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U.S.: Iran's Unprecedented Attack on Israel
The United States played a major role in deflecting Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel on April 13-14, 2024, reflecting its growing role in the escalating tensions between the Islamic republic and Israel. President Joe Biden had vowed that the U.S. commitment—militarily and diplomatically—was “…
Iran’s Unprecedented Attack on Israel
Overnight on April 13-14, 2024, Iran launched an unprecedented attack—including 170 drones, at least 30 cruise missiles, and more than 120 ballistic missiles—on Israel. Iran’s militia allies in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen also fired rockets, missiles and drones at Israel. The swarm of assaults…
World: Iran’s Unprecedented Attack on Israel
Global reaction to Iran’s attack on Israel reflected the deepening division among major powers on the Middle East crisis. During an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on April 14, 2024, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterrez warned that the region is “on the brink” as it confronts the…
Iran’s Missiles: Infographics and Photos
Iran has the largest and most diverse missile arsenal in the Middle East. It has thousands of cruise and ballistic missiles with ranges from 200 km to 3,000 km (123 miles to 1,864 miles) and varying degrees of accuracy. Iran’s missile program, which dates back to the monarchy and briefly included…
Timeline of Attacks: Israel versus the Houthis
The Houthis, a Yemeni militia backed by Iran, launched a campaign against Israel shortly after the Gaza war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023. During the first six months of the conflict, they fired missiles and drones at least 10 times in the direction of Eilat, the strategic Israeli port on the Red Sea…
U.S. Sanctions Ships Linked to Iran’s Military
On April 4, the United States sanctioned Oceanlink Maritime DMCC, a shipping company, for smuggling on behalf of Iran’s military and defense ministry. The shipments of Iranian goods were worth hundreds of millions of dollars. “We are focused on disrupting Iran’s ability to finance its terrorist…
U.S. on Israeli Strike on Iranian Site in Syria
The United States vehemently denied any involvement or prior knowledge of the Israeli attack on an Iranian diplomatic facility that killed senior Revolutionary Guards officers in Damascus on April 1, 2024. The Biden administration informed Iran through back channels that the attack was a surprise…
U.N. Debate: Israeli Attack on Iranian Site in Syria
On April 2, 2024, the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss the Israeli airstrike on an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus that killed three Revolutionary Guard generals and four other military officers. The majority of countries on the 15-member council condemned the…
Iran & Allies React to Israeli Attack in Syria
Updated: April 10, 2024
Iran reacted with outrage at the Israeli attack on its consulate in Syria, which killed three Revolutionary Guards commanders and four other military officials on April 1, 2024. Several senior officials threatened punishing revenge on Israel, while Tehran filed a formal protest at the United…
Turning Point: Israeli Attack on IRGC in Syria
Updated: April 10, 2024
On April 1, 2024, an Israeli airstrike killed three generals in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and four other officers at a consulate abutting the Iranian embassy in Damascus. The attack was an unprecedented escalation in the decades-long shadow war between Israel and Iran. The precision strike,…
Timeline of Attacks: Israel versus Hezbollah & Iran
Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, which have played out over decades in two major wars and shadow wars in between, escalated after the conflict erupted in Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. Hezbollah’s bombardments started with sporadic rocket and mortar fire but gradually increased in scale and frequency…
News Digest: Week of April 1
April 1International: An Israeli airstrike killed three generals in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and four other officers at a consulate abutting the Iranian embassy in Damascus. The attack was an unprecedented escalation in the decades-long shadow war between Israel and Iran. The precision strike,…
U.S. Targets IRGC, Houthi & Hezbollah Finances
On March 26, 2024, the United States sanctioned six transportation companies, one money exchanger and two tankers for facilitating shipments and financial transactions for the Revolutionary Guards in Iran, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. “The United States will continue to take…
White House on Iran’s Targeting of Water Systems
On March 18, the Biden administration warned governors that hackers linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were trying to disrupt drinking water and wastewater systems in the United States. “We need your support to ensure that all water systems in your state comprehensively assess their current…
Khamenei and Raisi Speeches on Nowruz
On March 20, 2024, Iran’s leaders marked Nowruz, the Persian New Year and the first day of spring, with candid yet optimistic messages on the economy. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei praised Iran’s resilience in the face of U.S. and European sanctions but also acknowledged that the struggling…
Nowruz: Bleak Economic Future
What was the state of Iran’s economy in March 2024 as the country celebrated the Persian New Year? What were the biggest economic challenges?Sanctions have cast a long shadow on Iran’s economy, but they have not led to an economic collapse. Iran has managed to grow its overall economy by an average…
U.S. Sanctions Networks Supplying Iran’s Military
On March 20, 2024, the United States sanctioned three networks that supplied materials and goods to Iran’s ballistic missile, nuclear and defense programs. The networks were based in Iran, Turkey, Oman, and Germany. “Through complex covert procurement networks, Iran seeks to supply rogue actors…
News Digest: Week of March 18
March 18Domestic: Armed assailants killed an Iranian border guard, Mohammad Javad Bayanati, while on duty along the border of southeastern Sistan and Baluchistan province. Smugglers and terrorist groups have long operated along the border with Pakistan. International: Syrian Defense Minister…
Analysis on Iranian Politics in the New Year
The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars hosted a discussion on March 18, 2024 on the results of Iran’s elections for the 290-seat Parliament and the 88-member Assembly of Experts, the clerical body charged with selecting and overseeing the supreme leader. Hardliners consolidated their…
Biden on Iran at Nowruz
President Biden marked the beginning of Nowruz, the Persian new year, on March 19, 2024 with a pledge that the United States and its allies “will hold Iranian officials to account for denying fundamental human rights.” Biden has been particularly critical of Tehran’s crackdown on thousands of…
U.S. Sanctions Ship Smuggling for the Houthis
On March 15, 2024, the United States sanctioned shipping company Vishnu Inc. and its vessel, the Lady Sofia, for smuggling goods to China. The revenue was used to support the Houthis in Yemen and Iran’s Qods Force, the external operations branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). “The…
G7 Warns Iran on Missiles to Russia
On March 15, 2024, the G7 countries warned Iran against providing ballistic missiles to Russia. “We are prepared to respond swiftly and in a coordinated manner including with new and significant measures against Iran,” they said in a joint statement. The G7 includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany…
U.S. Sanctions Iran's Bahrain Allies
On March 12, 2024, the Treasury Department sanctioned four Iran-based operatives and a financial facilitator for the al Ashtar Brigades, an Iran-backed group committed to overthrowing Bahrain’s government. “Today’s action, taken in coordination with the Kingdom of Bahrain, underscores our…
Biden Renews State of Emergency with Iran
On March 12, 2024, President Biden renewed the national emergency with respect to Iran, which gives the president broad powers to unilaterally impose sanctions or other punitive measures and regulate trade. In 1995, President Bill Clinton declared the state of emergency, which must be extended…
2024 U.S. Intelligence Report on Iran
On March 11, 2024, the annual U.S. intelligence assessment reported that Iran’s advanced nuclear program had not yet produced a weapon. But it warned that Tehran had accelerated production and operation of centrifuges to enrich uranium, the fuel used for both a bomb and a nuclear energy plant. Iran…
News Digest: Week of March 11
March 11International: An Iranian court ordered the United States and Tondar, an opposition group based in California, to pay $2.47 billion to victims of the 2008 bombing in Shiraz. Iran accused Iranian-German national Jamshid Sharmahd, the creator of Tondar’s website, of orchestrating the attack.…
U.N. Report on Protest Crackdown
Iran committed serious human rights violations during the crackdown on the “Women, Life, Freedom” protests, according to a U.N. fact-finding mission report released on March 8, 2024. Anti-government demonstrations broke out nationwide after the death of Mahsa Amini – young woman arrested by the…
Biden on Iran & Gaza in State of the Union
In his 2024 State of the Union address, President Biden pledged to protect U.S. personnel from the threat posed by Iran and its allies, including the Houthi rebels in Yemen. “That’s why I built a coalition of more than a dozen countries to defend international shipping and freedom of navigation in…
Gallup: U.S. Views on Iran Nuclear Threat
More than three-quarters of Americans named Iran’s potential development of nuclear weapons as a critical threat to U.S. interests, according to Gallup poll. Iran’s nuclear program came in second—with 77 percent—in a list of 13 flashpoints. The only more critical danger to Americans was…
News Digest: Week of March 4
March 4Domestic: Iran’s interior ministry announced the results of the March 1 election. Hardliners consolidated their grip on power in both Parliament and the Assembly of Experts. The 290 seats of Parliament are elected every four years. Elected every eight years, the 88-member assembly has been…