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Iranian FM Visits Gulf Countries amid Anticipation of ‘Nuclear Understanding’

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (Iranian Presidency)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (Iranian Presidency)
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Iranian FM Visits Gulf Countries amid Anticipation of ‘Nuclear Understanding’

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (Iranian Presidency)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (Iranian Presidency)

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is embarking on a Gulf tour encompassing Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait, amidst anticipation regarding an Iranian-US “understanding.” This understanding may potentially facilitate the release of a portion of Tehran’s frozen assets through financial channels passing through Doha and Muscat.

Earlier this week, the Iranian top diplomat had received his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, engaging in discussions about enhancing bilateral relations and areas of cooperation.

Amir-Abdollahian’s Gulf tour was confirmed by a concise statement released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

The confirmation came after Telegram channels affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards had reported that the minister was carrying a response to a US message conveyed by Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Yusuf to Tehran three weeks ago.

Omani Foreign Minister Badr Al-Busaidi affirmed in a press statement last Wednesday that Washington and Tehran are nearing the final stages of reaching an agreement to release detained US citizens.

This comes after the Iranian Foreign Ministry confirmed the proximity of a deal through Omani mediation.

The US and Iran are in talks to reach an “understanding” that includes exchanging detained Americans for unfreezing Iranian assets.

There is a possibility that this understanding may also involve placing restrictions on Iran’s uranium enrichment program, which is getting closer to nuclear weapon levels.

According to a Western official speaking to Reuters, both sides are working on a “de-escalation understanding.”

There have been multiple rounds of indirect talks in Oman between the US National Security Council official, Brett McGurk, and Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani.

Additionally, after months of Iran’s refusal for direct communication, the US Special Envoy for Iran met with Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations.

Negotiations took place between Iran and Qatar last week regarding the enhancement of banking cooperation. This comes after the US released $2.7 billion of frozen Iranian assets in Iraq.

Regarding the possibility of direct negotiations with the US, Shahriar Heydari, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, stated that such talks are predicated on whether Washington demonstrates goodwill.

“If the US shows goodwill and regrets its past actions and behaviors towards the government and the people, in that case, we can negotiate directly with the US,” Heydari told an Iranian news website.

Last week, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei stated that it is possible to reach agreements on Iran's nuclear activities without compromising the country’s infrastructure. He urged officials involved in the nuclear program to “not succumb to excessive and misguided demands” from the International Atomic Energy Agency, emphasizing cooperation with the UN agency through “safeguarded” agreements.

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US Military Strikes Iranian Coastal Surveillance Radar as Iran Attempts to Attack Kuwait, Bahrain

A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet takes off from a base in the Middle East last January (US Military)
A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet takes off from a base in the Middle East last January (US Military)
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US Military Strikes Iranian Coastal Surveillance Radar as Iran Attempts to Attack Kuwait, Bahrain

A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet takes off from a base in the Middle East last January (US Military)
A US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet takes off from a base in the Middle East last January (US Military)

The US military said it shot down Iranian ballistic missiles and drones launched toward the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf states on Friday, while striking some of Iran’s coastal surveillance radar sites in response.

US Central Command said on social media Friday night that Iran fired seven ballistic missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, with US forces intercepting six of the missiles and a seventh failing to reach its target. The military said there were no reports of harm to US personnel.

The ballistic missiles were fired after the US earlier in the day shot down four Iranian drones that were launched toward Strait of Hormuz.

“The attack drones posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic,” US Central Command said on social media.

Kuwaiti’s military said forces were intercepting missiles and drones attacking the country, while Bahrain activated air raid sirens and told residents to move to the nearest safe location and follow official instructions.

The US military is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ports in response to Tehran’s chokehold on the crucial corridor for global oil and natural gas shipments.

US Central Command said it hit the radar sites, including an island in the strait, “to defend against further attacks.”

It was the latest in back-and-forth attacks that have strained the tenuous ceasefire in the war and efforts to reach a deal to extend that truce.

Despite the attacks raising new concerns that the ceasefire could collapse, US President Donald Trump told reporters Friday that “the situation with Iran seems to be going quite well.”

“We’re going to come out of Iran very quickly and it’s going to be very strong one way or the other, whether it’s a piece of paper or the very tough way,” Trump said at an event with farmers in Wisconsin. “The very tough way is maybe the easier way, but we’re going to come out, and your fertilizer prices are going to go way down, just like they were four months ago.”

World

US Issues New Iran-Linked Sanctions

US Treasury Department (Reuters)
US Treasury Department (Reuters)
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US Issues New Iran-Linked Sanctions

US Treasury Department (Reuters)
US Treasury Department (Reuters)

The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on a network allegedly exporting Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) from Iran to South and Eastern Asia, the Treasury said.

The network used front companies in the United Arab Emirates and China and a "shadow fleet" of vessels, according to a Treasury statement.

The system, designed to evade existing US sanctions, moved LPG worth hundreds of millions of dollars, it added, according to AFP.

The United States has tightened sanctions on Iran since it jointly launched its war on the country with Israel in late February.

In addition, Washington on Friday also sanctioned an Iranian currency exchange house and individuals associated with it for allegedly helping Iran facilitate billions in financial transactions.

"These sanctions are part of the Administration's Economic Fury campaign, which maintains maximum pressure on the Iranian regime and disrupts its ability to generate revenue for weapons development, support for terrorist proxies, and regional aggression," said US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott.

World

Report: Israel Sent Troops to Azerbaijan During Iran War

Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku (X)
Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku (X)
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Report: Israel Sent Troops to Azerbaijan During Iran War

Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku (X)
Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku (X)

Israel secretly deployed elite military and intelligence units to Azerbaijan during the war with Iran as part of a network of covert sites across the Middle East to facilitate operations against Iran, four sources familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.

The forces operated out of several locations in southern Azerbaijan, two of the sources said, adjacent to Iran’s northern border and, at its closest point, only about 60 miles from the Iranian city of Tabriz, which Israel struck during the war.

Special commando units were also deployed to the location and carried out intelligence-gathering missions and drone operations, the other two sources said, giving Israel a valuable perch from which to see into northern Iran during the war.

The secret deployment to Azerbaijan, reported by CNN for the first time, was one of several military positions Israel maintained across the Middle East that gave its military unprecedented reach, highlighting the role Iran’s neighbors played in facilitating operations against Tehran and becoming entangled in the conflict.

Together, the deployments described by the sources placed Israeli forces along Iran’s southern, western, and northern periphery during the war, extending the military’s range by hundreds of miles, deep into Iranian territory.

The Azerbaijan operation consisted of several dozen troops, including members of Israel’s special operations forces, its elite heliborne combat and rescue force, and Mossad personnel, one of the sources said.

In return, a spokesperson for the Azerbaijani embassy in the United States said in a statement to CNN, “We firmly reject unfounded claims regarding the alleged use of Azerbaijan’s territory for operations against third countries.”

Israel has long viewed Azerbaijan as a strategic partner in its fight against Iran, and the preparations began weeks before the opening strikes of the war.

In mid-January, as Iran crushed wide-scale protests with the mass killing of demonstrators, Israel prepared a covert mission along the Azerbaijan-Iran border, two of the sources familiar with the plans told CNN.

Israel was planning to execute the operation under cover of what were to be the opening strikes of the war in mid-January. But US President Donald Trump called off the strikes at the last minute, saying that Iran had agreed to stop the killing of demonstrators. Israel proceeded on its own.

The Israeli Air Force used stealth jets and special forces as part of the operation to install the devices, as Israel’s political leadership believed negotiations between the US and Iran were doomed to fail.

The intelligence-gathering site became another means by which Israel could collect information on Iranian military movements and facilities, as well as potentially providing early warning of missile launches.

Joint Operations

One of the key operations launched from Azerbaijan, one of the sources said, was the killing on March 4 of Rahman Moghaddam, who led the Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) intelligence division and who Israel said was responsible for planning an assassination attempt against Trump in 2024.

Israel and Azerbaijan maintain close ties around commercial and military interests. Baku provides Israel with a large share of its oil. In return, Israel sells Azerbaijan advanced weaponry.

“Israeli strategy in Azerbaijan remains deliberately low-profile, relying on arms transfers, intelligence cooperation, and long-term technological interdependence in the security sector,” wrote Gershon Kogan, a specialist on Iran at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, before the Iran war began.

The relationship also gives Azerbaijan access to a critical diplomatic resource, according to Joshua Kucera, a senior analyst for the Crisis Group, allowing Baku to utilize Israel’s lobby in Washington, DC.