Iran breaches uranium stockpile limit set by nuclear deal
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has broken the limit set on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium by its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, international inspectors and Tehran said Monday, marking its first major departure from the unraveling agreement a year after the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the accord.The announcement by Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and later confirmation by the U.N. nuclear watchdog puts new pressure on European nations trying to save the deal amid President Donald Trump's maximalist campaign targeting Tehran.
Pres. Trump calls off Iranian strikes, citing likely deaths
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday the U.S. was "cocked and loaded" to retaliate against Iran for downing an unmanned American surveillance drone but he canceled the strikes minutes before they were to be launched after being told 150 people could die.Pres.
President Trump says Iran made 'big mistake' in downing US drone
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared Thursday that "Iran made a very big mistake" in shooting down a U.S. drone, increasing tensions and talk of possible open conflict in a test of wills over America's pullout from an international nuclear agreement and its economic sanctions that are crippling Tehran's economy.Iran and its proxies have been pushing back against the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign, raising fears that a miscalculation could trigger armed conflict.
US says video shows Iran removing mine from stricken tanker
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military released a video Friday it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, suggesting Tehran wanted to hide evidence of its alleged involvement.Iran denied any role in Thursday's apparent attacks, which have again roiled the Persian Gulf amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over the unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.Four other oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port city of Fujairah suffered similar attacks in recent weeks, and Iranian-allied rebels from Yemen have struck U.S. ally Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles.President Donald Trump withdrew America last year from the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran reached with world powers and recently imposed a series of sanctions now squeezing its beleaguered economy and cutting deeply into its oil exports.
Tankers targeted near Strait of Hormuz amid Iran-US tensions
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz came under a suspected attack Thursday, setting one of them ablaze in the latest mysterious assault targeting vessels in a region crucial to global energy supplies amid heightened tension between Iran and the U.S.The U.S. Navy, which rushed in to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, and the ship's operators offered no immediate explanation on what weapons caused the damage or who used them against the MT Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous.
President Trump warns Iran not to threaten US or it will face 'end'
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — President Donald Trump warned Iran early on Monday not to threaten the United States again or it'll face its "official end," shortly after a rocket landed near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad overnight.Iran's foreign minister quickly responded in kind on Twitter with his own message: #NeverThreatenAnIranian.President Trump's tweet comes after he seemingly sought to soften his tone on Iran following days of heightened tension sparked by his administration's sudden deployment of bombers and an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf over still-unspecified threats.In the time since, officials in the United Arab Emirates allege four oil tankers sustained damage in a sabotage attack.
US won't renew sanctions waivers for importing Iranian oil
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Monday told five nations — Japan, South Korea, Turkey, China and India — that they will no longer be exempt from U.S. sanctions if they continue to import oil from Iran.President Donald Trump has decided not to reissue the waivers when they expire on May 2, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.
US declares Iran's Revolutionary Guard force a 'terrorist organization'
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump announced Monday that the U.S. is designating Iran's Revolutionary Guard a "foreign terrorist organization," in an effort to increase pressure on the country that could have significant diplomatic implications in the Middle East.It is the first time that the U.S. has designated a part of another government as a terrorist organization.The designation imposes sanctions that include freezes on assets the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may have in U.S. jurisdictions and a ban on Americans doing business with it."This unprecedented step, led by the Department of State, recognizes the reality that Iran is not only a State Sponsor of Terrorism, but that the IRGC actively participates in, finances, and promotes terrorism as a tool of statecraft," Trump said in a statement.Iran has threatened to retaliate for the decision.The IRGC is a paramilitary organization formed in the wake of Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution to defend its clerically overseen government.
Europe, Iran seek to save nuclear deal after US pullout
BRUSSELS — Major European powers sought Tuesday to keep Iran committed to a deal to prevent it from building a nuclear bomb despite deep misgivings about Tehran's Middle East politics and President Donald Trump's vehement opposition.The U.S. already pulled out of the pact of the major global powers with Iran and promised tough economic sanctions that could hurt companies in the European Union as well.
President Trump to announce decision on Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump says he will announce his decision on whether to keep the U.S. in the Iran nuclear deal on Tuesday.President Trump is facing a self-imposed May 12 deadline over whether to uphold the 2015 nuclear deal, which he long has criticized.
Iran hard-liners rally as new protests challenge government
TEHRAN, Iran — Iranian hard-liners rallied Saturday to support the country's supreme leader and clerically overseen government as spontaneous protests sparked by anger over the country's ailing economy roiled major cities in the Islamic Republic.The demonstrations, commemorating a mass 2009 pro-government rally challenging those who rejected the re-election of hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad amid fraud allegations, had been scheduled weeks earlier.However, they took on new importance after the economic protests began Thursday, sparked by social media posts and a surge in prices of basic food supplies, like eggs and poultry.Thousands have taken to the streets of several cities in Iran, beginning first in Mashhad, the country's second-largest city and a holy site for Shiite pilgrims.
Powerful earthquake on Iran-Iraq border kills more than 140
TEHRAN, Iran — A powerful earthquake shook the Iran-Iraq border late Sunday, killing more than 140 people and injuring 860 in Iran alone, state media there said.The Baghdad government did not immediately give word on damage or casualties in that country.The 7.3-magnitude quake was centered 19 miles (31 kilometers) outside the eastern Iraqi city of Halabja, according to the most recent measurements from the U.S. Geological Survey.Iranian social media and news agencies showed images and videos of people fleeing their homes into the night in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah.The state-run IRNA news agency disclosed the increase in casualties early Monday and said rescue work was continuing overnight and would accelerate during the daytime.The semi-official ILNA news agency said at least 14 provinces in Iran had been affected by the earthquake.Officials announced that schools in Kermanshah and Ilam provinces would be closed Monday because of the tremor.Iranian state TV also said Iraqi officials reported at least six people dead inside Iraq, along with more than 50 people injured in Sulaymaniyah province and about 150 in the city of Khanaquin.Iran sits on many major fault lines and is prone to near-daily quakes.
Tillerson: President Trump will scorn but not bolt from Iran nuke deal
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will say on Friday the Iran nuclear deal is no longer in America's national security interests, but he won't withdraw from the landmark 2015 accord or immediately re-impose sanctions, U.S. officials said.The announcement is essentially a compromise that allows President Trump to condemn an accord that he has repeatedly denounced as the worst deal in American history.
Report: Iran successfully launches satellite-carrying rocket
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran successfully launched a satellite-carrying rocket into space on Thursday, the country's state media reported without elaborating.Iranian state television described the launch as involving a "Simorgh" rocket that is capable of carrying a satellite weighing 250 kilograms (550 pounds).
Iran imposes sanctions on 15 US firms, including Oshkosh Corp.
TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said Sunday it has imposed sanctions on 15 American companies over their alleged support for Israel, terrorism and repression in the region -- among them, Oshkosh Corporation.A Foreign Ministry statement carried by the state-run IRNA news agency said the companies are barred from any agreements with Iranian firms and that former and current directors will not be eligible for visas.The move is seen as a response to U.S. sanctions placed on dozens of Iranian entities in February following an Iranian missile test.
Republican lawmakers propose Iran business prohibition
MADISON — Republican legislators have introduced a bill that would prohibit the state from investing in companies that do business in Iran.Rep.
Kerry warns of consequences if Congress votes down Iran deal; U.S. confident it can monitor Iran
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Secretary of State John Kerry says if Congress rejects the Iran nuclear deal, the U.S. won't be able to prevent allies from doing business with Tehran.Speaking to a New York crowd, Kerry tried to counter Republican claims that a better agreement can be reached.That argument would entail the U.S. maintaining or increasing pressure on Iran by threatening foreign governments and businesses with penalties for doing business with Tehran.Kerry says that idea is far-fetched."Are you kidding?" he asks.He says European countries wouldn't cooperate with U.S. sanctions, and would walk away from separate U.S.-led penalties against Russia.He says the dollar would lose its status as the world's reserve currency, and allies wouldn't support U.S. military action against Iran if Congress was responsible for breaking the deal.Meanwhile, Iran's intelligence agencies have penetrated CIA front companies, executed Western agents and captured a sophisticated U.S. drone.So why should anyone believe American intelligence officials when they express confidence that they can monitor Iran's compliance with the just-completed nuclear agreement?Intelligence officials say the deal requires Iran to provide an unprecedented volume of information about nearly every aspect of its existing nuclear program.
"444 days in captivity:" Oak Creek man held hostage in Iran back in spotlight as Gov. Walker runs for president
OAK CREEK -- Kevin Hermening is a man Governor Scott Walker has spoken about in his bid for the presidency.
Read it: State officials, lawmakers share their reaction to U.S.-Iran nuclear deal
MILWAUKEE -- Lawmakers and officials are sharing their thoughts in the wake of a deal between the U.S. and Iran on that country's nuclear program.
Read it: Complete text of Pres. Obama's statement on the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal
WASHINGTON -- Today, after two years of negotiations, the United States, together with our international partners, has achieved something that decades of animosity has not -- a comprehensive, long-term deal with Iran that will prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.This deal demonstrates that American diplomacy can bring about real and meaningful change -- change that makes our country, and the world, safer and more secure.