TOP STORIES
Senate Sends Aid Package With Iran Oil Sanctions To Biden | Bloomberg
The Senate voted to send a foreign aid package that includes sanctions on Iran’s oil sector to President Joe Biden, who has said he will sign the legislation into law. The bill, which was approved on Tuesday night by a vote of 79-18, would broaden sanctions to include foreign ports, vessels and refineries that knowingly process or ship Iranian crude in violation of existing US sanctions. It also would expand so-called secondary sanctions to cover all transactions between Chinese financial institutions and sanctioned Iranian banks used to purchase petroleum and oil-derived products. The legislation also included assistance for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. The measure would require an annual determination as to whether Chinese financial institutions have engaged in conduct that violates sanctionable conduct, according to a report by the House Financial Services Committee, which said 80% of Iran’s roughly 1.5 million barrel per day of exports go to China to be refined by small independent refineries known as “teapots.”
Russia Hosts Iran, China Security Chiefs After Escalation With Israel | Al-Monitor
Iran's highest-ranking security official, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, was in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg on Tuesday for meetings with his Russian and Chinese counterparts as well as an international summit of national security advisers from like-minded states.Upon arrival in Saint Petersburg, Ahmadian told Iran's state TV that his mission was to promote "multilateralism" and to fight "Western hegemony and monopoly over global security spheres." Ahmadian specifically highlighted the timing of his trip in the context of the ongoing Gaza war and a recent flareup between Iran and Israel. He noted that the meetings will allow him to "seek justice for Palestinians under aggression and oppression inflicted by the Zionist regime." The Russia meetings also follow a tense three-week episode between Iran and Israel, which pushed the two archenemies to the brink of an all-out war. Earlier in the month, seven senior Iranian officers with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed in a suspected Israeli strike on the Iranian Consulate in Damascus. The incident prompted Tehran to retaliate less than a fortnight later with a barrage of over 300 drones and missiles toward Israel.
Iranian Regime Releases New Claims On Stolen ‘Israel-Linked’ Transit Cargo | Jerusalem Post
Iranian authorities released more information on Tuesday about the “Israeli-linked” cargo stolen by Iran on April 15, according to the semi-state official Mehr News Agency. Iranian police alleged that the ship was carrying more than 22 metric tons of potassium nitrate, a chemical product used as fertilizer in agricultural projects, to customers in Uzbekistan. Iranian General Reza Baniasadifar reportedly stated the fertilizer had been manufactured by the “fake Zionist regime” and was confiscated under Article 9 of Iran’s Export-Import Regulations – a regulation which prohibits any commercial dealings with Israel. The report claimed that the ship was seized on Iranian territory in Bazargan. Bazargan is located in the West Azerbaijan province.
NUCLEAR DEAL & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
UN Nuclear Chief: Iran ‘Weeks, Not Months’ From Enough Uranium To Make A Bomb | Times Of Israel
The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has said that it would take Iran just weeks to have enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear bomb, and that Tehran’s activity, alongside the limited access it grants to its facilities, “raises eyebrows.” But International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Mariano Grossi told Deutsche Welle in a report published Monday that attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities should be a “no-go.” Grossi said that Iran is “weeks rather than months” away from having enough enriched uranium to make a nuclear weapon. “But that does not mean that Iran has or would have a nuclear weapon in that space of time,” he added. “A functional nuclear warhead requires many other things independently from the production of the fissile material.” Iran’s nuclear goals, he maintained, are “a matter of speculation,” though he criticized the country for its enrichment activity that “raises eyebrows” and its opaque dealings with UN nuclear inspectors, who are not being given the level of access to facilities that he believes they need.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
The United States on April 23 imposed more sanctions against Iran, designating four people and two companies that the U.S. Treasury Department said were "involved in malicious cyber-activity" on behalf of the country's military. "These actors targeted more than a dozen U.S. companies and government entities through cyberoperations, including spear phishing and malware attacks," on behalf of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' Cyber-Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC), the Treasury Department said in a statement. In addition to the sanctions, the U.S. Justice Department and FBI unsealed an indictment against the four individuals for their alleged roles in cyberactivity targeting U.S. entities. The defendants are accused of engaging in a coordinated hacking campaign originating in Iran that targeted more than a dozen American companies and the U.S. Treasury and State departments, Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. The activity started in about 2016 and continued through about April 2021, the Justice Department said.
China’s Oil Buyers Set To Weather Tighter US Sanctions On Iran | Bloomberg
China’s private oil refiners could seek to buy more cargoes whose origin has been obscured as they prepare for fresh US sanctions on Iranian exports, ensuring crude continues to flow to the world’s top importer. The US House of Representatives passed tougher measures against Iran over the weekend in response to an attack on Israel, promising to broaden the scope of restrictions with a series of measures targeting the country’s exports that could become law as soon as this week. The Senate voted in favor on Tuesday night of sending the legislative package for President Joe Biden’s sign-off. China has long been wary of being caught up in the US sanctions net and the latest steps extend to foreign ports, vessels, and refineries that knowingly engage in the Iranian oil trade. Still, Iran’s exports to China are not expected to fall away. So-called teapot refiners — private outfits clustered in Shandong province and the leading beneficiaries of US sanctions on Iranian exports — are already bracing for the increased scrutiny.
Standard Chartered Faces £1.5 Billion UK Claim In Iran Sanction Case | Insurance Journal
Standard Chartered Plc is facing about £1.5 billion ($1.9 billion) worth of investor claims at a London trial over allegations it systematically breached Iranian sanctions to win new business. A London judge ruled on Friday [April 19] that the trial, that will also probe accusations of bribery, should be split into two parts with the first scheduled for October 2026. The bank was sued by hundreds of investors over the claims of widespread misconduct, which has so far cost the bank more than $1.7 billion in penalties. The lender is facing the claim after it told watchdogs that it processed hundreds of millions of dollars in clearing transactions between 2008 and 2014 through its Dubai offices on behalf of Iranian entities. The case over alleged lack of shareholder disclosure is “without merit” and the bank “will continue to vigorously defend the claim,” a spokesperson for the bank said in an emailed statement. “We consider that the bank fully complied with its reporting and disclosure obligations throughout the relevant period.”
TERRORISM & EXTREMISM
Argentina Seeks Arrest Of Iran Minister Over 1994 Jewish Center Bombing | AFP News
Argentina has asked Interpol to arrest Iran's interior minister over the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people, the foreign ministry said Tuesday. That minister, Ahmad Vahidi, is part of an Iranian delegation currently visiting Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and Interpol has issued a red alert seeking his arrest at the request of Argentina, the ministry said in a statement. Argentina has also asked those two governments to arrest Vahidi, it added. On April 12 a court in Argentina placed blame on Iran for the 1994 attack against the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires and for a bombing two years earlier against the Israeli embassy, which killed 29 people. The 1994 assault has never been claimed or solved, but Argentina and Israel have long suspected the Iran-backed group Hezbollah carried it out at Iran's request.
Police In Paris Detain A Man Wearing Fake Explosives Vest At Iran's Consulate | Associated Press
A man wearing a fake explosive vest and making threats was detained Friday outside the Iranian Consulate in Paris after police locked down the area, authorities said. His motive was unclear. The incident came at a time of heightened tensions in the Middle East, and as Paris is on high security alert as it gears up to host the Summer Olympics in three months. The suspect had been convicted for setting fire to the Iranian Embassy gates last year in what he called a protest against the Iranian government, according to the Paris prosecutor's office. The consulate and embassy are part of the same compound, in the ritzy 16th arrondissement of Paris and near the Seine River. Iranian authorities did not comment publicly on what happened. The man was spotted around 11 a.m. outside the consulate, and a witness told police he had a grenade and an explosives vest, according to a Paris police official. The official was speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not allowed to be publicly named under police policy.
U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS & NEGOTIATIONS
Iran Rejects US Claims Of 'Malicious Cyber Activity' | AFP News
Iran condemned as "unfounded" Wednesday US allegations of "malicious cyber activity" on behalf of its military that triggered a new set of sanctions against Iranian companies and individuals. Foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said Iran "categorically dismissed the US government claim that some Iranian individuals and companies have been involved in cyberattacks". He accused Washington of seeking to "deflect the wave of international criticism towards their policies of unlimited support for the Zionist regime (Israeli) war crimes and genocide in the Gaza Strip". The US Treasury Department announced the sanctions against four individuals and two companies on Tuesday, adding that the four individuals had also been indicted "for their roles in cyber activity targeting US entities".
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
‘War On Women’ Intensifies With Hijab Crackdown In Iran | Iran International
Authorities in Iran have launched a fierce battle with Iranian women over the enforcement of mandatory hijab, a struggle that has reignited widespread condemnation of the government's heavy-handed tactics. Project Nour, the regime’s new hijab enforcement plan, has seen Iranian authorities escalate their physical efforts to enforce the Islamic Republic’s strict hijab laws. It has led to a surge in violent crackdowns targeting women on Iranian streets. Earlier this week, Ahmad-Reza Radan, Iran's Chief of Police and commander of the country's Law Enforcement Command, announced that the police would continue the “Project Nour” with the support of the parliament, the government, and the judiciary, with "strength and precision." In 2010, Radan was sanctioned by the US, EU and the UK for serious human rights violations and his role in the deadly and violent repression of protests during Iran’s 2009 green movement. As reported by state-run IRIB, Radan thanked his colleagues “who are diligently involved in implementing this plan and are pursuing it with a jihadistic spirit.”
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Washington Asks Baghdad To Safeguard US Troops In Iraq And Syria | Iran International
The US military called on Iraq's government on Tuesday to take steps to safeguard American troops in both Iraq and Syria after failed attacks a day earlier by Iran’s proxy militias. The drone and rocket fire were the first such incidents since a near three-month pause in what had been almost daily attacks that culminated in the January killing of three US soldiers at the Tower 22 outpost in Jordan. Meanwhile, the Biden administration on Tuesday announced criminal charges and sanctions against four Iranians over an alleged multi-year cyber campaign targeting more than one dozen American companies, the Treasury Department and the State Department said. Sanctions were also announced against two companies, Mehrsam Andisheh Saz Nik and Dadeh Afzar Arman, that according to the Treasury Department employed the individual defendants and were front companies for Iran's Revolutionary Guard cyber command. “The IRGC-CEC is one of the Iranian government organizations that has been responsible for, through a series of front companies, malicious cyber activity against the US and several other countries…The United States will not tolerate malicious cyber activities victimizing US companies,” the State Department said in a statement.
Iran Threatens To Annihilate Israel Should It Launch A Major Attack | Reuters
An Israeli attack on Iranian territory could radically change dynamics and result in there being nothing left of the "Zionist regime", Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi was quoted as saying on Tuesday by the official IRNA news agency. Raisi began a three day visit to Pakistan on Monday and has vowed to boost trade between the neighbouring nations to $10 billion a year. The two Muslim neighbours are seeking to mend ties after unprecedented tit-for-tat military strikes this year. On Friday, explosions were heard over the Iranian city of Isfahan in what sources said was an Israeli attack but Tehran played down the incident and said it had no plans for retaliation. Iran launched a barrage of missiles and drones at Israel on April 13 in what it said was retaliation for Israel's suspected deadly strike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1, but almost all were shot down.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Outcry In Southern Iran After Police Kill Fuel Smuggler | Iran International
Residents of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran took to the street in protest after local police fatally shot a fuel smuggler and severely wounded another. According to Kolbar News, the demonstration, held on Tuesday, saw citizens gathering in front of the governor's office, vocally opposing what they called "killer police." The protestors then entered the building, demanding answers and accountability for the police action. The incident occurred on Monday evening when officers from Bandar Abbas opened fire on a vehicle carrying fuel without any prior warning. The attack resulted in the death of 20-year-old Amir Mohammad Chatr Sahar and left another man injured. Chatr Sahar was known to be from the Jamal Ahmad area of Bandar Abbas where around half the population lives in poverty, but details about the injured party remain undisclosed.
CONGRESS & IRAN
US Senate Passes MAHSA Act, Other Iran Sanctions Bills | Iran International
The US Senate on Tuesday night unanimously passed a foreign aid package which includes several Iran-related sanctions bills especially the MAHSA Act which targets Iran's Supreme Leader. During the voting session on Tuesday night, 79 senators voted for the landmark $95-billion aid package for Israel and Ukraine, which also includes Iran-related sanctions bills. Eighteen senators voted against the bill, but it was finally passed by the Senate and now awaits President Joe Biden's signature before it can be implemented. Immediately after the Senate's adoption of the bill, Joe Biden said he will sign the bill passed by the Senate into law on Wednesday.
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Hezbollah Claims Drone Attack 10 Miles Inside Israel | New York Times
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Tuesday claimed that it had made its deepest attack into Israel since October, striking a barracks north of the city of Acre with drones and setting off sirens across the country’s northern coastline. The Israeli military, however, said that no bases had been hit and no casualties reported, adding that three drones had been identified and intercepted. Hezbollah, Iran’s most powerful regional proxy, has been engaged in escalating cross-border strikes with Israeli forces since the war in Gaza began more than six months ago. In the latest strike, it maintained it had launched a drone attack on an Israeli military barracks roughly 10 miles from the Lebanese border. Footage that circulated Tuesday on Hezbollah-affiliated Telegram channels, and geolocated by The New York Times, shows people on a beach in Acre looking up at the sky as sirens go off and an explosion is heard. The drone attack in Israel came after targeted killings by Israel of two Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, both of whom the Israeli military claimed were involved in Hezbollah’s aerial operations.
Israel-Iran Tensions: Is Syria The New Battlefield? | DW
Only a week after an alleged Israeli attack on the Iranian embassy complex in Damascus, Syria, it was business as usual for Syrian dictator Bashar Assad. Accompanied by his wife and family, he appeared in public at the end of the Islamic holiday month of Ramadan, taking part in prayers and walking the city streets. If he seemed unperturbed by the fact that a foreign power had apparently killed several high ranking generals in his capital just a few days earlier, then that was on purpose, says Haid Haid, a consulting fellow with the Middle East and North Africa program at London-based think tank Chatham House. "The [Assad] photo op was not accidental. It's part of a wider campaign to show that business is proceeding as usual," Haid said during a Chatham House panel on the topic this week. "I think the message was that Syria will not be part of any retaliation for the Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate and Syria will not be the main theater for that response." But that's not surprising, Haid noted. "Because from the beginning of the war in Gaza, Assad has been distancing himself from regional escalation and portraying himself as neutral."
OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS
North Korea Officials Visit Iran In A Rare Public Trip | Jerusalem Post
A North Korean delegation led by the cabinet minister for international trade is visiting Iran, the North's official media said on Wednesday in a rare public report of an exchange between the two countries believed to have secret military ties. The minister for external economic relations, Yun Jong Ho, left Pyongyang on Tuesday by air leading a ministry delegation to visit Iran, the North's KCNA news agency said. It gave no other detail. North Korea and Iran have long been suspected of cooperating on ballistic missile programs, possibly exchanging technical expertise and components that went into their manufacture. Iran has provided a large number of ballistic missiles to Russia for use in its war with Ukraine, Reuters reported in February. North Korea is also suspected of supplying Russia with missiles and artillery, although both countries have denied the allegation.
Iran's President Raisi Snubbed On Delegation To Pakistan | Iran International
During Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi’s visit to Islamabad, he has been snubbed by high ranking officials, met only by military leaders and a minister for housing, his critics say. While the Pakistani prime minister invited Raisi to Islamabad, he was not there to greet him on Monday. The Iranian government’s official website posted images of Raisi’s arrival at Nur Khan Airbase and the only official from Pakistan receiving Raisi was named Riaz Hussain Pirzada, federal minister for housing and works. Critics of the current government such as Abdolreza Davari, one of ex-President Ahmadinejad's confidants, drew a stark comparison between this incident and the reception of ex-president Hassan Rouhani in 2016 when Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif greeted him at Nur Khan Airbase. The conservative website Khabar Online slammed the imbalance of power and said “this level of reception does not reflect the level of the visit" of the embarrassing reception.
Iran Ready To Forge Stronger Ties With Sri Lanka, Raisi Says | Reuters
Iran is ready to strengthen ties with Sri Lanka and other Asian countries, its president, Ebrahim Raisi, said on Wednesday, during a short visit to the island nation, the first by an Iranian president in 16 years. The two countries are set to sign five pacts, or Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) on the visit, only the second since one in April 2008 by Iran's then president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Opening a $514-million hydro power project, Raisi pledged to support development projects in the Indian Ocean island by providing technical and engineering services.