German police arrested an Iranian national living in Castrop-Rauxel, in western Germany, on the suspicion that he was preparing an "Islamist-motivated attack" involving chemical weapons. The suspect is believed to have procured cyanide and ricin in preparation for the attack, but it was unclear how far his plans had progressed.
News Briefs
January 7, 2023
-- The New York Times
December 30, 2022
Danfoss, a Danish company that manufactures and sells refrigeration products and air conditioners, has agreed to pay the U.S. Treasury Department more than $4 million to settle its potential civil liability for more than two hundred apparent violations of U.S. sanctions. According to the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), between 2013 and 2017, Danfoss's wholly-owned subsidiary in the United Arab Emirates, Danfoss FZCO, sold cooling and heating equipment to Iran, Syria, and Sudan and used third-party agents to receive payments for the sales. The violations occurred due to deficiencies in Danfoss's sanctions compliance program, according to OFAC.
-- Department of the Treasury
December 20, 2022
Russian Energy Minister Nikolai Shulginov said that Russian companies are seeking to cooperate with Iran on the development and production of gas turbines. Russia is having trouble maintaining its gas power plants because foreign companies whose turbines are used in the plants have recently withdrawn or suspended operations, creating what Shulginov called "a large potential" for cooperation with Iran.
-- Reuters
December 14, 2022
The heads of Iran's and Russia's space agencies signed an agreement to increase space industry cooperation between the two countries. Future areas of collaboration may include the development of satellites, the construction of launch sites, and visits by Iranian astronauts to the Russian space station.
-- Islamic Republic News Agency
December 9, 2022
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Russia was training Iranian pilots on Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets and that Iran could receive deliveries of the aircraft within the year. He also said Iran is considering setting up a drone assembly line in Russia and may transfer hundreds of ballistic missiles to Moscow.
-- Associated Press
December 3, 2022
Iran officially began construction on a 300-megawatt pressurized water reactor at Darkhovin in Khuzestan Province. According to Iranian officials, the project will rely on an indigenous design and is expected to take eight years to complete.
-- Tasnim News Agency
November 29, 2022
The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed a 15-count indictment against Ray Hunt of Madison County, Alabama, accusing him of participating in an illegal scheme to export U.S.-origin goods to Iran. According to the indictment, Hunt conspired to export U.S.-origin parts used in the oil and gas industry to Iran using his Alabama-based company, Vega Tools LLC. Hunt allegedly transshipped the goods to Iran through Turkey and the UAE to evade U.S. sanctions.
-- Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs
November 22, 2022
Iran's nuclear agency announced it has begun enriching uranium up to 60 percent purity at its underground Fordow site for the first time. Previously Iran had been enriching to 60 percent only at the Natanz site. The agency also stated its intent to replace first generation centrifuges at Fordow with the more advanced IR-6 machines and to install an additional eight cascades there.
-- Tasnim News Agency
November 19, 2022
Russia and Iran have reached an agreement to manufacture inexpensive weaponized drones in Russia, according to unnamed security officials. The two countries are preparing to transfer designs and components to allow production to begin within months.
-- Washington Post
November 17, 2022
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) board of governors formally rebuked Iran, deciding that it was "essential and urgent" that Iran cooperate with the agency's investigation into nuclear material detected at three undeclared sites in Iran. The resolution was more pointed than a similar one passed in June. The U.S. ambassador also signaled for the first time that the United States would consider referring the matter to the U.N. Security Council.
-- Wall Street Journal