024
The U.S. Office of Foreign Asset Controls (OFAC) announced a $14,550,000 settlement with Germany-based industrial equipment supplier Aiotec GmbH for violating the Iranian Transactions and Sanctions Regulations (ITSR). Between 2015 and 2019, Aiotec conspired to cause a U.S.-based company to sell an Australian polypropylene plant to Iran, with payment routed through U.S. financial institutions.
-- U.S. Department of the Treasury
November 28, 2024
According to a confidential International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report, Iran plans to install more than 6,000 additional centrifuges at its Natanz and Fordow uranium enrichment plants. The decision is a response to a recent censure of Iran by the IAEA board. The centrifuges will be installed in 32 cascades of more than 160 machines each and will include a large cascade of 1,152 advanced IR-6 centrifuges in the Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz.
-- Reuters
November 28, 2024
Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a two-month ceasefire as part of a deal brokered by France and the United States. The agreement requires Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops to withdraw from southern Lebanon, to be replaced by Lebanese troops and U.N. peacekeepers.
-- Associated Press
November 21, 2024
According to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), the Iranian Revolutionary National Guard (IRGC) and Iranian government are using civilian companies for missile and drone program production, including Kaveh Mobadel Industrial Co. (also known as Kaveh Machinery Co. or KMC), Sanaye Garma Gostar (also known as SGG or Garma Gostar Industries), and Sana Bargh Tavan Co. (also known as SBT Electric). For example, SGG has reportedly manufactured electronics boards for missiles and drones. The companies are subject to inspection by the Iranian Ministry of Defense and hold contracts with the IRGC and the governmnt.
-- Fox News
November 21, 2024
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors voted 19-3 to censure Iran for failing to cooperate with the Agency’s monitoring and inspection requirements. Russia, China, and Burkina Faso were the dissenting votes. Following the vote, the Iranian government announced plans to begin operating additional centrifuges for uranium enrichment.
-- New York Times
November 20, 2024
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.
-- Reuters