TOP STORIES
Iran Says It Will Respond ‘Decisively’ If Israel Attacks, Asks UN To Intervene | The Times Of Israel
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned UN chief Antonio Guterres that Tehran is ready for a “decisive and regretful” response if Israel attacks his country in retaliation to the almost 200 ballistic missiles at Israel on October 1. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said last week that Israel “will soon respond” to the missile attack, vowing it will be “precise and deadly.” Iran’s atomic energy agency spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi said on Wednesday that the probability of an Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites was “low” but any potential damage would be “quickly compensated,” according to Nournews. “Iran, while making all-out efforts to protect the peace and security of the region, is fully prepared for a decisive and regretful response to any adventures” by Israel, Iran’s foreign minister said during a phone call with Guterres, according to a statement from his office on Wednesday.
The United States has warned Israel of consequences within 30 days if it does not allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, the State Department said on Tuesday. Matthew Miller, the State Department spokesman, said the U.S. warning was made in a letter sent on Sunday to Israel’s minister of defense, Yoav Gallant, and its minister of strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, that was signed by Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. The warning came after weeks of alerts from U.S. and U.N. officials that conditions were deteriorating further in Gaza, particularly in the territory’s north, amid increasing Israeli restrictions on the delivery of international aid.
Sudan’s Civil War Fueled By Secret Arms Shipments From UAE And Iran | The Washington Post
Sudan’s devastating civil war is being fueled in part by weapons secretly supplied to both sides by foreign countries, including munitions and drones from the United Arab Emirates and Iran, according to confidential assessments, a State Department funded report and evidence collected from captured weapons in Sudan. Sudanese military officials in the city of Omdurman recently allowed Washington Post journalists to inspect a drone that the officials said had been captured from the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces along with munitions for the drone. The officials provided photos of the crates they had captured, including one with labeling that indicated the munitions had been manufactured in Serbia and sent to the UAE Armed Forces Joint Logistics Command.
UANI IN THE NEWS
US Sanctions Expansion Could Turn The Screws On Iran’s Petrochemical Sector | Trade Winds
The latest move by the administration of US President Joe Biden to expand sanctions on Tehran could add pressure on Iran’s petrochemical sector, legal experts said... Claire Jungman, chief of staff at United Against Nuclear Iran, applauded the sanctions announcement. “But these steps should have come years ago,” she said on X. “These vessels are notorious offenders, transporting millions of barrels of oil for Iran.” She wrote that of the 23 vessels, seven were laden with Iranian oil at the time of the sanctions announcement.
Biden Sanctions Iran's 'Ghost Fleet' Previously Targeted By Rubio | The Floridian
President Joe Biden has levied new sanctions on Iran following the latter’s wave of missile attacks against Israel. Iran recently directly attacked Israel with over 300 ballistic missiles and drones, most of which were deflected by the latter with the US’ and allies’ aid... The United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) nonprofit discovered and exposed such scheme, which included 189 Panamanian vessels.
Iran Prepares For Israeli Retaliation To Missile Attack | i24 News
“Israel and the United States have a strategic opportunity now with Hezbollah weakened,” says UANI Policy Director Jason Brodsky in an interview with i24 News.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
IEA Downplays Iran Outage Risk In Well-Supplied Market | Iran International
The International Energy Agency (IEA) said on Tuesday that the global oil market is set for a surplus and that it was ready to act in the event of a supply disruption, suggesting an Iran outage may have little impact. “Heightened oil supply security concerns are set against a backdrop of a global market that – as we have been highlighting for some time – looks adequately supplied," the IEA said in a monthly report on Tuesday. "For now, supply keeps flowing, and in the absence of a major disruption, the market is faced with a sizable surplus in the new year,” the Paris-based watchdog added.
Oil prices fell about 5 percent Tuesday on reports that Israel had assured the Biden administration that it did not intend to attack Iranian nuclear sites or oil infrastructure. Brent crude, the international benchmark, was trading at below $74 a barrel on Tuesday. Fears that the increasing hostility between Israel and Iran would disrupt oil flows from the Middle East had driven up prices for Brent to the $80 a barrel range. Over a year of war in the Middle East, oil prices have not risen significantly, in large part because the fears of supply disruptions have been counterbalanced by worries over weak demand for oil, especially in China. Oil traders and analysts also say increased supplies from producers like the United States, Brazil and Guyana have also helped tamp down prices.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Iran’s Quds Force Head Qaani Appears In Tehran After Death Rumors | Al-Monitor
Iranian Quds Force commander Brig. Gen. Ismail Qaani was seen in Tehran on Tuesday, ending speculation on his whereabouts following an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs when Qaani was in the area. What we know: Qaani, who heads the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, was seen on state television at the funeral of the corps’ Brig. Gen. Abbas Nilforoushan. Qaani arrived in the capital city via the Mehrabad airport, according to the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency. Tasnim described Qaani as appearing in “full health.” Qaani was seen sobbing at the funeral, per the footage.
Iran Terror Proxies Amass On Israel’s Borders In 'Ring Of Fire’ | Fox News
For more than four decades, the Iranian regime has meticulously constructed a "Ring of Fire" around Israel, employing various terror groups to extend its influence across the Middle East. However, recent military actions by Israel have begun to unravel this intricate network, indicating a potential turning point in the ongoing conflict. Amnon Sofrin, former head of the Intelligence Directorate at Mossad, told Fox News Digital, "In central Tehran, there is a huge clock that was set up in 2015, showing how much time is left for Israel, indicating that by 2040, Israel should no longer exist. They have been preparing for this moment. Some of the Iran-backed militias conducted reconnaissance with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and claimed they would assist once the [Israel Defense Forces] IDF entered Lebanon.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
At Least One Killed In Fire At Refinery In Iran’s Khuzestan Province, State Media Says | Reuters
At least one person was killed in a fire at the small Pars Petro Shushtar refinery in Iran's Khuzestan province, state media reported on Tuesday. Iranian state media, citing the governor of Shushtar town, said "the fire is under control, but firefighters and rescue workers remain on alert at the scene." A local authority attributed the cause of the incident "to a tanker collision with gasoline tanks" and said the incident is under investigation. A local official in Iran's southwestern province of Khuzestan told state news agency IRNA that several people were also injured.
RUSSIA, SYRIA, ISRAEL, HEZBOLLAH, LEBANON & IRAN
Israel Arrests Second Russian-Israeli In Iran-Backed Assassination Plot | Iran International
Israeli security services have arrested a Russian citizen for being part of an Iran-backed assassination plot targeting a senior scientist for $100,000, the second in just three days. It is the third such arrest in a matter of weeks. Vladimir Varehovskim 35, from Petah Tikva in central Israel, is alleged to have agreed to carry out the assassination and now faces a court hearing on Wednesday, October 16. In a joint operation, Shin Bet and Israel Police uncovered "an Iranian intelligence network working to recruit and activate citizens in Israel," according to a police statement.
Netanyahu Vows 'No Ceasefire' In Lebanon After Hezbollah Threats | Al-Monitor
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Tuesday the idea of a ceasefire in Lebanon that would leave Hezbollah close to his country's northern border, as the militant group threatened to widen its attacks. Netanyahu's comments came as the United States ramped up pressure over Israel's conduct of the wars in Lebanon and Gaza, criticising the recent bombing of Beirut and demanding that more aid reach the Palestinian territory. In a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, Netanyahu said he was "opposed to a unilateral ceasefire, which does not change the security situation in Lebanon, and which will only return it to the way it was", according to a statement from his office.
AFGHANISTAN & IRAN
Iranian Border Guards Kill ‘Dozens’ Of Afghan Migrants, Rights Group Says | Amu TV
Haalvsh, an Iran-based human rights organization, reported on Tuesday that Iranian border guards have shot and killed “dozens” of Afghan migrants who were attempting to cross into Iran. The organization released a video purportedly showing the bodies of those killed, stating that the incident occurred on Sunday night, Oct. 13, near the Kulgon border area in Saravan. Haalvsh reported that Iranian military forces ambushed the group of Afghan migrants and opened fire, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. The organization further alleged that the migrants were targeted with direct gunfire and RPG attacks.
OTHER FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Iran Summons Hungarian Ambassador, Condemns EU And UK Sanctions | Reuters
Iran's foreign ministry summoned Hungary's ambassador on Tuesday to protest against new European Union sanctions on Tehran, and denied Western allegations that it has transferred ballistic missiles to Russia, Iranian state media reported. The EU agreed on Monday to impose sanctions on seven people and seven organisations, including airline Iran Air, for alleged links to Iranian transfers of ballistic missiles to Russia. Britain, which is not in the EU, also imposed new sanctions.
All Iranian Flights To Europe Halted Following EU Sanctions | Iran International
Iran Air, the only Iranian airline operating flights to European Union countries, has suspended its services to Europe due to new sanctions imposed by the bloc, Iranian authorities announced on Tuesday. "Iran Air was the only airline in our country flying to Europe, and considering the new sanctions of the European Union against Iran Air, not a single Iranian airplane will fly to Europe now," said Maqsood Asadi Samani, Director of the Association of Iranian Airlines. On Monday, the European Union introduced sanctions targeting Iran Air, Mahan Air, and Saha Airlines. The sanctions also covered various industrial and transport companies as well as related officials, businessmen and military personnel.