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Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian speaks during a press conference at the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Beirut, Lebanon February 10, 2024. "What happened last night was not a strike," the foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, said in an interview with NBC News' Tom Llamas. But the foreign minister warned that if Israel did attack Iran, the response would be swift and severe. Iran responded 12 days later, launching an unprecedented, direct military attack on Israel involving more than 300 missiles and drones. Still, the foreign minister said he hopes that a deal will be reached soon for the release of the hostages as part of a broad settlement.

Persons: Hossein Amirabdollahian, Israel, Tom Llamas, –, Amirabdollahian, Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, Benjamin Netanhayu Organizations: Iran's, Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NBC News, Security, Israel, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Locations: Beirut, Lebanon, New York, Iran, Israel, Syrian, Damascus, Haifa, Tel Aviv, Syria, Yemen, Gaza, Tehran, Isfahan

☆ Onboard a U.S. aircraft carrier, a cat-and-mouse game with Houthi forces plays out
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( Courtney Kube | Dan De Luce | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

It was the second night in a row that aircraft from the Eisenhower have targeted Houthi militants in Yemen who are attacking cargo ships in the Red Sea. NBC News is currently the only news organization embedded with the U.S. Navy in the Red Sea while it is conducting strikes. Houthi militants based in Yemen have attacked roughly 30 cargo ships navigating the Red Sea since Nov. 19. Houthi leaders dismissed the U.S. and U.K. strikes on Saturday and vowed to continue their Red Sea attacks until Israel ends its military operations in Gaza. On Friday, the carrier's F/A-18 aircraft intercepted multiple drones that Houthi forces were preparing to launch, military officers told NBC News.

Persons: Eisenhower, Mason, Mohammed Al Organizations: EISENHOWER, Navy, —, NBC News, U.S . Navy, U.S . Central Command, Maersk, U.S, Gaza, Nimitz, Desert Locations: Yemen, Red, U.S, Aden, Israel, Gaza, Iran

☆ U.S. retaliatory strikes start in Iraq and Syria in first response to Jordan drone attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Dan De Luce | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The United States launched attacks in the Iraq and Syria on Friday, its first retaliatory strikes for the killing of three American soldiers, according to an official at the Department of Defense. American forces are expected to hit targets in different countries outside Iran, U.S. officials said. Their calibrated statements appeared to indicate that it was unlikely the reprisal strikes would hit targets inside Iran itself. There have been more than 160 attacks on U.S. forces by Iran-backed groups since Oct. 7, according to the Pentagon. In recent weeks, the U.S. military also carried out strikes against Houthi forces in Yemen, hitting launch sites and command centers.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden, Biden, Austin, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Organizations: US, Pentagon, United, Department of Defense, NBC News, U.S, Gaza . U.S . Navy, Navy, Iran's Revolutionary Guard Locations: Washington ,, United States, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Israel, U.S, Jordan, Washington, Tehran, Gaza, Yemen, Aden, Gaza . U.S, Iranian, Persian, American

The surprise attack by Hamas on Israel suggests a massive intelligence failure as the Israeli government appeared blindsided by the infiltration of Hamas fighters across the southern border and the launch of thousands of rockets. The Hamas assault by air, land and sea also raised questions as to why U.S. intelligence agencies apparently did not see it coming, experts and former intelligence officials said. U.S. officials said that if the Israelis knew an attack was imminent, they did not share it with Washington. The additional intelligence to Israel could include information gathered from drones, eavesdropping and satellites, but the officials did not elaborate. Not since 1973 has there been such a catastrophic intelligence failure in Israel," said Marc Polymeropoulous, who worked for 26 years for the CIA, where he specialized in counterterrorism, the Middle East and South Asia.

Persons: Marc Polymeropoulous Organizations: NBC News ., U.S, CIA Locations: Israel, Washington, U.S, Egypt, Syria, East, South Asia

Siamak Namazi, left, a U.S. citizen who has been held prisoner in Iran for nearly eight years, with his father, Baquer Namazi. The U.S. government has identified three American citizens held in Iran — Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz. NBC News first reported on the prisoner exchange negotiations in February. The families of the Americans held in Iran say their loved ones are "hostages" taken captive on false charges and used as bargaining chips by the government. And Siamak Namazi has been held prisoner in Iran for nearly eight years, longer than any of the other current American detainees.

Persons: Siamak Namazi, Baquer Namazi, Barack Obama, Emad, Shahab Dalili, Jared Genser, Namazi, Joe Biden, Obama, Biden, Donald Trump, Tahbaz, Shargi, Baquer, Robert Levinson, Levinson, Bob Levinson Organizations: NBC, Administration, NBC News, International Atomic Energy Agency, U.S, Congress, British, Tufts, Rutgers, FBI, CIA Locations: U.S, Iran, Tehran, Washington, Qatar, South Korea, United States, Israel, Iranian American, Iranian, Iran's

☆ China unlikely to play peacemaker role in Ukraine war, Western officials and experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-13 | by ( Dan De Luce | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A Ukrainian soldier controls a drone at a training camp during the Russia-Ukraine war in Donetsk, Ukraine, on May 11, 2023. The Biden administration and U.S. allies doubt China can play a decisive role in bringing an end to the war in Ukraine, given Beijing's tendency to play it safe in the diplomatic arena and its reluctance to alienate Russia, Western diplomats and former U.S. officials say. "I think they're appropriately skeptical of the role that China might actually play," Medeiros said. "And I have to say, until recently, it was very unclear whether China accepted that basic principle. China's position on the Ukraine conflict "is consistent and clear," said Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington.

A different report containing classified material will be shared with members of Congress, which comes in response to requests from congressional committees, the White House said. "President Biden's choices for how to execute a withdrawal from Afghanistan were severely constrained by conditions created by his predecessor," the report said. But the Trump administration "provided no plans for how to conduct the final withdrawal or to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies," the White House said. "No agency predicted a Taliban takeover in nine days," Kirby told reporters at the White House press briefing. Many critics of the withdrawal — including lawmakers from both parties — faulted the Biden administration for how it handled the pullout.

☆ How many Chinese spy balloons did we miss and when did they start flying above the U.S.?
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-17 | by ( Dan De Luce | Ken Dilanian | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

There are currently five known Chinese balloon flights into U.S. territory, including two during the Biden administration and three during Donald Trump's presidency, according to the Biden administration's public statement. The congressman said he expected more Chinese balloon flights to be identified. Other countries are also examining whether Chinese balloon flights over their territory went undetected. British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said his government will review the country's security in light of the Chinese balloon flight over the U.S.Australia was not aware of any Chinese surveillance balloons flying over its territory, an Australian official said. It remains unclear if new information could indicate that those balloon sightings were in fact Chinese surveillance airships.

On energy, the ministry has “completely overhauled the previous government’s Russia-friendly policy” to reduce Germany’s dependence on Russian natural gas, it said. “That tells you something.”Germany consistently underestimated the Russian threat and gave counterintelligence work a low priority, but that is changing now in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, experts and Western officials said. Last April, Berlin expelled 40 Russian Embassy employees for allegedly working for Russian intelligence services. Germany’s intelligence services failed to anticipate that Russia would invade Ukraine, a failure that has yet to be the subject of any publicly released “lessons learned” review. Such a review would show Germany is serious about altering its approach, the Western official said.

The U.S. government’s system for labeling and tracking classified documents appears to be broken, with potentially serious consequences for the country’s national security, lawmakers, former officials and scholars said Tuesday. Democratic and Republican lawmakers said there was a “systemic failure” if both the Obama and Trump administrations could not keep track of classified documents after their tenures ended. I don’t know how anybody ends up with classified documents. “We clearly don’t have an effective management system to oversee where classified documents go and how they’re retrieved,” said Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah. Goitein and others said the recent discoveries of classified documents present a political opportunity for the White House, and possibly Congress, to at last tackle the problem.

Zelenskyy has called the Russian attacks on infrastructure “energy terrorism” and vowed the assault won’t change the course of the war. People sit in a dark cafe during a blackout after Russian strikes Dec. 29 in Lviv, Ukraine. Company officials believe Russian engineers who know the vulnerable points in Ukraine’s electricity system most likely advised the Russian military on its targeting. Water and cellphonesThe attack on the country’s electricity grid has had a knock-on effect for other infrastructure, including water supplies and mobile phone service. Although the assault on Ukraine’s infrastructure hasn’t damaged Ukraine’s position on the battlefield or broken the country’s will to fight, it has inflicted “huge damage” on the economy, he said.

☆ West must ramp up aid to Ukraine to keep war with Russia from becoming a stalemate, U.K. foreign secretary says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-18 | by ( Dan De Luce | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Abigail-Williams-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The West needs to ramp up military assistance to Ukraine to ensure the war with Russia does not turn into a bloody, open-ended stalemate, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said Tuesday during a visit to Washington. The United Kingdom also said it would provide more heavy artillery and ammunition to help Ukraine roll back Russian forces from its territory. “The U.K. has been very much on the front foot” in its security assistance to Ukraine, Cleverly said. He stopped short of urging the U.S., Germany or other governments also to supply Ukraine with new tanks or other more advanced weapons. Germany has faced growing calls to send its Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine and to allow other countries that have Leopards to provide Kyiv with them.

☆ American imprisoned in Iran for seven years launches hunger strike, asks Biden to secure release of Americans held in Iran
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-16 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

An American imprisoned in Iran for seven years launched a hunger strike Monday to protest his “soul crushing” plight and that of other Americans held in Iran, appealing to President Joe Biden to take action to secure their release. “Yet seven years and two presidents later, I remain caged in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison.”Namazi accused former presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump of having failed him and criticized Biden for not meeting face-to-face with the families of Americans imprisoned in Iran. “In the past I implored you to reach for your moral compass and find the resolve to bring the U.S. hostages in Iran home. His elderly father, Baquer Namazi, was imprisoned in 2016 after having traveled to Iran to try to help his son. Two other U.S. citizens are imprisoned in Iran, Morad Tahbaz and Emad Sharghi, as well as an unknown number of permanent U.S. legal residents, including Shahab Dalili.

☆ Pentagon receives more than 350 new reports of UFO sightings
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A classified version of the report was submitted to lawmakers, as mandated by a defense spending bill passed by the last Congress. Following demands from Congress, the top intelligence agency released its first report on UFOs in 2021, which looked at 144 reported cases. Officials found no evidence that the reported sightings indicated signs of extraterrestrial life or new breakthrough aircraft or weapons by foreign adversaries. Although the report cited no evidence that UFO sightings could be linked to foreign adversaries, government agencies “will continue to investigate any evidence of possible foreign government involvement in UAP events." The Pentagon last year set up an office to document and analyze UFO reports.

☆ Veterans accuse Congress of abandoning Afghan allies after help for refugees is left out of spending bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Dan De Luce | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Julie-Tsirkin-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Refugee advocates and veterans accused Congress of abandoning Afghans who fled to the U.S. after a bill designed to resolve the legal status of tens of thousands of Afghan refugees was left out of a year-end spending bill. The Afghan refugees were granted a two-year temporary “humanitarian parole,” which has left them in legal limbo and unable to work. The bill would have granted Afghan refugees a pathway to permanent legal residency before their parole expires. To address concerns raised by some Republican lawmakers, sponsors of the bill added language to ensure the Afghan refugees undergo thorough security vetting by U.S. authorities. But the proposal failed to win support from 10 Republican senators needed to add it to the omnibus spending package.

☆ A Biden admin official recently told members of Congress Ukraine has the military capability to take back Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Carol-Lee-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Carol E. Lee | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

The late November Ukraine briefing to some members of Congress included discussion of the reasons Ukraine will continue to need U.S. weapons and equipment for the foreseeable future. Administration officials say they believe three recent deadly drone strikes against Russian military bases were carried out by Ukrainians, although they say it’s still not clear whether the Zelenskyy government ordered them directly. Senior U.S. military officers and Western governments say Ukraine has shown ingenuity and grit in fighting a larger, better-armed military and quickly incorporated new weapons systems provided by NATO members. If Ukraine made more advances against Russian forces in eastern and southern Ukraine, it could be better placed to eventually strike at Crimea, experts and a U.S. official said. In October, Ukraine indirectly claimed credit for damaging the Kerch Bridge in eastern Crimea, which connects it to mainland Russia.

☆ Daughters of Americans imprisoned in Iran appeal to Biden for action
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The daughters of two Iranian Americans imprisoned in Iran for more than four years appealed for a face-to-face meeting with President Joe Biden and called on him to take the tough decisions necessary to bring their fathers home. Morad Tahbaz has been imprisoned in Iran since 2018. It is his duty to bring Americans home who are wrongfully detained,” Tahbaz said. She said Biden was committed to securing the release of Americans wrongfully detained overseas. The third American held in Iran, Siamak Namazi, has been imprisoned for seven years.

☆ U.S. blacklists Chinese firm selling video surveillance tech to Iran
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

“The Chinese Communist Party is weaponizing technology companies to further its geopolitical goals,” Rubio said in an email. Human rights advocates and lawmakers are concerned Iranian authorities could use Tiandy’s video surveillance technology to help squelch a wave of anti-regime protests in the country. The Biden administration last month effectively banned the sale or import of new equipment from a number of Chinese surveillance firms. China has strongly rejected U.S. criticism of Chinese tech companies and of its treatment of Uyghurs or other Muslim minorities in the country. But he said it was “absurd” to portray Chinese technology as a security threat.

☆ Iran ousted from U.N. women's rights commission amid crackdown and executions
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Dan De Luce | Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Abigail-Williams-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Eight members voted against the resolution and 16 abstained. “The commission is the premier U.N. body for promoting gender equality and empowering women,” she said. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, during a meeting to remove his country from membership in the Commission on the Status of Women on Wednesday. Yuki Iwamura / AFP - Getty ImagesIran, which ranks 143rd among 146 countries in the World Economic Forum's global gender gap index, was voted onto the commission by secret ballot. The vote to oust Iran from the commission came days after the country carried out a second known execution of a prisoner detained and convicted amid the nationwide protests challenging the country’s theocracy.

☆ U.S. intel chief says Russia is using up ammunition in Ukraine faster than it can replace it
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-04 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

Russian forces in Ukraine are burning through ammunition faster than the country’s defense industry can replace it, U.S. National Intelligence Director Avril Haines said Saturday. Asked how fast Russia was using up ammunition, Haines said: “I don’t think I can give you precise numbers in this forum. Echoing previous statements from Biden administration officials, Haines said that Russia was using up precision munitions even faster than its conventional ammunition. The Biden administration previously said Russia has turned to North Korea to secure more supplies of artillery ammunition. Russian President Vladimir Putin was “surprised” at his military’s disappointing performance after its invasion of Ukraine in February, according to Haines.

☆ Chinese firm selling surveillance tech to Iran comes under scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +11 min

Tiandy is one of several Chinese companies at the center of China’s vast domestic surveillance network, experts and human rights advocates say. A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, Liu Pengyu, said the embassy could not speak on behalf of Chinese private companies. Last week, the Biden administration effectively banned the sale or import of new equipment from a number of Chinese surveillance firms but Tiandy Technologies was not named. Maya Wang, senior China researcher at Human Rights Watch, said Chinese surveillance technology tends to be less expensive and more attractive for some authoritarian governments. Like other video technology companies in China, Tiandy’s software includes an ethnicity tracking tool that supposedly can digitally identify someone’s race.

☆ Political bad blood between U.S. and Iran dominates run-up to World Cup showdown
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +6 min

The politics of anti-regime protests are dominating the run-up to a World Cup showdown between the U.S. and Iran, with coaches and players fielding politically charged questions before Tuesday’s match. I’m a soccer coach.” He also was asked for his thoughts about the U.S. military’s presence in the Persian Gulf. The protests at home have followed Iran’s soccer team throughout the World Cup, which began Nov. 20 in Qatar. At some of the games, Qatari police have confiscated T-shirts or signs supporting the protests in Iran. More recently, a prominent former soccer player in Iran, Voria Ghafouri, was arrested after he endorsed the protests, according to Iranian state-linked media.

☆ Iran expands uranium enrichment at underground nuclear site amid violent crackdown on protesters
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-22 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Iran has started expanding uranium enrichment to 60 percent purity at an underground site in Fordow days after foreign governments accused Tehran of failing to cooperate with a U.N. investigation into its past nuclear work. Iran last year already embarked on enrichment up to 60 percent elsewhere at an above ground site in Natanz. The 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. It imposed limits on Iran’s nuclear program in return for an easing of U.S. and international sanctions on Iran. As Iran defied the provisions of the 2015 nuclear deal, it faced renewed international criticism over its response to a wave of anti-regime protests that erupted in September.

☆ Iranian activists say fire set at ancestral home of late leader Ayatollah Khomeini
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Iranian activists say protesters set a fire at the ancestral home of the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the latest in a series of taboo-breaking acts in a wave of protests rocking the country. Protests continued across the country on Friday as funerals were held for young Iranians that activists say were killed by security forces, according to human rights groups. His family says he was killed by police, but Iranian authorities denied it and say the boy was shot by terrorists. Human rights groups based abroad say more than 300 Iranians have been killed in the protests. Iranian leaders have blamed the protests, which they refer to as “riots,” on foreign enemies, citing Saudi Arabia and the U.S.

☆ Iran plotted to kidnap or kill at least 10 people in the U.K., British domestic spy chief says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Dan De Luce | Dan De Luce Is A Reporter For The Nbc News Investigative Unit. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

Iran has plotted to kidnap or kill at least 10 British nationals or U.K.-based individuals perceived as enemies of the regime this year, Britain’s domestic spy chief said Wednesday. Iran’s “aggressive intelligence services” are prepared to take reckless action and pose a direct threat to Britain, McCallum said. “At its sharpest this includes ambitions to kidnap or even kill British or U.K.-based individuals perceived as enemies of the regime. The MI5 chief also outlined other threats to the U.K., citing Russia and China in particular. “The Chinese authorities use all the means at their disposal to monitor — and where they deem necessary intimidate — the Chinese diaspora.

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