The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on nine people close to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, including his chief of staff, one of his sons and the head of the judiciary.
U.S.-Iran tensions escalated Monday as Tehran announced a doubling of its uranium enrichment activities in a calculated breach of the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and the Trump administration leveled a slate of fresh sanctions targeting an inner circle of officials around Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Russia acquiesced to Israeli requests and canceled certain arms sales to regimes that are antagonistic toward Israel, an adviser to the prime minister said this week, according to the Ynet news site.
Amid the backdrop of the threat of Iranian cruise missiles, Tehran’s influence in the Syrian civil war, and its proxy in Yemen, the Houthi rebel group, Israel Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin on Wednesday said, ‘The security challenge is becoming more complex. In addition to the missiles and rockets, there are also attack drones and cruise missiles now.’
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has blamed the protests in Iraq and Lebanon on the United States, Israel and some Western countries.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday applauded the US and six Gulf states for announcing sanctions on 25 entities associated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror organization.
Iran and Russia on Tuesday condemned U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to maintain a military presence near oil fields in northeastern Syria, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying any exploitation of resources would be illegal.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Monday the United States would increase economic pressure on Iran over its nuclear program, making the pledge during a Middle East trip that includes visits to U.S. allies Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Monday that Iran is seeking to develop and deploy guided weapons that can strike any point in the Middle East, including placing them in Yemen to strike Israel.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday warned that ongoing massive anti-government protests in Lebanon could plunge the country into civil war, and accused Israel and other countries of working to take advantage of the demonstrations to fuel unrest.
US presidential adviser Jared Kushner is expected to meet on Monday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and prime ministerial hopeful Benny Gantz to test the political waters here and determine when it will be possible to release the oft-delayed US peace plan.
Israel is readying for a direct cruise missile or drone strike by Tehran in response to recent attacks on Iranian regional proxies which have been attributed to the Jewish state, Army Radio reported Tuesday evening.
A small IDF drone crashed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday morning, apparently after it was shot down.
Iranian church leader Matthias Haghnejad and eight members of the Church of Iran denomination who were on trial with him have each been sentenced to five years in prison following a short trial on 23 September.
Hosting US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday as President Donald Trump’s policy changes on Syria spark concern among Israelis, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked Pompeo and Trump for their ‘consistent support for Israel’ and hailed the strength of US-Israel ties. Commenting on the US-arranged ceasefire in Turkey’s offensive in Syria against Kurdish fighters, the prime minister said mildly that he hoped it would ‘turn out for the best.’
Iran rejects Turkey’s establishing of military posts inside Syria, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said on Monday, adding that the integrity of Tehran’s key regional ally should be respected.
US President Donald Trump’s newly announced withdrawal of nearly all US troops from northern Syria has cemented Russia’s status as the predominant global military power actively engaged in the Middle East.
The United States carried out a secret cyber operation against Iran in the wake of the Sept. 14 attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh blame on Tehran, two U.S. officials have told Reuters.
Iran’s economy is expected to shrink by 9.5 percent this year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said, down from a previous estimate of a six percent contraction, as the country feels the impact of tighter US sanctions.
A team of British experts arrived in Iran on Monday to begin work to upgrade the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, the UK embassy in Tehran said.