Iran Seeking Swedish Technology for Nuclear Weapons

An IRGC boat intercepts a US ship in Gulf waters late last month. (AFP)
An IRGC boat intercepts a US ship in Gulf waters late last month. (AFP)
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Iran Seeking Swedish Technology for Nuclear Weapons

An IRGC boat intercepts a US ship in Gulf waters late last month. (AFP)
An IRGC boat intercepts a US ship in Gulf waters late last month. (AFP)

Sweden’s Security Service disclosed in its 2020 intelligence report that Iran is seeking Swedish technology for its nuclear weapons program, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The report stated that Iran also is conducting industrial espionage, which is mainly targeted against the Swedish hi-tech industry and Swedish products that can be used in nuclear weapons programs.

"Iran is investing heavy resources in this area and some of the resources are used in Sweden."

The Swedish report was released after a German intelligence document declared last week that Iran’s regime had not ceased its drive to obtain weapons of mass destruction in 2020.

The German and Swedish intelligence findings establish that the regime still seeks a nuclear weapons program.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is only a temporary restriction on Iran’s drive to become a nation with atomic weapons, argue critics of the 2015 nuclear deal.

The Iranian regime is using its intelligence apparatus to engage in espionage activities, targeting dissident elements in Sweden, and in Swedish industries.

“Several countries engage in various forms of espionage and security-threatening activities against Sweden. Russia, China, and Iran make up the biggest threat,” wrote the Swedish Security Service.

The Post reported in 2012 that the Swedish government sought to block EU sanctions on Tehran in order to protect a business deal between Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson and Tehran.

Meanwhile, a senior Iranian commander announced that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the army are officially monitoring all “enemy” movements and ships that enter the Gulf waters.

Navy commander, Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri told Iranian Press TV that every ship that enters the Gulf, according to the law on bandit control in the Strait of Hormuz, is monitored and has to introduce itself.

Iran plays a prominent role in the geopolitical and strategic region of the Gulf and Makran coast, he said.

The presence of Iran in this region is not only in the military field but "also a strategic presence in various economic, political and even cultural sectors in the national and international arenas."

The Gulf is the "engine of economic development and growth of Asian and European countries and the important and strategic axis of the sea, air, and commercial transportation between different countries,” the commander noted.

Tangsiri noted that the strategic and geopolitical significance of the Gulf has attracted the illegitimate deployment of Western powers and foreign forces in the region.



Iran, US Race to Find Crew Member of Crashed American Fighter Jet

A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, April 2, 2026.  US Air Force/Handout via REUTERS
A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, April 2, 2026. US Air Force/Handout via REUTERS
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Iran, US Race to Find Crew Member of Crashed American Fighter Jet

A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, April 2, 2026.  US Air Force/Handout via REUTERS
A US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft during a mission supporting Operation Epic Fury during the Iran war at an undisclosed location, April 2, 2026. US Air Force/Handout via REUTERS

Iranian and American forces raced each other Saturday to recover a crew member from the first US fighter jet to go down inside Iran since the start of the war.

Tehran said it had shot down the F-15 warplane and US media reported United States special forces had rescued one of its two crew members, with the other was still missing.

Iran's military also said it downed a US A-10 ground attack aircraft in the Gulf, with US media saying the pilot of that plane was rescued, reported AFP.

The war erupted more than a month ago with US-Israeli strikes on Iran that killed supreme leader Ali Khamenei, triggering retaliation that spread the conflict throughout the Middle East, convulsing the global economy and impacting millions of people worldwide.

US Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the loss of the F-15, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: "The president has been briefed."

President Donald Trump told NBC the F-15 loss would not affect negotiations with Iran, saying: "No, not at all. No, it's war."

On Saturday, there were fresh strikes on Israel, Lebanon and Iran, as well as on Gulf states.

An AFP journalist saw a thick haze of grey smoke covering Tehran's skyline after hearing several blasts over the capital. It was not immediately clear what had been targeted.

- 'Valuable reward' -

A spokesperson for the Iranian military's central operational command earlier said "an American hostile fighter jet in central Iranian airspace was struck and destroyed by the IRGC Aerospace Force's advanced air defense system".

"The jet was completely obliterated, and further searches are ongoing."

An Iranian television reporter on a local official channel said anyone who captured a crew member alive would "receive a valuable reward".

Retired US brigadier general Houston Cantwell, who has 400 hours of combat flight experience, said a pilot's training would likely kick in before he or she parachutes to the ground.

"My priority would be, first of all, concealment, because I don't want to be captured," he told AFP.

Mohammad Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament, mocked the Trump administration.

He wrote on X: "After defeating Iran 37 times in a row, this brilliant no-strategy war they started has now been downgraded from 'regime change' to 'Hey! Can anyone find our pilots? Please?'

"Wow. What incredible progress. Absolute geniuses."


Explosion Hits Pro-Israel Center in the Netherlands

Rotterdam Police officers. (Getty Images/AFP)
Rotterdam Police officers. (Getty Images/AFP)
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Explosion Hits Pro-Israel Center in the Netherlands

Rotterdam Police officers. (Getty Images/AFP)
Rotterdam Police officers. (Getty Images/AFP)

A blast hit a pro-Israeli center in the Netherlands, police said Saturday, adding it caused minimal damage and no injuries.

A police spokeswoman told AFP no one was inside the site run by Christians for Israel, a non-profit, in the central city of Nijkerk when the explosion went off outside its gate late on Friday.

An investigation was ongoing.

The incident comes after a string of similar night-time attacks on Jewish sites in the Netherlands and neighboring Belgium in recent weeks that has heightened concerns in the wake of the war in the Middle East.


Iran Says Strike Hit Close to Its Bushehr Nuclear Facility, Killing a Guard and Damaging a Building

Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor (Reuters)
Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor (Reuters)
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Iran Says Strike Hit Close to Its Bushehr Nuclear Facility, Killing a Guard and Damaging a Building

Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor (Reuters)
Iran's Bushehr nuclear reactor (Reuters)

Iran’s atomic agency says an airstrike has hit near its Bushehr nuclear facility, killing a security guard and damaging a support building. It is the fourth time the facility has been targeted during the war.

The agency announced Saturday’s attack on social media.

The US AP’s military pressed ahead Saturday in a frantic search for a missing pilot after Iran shot down an American warplane, as Iran called on people to turn the pilot in, promising a reward.

The plane, identified by Iran as a US F-15E Strike Eagle, was one of two attacked on Friday, with one service member rescued and at least one missing. It was the first time the United States lost aircraft in Iranian territory during the war, now in its sixth week, and could mark a new turning point in the campaign.

The conflict, launched by the US and Israel on Feb. 28, has rippled across the region. It has so far killed thousands, upended global markets, cut off key shipping routes, spiked fuel prices and shows no signs of slowing as Iran responds to US and Israeli airstrikes with attacks across the region.