Iranian war and violence news

weatheriscool
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Iran seizes 2 Greek tankers in Persian Gulf as tensions rise
Source: AP

By JON GAMBRELL and NICHOLAS PAPHITIS
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard seized two Greek oil tankers Friday in helicopter-launched raids in the Persian Gulf, officials said. The action appeared to be retaliation for Athens’ assistance in the U.S. seizure of crude oil from an Iranian-flagged tanker this week in the Mediterranean Sea over violating Washington’s crushing sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

The raid marks the first major incident at sea in months as tensions remain high between Iran and the West over its tattered nuclear deal with world powers. As Tehran enriches more uranium, closer to weapons-grade levels than ever before, worries mount that negotiators won’t find a way back to the accord — raising the risk of a wider war.

The Guard issued a statement announcing the seizures, accusing the tankers of unspecified violations. Nour News, a website close to Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, warned a short time earlier that Tehran planned to take “punitive action” over Greece assisting the U.S. in seizing oil days earlier from the Iranian-flagged tanker Lana.

Greece’s Foreign Ministry said it made a strong demarche to the Iranian ambassador in Athens over the “violent taking over of two Greek-flagged ships” in the Persian Gulf. “These acts effectively amount to acts of piracy,” a ministry statement said.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/middle-east- ... da17b59475
weatheriscool
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Report: Iran turns off 2 of UN nuclear watchdog's cameras
Source: AP

By AMIR VAHDAT and JON GAMBRELL
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran turned off two surveillance cameras of the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog that monitored one of its atomic sites, state television reported Wednesday.

The report did not identify the site, but it appeared to be a new pressure technique by Tehran as Western nations seek to censure Iran at a meeting this week of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Iranian state television report described the two cameras as monitoring “OLEM enrichment levels and flowmeters.” That appeared to refer to the IAEA’s Online Enrichment Monitors, which watch the enrichment of uranium gas through piping at enrichment facilities.

Iran currently is enriching at both its Fordo and Natanz underground nuclear sites.


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/united-natio ... ad7dc210bf
weatheriscool
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Iran enriches to 20% with new centrifuges at fortified site
Source: AP

By NASSER KARIMI
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran announced Sunday that it has begun enriching uranium up to 20% using sophisticated centrifuges at its underground Fordo nuclear plant, state TV reported, an escalation that comes amid a standoff with the West over its tattered atomic deal.

That Tehran is enriching uranium up to 20% purity — a technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90% — with a new set of its most advanced centrifuges at a facility deep inside a mountain deals yet another blow to the already slim chances of reviving the accord.

Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said uranium enriched to 20% was collected for the first time from advanced IR-6 centrifuges on Saturday. He said Iran had informed the U.N. nuclear watchdog about the development two weeks ago.

Centrifuges are used to spin enriched uranium into higher levels of purity. Tehran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers had called for Fordo to become a research-and-development facility and restricted centrifuges there to non-nuclear uses.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/middle-east- ... 197d9b5464
Hournmentent
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weatheriscool wrote: Mon Jul 11, 2022 1:04 am Iran enriches to 20% with new centrifuges at fortified site
Source: AP

By NASSER KARIMI
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran announced Sunday that it has begun enriching uranium up to 20% using sophisticated centrifuges at its underground Fordo nuclear plant, state TV reported, an escalation that comes amid a standoff with the West over its tattered atomic deal.

That Tehran is enriching uranium up to 20% purity — a technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90% — with a new set of its most advanced centrifuges at a facility deep inside a mountain deals yet another blow to the already slim chances of reviving the accord.

Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, said uranium enriched to 20% was collected for the first time from advanced IR-6 centrifuges on Saturday. He said Iran had informed the U.N. nuclear watchdog about the development two weeks ago.

Centrifuges are used to spin enriched uranium into higher levels of purity. Tehran’s 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers had called for Fordo to become a research-and-development facility and restricted centrifuges there to non-nuclear uses.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/middle-east- ... 197d9b5464
I somehow stopped following this news in recent times and it surprised me a lot.
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caltrek
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Now Is Not the Time For Naivety On Iran
by Luke Coffey
October 8, 2022

Introduction:
(Eurasia Review) In recent weeks Iran has stepped up its pressure at home, in the region, and beyond.

For the past three weeks the regime in Tehran has faced major upheaval at home in response to the death of Mahsa Amini. The protests started outside the hospital in Tehran where Amini died, and spread rapidly to her home province of Kurdistan and to every major city in the country. This has led to a brutal crackdown that has resulted in more than 150 people killed and hundreds more injured.

Meanwhile, in recent weeks there were Iranian drone and missile strikes in northern Iraq, and Russian-operated Iranian drones over the skies of Ukraine are growing in number.

Even after the appearance of Iranian drones in Ukraine, and Tehran’s brutal crackdown against its own people, the Biden administration continues to hope for a new nuclear deal in Vienna. It is time for the international community, led by the US, to acknowledge that Iran is not going to be a responsible player on the global stage. Policies for this new reality must be developed accordingly. Here are five things that the US and its partners in Europe and the Middle East can do to deter Iranian aggression.

The first thing would be to walk away from the Vienna talks.
Read more here: https://www.eurasiareview.com/08102022 ... analysis/

caltrek’s comment: I do not agree that the U.S. should “walk away from the Vienna talks.” A major point of such talks should be to dissuade Iran from going down the road of becoming a nuclear power. That should not include a hardline position that only the U.S. be allowed to interfere with the internal affairs of other countries. We may not like the mischief Iran engages in with its external dealings, but it is still better that they do such things without being a nuclear power.

Maybe I am missing something, but this seems to be a point that neither the Democrats (except perhaps Obama) nor the Republicans seem to understand here in the United States.
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weatheriscool
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Evin prison fire: Gun shots and sirens heard at Iran's notorious detention centre
Source: BBC
A major fire has broken out at Iran's notorious Evin prison, known for housing political prisoners, journalists and foreign nationals.

Videos shared online show flames and smoke at the site in Tehran, and gunshots and explosions can be heard.

An official quoted by state media said the situation was under control, but video footage appeared to show the fire continuing after this.

Iran has been gripped for weeks by anti-government protests.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-63271817
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raklian
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caltrek wrote: Sat Oct 08, 2022 2:19 pm
caltrek’s comment: I do not agree that the U.S. should “walk away from the Vienna talks.” A major point of such talks should be to dissuade Iran from going down the road of becoming a nuclear power. That should not include a hardline position that only the U.S. be allowed to interfere with the internal affairs of other countries. We may not like the mischief Iran engages in with its external dealings, but it is still better that they do such things without being a nuclear power.

Maybe I am missing something, but this seems to be a point that neither the Democrats (except perhaps Obama) nor the Republicans seem to understand here in the United States.
It may not matter now that Iran is increasingly getting involved in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. This is likely to change the calculus how the United States may approach Iran with regards to the nuclear talks. It's difficult to rule out United States aiding, if not directly, a regime change in Iran if the situation grows more difficult.
To know is essentially the same as not knowing. The only thing that occurs is the rearrangement of atoms in your brain.
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caltrek
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Re: Iranian war and violence news

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raklian wrote: Mon Oct 17, 2022 4:18 pm
caltrek wrote: Sat Oct 08, 2022 2:19 pm
caltrek’s comment: I do not agree that the U.S. should “walk away from the Vienna talks.” A major point of such talks should be to dissuade Iran from going down the road of becoming a nuclear power. That should not include a hardline position that only the U.S. be allowed to interfere with the internal affairs of other countries. We may not like the mischief Iran engages in with its external dealings, but it is still better that they do such things without being a nuclear power.

Maybe I am missing something, but this seems to be a point that neither the Democrats (except perhaps Obama) nor the Republicans seem to understand here in the United States.
It may not matter now that Iran is increasingly getting involved in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. This is likely to change the calculus how the United States may approach Iran with regards to the nuclear talks. It's difficult to rule out United States aiding, if not directly, a regime change in Iran if the situation grows more difficult.
Screwing around with thoughts of facilitating a regime change are what alienated the Iranians against the U.S. in the first place. (Google Mossadegh and CIA involvement in Iran.)

Of course, the pendulum may have swung back to an alignment with U.S. interests, but in the long term there would still be a deep resentment against the U.S. engaging in this sort of subterfuge, and that is a best-case scenario outcome.

A regime change not involving U.S. subversive practices would be preferable, although I am sure the conspiracy minded would insist that the U.S. was involved. In any case, that is probably a hypothetical that will simply not come to pass.

Yes, Iranian involvement on behalf of Russia in the Ukraine does not help the situation.
Don't mourn, organize.

-Joe Hill
weatheriscool
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Officials: Saudis tell US that Iran may attack the kingdom
Source: AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — Saudi Arabia has shared intelligence with American officials that suggests Iran could be preparing for an imminent attack on the kingdom, three U.S. officials said Tuesday.

The heightened concerns about a potential attack on Saudi Arabia as the Biden administration is criticizing Tehran for its crackdown on widespread protests and condemning it for sending hundreds of drones — as well as technical support — to Russia for use in its war in Ukraine.

“We are concerned about the threat picture, and we remain in constant contact through military and intelligence channels with the Saudis,” the National Security Council said in a statement. “We will not hesitate to act in the defense of our interests and partners in the region.”

Saudi Arabia did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Nor did Iran's mission to the United Nations.

One of the officials who confirmed the intelligence sharing described it as a credible threat of an attack “soon or within 48 hours.” No U.S. embassy or consulate in the region has issued alerts or guidance to Americans in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere in the Middle East based on the intelligence. The officials were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Read more: https://news.yahoo.com/officials-saudis ... 23174.html
weatheriscool
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Iran Votes to Execute Protesters, Says Rebels Need 'Hard Lesson'
Source: Newsweek
After numerous calls for harsh punishments in recent days, the Iranian parliament on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of the death penalty for protesters.

Iran has been experiencing unprecedented levels of protests and civil unrest since the death of Mahsa Amini on September 16. The 22-year-old Kurdish woman was arrested by the country's "morality police" for supposedly wearing an "improper" form of hijab during a visit to Tehran and allegedly beaten severely while in custody. The beatings are believed to have led to her death from a fatal head injury, but Iranian authorities have denied the accusation.

In the wake of Amini's death, there have been large-scale nationwide protests the likes of which Iran has not seen in decades. Female protesters have notably taken to burning their hijabs and cutting their hair in public in defiance of the rules imposed by Iran's Islamic government, under the leadership of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iranian lawmakers have, in recent days, called for strict punishments for the protesters who have been arrested. On Monday, CNN reported that a letter signed by 227 members of the Iranian parliament urged that the protesters be given harsh punishment that "would serve as a good lesson in the shortest possible time."
Read more: https://www.newsweek.com/iran-votes-exe ... on-1757931
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