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October 31, 2019 Erdogan Continues to Reward Iran Sanctions Evaders The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announced yesterday that it will sell its 10 percent stake in the Istanbul stock exchange after Turkey named as its CEO a Turkish banker convicted... October 30, 2019 Sanctions Have Not Reduced Iran’s Pharmaceutical Imports From EU, Data Show Despite sanctions, Iran’s imports of European pharmaceuticals increased in the first half of 2019 compared to the first half of the year prior. This trend suggests the exemption of humanitarian goods... October 25, 2019 Qatar Extends Support for Turkey’s Assault in Northern Syria Qatar defended Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s assault on northern Syria last week, becoming the first country to publicly voice support for Turkey’s intervention. Qatar’s support clarifies... October 18, 2019 Russia-Saudi Rapprochement? Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Saudi Arabia on Monday. During the visit, the two sides signed numerous agreements, most notably on oil and investment. Even as Moscow and Riyadh differ in their... October 18, 2019 U.S. Sanctions Spur Dramatic Decline of European Imports from Iran In the first six months of 2019, the value of European Union imports from Iran decreased by 94 percent in comparison with the same period in 2018, according to Eurostat. The oil trade has suffered the most:... October 17, 2019 U.S. Army Receives First Delivery of Israeli-Made Active Protection System According to an industry announcement last week, the U.S. Army has received its first delivery of the Israeli-made Trophy Active Protection System (APS), which the Army plans to install on many of its M1... October 16, 2019 Qatar Withdraws Endorsement of Chinese Oppression Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced his regret last week that some prominent Americans refuse to acknowledge how China is “detaining and abusing more than one million Uighur Muslims in internment camps.”... October 15, 2019 In Effort to Deter Iran, DOD Deploys Additional Forces to Saudi Arabia In response to continued threats from Iran and a request from Riyadh, the Pentagon announced Friday the deployment of additional U.S. forces to Saudi Arabia. Washington is seeking to strengthen U.S. combat... October 10, 2019 Despite Sanctions, Iran Exports Hundreds of Millions Worth of Polyethylene to China Abdolnasser Hemmati, the head of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), announced last week that from March to September 2019 the CBI managed to provide $19 billion to pay for Iran’s imports, of which $11 billion... October 8, 2019 Turkey Sends Oil-Drilling Ship Into Cypriot Waters… Again Turkey sent an oil-drilling ship into Cypriot waters late last week and stated its intention to start drilling this week, prompting Cyprus to accuse Ankara of a “severe escalation.” This unlawful gambit... October 3, 2019 Chinese Military Parade Highlights Erosion of U.S. Military Supremacy This week, the People’s Republic of China celebrated the 70th anniversary of its founding by holding a massive military parade. The parade featured a number of formidable weapons systems that demonstrate... October 3, 2019 Key Border Crossing Opens along Route of Iran’s Land Bridge to the Mediterranean Syria and Iraq on Monday formally opened a key border crossing that lies along the principal route of Iran’s emerging land bridge to the Mediterranean via Baghdad and Damascus. The opening threatens to... October 3, 2019 Days before talks with US, North Korea launches another ballistic missile The South Korean government reported on Wednesday that North Korea had fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile that morning, the first test of its kind in over three years. The missile launch, which... September 27, 2019 Pentagon Deploys Assets to Saudi Arabia to Deter Additional Iranian Attacks Pentagon Deploys Assets to Saudi Arabia to Deter Additional Iranian Attacks By Bradley Bowman and Andrew Gabel In response to the September 14 attack on Saudi oil facilities, the Department of Defense (DOD)... September 25, 2019 New Indictment Adds to Evidence of Hezbollah Terrorist Activities in the U.S. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York announced the indictment last week of U.S. citizen Ali Hassan Saab, a resident of Morristown, New Jersey, and suspected Hezbollah agent.... September 23, 2019 Despite Political Uncertainty, Israel’s Security Posture Remains Strong Israel has just held its second round of elections in five months, and the political outlook is no clearer. A deadlock could continue for weeks or even months, portending extended political uncertainty.... September 20, 2019 Palestinians Fail in Bid to Join UN Postal Agency The Palestinians failed in their bid to join the United Nations Universal Postal Union (UPU) last week, falling far short of the two-thirds majority vote necessary for membership. The failure to gain admission... September 17, 2019 New U.S. Sanctions on North Korea Are Insufficient The Treasury Department on Friday sanctioned Lazarus Group, a North Korean hacking organization, and two of its subsidiaries for generating revenue by illicit means in order to facilitate Pyongyang’s... September 10, 2019 New Israeli Findings May Demonstrate Iran Violated Nuclear Accords Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that Israel had located another covert site in Iran tied to Tehran’s nuclear weapons program. If true, the allegation indicates that Tehran has violated... September 5, 2019 New Sanctions Target Iran’s Oil-for-Terror Network The Treasury Department took action today against a global network that exports Iranian oil for the benefit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization.... September 3, 2019 Treasury Heightens Pressure on Facilitators of North Korean Sanctions Evasion The U.S. Treasury Department on Friday sanctioned two individuals and three companies for helping North Korea evade sanctions via ship-to-ship (STS) transfers. While this action reminds Pyongyang that Washington... August 30, 2019 Treasury Sanctions Four Hamas Financiers The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned four individuals on Thursday for transferring tens of millions of dollars from Iran to the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, or what the Palestinian terrorist group... August 30, 2019 Putin Plays Erdogan Like a Fiddle Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended the opening of Russia’s international air show, MAKS, on Tuesday as the guest of his counterpart Vladimir Putin. Despite its NATO membership, Turkey has... August 29, 2019 Iranian Intelligence Forces Judo Ace to Dodge Israeli Opponent Iranian intelligence officials coerced judoka Saied Mollaei into deliberately losing his semifinal match on Wednesday to avoid facing an Israeli opponent in the final, according to Israel Judo Association... August 29, 2019 Despite Talk of Trump-Rouhani Summit, Treasury Imposes New Sanctions on Iran rab ... August 26, 2019 DoD Tests New Missile in Bid to Counter Chinese Advantage The Department of Defense successfully tested a new ground-launched intermediate-range cruise missile on August 18, which hit its target after more than 500 kilometers (km) of flight. The test marks an... August 21, 2019 Erdogan Removes Kurdish Mayors from Office – Again The Turkish government on Monday removed from office three mayors from the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) less than six months into their five-year terms. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,... August 20, 2019 Paraguay Designates Hezbollah as a Terrorist Organization Paraguay on Sunday announced that it was designating Hezbollah as an international terrorist organization, thereby creating a new legal basis for taking action against Hezbollah’s money laundering and... August 16, 2019 Allegations of Iranian Cash Smuggling Stir Up Turkish Parliament Recent contradictory statements by Turkish officials concerning the fate of a Libyan aircraft suspected of smuggling Iranian cash in 2014 have reignited debate in the Turkish parliament over whether the... August 13, 2019 Inflation in Iran Reaches 23-year Peak In July 2019, Iran’s 12-month average inflation reached 40.4 percent, according to the Statistical Center of Iran. This is Iran’s highest inflation rate in 23 years, well above the peak inflation... August 8, 2019 India Ends Special Status for Only Muslim-Majority Territory The President of India issued an Order on Monday effectively repealing Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, a move supported by the Indian Parliament. The Order fundamentally changes the relationship... August 2, 2019 Iran’s Supreme Leader Promotes a Presidential Contender The supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appointed... August 1, 2019 Second Set of Test Launches Shows North Korea Not Serious About Disarming Kim Jong Un has once again conducted a... July 31, 2019 Treasury Sanctions North Korean for Sanctions Evasion The Treasury Department on Monday sanctioned a North Korean trading company official for helping Pyongyang evade U.S. and UN sanctions... July 29, 2019 Israel and U.S. Successfully Conduct Joint Missile Test The United States and Israel on Sunday successfully tested the Arrow-3 Interceptor missile in Alaska. The test of the Arrow-3 – a cutting-edge... July 26, 2019 North Korea Conducts Another Short-Range Missile Test North Korea on Thursday launched two short-range ballistic missiles off its eastern coast from near the city of Wo... July 26, 2019 Treasury’s Venezuela Sanctions Target the Tip of the Turkish Iceberg The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions yesterday against a Turkey-based company involved in a global corruption and money-laun... July 25, 2019 Khamenei’s New Appointment Tests White House Sanctions Policy Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed Parviz Fattah on Monday to lead the Mostazafan Founda... July 24, 2019 Trump Administration Not Turning a Blind Eye to Chinese Violations of Iran Oil Sanctions The U.S. imposed sanctions on a Chinese oil trad... July 23, 2019 Trump Talks Turkey Sanctions with Congress President Donald Trump will... July 18, 2019 West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Golan Heights Are Seoul Targets of Exclusion Israeli President Reuven Rivlin visited South Korea (ROK) earlier this week as the two U.S. allies... July 15, 2019 Amended North Korean Constitution Reaffirms Kim Jong Un’s Steadfast Faith in His Nuclear Arsenal North Korea released an amended version of its constitution last Thursday, in which the preface continues to identify the country as a nuc... July 12, 2019 Police Arrest Captain of Syria-Bound Iranian Tanker Gibraltar police arrested the captain and chief officer yesterday of an Iranian supertanker, the... July 11, 2019 British Warship Foils Iranian Attempt to Take Oil Tanker Hostage The frigate HMS Montrose trained its guns on three I... July 11, 2019 Sanctioned Hezbollah Security Chief Works Closely with Lebanese Authorities The Treasury Department designated Hezbollah security chief Wafiq Safa on Tuesday, along with two Hezbollah... July 11, 2019 New Hezbollah Sanctions Highlight Corruption, Role of Political Leadership in Terror Finance The U.S. Department of Treasury yesterday sanctioned Amin Sherri and Mohammad Hassan Ra’ad, both of whom are Hezbollah members of th... July 10, 2019 U.S. Arms Deal Can Help Taiwan Deter Chinese Aggression The Trump administration announced Monday it had approv... July 8, 2019 Iran Escalates Cyber Operations Targeting U.S. U.S. Cyber Command warned last week of an active campaign to expl... July 2, 2019 New Sanctions May Deal Heavy Blow to Supreme Leader’s Business Empire President Trump issued a new executive order last week that mandated sanctions on Supreme Leader Ali Khame... June 28, 2019 New Iran Sanctions Present a Serious Long-Term Challenge to the Regime The Trump administration imposed new sanctions on Iran’s supreme leader, the Supreme Leader’s...

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