Latest news with #RevolutionaryGuardCorps
Mint
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Iran takes Trump's negotiators for a ride
The nuclear negotiations between Iran and the U.S. appear to be at an impasse. The temptation for President Trump will be to declare victory and pocket a status quo in which Tehran refrains from testing a nuke. The White House may even find comfort in a question senior officials in the Biden administration asked themselves: Why hasn't Iran already gone nuclear? The Trump administration entered negotiations without clear positions on crucial issues, surprising and cheering the Iranian side. But Tehran's happiness was short-lived. Negotiators Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio subsequently declared that uranium enrichment in Iran is unacceptable. Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, hasn't broken off talks, indicating hope that Mr. Trump will change his mind or won't preclude an interim deal that allows domestic enrichment. Tehran's diplomatic maneuvering and prevarication is incessant. If Mr. Trump grows tired of it, he could give Israel the green-light to knock out Iran's nuclear infrastructure and ballistic-missile plants. This option doesn't appeal to him as it requires a U.S. military backstop. More appealing to Mr. Trump is to continue talking, discourage Israeli military action, and default to 'maximum pressure." He wouldn't mind punting troublesome issues into the future. He may hope sanctions and whatever else his administration can muster will eventually bring Tehran around. This option will unavoidably reanimate the question of why the clerical regime hasn't already gone nuclear. The Islamic Republic doesn't have the best nuclear engineers, and Iranian manufacturing is hardly first-rate. But Iran does have a sophisticated, illicit dual-use import network, and its talent base is as good as Pakistan's when Islamabad went nuclear in 1998. Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium grew enormously from 2021-25, yet Mr. Khamenei chose not to test an atomic device during the Biden administration. Mr. Trump may know that round two of maximum pressure has poor odds of stopping Iranian nuclear progress. Sanctions have always been the preferred choice of both parties in Washington. During the first Trump administration it was widely believed that economic pressure could crack the clerical regime before it went nuclear. Amping up sanctions on the Islamic Republic now will be much more difficult, in part because Beijing has moved squarely into Tehran's corner. Sanctions aren't a quick-fix policy solution. To work, they take time. The Iranian atomic-arms program is more advanced now than it has ever been. Iran won't be content to remain a nuclear threshold state forever. In the past the mullahs could project power via proxy warfare or the threat of long-range ballistic missiles. Now, thanks to the Israelis, they don't even have an adequate homeland defense. Mr. Khamenei is 86. Will his successor also choose not to test a nuke? What about the Revolutionary Guard Corps commanders who oversee Iran's nuclear-arms program? With America retrenching globally, friend and foe alike will want the security of a bomb. Fear of foreign enemies fades quickly in the Muslim Middle East, where internal and external politics revolve around hard power. Aggressive men keep probing. Five months into Mr. Trump's second term, the mullahs are no longer afraid of the unpredictable American president who killed Qasem Soleimani in 2020. 'In matters such as the purchase of Gaza and Greenland, the imposition of new tariffs, and even negotiations related to the Ukraine War, Trump first applied maximum pressure, but ultimately left room for retreat," is the assessment of Nournews, the mouthpiece for Iran's national security council. The Trump administration has convinced many in Tehran that the president doesn't want another conflict in the region. His threats of fire and fury are becoming more recognizably Middle Eastern—words substitute for actions. Given all the advanced centrifuges and the ever-deeper bomb-proof underground enrichment sites, the military option is becoming less credible. For Israel, it's now or never. The U.S. has patience with threats that are existential only to its allies. Mr. Khamenei will consider all this as he contemplates the most serious decision of his tenure: whether finally to cross the nuclear threshold. How scary does he think America is under Mr. Trump? Everything hinges on the answer to that question. Mr. Gerecht is a resident scholar at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Mr. Takeyh is a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Rudaw Net
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Rudaw Net
Iran says ‘fully prepared' for military confrontation
Also in Iran Iran warns Europe against 'confrontational strategy' on nuclear issues Fourth round of US talks 'significantly more serious': Iranian FM Iran says nuclear enrichment right 'not negotiable' Iran condemns Trump's efforts to rename Persian Gulf as Arabian Gulf A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iranian military said it is 'fully prepared' for military confrontation amid threats from Washington should a nuclear deal fail to be struck with Washington, state media reported. 'The armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran are fully prepared for any situation,' chief of staff of Iran's armed forces Major General Mohammad Bagheri said during his visit to combat units in the southern Hormozgan province, as cited by state-owned IRNA news agency on Sunday. Earlier this month, Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said that while Tehran will not initiate war, it will respond 'without hesitation' if subjected to a military attack. He was responding to statements from US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who earlier this month warned Iran over its support for the Houthis in Yemen. During his visit, Bagheri emphasized that he was in Hormozgan for "assessing the operational status of the region as well as the level of preparedness of the Islamic Republic of Iran's armed forces, especially the strategic navy of the army and the Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC], in defending our country's territorial and international waters and national resources." Tehran and Washington are currently engaged in indirect talks about Iran's nuclear program and sanctions relief. The talks began on April 12 in Oman and the most recent round was completed on Sunday. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the most recent round as 'significantly more serious.' Under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear enrichment program for much-needed relief from crippling sanctions. But the deal began unraveling in 2018 when Trump, during his first term, unilaterally withdrew and imposed biting sanctions on the Islamic republic, which in turn began rolling back on its nuclear commitments. Upon returning to office, Trump in early February restored his 'maximum pressure' policy against Tehran, arguing that it is 'too close' to a nuclear weapon and seeking a new deal with Tehran. In late March, Trump warned that 'there will be bombing' against Iranian interests if Tehran fails to reach an agreement with Washington over its nuclear program. 'If they don't make a deal [with the US] there will be bombing, and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before,' he told NBC News. In an indirect response to Trump's threats, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of a strong response if Iran is attacked. 'They threaten to commit evil,' but 'if evil is committed, the counterattack will definitely be mutually strong,' Khamenei said. Tehran has always asserted that its nuclear program is peaceful and that nuclear weapons go against the Islamic republic's doctrine.
Russia Today
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Russia Today
Pentagon chief threatens Iran amid Houthi attacks
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has blamed Iran for arming Houthi fighters in Yemen, warning that Tehran will face consequences at the time and place of Washington's choosing. US President Donald Trump launched a large-scale air and naval strike campaign against the Houthis in March with a declared goal of protecting shipping in the Red Sea. The group, which Washington describes as 'Iran-backed,' had been targeting commercial vessels off Yemen's coast as part of its strategy of putting pressure on Israel over its military operation in Gaza. Hegseth addressed Tehran in a message on X on Thursday, saying: 'We see your lethal support to the Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing.' 'You know very well what the US military is capable of — and you were warned. You will pay the consequence at the time and place of our choosing,' he wrote. The Pentagon chief also shared a screenshot of a post published by Trump on his Truth Social platform in mid-March, in which he insisted that Iran is 'dictating every move' the Houthis make as well as supplying them with weapons, funds and intelligence. 'Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of Iran,' the US president wrote back then. Tehran has previously categorically denied Washington's claims of it directing the actions of the Yemeni group. 'Ansar Allah (the Houthis), as the representative of the Yemenis, makes its own strategic decisions, and Iran has no role in setting the national or operational policies of any movement in the resistance front,' Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salami said, following the launch of the US bombing campaign. The latest round of American strikes on Yemen took place on Tuesday and for the first time saw British aircraft joining the raids. According to the Royal Air Force, the attacks targeted Houthi drone-manufacturing facilities south of the country's capital, Sanaa. On Monday, the US Navy said that its F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet had been lost after it fell overboard from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier stationed in the Red Sea. According to multiple media reports, the incident happened when the vessel was maneuvering to evade a missile attack from Yemen.
Asharq Al-Awsat
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Fires Rage 2 Days after Iran Port Blast Killed 40
Firefighters in Iran battled raging fires on Monday at the country's largest commercial port, two days after a massive explosion killed at least 40 people, state TV reported. The blast took place on Saturday at Shahid Rajaee Port in Iran's south near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes. It killed at least 40 people and injured more than 1,000 others, officials said, after triggering smaller explosions and fires in nearby containers, said AFP. Iran's state TV showed images of firefighters dousing the flames, and said the damage will be assessed after the fire is fully brought under control. Thick, swirling plumes of smoke rose over the stacked containers at the site, the TV images showed. It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion but the port's customs office said it likely resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot. Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei ordered a probe into the incident to determine if there were "any negligence or intent". Smoke, then a fireball CCTV images on social media showed the incident began gradually, with a small fire and orange-brown smoke before a fireball erupted. The images appeared to show the small fire starting among a few containers stacked outside across from a warehouse. A small forklift truck drove past the smoking area and men walked nearby. About one minute and eight seconds after the small fire and smoke were visible, a fireball erupted as vehicles passed nearby. Men ran for their lives. President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday visited hospitals treating the wounded in the nearby city of Bandar Abbas. Since the explosion, authorities have ordered all schools and offices in the area closed and urged residents to avoid going outside "until further notice" and to use protective masks. The New York Times quoted a person with ties to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, as saying that what exploded was sodium perchlorate -- a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles. Defense ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik later told state TV that "there has been no imported or exported cargo for military fuel or military use in the area". Russia dispatched specialists to help battle the blazes. Authorities have declared Monday a national day of mourning, while three days of mourning began Sunday in Hormozgan province, where the port is located. The blast occurred as Iranian and US delegations met in Oman for high-level talks on Tehran's nuclear program, with both sides reporting progress. While Iranian authorities so far appear to be treating the blast as an accident, it also comes against the backdrop of years of shadow war with regional foe Israel. According to the Washington Post, Israel launched a cyberattack targeting the Shahid Rajaee Port in 2020
Newsweek
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Satellite Images Reveals Iran Building New Warship
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. New satellite images appear to show Iran constructing a large catamaran warship at its Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval facility in Bandar Bahonar, southern Iran. The vessel, analyzed by open-source intelligence monitors, is significantly larger and more heavily armed than many current IRGC naval assets, indicating a potential expansion of Tehran's maritime ambitions as regional tensions rise and the third round of U.S.-Iran talks approaches. Newsweek reached out to the Pentagon and Iran's foreign ministry for comment. Why It Matters The emergence of this new vessel suggests Iran's intention to diversify beyond its traditional asymmetric naval strategy. The timing is notable: it comes amid New York Times reports that Israeli officials were preparing for potential military action against Iranian assets, heightening Tehran's focus on regional deterrence. The ship's construction also coincides with resumed diplomacy—specifically, the upcoming third round of U.S.-Iran talks scheduled for Saturday. Satellite image of Iran's IRGC naval facilities in Bandar Bahonar, southern Iran, on April 22, 2025. Satellite image of Iran's IRGC naval facilities in Bandar Bahonar, southern Iran, on April 22, 2025. Google Earth What To Know The catamaran, which may be an enlarged successor to Iran's Shahid Soleimani-class warship, could support drone or submarine capabilities, though its final role is still unclear. Although official specifications remain undisclosed, the ship's design suggests extended operational range and increased payload capacity. Separately, a senior Iranian commander recently claimed the country has acquired "ultra-secret" advanced weaponry, underscoring broader defense modernization efforts across multiple military branches, according to state media. Iran is building a new large trimaran-type warship in Bandar Baonar in the south of the country At 77 m long and 24-27 m wide, it is larger than the IRGC Navy's current Shahid Soleimani-class missile corvettes (65 m long, 14.5 m wide). — Sprinter Observer (@SprinterObserve) April 23, 2025 Iran's Naval Shift Historically reliant on fast-attack craft and swarm tactics in narrow waters like the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is now exploring larger vessels. This evolution reflects experience from regional engagements, including operations involving Yemen's Houthi forces, where uncrewed boats and sea mines have been used to achieve tactical outcomes. Military Expansion Iran has recently accelerated the development of its defense infrastructure, including drone carriers, missile systems, and fortified underground complexes known as "missile cities." Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised the country's armed forces as a "wall and shelter for the country against any aggressor," emphasizing the importance of maintaining "maximum readiness" despite the ongoing nuclear negotiations with Washington. This image provided by Sepahnews of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard shows Iran's first drone-carrier warship in the Persian Gulf. This image provided by Sepahnews of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard shows Iran's first drone-carrier warship in the Persian Gulf. Sepahnews/AP Photo What People Are Saying Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari, commander of Iran's Ground Force: "We possess highly advanced weapons, some of which are secret or even ultra-secret. These are extremely sophisticated systems that utilize artificial intelligence. Although still classified as conventional weapons, their capabilities are exceptional." President Donald Trump wrote on social media, warning Iran: "Do NOT threaten the American People, their President... or Worldwide shipping lanes. If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won't be nice about it!" What Happens Next The warship's intended mission and commissioning timeline remain unknown, but its development is likely to draw scrutiny from Western and regional powers as Iran advances its naval capabilities amid continued geopolitical strain.
