Iran Digest Week of August 26 - September 2
/AIC’s Iran digest project covers the latest developments and news stories published in Iranian and international media outlets. This weekly digest is compiled by associate Samuel Howell. Please note that the news and views expressed in the articles below do not necessarily reflect those of AIC.
US-Iran Relations
US navy intervenes after Iran seizes American sea drone
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seized an American sea drone in the Persian Gulf and tried to tow it away, only releasing the unmanned vessel when a US navy warship and helicopter approached, according to US officials.
The incident on Tuesday marks the first time the navy’s Middle East-based fifth fleet’s new drone taskforce has been targeted by Iran.
While the interception ended without incident, tensions remain high between Washington and Tehran as negotiations over the Islamic Republic’s tattered nuclear deal with world powers hang in the balance.
Biden navigates Iran clashes in Syria as negotiators inch toward nuclear deal
President Joe Biden looked to strike a tricky balance on Iran this week, as he attempts to restore the Iran nuclear deal while reassuring allies that Washington can still push back on Tehran’s malign activities.
The two countries have resolved some of the thorniest stumbling blocks in negotiations on reviving the 2015 deal in recent days, and appear headed toward an agreement. But simultaneously, U.S. and Iran-backed forces clashed in Syria this week in several skirmishes that left four militants dead and three U.S. service members wounded.
U.S. officials say the attacks in Syria are not related to negotiations over the Iran deal. But the split screen highlights the challenge the administration faces in making progress on one of its top Middle East priorities — bringing Iran back into compliance with the nuclear deal — while Tehran’s proxies continue to foment violence against the U.S. and its allies in the region.
(Politico)
Nuclear Accord
Biden, Lapid discuss ‘shared commitment’ against nukes for Iran
US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid have re-emphasised a joint commitment against allowing Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, as Washington and Tehran push to revive a 2015 nuclear deal.
The two leaders spoke by phone on Wednesday for the first time since the apparent breakthrough in the talks to revive the deal earlier this month.
“Prime Minister Lapid and President Biden spoke at length about the negotiations on a nuclear agreement, and their shared commitment to stopping Iran’s progress towards a nuclear weapon,” the Israeli government said in a statement.
The White House echoed the Israeli remarks, saying that Biden “underscored US commitment to never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon”.
Environment
Iran, Iraq, and Syria to start action plan on dealing with SDS
The Iranian Department of Environment (DOE) will kick off negotiations with Iraq and Syria to launch an action plan for fighting sand and dust storms in the region.
During the early days of the calendar month of Mehr (starting September 23), exchanging expertise between Iran, Iraq, and Syria will start to curb and confront sand and dust storms, IRNA quoted DOE chief Ali Salajeqeh as saying.
In May, an Iranian delegation, headed by Salajeqeh, embarked on a trip to Iraq, Syria, and Kuwait to resolve the problem of sand and dust storms.
Studies and maps show that Saudi Arabia produces the highest level of particulate matter, followed by Iraq, Syria, Kuwait, and the UAE, respectively, Salajeqeh has said.
Inside Iran
Exclusive: Iran steps up underground uranium enrichment, IAEA report says
Iran is pressing ahead with its rollout of an upgrade to its advanced uranium enrichment programme, a report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog seen by Reuters on Monday showed, even as the West awaits Iran's response on salvaging its 2015 nuclear deal.
The first of three cascades, or clusters, of advanced IR-6 centrifuges recently installed at the underground Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) at Natanz is now enriching, the report said, the latest underground site at which the advanced machines have come onstream.
Diplomats say the IR-6 is its most advanced model, far more efficient than the first-generation IR-1 - the only one the deal lets it enrich with.
Regional Politics
Iran/Turkey: Fleeing Afghans unlawfully returned after coming under fire at borders
Iranian and Turkish security forces have repeatedly pushed back Afghans who attempt to cross their borders to reach safety, including by unlawfully opening fire on men, women and children, Amnesty International said today. In a new report, They don’t treat us like humans, the organization also documents numerous instances – mostly at the Iranian border – where security forces have shot directly at people as they climbed over walls or crawled under fences. Afghans who do manage to enter Iran or Turkey are routinely arbitrarily detained, and subjected to torture and other ill-treatment before being unlawfully and forcibly returned.
Amnesty International researchers visited Afghanistan in March 2022, and conducted interviews in Herat City and Islam Qala border town. They interviewed 74 Afghans who had been pushed back from Iran and Turkey, 48 of whom reported coming under fire as they attempted to cross the borders. None of the people Amnesty International spoke to had been able to register an asylum claim in either country, and the majority were returned to Afghanistan in violation of international law.
Israel Hits Damascus, Aleppo Airports In Iran-Related Attacks
Israel conducted several airstrikes against the Aleppo International Airport in northwestern Syria, hours before its missiles struck targets southeast of Capital Damascus Wednesday night.
Syria’s state news agency (SANA) reported material damage at the airport, saying, "At around 20:00 hours (17:00 GMT), the Israeli enemy targeted Aleppo International Airport with missile fire, causing material damage at the heart of the facility.”
The UK-based war monitor, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said that four Israeli missiles had targeted the runway and depots at the airport.
According to Syrian military sources, air defense systems near Latakia, located southwest of Aleppo, were activated in an attempt to intercept the missiles headed towards Aleppo. Shortly after the strike in Aleppo, Israeli airstrikes targeted sites near Damascus International Airport and other targets south of Damascus, with Syrian air defenses downing “a number of missiles.”
Global Relations
Iran delivers European ‘peace initiative’ on Ukraine to Russia
Iran has delivered a so-called “peace initiative” for ending the Ukraine war, proposed by a European leader, to Russia.
Standing next to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a news conference in Moscow on Wednesday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian confirmed that he had handed over the European proposal that he said was given to Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi.
“There are ideas to help establish peace and stop the fighting in Ukraine, and I shared these ideas with Mr Lavrov,” Amirabdollahian said.
He did not name the European leader behind the initiative or reveal any further details but said the proposal includes points on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant and prisoners of war.
US: Russia running into problems with Iran-made drones
Russia has faced technical problems with Iranian-made drones acquired from Tehran this month for use in its war with Ukraine, according to Biden administration officials.
The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the U.S. intelligence assessment, did not detail the “numerous failures.” They added that the U.S. assesses that the delivery of Mohajer-6 and Shahed-series unmanned aerial vehicles over several days this month is likely part of a Russian plan to acquire hundreds of Iranian UAVs.
The Associated Press reported last week that Russia had recently obtained hundreds of Iranian drones capable of being used in its war against Ukraine despite U.S. warnings to Tehran not to ship them. The Washington Post first reported that Russia has faced technical problems with the Iranian drones.
(AP News)
Analysis
Middle East security still fragile, with or without Iran nuclear deal
By: James M. Dorsey
A potential revival of the Iran nuclear accord is likely to test the sustainability of Middle Eastern efforts to dial down tensions and manage differences by improving diplomatic relations and fostering economic cooperation.
In the latest fence mending, two Gulf states, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates announced their ambassadors’ return to Tehran.
The two countries, together with Saudi Arabia, withdrew their envoys in 2016 after rioters protesting the execution of a Shiite cleric in the kingdom ransacked the Saudi embassy in the Iranian capital.
For its part, Saudi Arabia is engaged in a round of Iraqi-mediated talks with Iran focused on security issues, including an end to the war in Yemen, where Iran supports Houthi rebels.
