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Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images/FILEThe Iran factor“Hamas acquires its weapons through smuggling or local construction and receives some military support from Iran,” the CIA’s World Factbook says. Video Ad Feedback Retired general explains why he thinks Iran helped support Hamas attacks 01:08 - Source: CNNBut Iran has been a mentor, too, analysts say. A senior Hamas official based in Lebanon gave details of the Hamas’ weapons manufacturing in an edited interview with Russia Today’s Arabic-news channel RTArabic published on their website on Sunday. And Tehran keeps the training of Hamas’ weapons makers current, he added. Gaza has none of the heavy industry that would support weapons production in most of the world.
Persons: It’s, , Said Khatib, , Bilal Saab, Daniel Byman, Charles Lister, Byman, , ” Ali Baraka, Mahmud Hams, Lister, ” Lister, Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, what’s, Alkhatib, Aaron Pilkington, Baraka, ” Pilkington Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Brigades, Getty, , Defense and Security, Middle East Institute, Transnational, Center for Strategic, International Studies, MEI, CSIS, Hamas National Relations, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hamas ’, CIA, Washington Institute for Near, Fikra, US Air Force, Middle, University of Denver Locations: Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Palestinian, AFP, Iran, Islamic Republic, Hamas, Washington, “ Iran, Lebanon, Russia, Kalashnikovs, Tehran, Iran’s, Saudi
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
Some are likening Saturday's attack on Israel by Hamas to the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US. The timing of the attack on Saturday morning "was a shock," Aisenberg told Insider on Sunday night from her home. Up and down the country, Israelis were angered by the lapses that enabled Hamas to evade the eyes of Jerusalem's military and intelligence services, Quinn added, calling the failures "incomprehensible." AdvertisementAdvertisementThere, close to the Gaza border, Aisenberg's mother- and father-in-law spent much of Saturday afternoon hiding in their home as Hamas fighters infiltrated their small town and wreaked havoc. 'We cannot afford to be divided'As the fighting continues, Aisenberg said Israelis are determined to prevail against Hamas and Hezbollah.
Persons: , Aisenberg, they'd, — Aisenberg, I'm, Ian Bremmer, Jessica Cohen, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Iron, Netanyahu, Kenneth Quinn, who's, Quinn, Be'er Sheva, he'd, Quinn's, Cohen, Gilad Peretz, Mark, she'll Organizations: Service, Eurasia Group, Israel, West Bank, Street, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Palestinian Health Ministry, Soroka Hospital, Audi Locations: Israel, Tel Aviv, Israel's, United States, Gaza, Sderot, Pearl, Hawaii, Long Island , New York, Al, Aqsa, Jerusalem, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Iran, Afghanistan — Israel, New York, Be'er, Nova, revel, Lebanon
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
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
NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. US Navy photoAn undated still image released on Oct. 6 from video taken by an Arabian Fox MAST-13 unmanned surface vessel of an Iranian Navy AB-212 helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz. AdvertisementAdvertisementOther images from the September operation that were released by the US Navy on Friday showed an IRGCN warship and an Iranian Navy frigate. An L3Harris Arabian Fox MAST-13 unmanned surface vessel sails in the Arabian Gulf, Jan. 22, during exercise Neon Defender 23. US Navy photoA MARTAC T-38 Devil Ray unmanned surface vessel operates in the Gulf of Aqaba, Mar.
Persons: , NAVCENT, Joe Baggett, Ray USV, Brad Cooper, Cooper, Arleigh Burke, Alexus, Grynkewich, they'll Organizations: US Navy, Navy, Service, Washington, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, US Naval Forces Central Command, Iranian, Fleet, Iranian Navy, Arabian Fox, US Marines, Coast Guard, Pentagon, Bataan, Ready, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, US Air Forces Central Command, Defense Writers Locations: Tehran, Hormuz, Persian, Gulf of Oman, Iran, Arabian, Panama, Strait, Iranian Navy, Iranian, NAVCENT, Gulf, Aqaba, Mar
US Central Command has already transferred over one million rounds of seized Iranian ammunition to the Ukrainian armed forces, it announced on Wednesday. The Biden administration has for months been weighing how to legally send the seized weapons, which are stored in CENTCOM facilities across the Middle East, to the Ukrainians. Over the past year, the US Navy has seized thousands of Iranian assault rifles and more than one million rounds of ammunition from vessels used by Iran to ship weapons to Yemen. The Justice Department has filed at least two forfeiture complaints against seized Iranian ammunition and weapons this year. “There is poetic justice in Ukraine utilizing seized Iranian weapons to defend its people against Russia’s criminal invasion and abuses.
Persons: CENTCOM, MARWAN, Biden, , Jonathan Lord, Lord, ” Lord Organizations: CNN, US Central Command, Department of, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Justice Department, US Navy, U.S . Central Command, United Nations Security, Central Command, The, DOJ, Center, New, New American Security, Locations: Ukraine, Ukrainian, Iran, Yemen, , New American, Russia, Moscow, Tehran,
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
[1/3] Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with commanders and a group of members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Tehran, Iran August 17, 2023. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsDUBAI, Oct 3 (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that countries seeking to normalise relations with Israel "are betting on a losing horse", state media reported on Tuesday. Khamenei did not identify the countries, but expectations that Israel might normalize ties with Iran's regional rival Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam's two holiest shrines, have been ratcheted up this month. "The definite position of the Islamic Republic is that countries that make the gamble of normalisation with Israel will lose. Four Arab states have formalised ties with Israel in pacts known as the Abraham Accords -- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.
Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Benjamin Netanyahu, Iran hasn't, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Israel, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Abraham, Alex Richardson, William Maclean Organizations: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Iran's, Israel's, Abraham Accords, Saudi, MbS, U.S, United Arab, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran, Rights DUBAI, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Islamic Republic, Israeli, Saudi, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, Morocco
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
U.S.-Iran relations from 1953 coup to 2023 detainee swap deal
  + stars: | 2023-09-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com   time to read: +4 min
1980 - The U.S. cuts diplomatic ties with Iran, seizes Iranian assets and bans most trade with Tehran. U.S. officials accuse Tehran of operating secret nuclear weapons program. 2013 - Hassan Rouhani is elected Iran’s president on a platform of improving Iran’s relations with the world and its economy. In September, Saudi Arabia’s state-run oil company is attacked by drones and missiles believed to be from Iran; Tehran denies involvement. 2023 - In August, Iran and the United States agree a swap of detainees and the unfreezing of $6 billion of Iranian assets in South Korea.
Persons: Dado Ruvic, Mohammed Mossadegh, Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, Ruhollah Khomeini, Jimmy Carter, Carter, Ronald Reagan, Reagan, George W, Bush, Barack Obama, Hassan Rouhani, Donald Trump, Qassem Soleimani, Ebrahim Raisi, Arshad Mohammed, Michael Georgy, Parisa, Samia Nakhoul, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Central Intelligence, CIA, U.S, Embassy, Hostage, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Thomson Locations: Rights DUBAI, United States, Iran, South Korea, Qatar, U.S, Tehran, Iraq, North Korea, Britain, France, United, Fordow, Saudi Arabia’s, Baghdad, Vienna, Washington
Demonstrators at a Freedom Rally for Iran, protesting in support of Iranian women and against the death of Mahsa (Zhina) Amini, outside City Hall in Los Angeles, California, U.S., October 1, 2022. Amini, 22, died on Sept. 16 last year after being arrested for allegedly flouting the Islamic Republic's mandatory dress code. Her death sparked months of anti-government protests that marked the biggest show of opposition to Iranian authorities in years. The U.S. States and Britain, along with the European Union, have announced multiple rounds of sanctions against Iran, citing the widespread and often violent crackdown on protests after the death of Amini. The sanctions target LEF spokesperson Saeed Montazerolmehdi, multiple LEF and IRGC commanders, and Iran’s Prisons Organization chief Gholamali Mohammadi.
Persons: Bing Guan, Mahsa Amini, Antony Blinken, Saeed Montazerolmehdi, Gholamali Mohammadi, Alireza Abedinejad, Brian Nelson, Rami Ayyub, Susan Heavey, Daphne Psaledakis, Chizu Nomiyama, Marguerita Choy Organizations: Hall, REUTERS, Rights, European Union, Iran, Police, U.S . Treasury Department, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Enforcement Forces, Iran's Prisons, Iran’s Prisons Organization, Douran Software, Press, Tasnim News Agency, Terrorism, Financial Intelligence, Thomson Locations: Iran, Los Angeles , California, U.S, Britain, States, Iran’s, Canada, Australia, Fars, United States, Tehran
CNN —The US government seized nearly 1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil allegedly bound for China, according to newly unsealed court documents and a statement released by the Department of Justice on Friday. “This is the first-ever criminal resolution involving a company that violated sanctions by facilitating the illicit sale and transport of Iranian oil,” according to the DOJ. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a US-designated foreign terrorist organization, allegedly shipped more than 980,000 barrels of oil, the press release stated. The IRCG was fined almost $2.5 million and was sentenced to three years of corporate probation. CNN has reached out to Empire Navigation for comment.
Persons: Iran’s IRGC, Force ”, Organizations: CNN, Department of Justice, DOJ, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Force, Emergency Economic, Suez Rajan, Navigation Locations: China, Suez, United States
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
Another US foe just revealed a drone that looks very similar to the American MQ-9 Reaper. One of the missiles is named after Qasem Soleimani, the former chief of the IRGC's elite Quds Force who was killed in a 2020 US military Reaper drone strike. AdvertisementAdvertisementWell-armed and tested in combat, the powerful Reaper drone has operational experience around the world. An MQ-9 Reaper drone on San Clemente Island in California on June 23. Iran and North Korea have cooperated in the past on various military issues, including the development of long-range missiles.
Persons: Israel —, , IRNA, Ebrahim Raisi, Qasem Soleimani, Joseph Pagan Iran's, Kim Jong Un, Vann Van Diepen, Vladimir Putin's Organizations: American, Service, Islamic Republic News Agency, country's, Industry, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Quds Force, — IRNA News Agency, Islamic, Kremlin, US, US Air National Guard, Staff, North, North Korean, Korean Central News Agency, Korea News Service, US State Department, Stimson Locations: Iran, Korean, Wall, Silicon, Tehran, Russia, Ukraine, American, Russian, Islamic State, Clemente Island, California, North Korea, Pyongyang, Korea, Moscow
More than 50 IRGCN and Iranian Navy personnel were killed, while the US lost one SeaCobra helicopter and its two crew members. After all, Iran has made significant changes to its naval forces and tactics over the past 35 years, becoming "much more asymmetric," according to Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and expert on naval operations. Iran's naval force now consists of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, known as the IRGCN, and the regular Iranian Navy, Clark told Insider. The Iranian Navy still primarily consists of frigates and corvettes, which operate outside the Gulf, and is much more like other conventional navies. Iranian Navy warship Sahand in Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz in April 2019.
Persons: Biden, Earnest Will, Chance, Samuel B, Roberts, Bryan Clark, Clark, Nadimi, Abu Musa Island, IRGC, Morteza, Kyle Jia Iran's, weren't, Paul Iddon Organizations: Service, US Navy, US, Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, US Naval Forces Central Command, Fleet, SS, Iranian Navy, Hudson Institute, Washington Institute for Near East, Iran's Navy, REUTERS, Getty, US Marines, US Marine Corps Locations: Persian, Iran, Wall, Silicon, China, Marshall, Iranian, Gulf, Strait, Hormuz, Tehran, Iraq, SS Bridgeton, Abu Musa, Handout, Persian Gulf, Soviet Union, Lebanon, Bataan
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
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
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
Hypersonic missiles are those that can travel at a speed beyond Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound. Iran unveils its first hypersonic missile 06:13 - Source: CNNIsrael’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was quick to dismiss the potential threat posed to his country. Uzi Rubin, founder and former director of the Israel Missile Defense Organization at the Israeli defense ministry has no reason to believe the missile is not real and functional. Has Iran made it to the A-list among countries that can produce hypersonic missiles? Israel has several missile defense systems.
Persons: Jerusalem CNN — It’s, , Amir Ali Hajizadeh, Yoav Gallant, ” Iran’s, Uzi Rubin, it’s, Alex Vatanka, Iran’s, John Krzyzaniak, , , Rubin, Israel doesn’t, we’d Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Aerospace, CNN Israel’s, Israel Missile Defense Organization, CNN, Iran, , Middle East Institute, Wisconsin, Control, ISIS, United Arab Emirates, Patriot, Area Defense, UAE, Patriots, Iran’s Locations: Abu Dhabi, Jerusalem, Tehran, Tel Aviv, Israel, Iran, Washington ,, United States, Washington , DC, Syria, Iraq, Kurdish, East, Gaza, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Ukraine, Yemen, Gulf, Islamic Republic, Persian
Washington CNN —The Biden administration on Thursday imposed sanctions on Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officials accused of plotting assassinations abroad, including against former national security adviser John Bolton and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. “Ansari, with the support of Shahram Poursafi (Poursafi), an Iranian national, planned and attempted to assassinate two former U.S. government officials,” the Treasury Department said. Pompeo was also a target of the Iranian assassination plot, according to a federal law enforcement source familiar with the investigation and a source close to Pompeo. Seraj “has been involved in failed IRGC-IO operations in Asia and in intelligence operations targeting U.S. citizens,” it said. “Seraj previously led the IRGC-IO Special Operations Division, which is focused on special activity against Israel, where he was responsible for a series of failed operations targeting Israeli nationals,” it added.
Persons: Washington CNN —, Biden, John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, Mohammad Reza Ansari, “ Ansari, Shahram, Poursafi, Bolton, Bush, Qasem Soleimani, Pompeo, Hossein Hafez Amini, , Rey Havacilik, Sirketi, – Rouhallah Bazghandi, Reza Seraj, Bazghandi “, ” “ Bazghandi, Seraj “, “ Seraj, Brian Nelson, Organizations: Washington CNN, Islamic Revolutionary Guard, Force, US Treasury Department, Treasury Department, US Justice Department, Trump, Turkish, Rey, Rey Airlines, IRGC Intelligence Organization, Division, Treasury, Terrorism, Financial Locations: United States, East, Europe, Africa, Iranian, Rey, Türkiye, Iraq, Syria, Istanbul, , Asia, Israel
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.
CNN —Iran smuggled weapons and military equipment into Syria using humanitarian aid shipments as a cover following a devastating earthquake there in February, two sources familiar with US intelligence and an Israeli defense official told CNN. Intelligence officials believe the weapons were destined for Iranian proxy groups in Syria, who have repeatedly attacked US military personnel stationed there as part of the anti-ISIS coalition. “The humanitarian assistance of Iran to Syria was used as an umbrella of moving weapons capabilities into the region,” the Israeli defense official said. Reuters earlier reported that regional and western officials believed Iran was smuggling the weapons under the guise of earthquake relief. Foreign aid poured into Syria and Turkey after February’s earthquake, which killed more than 50,000 people.
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.
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