By Jubin Katiraie
Roughly a third of global oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, including all of Kuwait’s and Qatar’s oil, 96% of Iraq’s oil, 88% of Saudi Arabia’s oil, and2% of the UAE’s oil.
Iran Arrests 35 for Mixed-Gender Party
By Jubin Katiraie
The Iranian security forces raided three mixed-gender parties in Sari, north Iran, on August 29 and 30, which was the weekend in Iran, and arrested 35 young men and women.
Iran Sanctions US Think Tank Drawing Rebuke From Washington
By Pooya Stone
Abbas Mousavi, spokesman of the Iranian Foreign Ministry, accused the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) of participating in “economic terrorism,” according to the IRNA news agency on Thursday (August 7th). He added that the names of those affiliated with the foundation would be published soon and would be sanctioned. The Iranian Foreign Ministry then issued a statement banning the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, along with its founder, Mark Dubowitz.
The U.S. Policy on Iran in the Past Week
By Jubin Katiraie
While tension between Tehran and Washington continues to escalate, The U.S. State Department, in pursuing the policy and the “Maximum pressure campaign,” sanctioned several Iran-backed groups and entities.
The U.S. State Department’s policy statement of this week informs about new wave of sanctions on Iran and is divided into three sections:
US Blacklists Iranian Oil Tanker in Mediterranean
By Pooya Stone
On Friday, August 31, the United States blacklisted Iranian oil tanker Adrian Darya 1, following repeated warnings over its valuable oil cargo.
Previously known as Grace 1, the ship has been bouncing around the Mediterranean after being held for six weeks at Gibraltar on suspicion that its cargo was bound for Syria.
IAEA Says Iran Continues to Enrich Uranium and Is Hiding ‘Undeclared Nuclear Material’ in Breach of Nuclear Deal
By Jubin Katiraie
On Friday, August 30, in a new report, the International Atomic Agency (IAEA) announced that Iran has violated the limitations determined by the terms of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal with world powers, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Iran Executed Eight Prisoners on August 28
By Pooya Stone
Iran collectively executed eight inmates at Raja’i Shahr Prison in Karaj on Wednesday, August 28.
The victims have been identified as:
US Sanctions Lebanese Bank for Helping Iran-Backed Hezbollah
By Jubin Katiraie
The US Treasury Department on Thursday targeted a Lebanese bank the Trump administration calls the “bank of choice” of Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, as part of a maximum pressure campaign against Tehran.
Treasury sanctioned Jammal Trust Bank, a financial institution based in Lebanon that facilitates banking activities for Hezbollah, and its three subsidiaries.
Head of Pro-Iran Militia Threatens Americans in Iraq
By Pooya Stone
The leader of an Iraqi Shia militia, backed by Iran, threatened to take hostage “all” US citizens in Iraq in the event of a conflict between the US and Iran.
Abu Alaa al-Wala’i, head of the Kata’ib Sayyid al-Shuhada (KSS) militia, made the threat on Wednesday during an interview with al-Dijla, an Iraqi television station close to the Fatah Coalition, which represents the Shiite militias, or Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), in Iraq’s parliament.
An Iranian Satellite Launch Ends in Failure
By Jubin Katiraie
On August 29, Reuters reported that an Iranian rocket exploded on its launch pad at Imam Khomeini Space Center in northern Iran before its scheduled launch on Thursday, according to an Iranian official. “It was due to some technical issues and it exploded but our young scientists are working to fix the problem,” the official added.
