Iran
🇺🇸 A US appeals court overturned a $1.68B judgment against Iran’s central bank in favor of 1983 Beirut bombing victims’ families, citing unresolved state law issues and denying jurisdictional immunity waivers. This complex decision prolongs decades of unfulfilled judgments for the plaintiffs.
🇸🇦🇮🇷 Saudi Arabia’s armed forces chief of staff, Fayyad al-Ruwaili, visited Tehran for talks with Iranian officials, discussing defense diplomacy and cooperation. This high-level meeting follows recent efforts to restore Saudi-Iran relations, brokered by China.
🇺🇳 IAEA chief Rafael Grossi will visit Iran on Wednesday to address nuclear program concerns, including Iran’s restrictions on inspectors and unexplained uranium traces at undeclared sites. Iran, enriching uranium close to bomb-grade levels, insists its nuclear activities are for civilian use.
🇺🇸 The U.S. has charged an Iranian man linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards with plotting to assassinate President-elect Trump, alleging he coordinated with former prison contacts in the U.S. to target a pro-democracy critic of Tehran. The man remains at large in Iran.
🇺🇸 Trump’s return could shake global oil markets as he tightens Iran sanctions, yet faces hurdles with China’s defiance. Analysts say a clampdown on Iran might boost prices, but U.S.-China trade tensions and potential easing of Russian oil sanctions could counterbalance.
🇮🇷 With Trump set to return, IAEA’s Grossi is preparing a critical visit to Iran, aiming to address unresolved nuclear issues as Tehran edges closer to bomb-grade uranium enrichment. Iran’s stance and regional tensions may challenge diplomacy, with European leaders keen to revive talks.
🇺🇦 Russia launches relentless 5-hour drone assault on Kyiv, with 71 Iranian-made Shaheds targeting multiple districts. Ukraine’s air defense downs 39, but attacks damage power lines and wound police officer as Moscow intensifies aerial campaign.
🇮🇷 US confirms Iranian-American journalist Reza Valizadeh, former Radio Farda reporter, detained in Iran for months. Tehran remains silent on the fate of the US government-funded broadcaster’s ex-employee as State Department seeks details.
🇮🇶 Iraq’s parliament elects Sunni lawmaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani as speaker with overwhelming 182 votes - appointment comes amid regional firestorm with Iran reportedly preparing strikes against Israel from Iraqi territory.
🇮🇷 Israeli intelligence warns Iran plans imminent drone and missile attack from Iraqi territory, possibly before US election - move could be Tehran’s strategy to avoid direct strikes on Iran after recent Israeli retaliation.
🇮🇱 Israeli airstrikes demolish Iran’s critical missile production facilities and former nuclear weapons test site near Tehran, destroying hard-to-replace equipment and crippling Iran’s ability to mass-produce missiles for future attacks.
🇮🇷🇮🇱 Explosions in Tehran have raised fears of escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, two of the Middle East’s most powerful militaries. Coming after weeks of mutual missile strikes and rising tensions linked to the Israel-Hamas war, the region edges closer to all-out confrontation.
🇺🇸 Iranian hackers breached Trump’s 2024 campaign, leaking emails that American Muckrakers PAC swiftly published. A chilling display of coordinated meddling in U.S. politics—this leak not only exposes Trump’s vulnerabilities but underscores a deeply fractured election system ripe for exploitation.