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Iran Tag

Israel has attacked Iranian bases in Syria to preempt the launch of a squadron of bomb-loaded attack drones that were in the final preparations for launch. The planned drone attack was personally supervised by Iranian Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, according to the Israel Defense forces, which in an unusual move took to Twitter to announce the preemptive attack:

The United Nations once again established its reputation as a forum for smearing and delegitimizing the State of Israel. The UN's Economic and Social Council passed a resolution condemning Israel as the only country in the world that violates women's rights. The 54-nation UN council passed the resolution by a margin of 40 to 2, with nine abstentions. The United States and Canada were the only member nations that voted against the resolution. The supporters of the move included the who's who of the leading violators of women's and human rights such as Iran, China, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Russia, and Sudan. India, Israel's prominent defense ally, joined the arch-rival Pakistan in condemning the Jewish State. Germany and the United Kingdom were among nine nations that abstained from voting.

The United State has imposed sanctions on a leading Chinese state-owned company for importing Iranian oil. The sanctions placed by the U.S. State Department bar Zhuhai Zhenrong Corporation, one of China's largest state-run oil companies, from "engaging in foreign exchange, banking or property transactions under US jurisdiction," London-based Financial Times reported.

Amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf, the Islamist terror group Hamas has sent a senior delegation to meet Iranian officials in Tehran. The Gaza-based terrorist group was "expecting important results" from the weekend meetings, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said.

As Iran breaches the limit on its enriched uranium stockpile set under the 2015 nuclear deal, European powers scramble to appease the regime. The European Union has started processing payments to Iran under a new trading mechanism, German media reports confirmed. While French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to rush to Tehran in an attempt to coax the regime into the Obama-era deal.

Iran tried to procure weapons technology to build up its nuclear program in 2018, Germany's federal intelligence service BfV disclosed in its annual report published on Thursday. The intelligence agency found "clear rise in evidence" that Tehran has been working to acquire technical capabilities to enhance its nuclear weapons delivery systems.

Iran will never build nuclear weapons because Islam forbids such a move, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Tuesday. "It is us who, because of our religious views, will never pursue a nuclear weapon," Zarif remarked. The comments come as Iran speeds up its enrichment of uranium, bringing the Islamic Republic closer to building a nuclear bomb.

In recent weeks, Iran has escalated its confrontation with the United States as well as its malign activities in the Middle East. Earlier this month Iranian operatives attacked two tankers in the Gulf Oman.

President Donald Trump issued stricter sanctions on Iran on Monday, hitting the Supreme Leaders Office after Iran shot down an unmanned US drone last week. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani lashed out at the new sanctions on Tuesday. He claimed that the sanctions mean Trump is "lying" about wanting to hold negotiation talks with the regime and that he has poisoned the White House with his "mental illness."

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is visiting Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, India, Japan and South Korea in an effort to build a "global coalition" against Iran. The Secretary of State wants these five Asian powers to get behind the United States in its campaign of "maximum pressure" on Tehran, but he didn't not rule out a U.S. military response if Tehran were to engage in further acts of aggression.

President Donald Trump is continuing with his policy of "maximum pressure" on Iran, promising "major" sanctions on the regime. "We're putting additional sanctions on [Iran]," he told reporters before leaving for the Camp David. His administration was "moving rapidly" towards rolling out new sanctions, he added.

In a major shift, Germany has acknowledged Iran's involvement in the last week's attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman. German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared that their was "strong evidence" that Tehran was responsible for the attacks on the tankers.

The British intelligence agency MI5 foiled a significant bomb plot linked to Iran-backed Hezbollah terror outfit, London-based Daily Telegraph disclosed. The British intelligence service and the Metropolitan Police uncovered a secret bomb factory in North West London in the autumn of 2015. They recovered thousands of packets containing ammonium nitrate, an explosive ingredient often used in homemade bombs.