South Africa has applied to the U.N. Security Council to sell the Umkhonto surface-to-air missile system to Iran. The high velocity missile is capable of taking out both airborne and stationary targets and was designed to carry a 23 kg warhead. It was developed for the South African Navy's Meko A200 class frigate. The application for the sale follows a memorandum of understanding on the expansion of defense cooperation signed on December 13, 2016 between the defense ministers of South Africa and Iran. 

Construction and installation work on a second reactor at Bushehr have begun. Russia's Rosatom subsidiary AtomStroyExport (ASE), the general contractor for the Bushehr project, and Iran's Nuclear Power Production and Development Company (NPPD) signed a contract in November 2014 to build two VVER-1000 reactors with Generation III technology. Rosatom reactor design subsidiary Atomproek is also involved in this project, known as "Bushehr II." The first reactor is expected to be completed in 2024. 

China-based Zhongxing Telecommunications Equipment Corporation (ZTE) and a subsidiary, ZTE Kangxun Telecommunications, agreed to pay a combined civil and criminal penalty of $1.19 billion for illegal shipments to Iran and North Korea.  A five-year investigation led by the U.S. Commerce Department found that ZTE conspired to ship equipment with U.S. components to Iran, in violation of a U.S. embargo.  ZTE shipped millions of dollars worth of these items from 2010 to 2016, even after becoming aware that investigations into the transactions were underway.  The company was also involved in 283 shipments of telecommunications equipment to North Korea.  The conspiracy involved an elaborate scheme by ZTE executives to evade export controls and deceive investigators, including by establishing and using "detached" or shell companies to mask involvement in transactions involving Iran.  ZTE officials also expunged the word "Iran" from internal documents and emails and used code words to hide involvement with other embargoed countries. The settlement includes a $661 million payment to Commerce, with $300 million suspended during a seven-year probationary period, and a $100 million payment to the U.S. Treasury Department.  The U.S. District Court for Northern Texas may also impose a penalty of $430.5 million in combined criminal fines and forfeitures. 

Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehqan announced that a new marine cruise missile, the Nasir, was tested successfully during the Iranian Navy's annual naval drill. The Dehlaviyeh, an guided anti-ship missile, was also tested successfully.