Category: Iran

US Military Flies 2 B-52 Bombers Over Middle East in Show of Force

The U.S. military has flown two B-52 bombers over the Middle East—the fourth such mission this year—in an apparent show of force in the region. It comes amid heightened tensions between the United States and Iran as officials from both nations continue to struggle to come to an agreement on resuming the 2015 Iran nuclear deal,…


OPEC Slashes Oil Output Weeks After Biden’s Fist Pump With Saudi Crown Prince

Crude futures rallied Monday after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its oil-producing allies, OPEC+, agreed to trim their production levels amid growing global recession fears. The cartel plans to reduce output targets by approximately 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) beginning in October. Officials purported that it was necessary to stabilize market…


OPEC Slashes Oil Output Weeks After Biden’s Fist Bump With Saudi Crown Prince

Crude futures rallied Monday after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its oil-producing allies, OPEC+, agreed to trim their production levels amid growing global recession fears. The cartel plans to reduce output targets by approximately 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) beginning in October. Officials purported that it was necessary to stabilize market…


Iran Briefly Seizes 2 US Sea Drones in Red Sea Amid Tensions

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—Iran’s navy seized two American sea drones in the Red Sea before letting them go Friday as U.S. warships neared, officials said, in the latest maritime incident involving the Navy’s new drone fleet in the Mideast. Iranian state television aired footage it said came from the deck of the Iranian navy’s Jamaran…


Pentagon Announces Iran Tried to Capture US Drone Ship

U.S. military officials on Tuesday confirmed Iran was caught trying to capture an unmanned U.S. drone ship in the Persian Gulf. The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet at around 11 p.m. on Monday discovered an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ship towing a Navy Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel to detain it. A coastal ship, the USS Thunderbolt,…


Iran Tried to Capture US Drone Ship, Pentagon Says

The U.S. Navy has foiled an attempt by Iran to capture an unmanned U.S. drone ship in the Persian Gulf, U.S. military officials confirmed on Aug. 30. The U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet late on Aug. 29 discovered that an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps ship was towing a Navy Saildrone Explorer unmanned surface vessel (USV) to detain it….


China Busts US Sanctions on Venezuela—and America Says Nothing

Commentary China is thumbing its nose at U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and Iran; so far, the Biden administration does nothing about it. According to Reuters, China is now using front companies—at least one unregistered and another a major defense contractor—to run illegal oil from Venezuela to the mainland. Starting in August 2019, China National Petroleum…


Iraqi Cleric Sadr Calls Off Protests After Worst Baghdad Violence in Years

BAGHDAD—Powerful cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his followers to end their protests in central Baghdad on Tuesday, easing a confrontation which led to the deadliest violence in the Iraqi capital in years. Apologizing to Iraqis after 22 people were killed in clashes between an armed group loyal to him and rival Shi’ite Muslim factions backed by…


Berlin Says German Tourist Detained in Iran

BERLIN—A German tourist has been detained in Iran, the German foreign ministry said on Saturday, declining to give further details beyond saying the man was receiving consular assistance. The Iranian interior ministry was not immediately available to comment on the detention. On Aug. 26, the Persian Service of Radio Liberty said a 66-year-old German man…


Iranian Regime Steps Up Underground Uranium Enrichment, IAEA Report Says

VIENNA—The Iranian regime is pressing ahead with its rollout of an upgrade to its advanced uranium enrichment programme, a report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog seen by Reuters on Monday showed, even as the West awaits Tehran’s response on salvaging its 2015 nuclear deal. The first of three cascades, or clusters, of advanced IR-6 centrifuges…