The US, Iran and the Middle East

Iran, Saudi Arabia Hold Fifth Round Of Talks In Baghdad

A fifth round of talks has been held between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia, Iranian media reported. Nournews, a news website that is affiliated with Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said on Twitter on April 23 that the talks were held in Baghdad and that the "positive atmosphere...raised hopes for the two countries to take a step towards the resumption of relations." The semiofficial Mehr news agency said high-ranking Iraqi and Omani officials played a role in bringing the sides together for the talks following a previous round in September...

Iran-Saudi talks face hurdles from Houthis, regional threats

Iran and Saudi Arabia reportedly resumed talks in Baghdad recently. Reports of the talks have appeared in regional media, but they appear to be mostly based on the Iranian side talking to the press. This indicates Tehran is more interested in the symbolism of the talks than the progress of practical developments.

Al Jazeera, which is in Qatar and should be considered more critical of Riyadh, noted, “Senior representatives of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) and Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief, Khalid bin Ali Al Humaidan, attended the talks, according to Nour News, affiliated with the SNSC, which did not mention the date of the meeting.” The report further said, “So far, the only actionable outcome of the direct talks appears to have been the reopening of Iran’s representative office at the Jeddah-based Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)”...

Iran urges new nuclear meet 'as soon as possible'

Iran called on Monday for a new meeting "as soon as possible" in the talks that have been held in Vienna aimed at restoring its frayed 2015 nuclear deal with major powers. Tehran has been engaged in negotiations with Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia directly and the United States indirectly to revive the so-called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)...

Iran moves centrifuge-parts workshop underground at Natanz, IAEA says

Iran's new workshop at Natanz for making parts for centrifuges, machines that enrich uranium, has been set up underground, U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Thursday, a move apparently aimed at protecting it from possible attacks. The workshop uses machines from a now-closed facility at Karaj that suffered what Tehran says was a sabotage attack by its arch-foe Israel. The workshop can make parts essential to advanced centrifuges that are among the most efficient in Iran's enrichment programme... Grossi told a news conference the workshop had been set up in "one of the halls" of the FEP. Diplomats say the plant is roughly three floors below ground, possibly to protect it from potential air strikes...

EU mediator in Tehran for last-ditch effort to save Iran deal

Enrique Mora, the EU mediator in the indirect nuclear talks between the U.S. and Iran, met with Iranian chief negotiator Ali Bagheri in Tehran on Wednesday in an effort to salvage a possible nuclear deal... Biden administration officials said they haven’t given Mora any new U.S. proposals to the Iranians. The U.S. still refuses to remove the IRGC from the terrorism blacklist unless Iran agrees to give concessions on issues outside its nuclear program, including its regional activity. A senior U.S. official told me the Biden administration hopes the Iranians would agree to give up on their demand regarding the IRGC and sign the draft deal achieved in Vienna...

Iran's Revolutionary Guards shell militant bases north of Iraq's Erbil

Iran's Revolutionary Guards artillery fire hit an area north of the Iraqi Kurdish capital of Erbil on Wednesday, targeting what Iranian state television described as terrorist bases. Iraqi Kurdish media reported that a shell had landed in a village in the Sidekan area near the Iranian border, around 60 miles (100 km) northeast of Erbil...

Iran, Qatar eye closer ties, call for regional cooperation

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri and his Qatari counterpart Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi on Tuesday called for closer regional cooperation. This came in a meeting held in the Iranian capital Tehran within the framework of the political consultative committee between the two Gulf neighbors aimed at bolstering bilateral ties and regional coordination...

In 1st, US refuelers to take part in major Israeli drill for strike on Iran

The United States will participate in Israel’s largescale drill simulating a strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities as part of the broader Chariots of Fire exercise later this month, Channel 13 reported on Tuesday evening. According to the unsourced report, the US Air Force will serve as a complementary force, with refueling planes drilling with Israeli fighter jets as they simulate entering Iranian territory and carrying out repeated strikes...

Bloody protests in Iran are not just about food prices

Hundreds of Iranians have taken to the streets in cities across the country, protesting against the crippling political and economic situation. Unofficial reports say security forces have killed at least four people... The unrest started after the government cut subsidies on essential food items such as cooking oil, eggs and milk last Wednesday. For example, the price of cooking increased more than 400% overnight. However, dominant slogans in the protests like "Down with Khamenei, Down with dictator" and "We don't want mullah's ruling" indicate that protesting the ailing economy follows another primary demand: overthrowing the system...

Iran to Manufacture Drones in Tajikistan

The Iranian government has announced that it will manufacture new drones in Tajikistan to help maintain the balance of power in the region. The announcement was made on Tuesday following a meeting between Iranian Armed Forces representative Mohammad Bagheri and Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon... The two nations reportedly consider the current situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban a major threat...

Iran slams UN watchdog censure motion in new blow to nuclear talks

Iran condemned as "unconstructive" Thursday the UN atomic energy watchdog's adoption of a resolution censuring it for non-cooperation, in a new spat that clouded efforts to revive a deal limiting its nuclear activities. Iran already announced it had disconnected some International Atomic Energy Agency cameras monitoring its nuclear sites in anticipation of the watchdog's adoption of the Western-drafted censure motion Wednesday. The motion -- approved by 30 members of the IAEA board of governors, with only Russia and China voting against -- was the first to criticise Iran since June 2020... The resolution came after the IAEA raised concerns about traces of enriched uranium previously found at three sites Tehran had not declared as having hosted nuclear activities...

Iran-backed militias' attacks against U.S. targets are up. The U.S. hasn't responded with force since last year.

Attacks by Iranian proxies against bases housing U.S. military personnel in Iraq and Syria are increasing, U.S. officials say, and Washington has not responded with force since 2021. There were seven attacks in May, as many attacks that month as February, March and April combined, and there have been a total of 29 since October without a kinetic U.S. response... The attacks have been carried out by Iranian-backed militias, the U.S. officials say...