DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ American forces in the Middle East are constantly under attack, but they aren't really retaliating. Here's why the US holds its fire.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Iran-backed groups have launched dozens of attacks on US forces in Iraq and Syria since October 17. Middle East security experts say there are a number of reasons why the US is holding its fire. Attacks on US forces by Iran-backed groups in the region are not a new phenomenon. The Pentagon has only publicly confirmed a single incident of retaliation against the Iran-backed militias. Right now, US officials stress that deterrence — signaled by the massive movement of American combat power into the region — is working, and the Iran-backed attacks on American forces have been unsuccessful.

Persons: there's, —, Jonathan Lord, Joe Biden's, Biden, Thaier, Sabrina Singh, What's, Lloyd Austin, Singh, it's, you've, we'd, Michael Knights, Baderkhan Ahmad, Weirdly, we're, Knights, doesn't, Washington isn't, Antony Blinken, Mohammed Shia, Al Sudani, Jonathan Ernst, Lord Organizations: Service, Pentagon, US Central Command, Hamas, Israel, US, Washington Institute for Near East, Institute for, REUTERS, Defense, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Militia, Washington Institute, Syrian Democratic Forces, AP, Knights, Middle East Security, Center, New, New American Security, Islamic, ISIS Locations: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Israel, Washington, Gaza, Baghdad, East, Deir Ezzor, Yemen, Iranian, New American, Islamic State

☆ Israel's missile ships are joining US combat power in the Red Sea as more Iran-backed militants fire weapons its way
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Israel said it deployed missile ships to the Red Sea, where they'll join US Navy vessels in the area. AdvertisementAdvertisementAfter a series of attacks from Iran-backed militants, Israel has deployed several ships capable of launching missiles to the Red Sea, where they will join US Navy vessels already there. The IDF said "all aerial threats were intercepted outside of Israeli territory," with some of them downed by Israeli fighter jets around the Red Sea to the south. Israel Defense ForcesIsraeli Navy ship in the Red Sea. US Missile Defense AgencyThe Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) transits the Suez Canal, Oct. 18.

Persons: Israel, they'll, —, Yemen's, Carney, Arleigh Burke, we've, Pat Ryder, Aaron Lau, Hezbollah —, Lloyd Austin Organizations: US Navy, Service, Navy, Israel Defense Forces, US, IDF, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces Israeli Navy, IAF, Aerial Defense, Pentagon, Air Force, Interceptor, US Missile Defense Agency, Hezbollah, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, U.S Locations: Yemen, Israel, Iran, Israeli, Israel's, Eilat, Red Sea, Red, Suez, Saudi, Tehran, Iraq, Syria

☆ Iran does not want Israel-Hamas conflict to spread, foreign minister says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian speaks to an emergency special session of the United Nations General Assembly on the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas at U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., October 26, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsWASHINGTON, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Sunday said Iran does not want war to "spread out" following the Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian militants of Hamas on Israel that killed at least 1,400 people, mostly civilians. "We don't want this war to spread out," Amirabdollahian said during an appearance on CNN. Amirabdollahian on Sunday dismissed claims directly connecting Iran to the attacks, calling them "baseless." Amirabdollahian said linking Iran to any attack in the region, if U.S. interests are targeted, without providing proof, is "totally wrong."

Persons: Hossein Amirabdollahian, Mike Segar, Amirabdollahian, Al, Antony Blinken, Jasper Ward, Marguerita Choy, Grant McCool Organizations: Iranian, United Nations General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, Palestinian, Hamas, CNN, United, United Nations, Pentagon, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Thomson Locations: Israel, U.N, New York City, U.S, Iran, Gaza, Palestine, Al Aqsa, Iraq, Syria, United States, Washington

As tensions soar over the Israel-Hamas conflict, U.S. and coalition troops have been attacked at least 19 times in Iraq and in Syria by Iran-backed forces in the past week. The targets were weapons and munitions storage facilities, the official added, speaking late on Thursday to reporters in Washington. The United States has occasionally carried out retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed forces in the region after they attack American forces. In March, the U.S. military carried out multiple air strikes in Syria against Iran-aligned groups that it blamed for a drone attack that killed an American contractor. There is growing concern that the Israel-Hamas conflict could spread through the Middle East and turn U.S. troops at isolated bases into targets.

Persons: Defense Lloyd Austin III, Olivier Matthys, Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden, Austin, Abu Kamal, Biden, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Asad, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Jamie Freed, Michael Perry Organizations: Defense, Ukraine Defense Contact, NATO Defense, Rights, U.S, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Pentagon, . Defense, United, Iranian, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Brussels, Belgium, Syria, Iraq, Israel, U.S, Iran, Iranian, Syrian, Washington, United States, Tehran, State, East, Yemen

SINGAPORE, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Oil prices rose by over $1 on Friday as reports that the U.S military struck Iranian targets in Syria raised concerns of a widening of the Israel-Hamas conflict that could impact supply from the key Middle East producing region. Though the strike did not directly impact supply, it increases fears that the conflict in the Gaza Strip between Israel, backed by the U.S., and Hamas may spread and disrupt supply from major crude producer Iran, which backs Hamas. A wider war could also impact shipments from Saudi Arabia, the world's largest oil exporter, and other large producers in the Gulf. Both Brent and WTI are on track to post their first weekly drop in three weeks as the geopolitical premium built on these fears has ebbed as there has been no disruption of oil supply outside of the immediate region of the fighting. Israeli forces carried out their biggest Gaza ground attack in their 20-day-old war with Hamas overnight, angering the Arab world.

Persons: Brent, WTI, Kelvin Yew, Benjamin Netanyahu, Helima Croft, Goldman Sachs, Florence Tan, Sam Holmes, Christian Organizations: U.S, Brent, U.S . West Texas Intermediate, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Pentagon, Ocean, Investments, RBC Capital, Thomson Locations: SINGAPORE, Syria, Israel, U.S, Iraq, Gaza, Iran, Saudi Arabia, United States, Hormuz, Russia

☆ US Strikes Iranian Targets in Syria -Pentagon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

The targets were weapons and munitions storage facilities, the official added, speaking late on Thursday to reporters in Washington. The United States has occasionally carried out retaliatory strikes against Iranian-backed forces in the region after they attack American forces. In March, the U.S. military carried out multiple air strikes in Syria against Iran-aligned groups that it blamed for a drone attack that killed an American contractor. There is growing concern that the Israel-Hamas conflict could spread through the Middle East and turn U.S. troops at isolated bases into targets. The United States did not coordinate the strikes with Israel, the official added.

Persons: Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart WASHINGTON, Lloyd Austin, Joe Biden, Austin, Abu Kamal, Biden, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Asad, Phil Stewart, Jamie Freed, Michael Perry Organizations: U.S, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Pentagon, . Defense, United, Iranian, Reuters Locations: Syria, Iraq, Israel, U.S, Iran, Iranian, Syrian, Washington, United States, Tehran, State, East, Yemen

☆ The US will likely 'go to war' in Israel with air and naval power if Syria or Iran become actively involved, retired 4-star general says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US will probably go to war in Israel if other countries get involved, a retired general said. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe US is likely to directly intervene with air and naval strikes if Israel's existence is threatened, Ret. "I would suggest to you our support of Israel will be absolute, and if we see Syrian military intervention, active Iranian military intervention, we'll go to war," McCaffrey added. However, it's unlikely that the US would send troops into Israel, given the Israel Defense Forces' own ground capabilities, McCaffrey added. They want to make sure that the Syrian military and Hezbollah don't enter this fray," he said.

Persons: Ret, Barry McCaffrey, —, Alex Witt, McCaffrey, we'll, Biden, Antony Blinken, Israel Organizations: Service, US Army, West Bank, Israel, Israel Defense Forces, Palestinian Health Ministry, Reuters, US, US Southern Command, MSNBC, Syrian, US State Department and Defense Department, Street, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Saturday Locations: Israel, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, West, Gaza, America

☆ US to send F-35 and F-15 jets to the Middle East to deter expansion of fighting beyond Israel's borders
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The US is sending squadrons of advanced fighter jets to prevent the war in Israel from escalating. US Air Force F-35, F-15, F-16, and A-10 jets will deploy in the region in a "deterrence posture." The US is also sending an advanced carrier and heavily armed strike group to Israel's coast. The jets will be deployed in addition to the US sending its most advanced aircraft carrier and heavily armed strike group to Israel's coast. The squadrons will be tasked with deterring the expansion of the war and preventing any potential Iranian aggression in the fighting.

Persons: —, Lloyd J, Austin III, Secretary Austin, Austin Organizations: US Air Force, Service, Israeli Defense Forces, Palestinian Health Ministry, West Bank, CNN, of Defense, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Lebanese, Hezbollah, Department of Defense Locations: Israel, Israel's, Palestinian, Iran

☆ Iranian officials spent weeks helping Hamas plan its attack on Israel, WSJ reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Wall Street Journal reported that Iranian officials co-created plans for Hamas' attack on Israel. Israeli authorities say 700 people have been killed and 1,500 wounded by Hamas strikes this weekend. Hamas and Hezbollah have vowed to fight for Israel's destruction, per the Journal, with Hezbollah leaders praising the attacks by Hamas. Israeli authorities say at least 700 people have been killed and 1,500 wounded by Hamas' strikes this weekend, with some taken hostage. The last significant escalation in the long-simmering conflict between Israel and Hamas was in 2014, leaving 2,200 Gaza residents dead.

Persons: —, IRGC, Mahmoud Abbas, Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: Street Journal, Palestinian Health Ministry, Service, Israel, Palestinian, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hamas, CNN, Israeli Defense Force, Lebanese, Hezbollah, Associated Press, West Bank, UN, Human Rights, The Washington Post Locations: Israel, Beirut, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Gaza, Israel's, —, South Africa, The

☆ The US sent Ukraine 1 million seized Iranian AK-47 rounds that gunrunners tried to smuggle on an old fishing boat
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-04 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The US seized Iranian ammunition from smugglers last year and has now sent it to Ukraine. Around 1.1 million rounds of 7.62mm ammo — for small arms — was delivered, the US military said. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe US government has sent Ukraine over 1 million rounds of Iranian small arms ammunition that was seized from weapons smugglers last year, the US military revealed on Wednesday. The US military previously considered sending seized Iranian weaponry to Kyiv, but Wednesday's announcement is the first official confirmation that it has done so. US Central Command, or CENTCOM, said Washington has already transferred approximately 1.1 million rounds of 7.62mm ammunition — which can be fired from AK-47s — on Monday.

Persons: —, Washington, CENTCOM, Biden, John Kirby, Sabrina Singh Organizations: Service, US Central Command, AK, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, United Nations Security, UN, Justice Department, CNN, MGM, Tactical Missile, NATO, National Security, Pentagon Locations: Ukraine, Iran, Russia, Moscow, Washington, Congress, Yemen, interdictions, Tehran, Saudi

☆ Iranian forces dangerously flashed a laser at a US Marine Corps attack helicopter
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Iranian naval ships repeatedly shined a laser at a US Marine Corps helicopter on Wednesday. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementAdvertisementIranian naval forces repeatedly flashed a laser at a US Marine Corps attack helicopter flying above Middle Eastern waters, the US Navy said on Thursday, as tensions between the two countries remain high across the region. This unsafe, unprofessional, and irresponsible behavior by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy risks US and partner nation lives and needs to cease immediately," Cmdr. "US naval forces remain vigilant and will continue to fly, sail and operate anywhere international law allows while promoting regional maritime security."

Persons: —, NAVCENT, It's, Cmdr, Rick Chernitzer, Trump, Michael Kurilla, Washington's, John Kirby, there's, Kirby Organizations: US Marine Corps, US Navy, Service, US Naval Forces Central Command, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Iran's Guard Corps, Pentagon, US Central Command, Bataan, Ready, Guard Corps, National Security Locations: Iran, Arabian, Bataan, Iraq, Syria, Tehran

Brent futures rose 76 cents, or 0.9%, to $90.68 a barrel by 12:08 p.m. EDT (1608 GMT). U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 67 cents, or 0.8%, to $87.54. Rising U.S. diesel also lent support to crude futures with heating oil prices up about 3% and on track for their highest close since January. Separately, the U.S. confirmed that it disrupted in April a multimillion-dollar shipment of crude oil by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, seizing more than 980,000 barrels of contraband crude oil that violated U.S. sanctions. Rate hikes can slow economic growth and reduce oil demand.

Persons: Nick Oxford, Brent, WTI, John Evans, Natalie Grover, Robert Harvey, Yuka Obayashi, Xu, Ros Russell, Jason Neely, Susan Fenton, David Gregorio Our Organizations: Midland , Texas U.S, REUTERS, U.S, . West Texas, U.S ., Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Thomson Locations: Midland , Texas, Saudi Arabia, Russia, CHINA, China, Hong Kong, Chevron's, Australia, Germany, U.S, Europe, Riyadh, London, Tokyo, Singapore

☆ America's foes are teaming up to push the US military out of the Middle East, and it's messing up plans to fight terror
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Russia and Iran are working together with Syria to ultimately push US forces out of the country. US officials and war experts say these efforts are hurting the international fight against ISIS. AP Photo/Baderkhan AhmadBoth Russia and Iran are allied with the brutal Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad. What are Russia, Iran, and Syria doing? In early July, a Russian fighter jet flew 18 close passes near American MQ-9 Reaper drones during a two-hour-long encounter.

Persons: Baderkhan Ahmad, Bashar al, Assad, Qassem Soleimani, Sabrina Singh, Singh Organizations: ISIS, Service, Islamic, Institute for, American Enterprise Institute, Syrian Democratic Forces, AP, Washington, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Force, Ukraine, American, Pentagon Locations: Russia, Iran, Syria, Wall, Silicon, Washington, Deir Ezzor, Moscow, Tehran, Iraq, Russian, Palmyra, Hasakah

☆ Iran boosts navy with missiles, drones as US offers guards for Gulf ships
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Naval... Read moreDUBAI, Aug 5 (Reuters) - Iran has equipped its Revolutionary Guards' navy with drones and 1,000-km (600-mile) range missiles, Iranian news agencies reported on Saturday, as the U.S. offers to put guards on commercial ships going through the Gulf's Strait of Hormuz. "Various types of drones ... and several hundred cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 300 to 1,000 km are among the systems and equipment that were added to the capabilities of the Guards' navy today," state news agency IRNA said. About a fifth of the world's crude oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Oman. Revolutionary Guards' Navy Commander Alireza Tangsiri told state TV that the new missiles had better precision as well as longer range. "The cruise missiles can attack several targets simultaneously and the commands can be altered after take-off."

Persons: IRNA, Washington, Alireza Tangsiri, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, United Arab, U.S . Navy, Naval, Read, Guards, Revolutionary Guards, Navy, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Panama, Hormuz, Dubai, Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, Arabian Gulf, DUBAI, Iran, Gulf's, Oman, Tehran

☆ Russia's fighter jets have gone from harassing US aircraft to actually breaking them as Moscow flexes its muscles where it still can
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +12 min

Russian fighter jets have harassed US military drones on numerous occasions throughout July. That incident is just one of several demonstrations of Russian aggression around US military drones this month. Russian military Su-34 and Su-35 aircraft employ flares in the flight path of a US MQ-9 aircraft on July 6, 2023 over Syria. A press officer who goes by callsign Damian looks at a destroyed Russian military vehicle in Novodarivka village, Zaporizhzhia Region, southeastern Ukraine. "These maneuvers, they are to some extent intended to demonstrate Russian military strength," which could appease the country's domestic audience.

Persons: Nicholas Lokker, Alexus Grynkewich, Sabrina Singh, Su, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Damian, Putin, Lokker, Assad, Äzzeddin Kasim, Paul Lushenko, Lushenko, Christopher Sommers, AFCENT Organizations: Kremlin, Service, Center, New, New American Security, Islamic, US Air Force, ISIS, US Air Forces Central Command, Pentagon, Donetsk Regions, US, Anadolu Agency, Getty, US Army, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Quds Force, 421st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron, U.S . Central Command Locations: Wall, Silicon, Syria, Russia, Russian, Ukraine, New American, Moscow, Syria . Washington, Islamic State, Washington, CNAS, Belarus, Novodarivka, Zaporizhzhia Region, Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian, Iran, Idlib, United States, Western

☆ US military to bolster defensive posture in Gulf after Iran seizes tankers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, May 12 (Reuters) - The U.S. military will work to bolster the defensive posture in the Gulf region following Iran's seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels in recent months, U.S. officials said on Friday. In the past two years, Iran has harassed, attacked or interfered with the navigational rights of 15 internationally flagged commercial vessels, officials said. "The Department of Defense will be making a series of moves to bolster our defensive posture in the Arabian Gulf," White House spokesperson John Kirby told a news briefing. The U.S. Navy said on May 3 the Panama-flagged oil tanker Niovi was seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy while passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Days earlier, Iran had seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.

☆ US Navy video shows a dozen Iranian fast-attack boats swarming an oil tanker in its latest maritime seizure
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A dozen Iranian attack boats seized an oil tanker crossing through Middle Eastern waters on Wednesday. The US Navy shared a video of the incident, which showed the boats swarm the vessel. The 1,100-foot-long Panama-flagged oil tanker Niovi departed Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and was on its way to the port city of Fujairah, when the incident unfolded at around 6:20 a.m. local time. On April 27, Iranian navy vessels intercepted the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Advantage Sweet as it was crossing international waters in the Gulf of Oman, a body of water that separates Oman from Iran. Panama-flagged oil tanker Niovi in the Strait of Hormuz.

☆ Iran seizes second oil tanker in a week in Gulf, US Navy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

DUBAI, May 3 (Reuters) - Iran has seized a second oil tanker in a week on Wednesday in Gulf waters, the U.S. Navy said, the latest escalation in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial vessels in Gulf waters since 2019. In Iran's first response, Tehran's prosecutor announced the oil tanker was seized on a judicial order following a complaint by a plaintiff, the judiciary's Mizan news agency said. The incident comes after Iran on Thursday seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman called the Advantage Sweet. The Niovi oil tanker seized on Wednesday had been travelling from Dubai toward the UAE's Fujairah port when it was forced by IRGCN boats to change course towards Iranian territorial waters, the Navy said. Since 2019, there have been a series of attacks on shipping in the strategic Gulf waters at times of tension between the United States and Iran.

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration on Thursday announced a first round of sanctions targeting Russia and Iran for engaging in hostage-taking and the wrongful detention of U.S. citizens abroad. The State Department has formally moved to declare Gershkovich's detention a wrongful one, which opens up additional resources to secure his release. The administration has identified at least two American citizens who are wrongfully detained in Russia and three in Iran, along with one legal permanent U.S. resident. One administration official said relevant families were briefed on the new sanctions ahead of Thursday's announcement. Since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine last February, Washington and its allies have imposed rounds of coordinated sanctions vaulting Russia past Iran and North Korea as the world's most-sanctioned country.

☆ Iran seizes Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in Gulf, U.S. Navy says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 27 (Reuters) - Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman in international waters on Thursday, the U.S. Navy said, the latest in a series of several seizures of commercial vessels in Gulf waters in the past couple of years. The navy said the seizure of the Advantage Sweet by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy disrupts regional security and stability and called on Tehran to immediately release the tanker. Iranian authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment by ReutersThe ship, a Suezmax oil tanker built in 2012, issued a distress call during the seizure, the navy statement said. The navy said Iran has in the past two years unlawfully seized at least five commercial vessels in the Middle East. Iran in November released two Greek-flagged tankers that it seized in the Gulf in May.

☆ The US and its allies are stuck in a violent cycle with Iran-backed militias who want blood but don't want to 'poke the bear'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

But even still, miscalculation is possible, and these deadly exchanges nearly sent the US and Iran to war just a few years ago. In response, two US Air Force F-15E fighter jets carried out airstrikes later that evening against IRGC Quds Force facilities in Syria, killing eight Iran-backed militants. Angel Ruszkiewicz"We do not seek conflict with Iran, we don't seek escalation with Iran," Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. "As soon as the Iranian special forces and their proxies showed up in Syria, the Israelis started hitting them. The next day, Iran-backed militias attacked US forces near Hasakah, killing the American contractor.

[1/2] Police officers stand amid the rubble of a damaged building at the site of a rocket attack in the Kafr Sousa neighbourhood of central Damascus, Syria, February 19, 2023. Its support for Damascus and the Lebanese group Hezbollah has drawn regular Israeli air strikes meant to curb Tehran's extraterritorial military power. A source close to the Syrian government with knowledge of Sunday's strike and its target said it hit a gathering of Syrian and Iranian technical experts in drone manufacturing, though he said no top-level Iranian was killed. "The strike hit the centre where they were meeting as well as an apartment in a residential building. On Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned what it described as attacks on "residential buildings in Damascus which killed and maimed innocent Syrian citizens".

☆ U.S. weighs sanctions for Chinese companies over Iran surveillance buildup - WSJ
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Feb 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. is considering new sanctions on Chinese surveillance companies over sales to Iran's security forces, the Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday citing people familiar with the matter. U.S. authorities are in advanced discussions on the sanctions and have zeroed in on Tiandy Technologies Co, an electrical equipment manufacturer based out of the Chinese city of Tianjin whose products have been sold to units of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the report added. Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Bengaluru; Editing by Alexandra HudsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ U.S. slaps restrictions on Chinese chipmaker and other companies over national security worries
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Kevin Breuninger | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Biden administration said Thursday it was "severely" restricting dozens of mostly Chinese organizations, including at least one chipmaker, over their efforts to use advanced technologies to help modernize China's military. The Bureau's latest action comes more than two months after the Biden administration imposed new curbs on China's access to advanced semiconductors. "I've long sounded the alarm on the grave national security and economic threats behind YMTC and other CCP-backed technology companies, like CXMT and SMIC," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement Thursday morning. "YMTC poses an immediate threat to our national security, so the Biden Administration needed to act swiftly to prevent YMTC from gaining even an inch of a military or economic advantage," Schumer said. Four more were added due to "their significant risk of becoming involved in activities that could have a negative impact" on U.S. national security of foreign policy, according to the release.

☆ Treasury sanctions firms, individuals involved in the transfer of drones from Iran to Russia in Ukraine war
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-15 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The Treasury Department announced new sanctions against three firms and two individuals involved in the production and transport of drones from Iran to Russia to aid in Russian President Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine. The sanctions come as the U.S. and its allies look to punish individuals and organizations supporting Russia's war efforts. In addition, the Treasury issued sanctions against two individuals — Abbas Djuma and Tigran Khristoforovich Srabionov — for facilitating Wagner Group's acquisition of drones. State Department spokesman Ned Price also said Russian officials received training on the UAVs in Iran. The U.S., Britain and France said Iran violated U.N. Security Council resolution 2231 by providing the weapons to Russia.

Search resuls for: "Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps"

25 mentions found