The Noor-2, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reconnaissance satellite, captured images of the U.S. Fifth Fleet headquarters in Bahrain as part of the first set of photographs it transmitted back to Iran. The satellite launched in March and can reportedly capture high-resolution color images.
News Briefs
May 11, 2022
-- Fox News
May 10, 2022
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told EU lawmakers that Iran has not been forthcoming about the presence of nuclear material at three undeclared sites. Iran and the IAEA agreed to work to resolve outstanding questions about the sites in March, and Tehran had agreed to provide answers to the Agency before the IAEA Board of Governors meeting in June. Grossi said that the situation "does not look very good" and that finalizing a nuclear deal would be difficult without satisfactory information about the sites.
-- Reuters
May 5, 2022
On May 4th, the U.S. Senate passed a nonbinding motion stating that any new nuclear deal should restrict Iran's support for terrorism and retain a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designation on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The "motion to instruct" was related to a larger bill on China, but passed independently with 66 votes.
-- Politico
April 28, 2022
Iran has set up a new centrifuge component manufacturing plant in an underground part of its Natanz nuclear facility, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The plant's equipment was previously located at a site in Karaj that suffered an alleged sabotage attack last year; it is now present in the Natanz site's Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP). The FEP had previously only been used for uranium enrichment.
-- Reuters
April 27, 2022
Iran and China pledged closer cooperation during a ministerial visit in Tehran on April 27, according to Iranian state media. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi told the Chinese Minister of Defense, Wei Fenghe, that cooperation would make it possible to confront "unilateralism." Wei said his visit was intended to improve "strategic defense cooperation" between China and Iran.
-- Associated Press
April 26, 2022
An Iraqi parliament fact-finding committee found no evidence of espionage activities at a residential compound struck by missiles last month in Iraqi Kurdistan. Iran had claimed responsibility for the strike and said the compound was a base for Israeli intelligence. The committee also said that the compound's owner, oil company CEO Baz Karim Barzinji, has the right to seek legal recourse from the Iranian government.
-- Rudaw
April 25, 2022
Iranian state media reported that hackers attempted to target more than 100 public sector organizations on April 24. Though the hackers were not identified, the Iranian report claimed that they used IP addresses in the Netherlands, United Kingdom, and United States.
-- Associated Press
April 24, 2022
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval vessels seized a ship smuggling fuel in the Persian Gulf, the third reported seizure in April. The IRGC Navy said that the ship carried over 50,000 gallons of fuel. Eight foreign crew members were reportedly detained, but their nationalities were not identified. The IRGC's previous seizures occurred on April 9th and April 15th.
-- Agence France-Presse/Voice of America
April 18, 2022
Iran publicly revealed the Kaman-22 UAV at a military parade on April 18. The drone, which resembles the American Predator MQ-1 and Reaper MQ-9 UAVs, can reportedly be fitted for surveillance or combat. Its claimed operational range is 3,000 km.
-- The Jerusalem Post
April 14, 2022
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) installed monitoring equipment at Iran's new underground centrifuge component manufacturing plant in Natanz. It also unsealed equipment at the plant. Iranian officials said that production would begin immediately but did not reveal the exact location of the new operation within the large Natanz facility. They also reaffirmed that Iran will withhold the monitoring equipment's data until a deal over the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is reached.
-- Associated Press
