Georgetown Security Law Brief

UN nuclear agency reports failed Iran talks

02/22/12: Mercury News reports that the UN nuclear agency says its experts have again failed to dent Iran's refusal to cooperate in probing allegations that Tehran covertly worked on an atomic arms program. An International Atomic Energy Agency statement says Iran refused an IAEA request for access to a site where the agency suspects explosives testing related to a nuclear weapon took place. It also says that despite "intensive efforts," no agreement was reached on how to relaunch the probe, which has been stalled for nearly four years.

Iran says UN nuke inspectors will not visit sites

02/21/12: The Denver Post reports that a UN team visiting Iran has no plans to inspect the country's nuclear facilities and will only hold talks with officials in Tehran, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday. The remarks by Ramin Mehmanparast cast doubt on how much the UN inspectors would be able to gauge whether Iran is moving ahead with its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons.  The two-day visit by the International Atomic Energy Agency team, which started Monday, is the second in less than a month amid growing concerns over alleged Iranian weapons experiments.

Iranian ships reported to leave Syria

02/21/12: The New York Times reports that two Iranian warships that docked in a Syrian port as a senior Iranian lawmaker denounced American calls for arming the Syrian opposition were reported on Tuesday to have left the Mediterranean, sailing south through the Suez Canal toward the Red Sea. The presence of the vessels had been seen as adding to international tension over the nearly yearlong crackdown by the government of President Bashar al-Assad, and an Iranian official called it “a clear message against the United States’ possible adventurism.”

Iran raid seen as a huge task for Israeli jets

02/20/12: The New York Times reports that should Israel decide to launch a strike on Iran, its pilots would have to fly more than 1,000 miles across unfriendly airspace, refuel in the air en route, fight off Iran’s air defenses, attack multiple underground sites simultaneously — and use at least 100 planes. That is the assessment of American defense officials and military analysts close to the Pentagon, who say that an Israeli attack meant to set back Iran's nuclear program would be a huge and highly complex operation. They describe it as far different from Israel’s “surgical” strikes on a nuclear reactor in Syria in 2007 and Iraq’s Osirak reactor in 1981.

Iran suspends oil exports to Britain and France

02/19/12: CNN reports that Iran's oil ministry announced Sunday that it had stopped crude exports to British and French companies. The order came several days after Iran threatened to cut oil exports to some European Union countries in retaliation for sanctions put in place by the EU and the United States in January, a ministry spokesman said in a statement. "Iran has no difficulty in selling and exporting its crude oil. . . . We have our own customers and have designated alternatives for our oil sales. We shall sell to new customers, who will replace French and UK companies," ministry spokesman Ali Reza Nikzad-Rahbar said.

Iran says Stuxnet virus infected 16,000 computers

02/18/12: The Boston Globe reports that a senior Iranian intelligence official says an estimated 16,000 computers were infected by the Stuxnet virus. The powerful virus targeted Iran's nuclear facilities and other industrial sites in 2010, and Tehran has acknowledged the malicious software affected a limited number of centrifuges -- a key component in nuclear fuel production. Iran has said its scientists discovered and neutralized the malware before it could cause serious damage, but also said it is facing difficulties obtaining anti-malware software because of international sanctions, forcing Iran to use its own experts to design the software.

A show of unity at Iran-Afghanistan-Pakistan summit

02/17/12: The Washington Post reports that if there existed any conflict among the chief executives of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran they certainly weren’t showing it Friday at the close of a trilateral summit in Pakistan’s capital. At a news conference the theme was fraternal unity as the trio pledged to work for peace and prosperity in a region raging with war and terrorism. “When brothers [clasp] their hands together, certainly the hands of God will assist them,” Ahmadinejad said at the post-summit news conference that he dominated with windy disquisitions against “outside powers,” the United States presumably among them.

Trilateral summit begins between Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran

02/16/12: The Express Tribune reports that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has arrived in Pakistan for a two-day visit to attend the Pakistan-Iran-Afghanistan trilateral summit in Islamabad. Earlier in the day, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani welcomed Afghan President Hamid Karzai. In a meeting at the Prime Minister House, Gilani and Karzai discussed a range of issues, including the regional situation and bilateral ties, which have been hit by mistrust following recent cross-border attacks. The two leaders also discussed ongoing efforts for restoring peace in conflict-hit Afghanistan, such as US’ negotiations with the Taliban in which both Pakistan and Afghanistan have felt neglected by the US.

After killings of Iran nuclear scientists, Israeli diplomats targeted

02/14/12: The Miami Herald reports that Israeli officials have blamed Iran for nearly simultaneous attempts to bomb Israeli diplomats in India and Georgia in what some analysts suggested may be Iranian retaliation for a series of attacks on its nuclear program that have been widely blamed on Israel. In New Delhi, the explosion wounded four people, including the wife of the Israeli Embassy's defense attache. In Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, the device was discovered on a vehicle parked at the Israeli Embassy and disarmed harmlessly. "Today we witnessed two attempts of terrorism against innocent civilians," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said. "Iran is behind these attacks, and it is the largest terror exporter in the world."

UK man accused of plotting to sell missile parts to Iran will be extradited to US

02/13/12: The Washington Post reports that a retired British businessman accused of plotting to sell missile components to Iran will be extradited to the US, his lawyer said Monday. Karen Todner said in a statement that Christopher Tappin’s attempt to appeal his extradition to the European Court of Human Rights had failed and that he would be sent to the US in 10 days. Tappin faces charges in Texas over allegations that he offered in 2006 to sell specialized batteries for Hawk missiles for $25,000 to undercover American agents posing as Iranians.

30 million lose email access in Iran

02/12/12: The Boston Globe reports that an Iranian news agency reports that more than 30 million people in the country have lost access to foreign email services such as Gmail, Yahoo mail and Hotmail. The Saturday report by the semiofficial Mehr agency says that the authorities in the national telecommunications company declined to comment on the outage that began Thursday, saying that it had no connection to them. Iran has occasionally restricted the Internet since the turmoil that followed the 2009 elections and blocked websites including Facebook, Twitter, Voice of America and the BBC Farsi service.

Ex-Marine sentenced to death in Iran needs US intervention

02/09/12: The Washington Post reports that a former US Marine sentenced to death in Iran for allegedly spying for the CIA could be saved if the Obama administration would consider a prisoner swap, his Iranian attorney said Wednesday. Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, 28, who was sentenced in January to be hanged, could face execution immediately after an appeals court has reviewed his sentence, said lawyer Mohammad Hossein Aghassi. The court’s decision was expected January 25; the reason for the delay is unclear. Aghassi stressed that it was essential for the Obama administration to do anything within its means to reach out to Iran.

Iran navy rescues tanker from pirates

02/06/12: The Boston Globe reports that Iran's state TV reports that the country's navy has opened fire on pirates to foil an attack on an Iranian oil tanker near the Gulf of Aden. The late Sunday report says the Iranian navy rushed to the site earlier in the day after it received a distress signal from the tanker, which was under attack from some 35 pirate boats. The report says the pirate boats fled after the Iranian forces opened fire. It did not report any casualties. Iranian vessels are part of an international flotilla of warships that patrols the Gulf of Aden near the entrance to the Red Sea, to protect shipping from Somalia-based pirates.

India won't cut back on Iran oil imports

01/30/12: CBS News reports that India will not cut back on oil imports from Iran, its finance minister said, despite stiff new US and European sanctions designed to pressure Tehran over its nuclear program. "It is not possible for India to take any decision to reduce the import from Iran drastically because, after all, the countries which can provide the requirement of the emerging economy, Iran is an important country amongst them." Iran exports 2.5 million barrels of oil per day, about 3 percent of world supplies. About 500,000 barrels go to Europe and most of the rest goes to China, India, Japan and South Korea.

IAEA rejects Iran accusation over scientist's killing

01/21/12: Reuters reports that the UN nuclear watchdog said it did not know an Iranian scientist who was killed last week, rejecting Tehran's suggestions it may have been partly to blame for his death by leaking information about him. The International Atomic Energy Agency, separately also confirmed that its senior officials would travel to Tehran later this month for rare talks about the Islamic Republic's disputed nuclear program.

US drone that crashed in Iran goes miniature

01/17/12: The Washington Post reports that for the American government, the crash of the RQ-170 drone in Iran was an embarrassment. For the Iranian government, it was a propaganda victory. And for at least one company, according to state radio, it could be a windfall. An Iranian firm, seeking to capitalize on the frenzy that followed the crash of the drone — and American calls to have it returned — is now producing miniaturized toy versions of the craft. Most of the toys have already been snapped up by Iranian government organizations, according to the group that manufactures them.

Iran's leader visits Venezuela as 'CIA spy' is sentenced to death

01/09/12: Fox News reports that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began a four-nation Latin American tour Sunday, aiming to show off relationships with allies as tensions grow over Iran's nuclear program, on the same day Iran's state radio says an American man convicted of working for the CIA has been sentenced to death. It is the Iranian leader's fifth visit to Venezuela. He will also travel to Nicaragua, Cuba and Ecuador. The Iranian leader was scheduled to meet Monday with his longtime ally President Hugo Chávez, who was on a trip in eastern Venezuela on Sunday.

US Navy rescues Iranian fishing boat from pirates

01/07/12: The Washington Times reports that just days after Iranian leaders warned the US to keeps its aircraft carriers out of the Persian Gulf, a US Navy ship that had just finished operations in the Gulf rescued an Iranian fishing boat that had been commandeered by suspected Somali pirates. US Navy officials said that American forces flying off the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd responded to a distress call from the Iranian ship, the Al Molai, which had been held captive by pirates for more than 40 days.

Iran's warnings reflect tougher military doctrine

01/06/12: The Miami Herald reports that Iran's recent emphasis on displays of military strength and brinkmanship-style posturing may reflect mounting insecurities among Iran's leadership. "They want to show a public, facing more economic hardships, that Iran is strong, capable and not afraid to fight if it has to," said Abdulaziz Sager, director of the Gulf Research Center headquartered in Geneva. Iran also sees itself locked in an escalating cloak-and-dagger conflict with the US and its allies. Iran this week said it started production of remote-controlled surveillance helicopters in an apparent response to American spy craft.

3 Iranian guards face murder charges in Pakistan

01/04/12: CBS News reports that a Pakistani official says three Iranian border guards held here face murder charges after fatally shooting a man inside Pakistan's territory while chasing smugglers. Deputy commissioner Saeed Jamali said on Wednesday that the case against the three was registered at a police station the day before. This means the Iranians will have to go on trial, though no date for it has been set. Iran has said the three crossed the border unintentionally while chasing smugglers and has asked Pakistan to release them quickly. The incident occurred Sunday in Baluchistan province, a desolate, sparsely populated region where the border is not clearly marked.

Commentary: Iran ramps up courtship of Latin America

12/31/11: Reuters features a commentary piece by Bernd Debusmann concerning Iran’s recent diplomatic efforts in Latin America. Debusmann contends that American foreign policy on Latin America has gone through cycles of neglect and concern for decades. It’s in a cycle of concern again, prompted by an Iranian campaign to make friends and influence people in the American backyard. Washington’s message to Iran’s Latin friends – don’t get too close – does not appear to impress them.

Iran central bank to file motion in US court to unfreeze funds

12/30/11: The Economic Times reports that Bank Markazi, Iran's central bank, is preparing to file a motion in a New York federal court early in February asking for the release of about $2 billion of its frozen funds at Citigroup's Citibank unit, the Wall Street Journal said, citing attorneys for the bank.  A US court froze the assets in 2008 after a group of victims sought the funds as partial payment for a $2.7 billion legal judgment made against Tehran for its alleged role in the 1983 Beirut bombing, the Journal said. The bomb attacks against US and French armed forces, in Lebanon for a peacekeeping operation, claimed nearly 300 lives.

House Democrat says Iranian regime will self-destruct

12/26/11: The Hill reports that a House Democrat is saying that, rather than confront Iran over its nuclear arms program, the US would be better served by letting the Iranian regime crumble from internal friction. Amid calls from Republicans and Democrats to pressure Tehran anew to halt the program with tougher economic sanctions or even a military strike, Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), a member of the House Appropriations subcommittee on Defense, told The Hill he is dismayed by what he called a growing drumbeat on Capitol Hill to use military force against Iran. Some analysts agree, but foreign policy experts are critical of the view. 

Iraq agrees to move Iranian dissidents from Camp Ashraf

12/26/11: The Washington Post reports that the United Nations and the Iraqi government agreed to relocate several thousand Iranian exiles living in a camp in northeastern Iraq, potentially averting a showdown with its residents. The dissidents, who have not said whether they would agree to move, reported a rocket attack on the camp. The People’s Mujahedeen Organization of Iran, one-time allies of Saddam Hussein in a common fight against Iran, said Katyusha rockets struck near housing units inside the camp on Sunday night, but did not report any casualties.

Iran rejects 9/11 involvement after US judgment implicates them

12/26/11: JURIST reports that Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast denied that Iran was actively involved in the 9/11 attacks after allegations in Thursday's default judgment in Havlish v. Bin Laden. A Southern District of New York judge granted the plaintiffs' motion for judgment against Iran, its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Kharmenei, former Iranian president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and several other sovereign defendants holding that they are liable under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act of 1976 for knowingly aiding al Qaeda through Hezbollah in the 9/11 attack.

Iran blocks UK website in new diplomatic spat

12/22/11: The Boston Globe reports that Iran has blocked access to a British government website aimed at Iranian audiences in a new act of aggression against the UK, Britain's Foreign Secretary said Thursday. William Hague claimed that the website -- the online presence of Britain's now shuttered embassy in Tehran -- had been deliberately targeted by the Iranian regime. The decision to disrupt access to the site follows the violent storming of Britain's embassy by demonstrators last month, when a mob trashed rooms, damaged furniture, scrawled graffiti and tore up a portrait of Queen Victoria, as staff took shelter.

United States limits the intelligence value of drones

12/18/11: The Corvallis Gazette Times reports that a US official says Iran will find it hard to exploit any data and technology aboard the captured CIA stealth drone because of measures taken to limit the intelligence value of drones operating over hostile territory. The official also said Saturday that despite Iran's latest claims to have hijacked the RQ-170 Sentinel and brought it down near the eastern Iranian city of Kashmar, the US is convinced that the drone malfunctioned. "The Iranians had nothing to do with it," the official said.

Iran says intelligence chief’s visit to Saudi Arabia aimed at refuting US claims

12/14/11: The Guardian reports that a rare visit by Iran's intelligence chief to Saudi Arabia sought to refute US claims that Tehran planned to kill the kingdom's ambassador to Washington, a senior Iranian official said Wednesday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Iran also wanted to convince Saudi Arabia that the US and Israel are seeking to sow seeds of discord between the two regional powers. Intelligence Minister Heidar Moslehi was reported to have met the Saudi Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdel-Aziz Al Saud during his Tuesday visit. The prince is also the kingdom's interior minister.

US authorities probing alleged cyberattack plot by Venezuela, Iran

12/14/11: The Washington Times reports that US officials are investigating reports that Iranian and Venezuelan diplomats in Mexico were involved in planned cyberattacks against U.S. targets, including nuclear power plants. Allegations about the cyberplot were aired last week in a documentary on the Spanish-language TV network Univision, which included secretly recorded footage of Iranian and Venezuelan diplomats being briefed on the planned attacks and promising to pass information to their governments.

Iran blocks US embassy on the web

12/08/11: The New York Times reports that barely 24 hours after its debut, the United States’ “virtual embassy” in Iran was blocked from view inside the country. The semiofficial Fars news agency reported that blocking the site “was a decisive reaction by the Iranian authorities to the latest plots hatched by Washington against the Iranian nation.” The Fars report mocked the American effort at digital diplomacy, saying the site would have been ineffective anyway: “The Web site would turn into a social Web site with no tangible result for the US.”

Iran promises better protection for embassies

12/07/11: The New York Times reports that Iran’s foreign minister promised that Iranian protesters will not overrun and vandalize any more embassies in Tehran, the way they did Britain’s diplomatic facilities in Tehran last week. “This will not recur,” the foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi, said in an interview published Tuesday in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a leading German newspaper. He called the pillaging of Britain’s embassy and a residential compound on November 30 “unlawful actions.”

DC court says Iran culpable for supporting al Qaeda embassy bombings

12/05/11: The Long War Journal reports that in a little-noticed ruling on November 28, a Washington, DC district court found that both Iran and Sudan were culpable for al Qaeda's 1998 embassy bombings. As is typical in cases dealing with state sponsorship of terrorism, neither Iran nor Sudan answered the plaintiffs' accusations. But in a 45-page decision, Judge John D. Bates issued a default judgment. The court found that the "government of the Islamic Republic of Iran . . . has a long history of providing material aid and support to terrorist organizations including al Qaeda."

Germany probes if Iran pondering attacks

12/01/11: The Miami Herald reports that German prosecutors are investigating information authorities received that Iran has been planning attacks on American targets inside the country, but has no indication of anything in the works, a spokeswoman said Thursday. Germany is home to many US military installations, including the Ramstein and Spangdahlem air bases, and the investigation was opened after authorities received information that Iran might be planning retaliatory attacks to be launched in the event of an American strike on Iran. 

Iranian influence seeping into Iraq

11/30/11: The Washington Times reports that Iran's presence is already visible in Iraq, from the droves of pilgrims at Shiite holy sites to the brands of yogurt and jams on grocery shelves. But now Iraqis are bracing for a potential escalation of Persian influence as the US military leaves at the end of the year. It’s a natural step, most agree, for the only two Shiite Muslim-led governments in the Sunni-dominated Mideast to expand their relationship. Still, it’s a fine line for Iraq to walk, with even many in Iraq's Shiite majority wary of infringement of their country’s sovereignty and afraid of being overrun by the Iranian theocracy.

Iran claims capture of 12 CIA spies

11/24/11: CBS News reports that an influential Iran parliamentarian has said that the country has arrested 12 agents of the American Central Intelligence Agency. Parviz Sorouri, who sits on the powerful committee of foreign policy and national security, that the alleged agents had been operating in coordination with Israel's Mossad and other regional agencies, and targeted the country's military and its nuclear program.

US to slap new sanctions on Iran's petrochemical industry

11/21/11: CNN reports that the Obama administration plans to impose fresh sanctions against Iran on Monday. US sanctions already prohibit American companies from doing business with Iran. The goal of the new measures is to bar foreign companies from doing business with Iran's petrochemical industry by threatening to ban them from US markets, sources said.

As US prepares to leave Iraq, Iran's shadow looms large

11/14/11: The Los Angeles Times reports that as the last US troops pack up to leave Iraq by the end of next month, Pentagon officials and senior military commanders are warning that Iran will rush to fill a power vacuum created by the American exit unless Washington limits its pullback from the region. That broad assessment has taken on urgency in recent weeks against a backdrop of new intelligence that indicates the government in Tehran also is aggressively courting proxy forces in Yemen and, according to United Nations nuclear inspectors, is fast approaching the capability to build nuclear weapons.

Iran exile group claims blast hits missile base

11/13/11: The Boston Globe reports that an Iranian exile group claimed Saturday that a blast near Tehran hit a missile base run by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, disputing the Iranian government's account that it occurred at an ammunition depot. Former Mujahedin-e Khalq spokesman Alireza Jafarzadeh, citing what he called reliable sources inside Iran, said that the explosion hit the Modarres Garrison of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps west of Tehran. The group, also known as the MEK, has in the past disclosed the sites of several key Iranian nuclear installations as well as details of their operations.

Iranian influence seeping into Iraq

11/07/11: The Boston Globe reports that Iran's presence is already visible in Iraq, from the droves of pilgrims at Shiite holy sites to the brands of yoghurt and jams on grocery shelves. But now Iraqis are bracing for a potential escalation of Persian influence as the US military leaves at the end of the year. It's a natural step, most agree, for the only two Shiite Muslim-led governments in the Sunni-dominated Mideast to expand their relationship. But it's a fine line for Iraq to walk, with even many in Iraq's Shiite majority wary of infringement of their country's sovereignty and afraid of being overrun by the Iranian theocracy.

Rice says Iran's government has 'no legitimacy left'

11/06/11: NPR reports that former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the US should consider even tougher penalties against Iran's government and "be doing everything we can to bring it down." Rice tells ABC's "This Week" that the US should never take the option of military force off the table when it comes to dealing with Iran. She says the current Iranian government is trying to obtain a nuclear weapon and has repressed its own people. Rice says "the regime has absolutely no legitimacy left."

Iran cyber police cite US threat

10/30/11: The Washington Post reports that an Iranian police unit that was formed this year to counter alleged Internet crimes is playing a key role in an escalating online conflict between the United States and the Islamic Republic. The “cyber police” force is part of a broad and largely successful government effort to block foreign Web sites and social networks deemed a threat to national security.  Iranian officials say the US is waging a “soft war” against Iran by reaching out to Iranians online and inciting them to overthrow their leaders.

US parts smuggled to Iran for Iraq bombs, charges say

10/26/11: The Washington Post reports that electronic parts made in Minnesota were smuggled through Singapore to Iran, and some of them ended up in the remote controls of makeshift bombs seized by American forces in Iraq. The parts are normally used in commonplace devices like routers that wirelessly connect computers and printers in a typical office network. The Justice Department said in an indictment that the ones smuggled to Iran had been put to use in sophisticated improvised explosive devices, or IED’s, that could be triggered from miles away.

Clinton implicitly warns Iran not to interfere in Iraq

10/22/11: CBS News reports that the United States will continue to support Iraq as it moves toward democracy, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Saturday as she wrapped up a week-long overseas trip. Without mentioning Iran by name, Clinton warned Iraq's neighbors against meddling and said the US and Iraq would remain close allies. "[T]o countries in the region, especially Iraq's neighbors, we want to emphasize that America will stand with our allies and friends, including Iraq, in defense of our common security and interests," she said.

UN investigator to present report on alleged Iranian rights abuses

10/20/11: The VOA reports that the United States is urging the international community to "redouble its condemnation" of Iran for alleged human rights abuses detailed in a report to be presented to the UN General Assembly on Wednesday. US State Department spokesman Mark Toner says the report by UN special investigator Ahmed Shaheed shows Iran is continuing a "brutal repression" of its citizens. In the report, Shaheed accuses Iranian authorities of secretly executing prisoners without the knowledge of families and lawyers, and detaining political dissidents for prolonged periods, among other abuses.

Iran to gather evidence of US "crimes"

10/19/11: CBS News reports that Iran's judiciary chief claims he has assigned the country's state prosecutor to gather evidence proving US crimes in Iran and elsewhere. The statement by Ayatollah Sadeq Larijani, a cleric who heads the country's judicial system, come days after the US accused Iranian government agents of plotting to kill the Saudi ambassador in the United States. In comments broadcast Wednesday on state television, Larijani says his country is planning to sue the United States for committing "crimes" against both Iranians and Americans.

Opinion: Trapped in Guantanamo

09/29/11: The Los Angeles Times features an opinion piece by Joseph Margulies, a lawyer with the MacArthur Justice Center and a law professor at Northwestern University.  Margulies discusses how the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is again in the news after two Americans released this month by Iran reported that when they complained about conditions in their Tehran prison, the jailers would "immediately remind us of comparable conditions at Guantanamo Bay."

Walkout at UN as Ahmadinejad speaks

09/22/11: CNN reports that delegations from the United States and several European nations walked out of the UN General Assembly Thursday during Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's speech, in which he repeatedly condemned the United States and called the September 11, 2001, attacks a pretext for a US-led war against Afghanistan and Iraq. Delegates from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom were among those who walked out. Delegations from Canada and Israel were not present from the beginning.

Ahmadinejad says Iran can cripple enemies on their ground, Tehran shows off new cruise missile

08/23/11: The Washington Post reports that Iran’s president claimed on Tuesday the country’s military can cripple enemies on their own ground as Tehran put a new Iranian-made cruise missile on display, the latest addition to the nation’s growing arsenal. The state TV reported that the new missile, showcased at a ceremony in Tehran, is designed for sea-based targets, with a range of 124 miles (200 kilometers) and is capable of destroying a warship. The TV said it can travel at low altitudes and has a lighter weight and smaller dimensions.

State Department believes Iran the 'most active state sponsor of terrorism'

08/19/11: The Long War Journal reports that on Thursday, the US State Department released its annual Country Reports on Terrorism, which provides an overview of terrorism for the previous calendar year. Iran "remained the most active state sponsor of terrorism in 2010," the State Department reported. "Iran's financial, material, and logistic support for terrorist and militant groups throughout the Middle East and Central Asia had a direct impact on international efforts to promote peace, threatened economic stability in the Gulf, and undermined the growth of democracy." As in past reports, the State Department highlighted Iran's assistance to its onetime foe, the Taliban.

Californian sentenced in Iran missile parts case

08/16/11: The Miami Herald reports that a 38-year-old man who admitted he tried to illegally export parts of missiles to Iran from the United States has been sentenced to more than four years in prison, officials announced Monday. Davoud Baniameri, an Iranian citizen and legal US resident who lived in Woodland Hills, California, was sentenced to 51 months. He pleaded guilty in May and was sentenced Friday in Chicago's federal court.