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The Trump administration on Thursday issued more Iran-related sanctions, targeting 13 entities based in Hong Kong, China, the United Arab Emirates and the Marshall Islands, as well as eight vessels, the U.S. Treasury Department said. The measures cover Greek national Antonios Margaritis and his network of companies and vessels that Treasury said was involved in transporting Iranian oil exports in violation of sanctions.
Iran, Europeans to Talk Over UN Sanctions Threat | Associated Press
Just days away from a European deadline, Iran said Friday its foreign minister would hold a telephone conference call with his French, German and British counterparts to avoid the reimposition of United Nations sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program. The call, planned for Friday by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, according to Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency, comes as the three parties to Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal threaten to reimpose those sanctions under a mechanism known as “snapback” in the accord. The European Union’s chief diplomat will also join the call, IRNA said.
UK Sanctions Iranian Oil Magnate and Four Companies | Reuters
Britain sanctioned an Iranian oil magnate and four companies on Thursday, saying they are part of a network that supports Tehran’s overseas activities, including “destabilisation” in Ukraine and Israel. The sanctions include an asset freeze and travel ban on Mohammad Hossein Shamkhani, and an asset freeze on companies in the shipping, petrochemical and financial sectors, the Foreign Office said. “Iran’s reliance on revenues from trading networks and connected organisations enables it to carry out its destabilising activities, including supporting proxies and partners across the region and facilitating state threats on UK soil,” Britain’s Minister for the Middle East Hamish Falconer said.
UANI IN THE NEWS
UANI Senior Advisor Norman Roule Discusses Iran | i24NEWS
“It’s nearly impossible that Iran has developed anything new in just a few weeks, but the regime likely feels the need to showcase it to its own people as a demonstration of deterrence,” Norman Roule, Senior Advisor at United Against Nuclear Iran, tells i24News.
MISSILE PROGRAM
Iran: We Had Old Missiles When Israel Attacked — Not Any More | Times of London
Iran has unveiled what it called a new generation of missiles as its beleaguered regime tries to project strength after a devastating war with Israel in June. “Today, we have manufactured and possess missiles with far greater capabilities than previous missiles,” Aziz Nassirzadeh, the Iranian defence minister, said. “And if the Zionist enemy embarks on the adventure again, we will undoubtedly use them.” Iran has touted the success of its missile barrages on Israel during the 12-day war, which hit security installations and civilian buildings.
TRANSNATIONAL REPRESSION
UN Experts Condemn Tehran’s Threats Against Iran International Journalists | Iran International
UN human rights experts on Thursday condemned what they called Iran’s intensifying campaign of repression against journalists working for Iran International and the intimidation of their families, particularly after the 12-day war with Israel. “We are deeply concerned by credible threats to the lives and safety of 45 Iran International journalists and staff and 315 of their family members,” the experts said in a joint statement.
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran’s Baha’is Informed by Text Government is Seizing Their Homes | Iran International
Authorities in the central Iranian city of Isfahan have begun seizing homes and assets from members of the Bahá’í religious minority by text message—an unprecedented move a community spokesperson called “economic strangulation” that has mostly targeted women. “This is the first time we know of that the government has used text messages to order confiscations,” Farhad Sabetan, spokesperson for the Baha’i International Community (BIC) told Iran International.
Iran Executes Five Prisoners in Three Cities | IranWire
Iranian authorities executed five prisoners on Wednesday in the central prisons of Isfahan, Rasht, and Ahvaz, a human rights organization reported. The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights identified the executed prisoners as Taleb Rikani, an Arab prisoner, and Hossein Karimi in Isfahan Central Prison; Farshad Hamegan and Hossein Mokhtari in Rasht Central Prison; and Mokhtar Fazeli, an Arab prisoner, in Ahvaz Central Prison.
Iran Publicly Hangs Man Accused of Murder, in Second Execution in Days | Times of Israel
Iran publicly hanged a convicted murderer at the scene of his alleged crime on Thursday, the judiciary said, just two days after another public execution. Most executions in Iran are carried out inside prisons. Public executions are generally reserved for offenses that caused particular outrage. The latest hanging was carried out at dawn in the city of Kordkuy “at the scene of the crime and in public,” provincial judiciary chief Heidar Asiabi told the judiciary’s Mizan Online news website.
Kurdish Activist Arrested in Tehran by Iranian Security Forces | IranWire
Iranian security forces arrested a Kurdish cultural activist at his Tehran home on Wednesday and took him to an undisclosed location, according to a human rights organization. Ehsan Rostami, 38, was detained at his residence on August 20 by security forces, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported on Thursday. Rostami, originally from Harsin in Kermanshah Province, is known for his work in publishing and literary activities focused on Kurdish culture.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Islamic Regime Members Struggle After Iran’s Defeat | Saeed Ghasseminejad in the Jerusalem Post
In his first foreign trip as the new head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani visited Iraq and Lebanon to salvage what remains of the regime’s “axis of resistance.” Larijani replaced Ali Akbar Ahmadian, a veteran of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). This decision is a window into the mind of Iran’s ultimate decision-maker, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has concentrated power in his own hand and his office—known in Iran as the “leader’s beyt.”
Iran Briefly Closes Western Airspace for Military Drills | Iran International
Iran temporarily closed large sections of its western airspace early on Friday to allow military drills, before restoring flights several hours later, local media reported. Fars News Agency said the restrictions were imposed from midnight until 6 a.m. local time, covering parts of Zanjan, Hamedan, Arak, Yasuj, Iran’s western borders, and airspace over the western Persian Gulf. Several domestic outlets reported that the exercise was carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and involved both missile and drone operations across several regions.
CYBERSECURITY MATTERS
Hackers Disrupt Communications of Dozens of Iranian Oil and Cargo Ships | Iran International
A hacker group said it disabled communications on more than 60 Iranian oil tankers and cargo ships, severing links between the vessels, their ports, and the outside world in one of the largest cyberattacks on the country’s maritime sector. The group, known as Lab-Dookhtegan (Sewn Lips), told Iran International that it hacked into the systems of the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) and the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), disrupting operations on 39 tankers and 25 cargo ships. The hackers said the breach was carried out by infiltrating Fanava Group, an Iranian IT and telecoms holding company that provides satellite communications, data storage, and payment systems.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
Five Policemen Killed in Attack in Restive Southeast Iran | Reuters
At least five policemen were killed in southeastern Iran on Friday after unidentified gunmen opened fire on two police patrol vehicles, Iranian news agencies reported. Iran’s southeast has been the scene of sporadic clashes between security forces and armed groups, including Sunni militants and separatists who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy. Tehran accuses some of them of ties to foreign powers and involvement in cross-border smuggling and insurgency.
RUSSIA, UKRAINE, & IRAN
Ukraine Cancels Visa-Free Travel Agreement with Iran for Diplomats | IranWire
Ukraine announced it has canceled a visa-free travel agreement with Iran for holders of diplomatic and service passports, ending a pact signed nearly three decades ago. The agreement, first signed in Kyiv, had allowed visa-free travel for officials from both countries. Taras Melnychuk, the Ukrainian cabinet’s representative in parliament, announced on his Telegram channel that the deal has been officially terminated. Ukraine previously canceled an air transport agreement with Iran in November 2024. Diplomatic tensions between the two countries have escalated in recent years. Kyiv has repeatedly accused Iran of supporting Russia in the war in Ukraine, while Tehran says it remains neutral in the conflict.
EUROPE & IRAN
Austria Suspends All Consular Services in Iran Until ‘Return to Normalcy’ | Iran International
The Austrian Embassy in Iran has suspended all consular services citing an “insurmountable obstacle” but giving no further details or timeline for reopening. According to the embassy’s official website, all consular services are suspended until further notice, which means that even previously submitted applications cannot be processed.
AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA & IRAN
Trump Strikes South Caucasus Deal That Cuts Iran Out of Key Trade Corridor | Fox News
President Donald Trump’s new deal in the South Caucasus has ended a decades-long conflict and handed Washington a rare strategic foothold on Iran’s northern border, experts say. The agreement, signed earlier this month between Armenia and Azerbaijan, grants the U.S. a 99-year lease over the Zangezur Corridor – a narrow strip of land that will serve as a critical trade and energy route to Europe, bypassing Tehran entirely. Iranian American journalist and dissident Banafsheh Zand told Fox News Digital the move is “a wonderful gain for the U.S.” that also delivers a “slap in the face” to the regime in Tehran.
AFGHANISTAN & IRAN
Taliban Hands Over Afghans on ‘Kill List’ to Iran | Telegraph
The Taliban is handing over three Afghans that it suspects of spying for Britain to Iran. The transfer follows a secret deal between the two Islamist regimes to co-operate in arresting people who worked with British forces in Afghanistan. The three are understood to have been included on a leaked list that contained names of Afghans who applied for asylum in Britain. It included soldiers who worked with the British Army, as well as intelligence assets and special forces personnel.
Iran’s Water Crisis Worsened By Taliban Dam | RadioFreeEurope / RadioLiberty
Iran’s deepening water crisis is primarily driven by prolonged drought, chronic mismanagement, and the impacts of climate change. The crisis is so bad that officials say Tehran is becoming uninhabitable and Israel is hoping it will get people to revolt against the Islamic republic. Making an already bad situation worse is the Taliban’s launch of a hydroelectric power station at the Pashdan Dam. Located on the Hari River in northwestern Afghanistan, the dam threatens to cut off the main water supply to Mashhad — Iran’s second-largest city with roughly 3.5 million residents.
ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS
Iran’s Only Navigable River at Risk of Drought, Experts Warn | Iran International
The Karun River, the longest and only navigable river in Iran, is under severe strain from drought, reduced flow, chemical pollution, and wetland degradation, according to experts. The river, a key source of hydropower through dams such as Karun 3, Karun 4, and Gotvand, has seen its water levels fall sharply. Experts have long criticized Iran’s dam-building policy as unsustainable, driven by poor governance and short-term political interests rather than scientific planning.
=== UNITED AGAINST NUCLEAR IRAN ===
