Russia has delivered the first shipment of missiles for the S-300 air defense system to Iran. The missiles indicate that Russia is selling Iran the advanced S-300 PMU2 version. Iran displayed parts of this system during a military parade in April and plans to have the system operational by March 2017.
News Briefs
July 18, 2016
A document outlining Iran's long-term uranium enrichment plan, which was obtained by the Associated Press, reveals Iran's intention to expand its enrichment program after the first ten years of the nuclear agreement. According to the document, Iran will install between 2,500 and 3,500 advanced centrifuges--five times as efficient as the machines currently installed--between years 11 and 13 of the deal. These advanced centrifuges will allow Iran to produce weapons grade uranium more quickly, reducing Iran's "breakout" time. The document, which was approved by the United States and five other world powers as part of the nuclear agreement, was submitted to the International Atomic Energy Agency but has not been made public.
-- Associated Press
July 15, 2016
Iran conducted an unsuccessful test of a version of the North Korean BM-25 Musudan ballistic missile on the evening of July 11-12, according to intelligence sources. The test, which failed when the missile exploded shortly after liftoff, was conducted near Saman, a site where Iran has conducted missile tests in the past. The effort was at least the fourth time Iran has conducted a missile test since concluding the nuclear agreement in July 2015. The BM-25 missile has a maximum range of about 2,500 miles.
-- Fox News
July 11, 2016
Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Aragchi confirmed that Iran had completed the sale of 32 tons of heavy water to the United States, in a deal worth an estimated $8.6 million. The U.S. Department of Energy previously announced the deal in April. Aragchi also said that Iran is currently in negotiations with Russia over the sale of an additional 44 tons of heavy water.
-- Tasnim News Agency
July 9, 2016
Iranian procurement agents sought to obtain technology to advance its chemical, biological, nuclear, and missile programs from Germany, according to German intelligence data and reports. Eight of the 16 German states reported Iranian attempts at illicit procurement in their 2015 intelligence reports. Iranian agents focused their efforts on industrialized west German states that host advanced engineering and technology companies.
-- Jerusalem Post
June 24, 2016
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international body that monitors money laundering, kept Iran on its blacklist of high-risk countries but suspended some of its restrictions on Iran for one year. The move came in response to Iran's pledge to adopt a plan to address deficiencies in its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing policies. If Iran fails to demonstrate progress on these issues at the end of one year, FAFT said it will reimpose the restrictions.
-- Wall Street Journal
June 23, 2016
Boeing Co. plans to sell 80 airplanes directly to Iran Air in a deal worth up to $17.6 billion, the U.S. firm disclosed in a letter to two U.S. lawmakers. The proposed sale includes: four Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental jumbo jets; 40 737 Max jets; 15 long-range 777-300ER jets; and 15 future-generation 777-9X aircraft. Boeing would also help Iran Air lease an additional 29 new Boeing 737s. The agreement has not been finalized and requires the approval of the U.S. government.
-- Wall Street Journal
June 19, 2016
The Obama administration has found that traces of man-made uranium discovered at the Parchin military base in Iran by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in 2015 were consistent with evidence linking the site to Iran's past nuclear weapons program. Administration officials said that the finding did not change the conclusion of the U.S. intelligence community that Iran had halted its nuclear weapon development efforts in 2003. The two particles of uranium were discovered during an IAEA inspection of the military site last year--a visit that Iranian officials said would not be repeated.
-- Wall Street Journal
June 15, 2016
Iran has begun reintegrating its economy with the international banking system by developing ties with smaller foreign banks that have little or no business with the United States and therefore minimal exposure to potential U.S. sanctions. According to Iran's central bank, Iranian banks have recently initiated relationships with 200 small and medium-sized international banks. These 200 banks include Europaeisch-Iranische Handelsbank AG--a German-based bank that is majority-owned by Iranian interests--and two Italian banks, Mediobanca and Banca Popolare di Sondrio. Larger global banks are reportedly remaining on the sidelines due to perceived legal risks.
-- Reuters
June 14, 2016
Erdal Kuyumcu, CEO of New York-based Global Metallurgy LLC, pleaded guilty in a New York court to one count of conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Kuyumcu conspired to obtain and export over 1,000 pounds of a metallic powder composed of cobalt and nickel from the United States to Iran without a required license from the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control. Kuyumcu, 44, and his co-conspirators arranged to ship the metallic powder to Turkey to conceal the identity of the Iranian end-user. The powder has applications in nuclear technology, missile production, and aerospace. Kuyumcu faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine.
-- Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs