President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad unveiled six defense-related projects. The projects included the fourth-generation Fateh-110 missile, the Bonian-4 marine engine, the Armita space test laboratory, the Aras tactical vehicle, the Vafa mortar-launcher, and the Shahed navigation system.
News Briefs
August 15, 2012
Four men were arrested in Germany for allegedly breaking the country's arms embargo against Iran and for export violations. One of the men is a German citizen and three have dual German-Iranian citizenship. The suspects are accused of using front companies in Turkey and Azerbaijan to supply Iran with special valves to be used in heavy water reactors. Prosecutors say that the suspects knew the end-use of the valves. The suspects have been identified as Rudolf M, Kianzad Ka, Gholamali Ka, and Hamid Kh. A fifth suspect has not been named. The arrests were made following searches of homes and businesses in Hamburg, Oldenburg, and Weimar.
-- BBC News
August 13, 2012
President Obama signed into law a new sanctions bill targeting Iran for its failure to halt its nuclear program. The new legislation, the Iran Threat Reduction and Syria Human Rights Act of 2012 (H.R. 1905), strengthens existing penalties, targets American companies with foreign subsidiaries that violate U.S. sanctions, and prohibits the support of Iran's oil, insurance, shipping, and financial sectors.
-- Wall Street Journal
August 7, 2012
New York's Department of Financial Services accused Standard Chartered PLC of violating federal money laundering laws by conducting $250 billion worth of business transactions with Iranian banks, including the Central Bank of Iran, Bank Saderat, and Bank Melli.
-- Bloomberg
August 4, 2012
Iran successfully test-fired a fourth generation Fateh-110 missile with a range of over 300 km, according to Iranian Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi. The missile was test fired by the Ministry's Aerospace Industries Organization, according to Vahidi. The Fateh-110 is a short-range, solid-propellant ballistic missile.
-- Fars News Agency
July 31, 2012
President Obama signed a new executive order that targets the Iranian energy sector by making sanctionable any sale or purchase of Iranian oil. The sanctions also targeted two financial institutions, China's Bank of Kunlun and Iraq's Elaf Islamic Bank, which the U.S. government said have helped Iran evade earlier sanctions.
-- BBC News
July 23, 2012
The U.S. Senate's Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations released a report detailing compliance failures by HSBC that included $19.4 billion in undisclosed transactions involving Iran. The report claimed that the London-based bank concealed transactions with Iran that violated U.S. sanctions, conducted business with terrorists, and permitted money laundering by drug cartels.
-- Bloomberg News
July 13, 2012
Parviz Khaki, a 43-year-old Iranian citizen, and Zongcheng Yi, a resident of China, were indicted for attempting to illegally export materials used in gas centrifuges from the United States to Iran. Khaki and Yi allegedly caused the export of lathes and nickel alloy wire to Iran and made efforts to obtain maraging steel, pressure transducers, and vacuum pumps. Khaki also allegedly tried to procure radioactive source materials in 2009 and 2011 from an undercover U.S. federal agent posing as an exporter. Khaki was arrested in the Philippines in May while Yi is still at large.
-- CNN
July 10, 2012
Two Iranian nationals, Ahmad Abolfathi Mohammad and Sayed Mansour Mousavi, have been arrested and charged with preparing to attack Western targets in Kenya. The two men had shipped more than 100 kg of the explosive RDX into Kenya, some of which has not been recovered. Kenyan security and police officials believe the Iranians are members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force.
-- Associated Press via Washington Post
July 4, 2012
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps completed a three-day missile drill in Semnan province. During the drill, called “The Great Prophet 7,” the Shahab 1, Shahab 2, Shahab 3, Khalij Fars (Persian Gulf), Tondar (Lightning), Fateh (Victor), Zelzal (Quake), and Qiam (Uprising) were fired. IRGC fighter jets and drones participated in the drill as well.
-- Press TV