Iran's Navy and Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Naval Force received a large supply of Qader (Mighty) anti-ship cruise missiles from the country's Defense Ministry. According to Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi, the missiles have a 200 kilometer range, can be launched on short notice, and can hit both naval vessels and onshore targets.
News Briefs
September 28, 2011
-- Fars News Agency
September 15, 2011
Belarus is suspected of helping Iran procure missile technology, especially navigation and guidance products, in violation of U.N. sanctions. According to intelligence information, a Belorussian businessman named Yuri Charniauski has been trying to purchase an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) for his company, TM Services, from a Russian firm named Optolink in order to sell it to Iran. Members of the U.N. panel of experts will discuss the implementation of U.N. sanctions on Iran with Belorussian officials during a visit to Belarus this month.
-- Reuters
September 12, 2011
Iran's first nuclear power plant, the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear plant, was connected to the national power grid and is operating at about 40 percent (350-400 MW) of its capacity. The plant could begin full-power operations in December.
-- Associated Press
September 12, 2011
Marc Knapp, of Simi Valley, California, was sentenced to 46 months' imprisonment after pleading guilty, on January 13, 2011, to illegal exports to Hungary and attempting to export U.S. defense items to the Islamic Republic of Iran and Russia in violation of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Arms Export Control Act. Military items included: an F-5B Tiger II fighter jet, two F-14 ejection seats, five anti-gravity flight suits, four hand-held search and rescue radios, and fighter jet emergency procedures manuals.
-- Press Release, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement
September 2, 2011
Iran revealed its Ghader missile, also reported as Qader missile. Ghader is a new version of the Chinese-designed C-802 anti-ship missile, and a variant fitting the Ghader's description has been identified in Chinese sources as the "C-803." The C-802, also known as Project Noor (Dawn), is well established in Iranian service with an active assembly line producing surface-, ship- and air-launched variants.
-- Jane's Missiles and Rockets
August 27, 2011
Iran inaugurated a plant for producing carbon fiber, a material that Iran is banned from importing because of international sanctions. Design and manufacturing for the plant's machinery was carried out by the Ministry of Defense. Carbon fiber is a dual-use material that has missile and nuclear applications.
-- Agence France-Presse
August 25, 2011
JPMorgan Chase agreed to pay $88.3 million as part of a settlement with the Treasury Department over a series of transactions involving Cuba, Iran and Sudan. JPMorgan violated U.S. embargo laws by processing wire transfers totaling around $178.5 million for Cuban nationals in late 2005 and early 2006. JPMorgan violated U.S. sanctions against Iran and made a $2.9 million loan to a bank that had ties to Iran’s government-owned shipping line in 2009. JPMorgan also failed to give up documents about a wire transfer that referred to Khartoum, Sudan in 2010 and 2011.
-- New York Times
August 22, 2011
Iran has moved centrifuges from its main uranium enrichment facility in Natanz to an underground uranium enrichment site in Fordo, which offers better protection from possible airstrikes. Iran did not say how many centrifuges had been moved, or specify the type of centrifuge. The bunker facility is to house approximately 3,000 centrifuges.
-- Associated Press
August 5, 2011
Turkey seized an Iranian shipment of arms destined for Syria. The shipment, marked "spare parts for guns," was seized by Turkish officials who suspected it violated U.N. sanctions on Iranian arms exports.
-- Today's Zaman
August 3, 2011
Iran's parliament approved Rostam Qasemi as the the country's oil minister. Qasemi is a Revolutionary Guards commander who formerly headed Khatam al-Anbia, a Guards' construction and engineering company. Qasemi has been under U.S. and EU sanctions since 2010.
-- Reuters