Iran Takes Delivery of Drone Ship as Supreme Leader Downplays Potential for New Nuclear Talks With Trump Administration

Latest Developments

• New Iranian Drone Carrier Delivered: Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy received its first drone carrier ship, according to Iranian state media reports on February 6. Iranian officials claim that the ship, converted from a commercial vessel with an added 180-meter-long flight deck, can carry and deploy several squadrons of drones, along with helicopters and cruise missiles. The officials also claim that the ship can remain at sea without refueling for up to one year.
• Treasury Issues Sanctions on Iranian Oil Transport Network: On February 6, the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned more than a dozen people in China, India, and the United Arab Emirates, along with crew management firms and several ships, for facilitating shipments of millions of barrels of Iranian oil to China. “The Iranian regime remains focused on leveraging its oil revenues to fund the development of its nuclear program, to produce its deadly ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, and to support its regional terrorist proxy groups,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. President Donald Trump signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum on February 4 reimposing his “maximum pressure” policy towards Iran, which calls for strengthening existing sanctions and issuing new restrictions to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
• Ayatollah Rejects New Nuclear Negotiations: Despite signing the memorandum, Trump said that he was open to negotiating a “verified nuclear peace agreement” with Tehran that would preclude it from developing a nuclear weapon. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on February 7 that it was “not smart, wise, or honorable” to negotiate with America since the first Trump administration “tore up” the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear agreement negotiated by the Obama administration in 2015.

FDD Expert Response

“This is classic Khamenei, who has always loved power without accountability and has always shied away from taking responsibility for the policies he promotes. There is no doubt Khamenei is now limiting the political space for talks but only after having greenlighted the idea of diplomacy just weeks earlier. He did exactly the same thing with respect to the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA) and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deals in 2013 and 2015.” — Behnam Ben Taleblu, Iran Program Senior Director and Senior Fellow

“Targeting the network of firms and tankers involved in smuggling Iranian oil in the first month of the Trump administration is a positive development and a strong signal. Hopefully, the administration will further increase pressure on China by sanctioning the financial institutions and port operators that facilitate illicit trade with Tehran as well as the Chinese teapot refineries that process Iranian oil and their top executives.” — Saeed Ghasseminejad, Senior Iran and Financial Economics Advisor

FDD Background and Analysis

“U.S. Treasury Should Target Iran’s Trading Partners,” by Saeed Ghasseminejad and Janatan Sayeh

“‘Denying Iran All Paths to a Nuclear Weapon’: Trump Reimposes Maximum Pressure Against Tehran,” FDD Flash Brief

“Trump’s year of opportunity against Iran,” by Saeed Ghasseminejad and Janatan Sayeh