Nuclear Iran

[em2nought]

Originally Posted by Dargo

Do not want to be the party pooper, but Russia just started to transfer SU34 jets to Iran.

So Iran is paying our pallets of greenbacks to Russia for jets. Hurray!

[Jimbuna]

Israel Iran attack: Damage seen at air base in Isfahan

Satellite imagery released over the past 24 hours has revealed evidence of probable damage at an Iranian air base following an Israeli strike in the early hours of Friday morning.

BBC Verify has analysed two images showing part of an air-defence system at an airfield in Isfahan was damaged.

US officials say Israel carried out a missile strike although there has been no official Israeli confirmation.

Tensions between the bitter rivals intensified in recent weeks.

An earlier, suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian consulate in Syria at the beginning of the month was followed by a retaliatory attack by Iran on Israel on 13 April.

Ever since news of Friday's Israeli strike in Isfahan - the cradle of Iran's nuclear programme - there has been speculation about the likely target and extent of the damage.

Iran says the attack involved drones that were neutralised by air defences.

While it remains unclear what weapon or weapons were used in the attack, satellite imagery has detected evidence of damage at the air base.

BBC Verify made this assessment through analysis of optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite imagery captured over Isfahan on Friday.

Optical imagery will be familiar to anyone who regularly uses tools like Google Earth - essentially a photograph of the land below.

SAR technology uses radio waves to build an image of the Earth's surface. One advantage it has over more conventional satellite technology is its ability to capture images at night or through cloud.

The imagery it collects is rendered in black and white but at high resolution.

It therefore cannot detect changes in colouration on the ground - such as burn marks - but can display material damage to structures, vehicles etc.

One such image captured by Umbra Space on 15 April shows an S-300 air defence system located at the north-western corner of the Shikari air base.

The system comprises several vehicles equipped with radar, distinctive missile launchers and other equipment.

An Umbra Space image captured after Friday's strike shows damage and debris around one component - probably a radar - which has also shifted position slightly.

Other vehicles have been moved away from the site.

This assessment was confirmed by an optical satellite image captured by Planet which, despite low resolution, shows a scorch mark at the same location.

This mark was not evident in images captured on 11 and 15 April.

The military base itself does not show any signs of material damage in the available imagery, but further analysis of higher resolution optical captures will be required to make that conclusion.

As yet there is no available imagery from Isfahan's nuclear facilities.

The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency has said there was "no damage to Iran's nuclear sites".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-68866548

[Dargo]

[Jimbuna]

[Jimbuna]

Iran unveils newly upgraded missile system capable of wiping out US fighter jets

Iran has unveiled its newest missile system said to be capable of bypassing US defence systems by taking out its stealth jets.

The country has produced an update to its Bavar-373 long-range air defence system, which officials claim can intercept the American jets.

The original model has been used by Iran since 2019, and its long-range surface-to-air capabilities have drawn comparisons to the US's Patriot missile system.

The enhanced system was unveiled during an April 17 military parade. The Special Operations Forces Report (SOFREP) called it "a significant development for Iran's defence industry, showcasing both its growing self-sufficiency and its aspirations for a more advanced air defence network".
Iran claimed that the updated Bavar-373 "matches or even surpasses" the capabilities of Russia's S-400 missile system - capable of intercepting cruise missiles - which SOFREP called a "bold claim".

It wrote: "Additionally, Iranian sources report that the upgraded Bavar-373 boasts enhanced target detection and tracking abilities, allowing it to identify up to 100 aerial targets simultaneously and engage multiple threats with its Sayyad-4B missile armament.

"Despite the need for cautious interpretation, the unveiling of the upgraded Bavar-373 underscores a critical point: Iran's defence sector is demonstrably maturing."

The missile system reportedly has a range exceeding 186 miles at altitudes of 75 miles, and SOFREP argued that the timing of Iran unveiling it was no coincidence.

The news comes are tensions continue to simmer between Iran and Israel after a strike on the Iranian embassy in Syria, blamed on Israel.

In response, Iran launched its own strikes on the country on April 13, but these were mostly intercepted by Israel and its allies.

SOFREP said unveiling the updated missile last week could send "a potent message of deterrence aimed at potential adversaries, particularly in the context of the Middle East's complex geopolitical landscape."

It added: "Though potentially tempered by international sanctions, these collaborations have provided Iran with valuable technology transfer and expertise in areas like missile technology and air defence systems."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...50255c83&ei=64

[Reece]

Someone just nuke the turds!!

[Jimbuna]

Can't disagree with you there but I reckon we both know that won't happen.

[Jimbuna]

BREAKING Iran is 'weeks away' from having enough uranium to make nuclear bomb, warns IAEA boss

Iran is just "weeks away" from having enough enriched uranium to devlop a nuclear bomb, the International Atomic Energy Agency boss has chillingly warned.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...50255c83&ei=52

[Dargo]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

BREAKING Iran is 'weeks away' from having enough uranium to make nuclear bomb, warns IAEA boss

I saw this warning months ago, dunno how many days a IAEA week has.

[Dargo]

You cannot die for singing about freedom... O my god, they can. The Islamic Republic has sentenced rapper Toomaj Salehi to death for singing protest songs and echoing the voice of the Iranian people.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Dargo

I saw this warning months ago, dunno how many days a IAEA week has.

Quite a few I suspect

[Jimbuna]

Houthi rebels attack two US destroyers in Red Sea with devastating drone strike

Houthi rebels in Yemen have attacked two US destroyers and two vessels in the Red Sea with drone strikes.

The militants also targeted the MSC Orion in the Indian Ocean, the Iran-aligned group's military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a press conference.

Monday's attack happened off the coast of Mokha, Yemen, the British military's United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. The ship sustained damage in the attack, the UKMTO said, though its crew was safe and heading to its next port of call. The agency urged vessels to exercise caution in the area.

There was "an explosion in close proximity to a merchant vessel," the UKMTO said. "Vessel and crew are reported safe."

The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge any attack, though suspicion fell on the group. It typically takes the rebels several hours to claim their assaults.

It follows more than 50 strikes on ships and seized one vessel seizure since November. Another boat was also sunk, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a U.S.-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat.

American officials have speculated that the rebels may be running out of weapons as a result of the U.S.-led campaign against them and after firing drones and missiles steadily for months.

However, the rebels have renewed their attacks in the past week. Early Sunday morning, the U.S. military shot down five drones in the air over the Red Sea, its Central Command said.

The drones "presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels in the region," Central Command said in a statement.

The Houthis on Saturday claimed they shot down another of the U.S. military's MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Bryon J. McGarry, a Defense Department spokesperson, acknowledged to The Associated Press on Saturday that "a U.S. Air Force MQ-9 drone crashed in Yemen." He said an investigation was underway, without elaborating.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...682f9cba0&ei=9

[Jimbuna]

Portuguese-flagged ship is hit far in Arabian Sea, raising concerns over Houthi rebel capabilities

JERUSALEM (AP) — A Portuguese-flagged container ship came under attack by a drone in the far reaches of the Arabian Sea, corresponding with a claim by Yemen's Houthi rebels that they assaulted the ship there, authorities said Tuesday.

The attack on the MSC Orion, occurring some 600 kilometers (375 miles) off the coast of Yemen, appeared to be the first confirmed deep-sea assault claimed by the Houthis since they began targeting ships in November. It suggests the Houthis — or potentially their main benefactor Iran — may have the ability to strike into the distances of the Indian Ocean as the rebels previously threatened in their ongoing campaign over Israel's war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The attack happened last Friday, according to the Joint Maritime Information Center, which operates as part of the U.S.-led Combined Maritime Forces in the Mideast. After the attack, the crew discovered debris apparently from a drone on board, the center said.
The ship “sustained only minor damage and all crew on board are safe,” the center said. Ship-tracking satellite data analyzed by The Associated Press put the container ship, bound for Salalah, Oman, in the area of the attack on Saturday.

The MSC Orion has been associated with London-based Zodiac Maritime, which is part of Israeli billionaire Eyal Ofer’s Zodiac Group. It was operating on behalf of the Mediterranean Shipping Co., a Naples, Italy-based firm. Zodiac referred questions to MSC, which did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.

The Joint Maritime Information Center assesses “that MSC Orion was likely targeted due to (its) perceived Israeli affiliation,” the center said in a report.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for Yemen's Houthi rebels, claimed the attack on the Orion early Tuesday. He did not explain why it took the rebels days to acknowledge the attack.

The attack immediately raised questions about how the Houthis could have carried out an assault hundreds of kilometers (miles) from the shores of Yemen on a moving target. Their primary area of attack so far has been in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connect the two waterways key for international trade. Those are close to Yemen's shoreline — unlike the site of the MSC Orion attack.

The Houthis are not known to operate an expeditionary naval fleet, nor do they have access to satellites or other sophisticated means of controlling long-distance drones.

Iran, which has been supplying the Shiite rebels in their yearslong war in Yemen, has been assessed by the West and experts to have been behind at least one complex attack claimed by the Houthis — the 2019 attack on Saudi Arabia's oil fields that temporarily halved the kingdom's energy production. Iran also routinely operates military vessels in the Arabian Sea and just seized the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries and its crew just before its unprecedented drone-and-missile attack on Israel on April 13.

Iranian state media uniformly reported the Houthis' claim of carrying out the attack on the Orion. Iran's mission to the United Nations did not respond to a request for comment.

The Houthis say their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden are aimed at pressuring Israel to end its war against Hamas in Gaza, which has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians there. The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people and taking some 250 others hostage.

The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration. Shipping through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden has declined because of the threat.

Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a U.S.-led airstrike campaign in Yemen. The rebels have renewed their attacks in the past week.

The Houthis on Saturday also claimed they shot down another of the U.S. military’s MQ-9 Reaper drones, airing footage of parts that corresponded to known pieces of the unmanned aircraft. The U.S. military acknowledged the drone crashed, but said an investigation was ongoing.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...8d5d202b&ei=17