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Washington Restricts ‘Entities’ Helping Iran ‘Militarily’

A fence surrounds the US Department of Commerce in Washington (Reuters)
A fence surrounds the US Department of Commerce in Washington (Reuters)
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Washington Restricts ‘Entities’ Helping Iran ‘Militarily’

A fence surrounds the US Department of Commerce in Washington (Reuters)
A fence surrounds the US Department of Commerce in Washington (Reuters)

The US Department of Commerce on Thursday blacklisted several trade companies for aiding Iran’s military programs and helping Tehran circumvent US sanctions.

A statement issued by the Commerce Department said that it was acting against entities operating in Georgia, Malaysia, and Turkey for diverting or attempting to divert US items to Iran’s military programs, according to Reuters.

The move against collaborators with Iran’s military programs coincided with the imposition of export restrictions on many Chinese companies for their role in suppressing the Uyghurs.

Meanwhile, former US officials and diplomats have called on the Biden administration to seriously consider military options to pressure Iran away from getting its hands on nuclear weapons, curb its military drone program and deter its destabilizing activities in the region.

Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman, a former US Senator, demanded that the Biden administration exists the Vienna negotiations, voicing his strong belief that it presents the best opportunity to counteract the impressions that we’re left with the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Speaking at an event organized by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, Lieberman noted that the withdrawal from Afghanistan in the “chaotic” manner that it was done had sent a message to enemies, like China and others, that US might be dwindling.

Moreover, Lieberman accused Iran of weakening Lebanon and threatening regional stability and that standing against these actions is “consistent with the priority the US gives to democracy and human rights.”

He pointed to the Iranian regime’s continued targeting of minorities and terrorizing of people.

“How can you trust a regime this?” said Lieberman, wondering how the US can pursue negotiations with Iran in Vienna with all the atrocities its regime has committed.

“We have to change course toward Iran not only to limit its threats but also to use this opportunity to tell our friends and enemies that we’re willing to be tough,” said Lieberman.

“It’s time to stop this game they’re playing with us.”

Lieberman called for being prepared to have all other options on the table, including, if necessary, joining or supporting military activities by allies.

For his part, Ambassador Robert Joseph, former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, considered that the Biden administration seems to be paying a high price for a bad agreement.

He pointed out that millions of dollars returning to Tehran was a grave mistake and that Iran’s drone program was a reason for significant concern.

He accused Iran of using the negotiations in Vienna to buy time and continue its destruction.

“The correct decision, both politically and morally, is to support the people of Iran in their struggle for freedom and democracy,” said Joseph.

David Shedd, former Acting Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, noted that although talking with Iran was not something he opposes, the most crucial matter remains that the regime changes from within.

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NATO and Ukraine to Hold Emergency Talks after Russia’s Attack with New Hypersonic Missile

A missile shrapnel lies on the grass in front of damaged rehabilitation center for people with disabilities, following a Russian attack in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, on November 22, 2024. (AFP)
A missile shrapnel lies on the grass in front of damaged rehabilitation center for people with disabilities, following a Russian attack in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, on November 22, 2024. (AFP)
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NATO and Ukraine to Hold Emergency Talks after Russia’s Attack with New Hypersonic Missile

A missile shrapnel lies on the grass in front of damaged rehabilitation center for people with disabilities, following a Russian attack in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, on November 22, 2024. (AFP)
A missile shrapnel lies on the grass in front of damaged rehabilitation center for people with disabilities, following a Russian attack in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, on November 22, 2024. (AFP)

NATO and Ukraine will hold emergency talks Tuesday after Russia attacked a central city with an experimental, hypersonic ballistic missile that escalated the nearly 33-month-old war.

The conflict is “entering a decisive phase,” Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Friday, and “taking on very dramatic dimensions.”

Ukraine’s parliament canceled a session as security was tightened following Thursday's Russian strike on a military facility in the city of Dnipro.

In a stark warning to the West, President Vladimir Putin said in a nationally televised speech to his nation that the attack with the intermediate-range Oreshnik missile was retaliation for Kyiv’s use of US and British longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Russian territory.

Putin said Western air defense systems would be powerless to stop the new missile.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov kept up Russia's bellicose tone on Friday, blaming “the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries” in supplying weapons to Ukraine to strike Russia.

"The Russian side has clearly demonstrated its capabilities, and the contours of further retaliatory actions in the event that our concerns were not taken into account have also been quite clearly outlined," he said.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, widely seen as having the warmest relations with the Kremlin in the European Union, echoed Moscow's talking points, suggesting the use of US-supplied weapons in Ukraine likely requires direct American involvement.

“These are rockets that are fired and then guided to a target via an electronic system, which requires the world’s most advanced technology and satellite communications capability,” Orban said on state radio. “There is a strong assumption ... that these missiles cannot be guided without the assistance of American personnel.”

Orban cautioned against underestimating Russia’s responses, emphasizing that the country’s recent modifications to its nuclear deployment doctrine should not be dismissed as a “bluff.” “It’s not a trick... there will be consequences,” he said.

Separately in Kyiv, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský called Thursday's missile strike an “escalatory step and an attempt of the Russian dictator to scare the population of Ukraine and to scare the population of Europe.”

At a news conference with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Lipavský also expressed his full support for delivering the necessary additional air defense systems to protect Ukrainian civilians from the “heinous attacks.”

He underlined that the Czech Republic will impose no limits on the use of its weapons and equipment given to Ukraine.

Three lawmakers from Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, confirmed that Friday's previously scheduled session was called off due to the ongoing threat of Russian missiles targeting government buildings in central Kyiv.

In addition, there also was a recommendation to limit the work of all commercial offices and nongovernmental organizations "in that perimeter, and local residents were warned of the increased threat,” said lawmaker Mykyta Poturaiev, who added this is not the first time such a threat has been received.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office continued to work in compliance with standard security measures, a spokesperson said.

Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate said the Oreshnik missile, whose name in Russian means “hazelnut tree,” was fired from the Kapustin Yar 4th Missile Test Range in Russia’s Astrakhan region, and flew 15 minutes before striking Dnipro. The missile had six nonnuclear warheads each carrying six submunitions and reached a spoeed of Mach 11, it said.

Test launches of a similar missile were conducted in October 2023 and June 2024, the directorate said. The Pentagon confirmed the missile was a new, experimental type of intermediate-range missile based on its RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile.

Thursday's attack struck the Pivdenmash plant that built ICBMs when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. The military facility is located about 4 miles (6 1/2 kilometers) southwest of the center of Dnipro, a city of about 1 million that is Ukraine’s fourth-largest and a key hub for military supplies and humanitarian aid, and is home to one of the country’s largest hospitals for treating wounded soldiers from the front before their transfer to Kyiv or abroad.

The stricken area was cordoned off and out of public view. With no fatalities reported from the attack, Dnipro residents resorted to dark humor on social media, mostly focused on the missile’s name, Oreshnik.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, Russia struck a residential district of Sumy overnight with Iranian-designed Shahed drones, killing two people and injuring 13, the regional administration said..

Ukraine’s Suspilne media, quoting Sumy regional head Volodymyr Artiukh, said the drones were stuffed with shrapnel elements. “These weapons are used to destroy people, not to destroy objects,” said Artiukh, according to Suspilne.