July 10
Military: Ramazan Zirrahi, a Revolutionary Guards commander, criticized the U.S. Navy for interfering when Iran intercepted a ship allegedly smuggling fuel on July 6. “The Americans sought to prevent [the interception] through a series of unprofessional and risky actions,” he said.
Nuclear: The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) reported that Iran was not producing a nuclear weapon. But it warned that Tehran had accelerated its overall nuclear program. “Iran continues to increase the size and enrichment level of its uranium stockpile beyond JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] limits,” the ODNI said.
Domestic: The head of Iran’s Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, announced that women will be allowed to attend soccer matches at stadiums in Isfahan, Kerman and Ahvaz during the season that will begin in August 2023.
July 11
International: U.S. federal prosecutors charged Gal Luft, a co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, for operating as an unregistered Chinese agent and attempting to facilitate the sale of Iranian oil. Luft allegedly recruited and paid a top U.S. government official to work on behalf of Chinese principles in 2016 and sold weapons to the United Arab Emirates, Libya and Kenya. In early 2023, he had been detained in Cyprus and was due to be extradited. But he fled the country after being released on bail.
International: Indonesia’s coast guard seized an Iranian ship, the MT Arman, believed to be illegally transporting crude oil in the North Natuna Sea. The tanker was allegedly moving oil to Cameroonian vessel MT S Tinos without a permit. “MT Arman was spoofing their automatic identification system (AIS) to show its position was in the Red Sea but in reality it is here… So it seems like they already had a malicious intent,” said head of Indonesia’s Maritime Security Agency Aan Kurnia. Iran has long used ship-to-ship transfers to smuggle oil.
International: Iraq planned to start trading crude oil for Iranian gas as part of a deal reached with Iran. The swaps would obviate the need for U.S. approval for Iraqi payments to Iran that were chronically delayed. The agreement could help meet Iraq’s high demand for gas during hot summer months. “We can’t for the next two or three years come to citizens every summer and tell them: ‘They stopped the gas, they started the gas,’” said Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Sudani.
July 12
International: Iran’s foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to account for Moscow’s apparent endorsement of the United Arab Emirate’s claim to three islands in the Strait of Hormuz also claimed by Iran. Russia had signed a statement with the Gulf Cooperation Council that affirmed the Emirati position. “These islands perennially belong to Iran and issuing these statements is in contradiction to Iran’s friendly relations with its neighbors,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said.
Diplomacy: President Ebrahim Raisi began a three country tour of Africa with a visit to Kenya. He signed five cooperation agreements on fisheries, livestock and information technology with Kenyan President William Ruto. Raisi hailed the trip, the first to Africa by an Iranian president in more than a decade, as a “new beginning” for the Islamic Republic’s relations with the continent. Raisi traveled to Uganda later that evening.
Domestic: Former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif warned that Iran’s deepening relations with Russia were a “miscalculation.” Russia “cannot compete with other powers in any area,” he said in a speech to the Iranian Society of Political Scientists. “The reason why Russia attacked Ukraine was that it wanted other powers to negotiate with it.” Zarif added that in the “current post-western world” Iran should instead build its strongest relations with China. “I believe it is dangerous for Iran to be anti-Russian or anti-US. We should prioritize our national interests and then consider opposing US domination.”
July 13
Diplomacy: President Raisi met with his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, on the second leg of his African diplomatic tour. Raisi supported Uganda’s harsh stance against homosexuality. “The West is today trying to promote the idea of homosexuality and of course by homosexuality they are trying to end the generation of human beings,” he said. At the conclusion of his visit, Raisi signed four cooperation agreements for technological, farming, and religious exchanges with Ugandan representatives.
International: Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Iran was behind an unsuccessful plot to attack Israel’s embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan. Iran allegedly used an Afghan national to plan the mission. “Tehran stands behind the attempt,” said Cohen.
International: The United Arab Emirates freed 15 Iranian prisoners, which reflected the thawing of ties between the two Gulf countries. The release followed talks between Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and Emirati officials in June.
International: Senator Jim Risch (R-ID), along with seven other members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, proposed imposing sanctions on Chinese individuals and organizations that buy and refine Iranian oil and petrochemicals. China has “purchased roughly $47 billion in Iranian oil since President Biden took office, wrote the senators in a letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. “Iran has used this cash windfall to violently quash ongoing peaceful protests at home, to finance terror proxy attacks against American troops and diplomats… and to fuel Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine.”
International: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant began a two-day visit to Azerbaijan to discuss security and economic cooperation. Gallant met with Azerbaijan's president, defense minister, and high-ranking military officials. Gallant revealed to reporters that Israel and its allies have thwarted “more than 50 attempted [terrorist] attacks” orchestrated by Iran. His statement followed an unsuccessful attack on Israel’s embassy in Baku.
Diplomatic: President Raisi signed 12 cooperation agreements with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa at the conclusion of his three-country African tour. The agreements covered energy, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, and scientific research projects. “Our cooperation with Zimbabwe and our cooperation with the African continent, which is a continent full of potential, could help us for mutual advances.”
July 14
Diplomatic: President Raisi returned to Tehran from his African tour and outlined his desire to “increase strategic depth” in the continent. He specified that Iran would trade petrochemicals for raw materials, including food. “We share common views with these African countries on opposing unilateralism, defending human rights, protecting family values and fighting against moral corruption and organized crime,” he told reporters.
July 15
Military: Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir traveled to Tehran for talks on border security. Munir met with President Raisi, Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian, as well as Iran’s Army chief of staff, Army commander, and IRGC commander. The visit came just a week after Jaish ul Adl, a Baluch militant group, claimed responsibility for an attack on a police station in Zahedan, the capital of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province.
The same day, Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi hosted Pakistani Lieutenant General Syed Asim Munir in Tehran. Discussions were aimed at increasing bilateral cooperation, strengthening mutual borders, and designing educational exchanges.
July 16
International: The U.S. Navy’s Fifth fleet in Bahrain announced that the USS Thomas Hudner, a guided-missile destroyer, had transited the Persian Gulf into the Middle East operating area to “ensure regional maritime security and stability.” The announcement came days after U.S. defense officials revealed that a new fleet of F-16s had been dispatched to the region to deter additional Iranian aggression in the Persian Gulf.
International: Economic and Financial Affairs Minister Ehsan Khandouzi attended the first Iran-China Joint Cooperation Commission meeting in Beijing. He held talks with Chinese officials pertaining to trade, agriculture, and tourism. “With the constructive atmosphere of the commission, we will soon witness favorable events in the field of business and investment,” said Khandouzi.
Domestic: Police Spokesperson Saeid Montazeralmahdi announced that Iran would resume vehicle and foot patrols to enforce the country’s mandatory hijab laws. “If they disobey the orders of the police force, legal action will be taken, and they will be referred to the judicial system,” Montazeralmahdi said. The “morality police” returned to the streets 10 months after the death in detention of Masha Amini, which sparked nationwide protests. Reformists on social media and in the press decried the move. Hammihan, a reformist outlet, warned that renewed patrols would “cause chaos” in society. Reformist politician Mohammad Sadeqi wrote that the state had “declared war” on women.