Iran seizes new boat near Strait of Hormuz as tensions spiral
Iran has seized a boat suspected of being used to smuggle fuel and arrested its 11 crew members near a vital oil shipping lane, state television reported on Monday.
Iran
Trump: US ‘locked and loaded’ against attackers of Saudi oil facility ‘depending on verification’
President Trump on Sunday suggested U.S. investigators had ‘reason to believe’ they knew who launched crippling attacks against a key Saudi oil facility, and vowed that America was ‘locked and loaded depending on verification.’
Iran: Republic ready for ‘full-fledged war’
Iran denied on Sunday it was involved in Yemen rebel drone attacks the previous day targeting the world’s biggest oil processing facility and an oil field in Saudi Arabia, just hours after America’s top diplomat alleged that Tehran was behind the ‘unprecedented attack on the world’s energy supply.’
Yemen drones hit Saudi oil sites, including key chokepoint
Drones launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacked the world’s largest oil processing facility in Saudi Arabia and another major oil field Saturday, sparking huge fires at a vulnerable chokepoint for global energy supplies.
Damage from Iran-linked drone attack on Saudi oil facility captured in satellite images
Saudi oil sites attacked on Saturday — in a drone assault linked to Iran — were seen to have sustained damage after satellite images released Sunday captured char marks and smoke billowing from the world’s largest oil processing facility.
Israel Wants Free Hand Against Iran, Netanyahu Says In Russia
Israel must be given free rein to act against Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on September 12 as talks concluded in Sochi where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss security coordination in Syria.
Iran denounces ‘U.S.-Israeli plot’ over nuclear program
Iran has denounced a ‘U.S.-Israeli plot’ to put pressure on the United Nations nuclear watchdog, after the IAEA called in recent days for more cooperation from Tehran following what diplomats say was the detection of uranium particles at an undeclared site.
Bolton’s firing empowers Pompeo, opens door for Trump diplomacy
President Trump’s stunning dismissal of John R. Bolton clears the stage for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — along with Vice President Mike Pence, one of the few members of Mr. Trump’s original national security inner circle still standing — to wield more influence over a raft of foreign policy challenges confronting the White House.
On Eve of 9/11 Anniversary, New US Sanctions Target Hamas, Islamic State, Other Terror Groups
The United States on Tuesday announced sanctions on a ‘wide range of terrorists and their supporters,’ including the Palestinian group Hamas and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, on the eve of the 18th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
Netanyahu expected to meet Putin later this week
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to fly to Sochi on Thursday, just five days before Election Day, to discuss strengthening the security cooperation between the two countries in Syria.
Hezbollah setting up precision missile site in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley
Hezbollah has set up a production and conversion site for precision missiles near the town of Al-Nabi Sheeth in Lebanon’s Bekaa, Israel’s military announced on Tuesday, saying the facility was established in recent years as a site for the production of weapons led by Iran and Hezbollah.
Israel fends off attack from Quds Force in Syria while Hezbollah captures drone
An Israeli drone was downed in Lebanon Sunday night simultaneous to a bevy of rockets fired at Israel from Syria.
UN nuclear agency asks Iran to explain uranium samples found at warehouse
The head of the UN’s nuclear inspection agency Monday called on Tehran to explain the findings of a test conducted in April.
Syrian official blames Israel, US for strike on base near Iraq border
A Syrian security official blamed Israel and the US for an attack on a base belonging to a pro-Iranian Shiite militia in Syria near the border with Iraq on Monday.
Netanyahu reveals site where Iran ‘experimented on nuclear weapons development’
In his latest dramatic revelation on Iran’s nuclear program, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday exposed the existence of a secret nuclear facility in central Iran in which he said the regime had conducted experiments in the pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Report: Pompeo warned Lebanon Israel could attack Hezbollah site
Sources told the Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sent a warning letter to Lebanese President Michel Aoun, urging him to dismantle a factory set up by Hezbollah in the Bekaa region of Lebanon to develop and modernize the missiles before Israel attacks it.
Iran hints it could release UK-flagged tanker ‘within days’
Iran on Sunday hinted that it could release ‘within days’ a UK-flagged oil tanker it had seized in July in sensitive Gulf waters amid rising hostilities with Britain’s ally the United States.
Several said killed in strikes on Iran-backed militia base on Syria-Iraq border
Unidentified aircraft launched strikes on a base belonging to an Iran-backed militia on the Syrian side of its border with Iraq, killing several people early Monday, an observer and Arabic media reported.
IDF kicks off large exercise simulating war against Hezbollah
The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday launched a large-scale exercise simulating war against Hezbollah and other pro-Iranian forces in the north of the country.
Iran slated to begin work on advanced centrifuges as damage control for nuclear deal fails
Iran will begin work on advanced centrifuges that allow for faster enrichment of uranium, AP reported Thursday.