Iranian Shahed drones overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses – FT

Mostafa Nourizadeh, the husband of Hakimeh Bakhto—one of the workers killed in the explosion—told the reformist-leaning paper that the cargo was not handled by regular customs brokers and could not have been transported by a private company.

This cargo belonged to a military institution, he said citing investigations by the victims' families.

“That’s where the questions begin: What entered the port? Why was it there? Why wasn’t it stored safely?”

The report also said, citing victims' families, that no officials have been dismissed or otherwise held accountable and that court proceedings have stalled, with case files marked as confidential.

While the judiciary announced compensation payments to the families of the 58 victims, Ham-Mihan said some relatives reported receiving no support, and injured workers had to pay medical expenses out of pocket.

According to the private security firm Ambrey, the explosion was “reportedly the result of improper handling of a shipment of solid fuel intended for use in Iranian ballistic missiles.”

Months later, officials have not publicly provided a detailed explanation.

Brian Assi, also known as Brahim Assi, 63, of Beirut, was convicted in October 2024 of multiple charges including conspiracy to violate US sanctions, attempted unlawful export, smuggling, submitting false export information and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

“The defendant conspired to export millions of dollars of US-made heavy machinery to Iran, a leading state sponsor of terrorism,” said John Eisenberg, Assistant Attorney General for National Security in a statement.

According to the Justice Department, Assi conspired with individuals tied to Sakht Abzar Pars Co. (SAP-Iran), based in Tehran, to export two US-origin blasthole drill rigs from a manufacturing plant in Florida to Iran without obtaining required licenses.

To conceal Iran’s role, Assi arranged for the equipment to be sold to an Iraq-based distributor as a front, and facilitated shipment to Turkey, with the intention of reexporting the machinery to Iran. He allegedly misled his employer and submitted false information to the US Automated Export System, listing Iraq as the final destination.

The Justice Department said the transaction involved approximately $2.7 million transferred through the US financial system.

Iranian state news agency IRNA quoted Tehran's ambassador to Moscow Kazem Jalali as saying that that the meeting between the defense chiefs focused on “reinforcing bilateral cooperation in the defense and military fields.”

The meeting comes after Moscow, an ally of Tehran, appeared to offer no material support to Iran during its 12-day conflict with Israel last month.

Iran and Russia began their three days of joint drills aimed at boosting maritime safety and regional cooperation, Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Tasnim News reported.

According to Tasnim, a Russian Navy vessel entered Iranian waters on Monday to take part in the exercise, codenamed CASAREX 2025, or

In May, Iran’s parliament approved a 20-year strategic partnership with Russia, signaling a further tightening of ties between the two countries in both defense and economic matters.

The agreement, initially signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on January 17, was ratified by Russia’s State Duma in April.

While the pact does not include a mutual defense clause, it commits both nations to enhanced military-technical cooperation, joint military exercises, and coordination in the face of what they define as shared security threats.

The launch of the joint military exercise follows a high-level political meeting held a day earlier in which Ali Larijani, advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.

Larijani briefed Putin on the Iranian officials’ view regarding the crisis in the Middle East and developments related to Iran’s nuclear program, Russian state news agency RIA said citing Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.

According to the report, the launch was designed to assess emerging capabilities in Iran’s aerospace sector.

"The results of this test will be used to improve the performance of Iran’s satellites and broader space systems," it said.

Such tests by Iran have previously drawn Western concern due to the dual-use potential of the launch vehicle, capable of delivering satellites or, potentially, ballistic payloads.

"The same rocket that launches satellites can launch missiles; it's the identical technology," Yemeni-American policy analyst Fatima Al-Asrar told Iran International.

"The Islamic Republic calls this space research, but every test improves their ability to hit targets at long range. There's no meaningful difference between a space launcher and a ballistic missile in this instance."

Iran’s space endeavors began in 2009 with the launch of the Omid (Hope) satellite. The government insists that its space activities are solely peaceful, yet the dual-use nature of space technology—capable of supporting both civilian and military operations—has raised alarms, particularly among the United States and its allies.

Iran’s January 2024 launch of the Soraya satellite aboard the Qaem 100 rocket drew condemnation from the European Troika (E3) – Britain, France, and Germany.

In a joint statement, the E3 expressed concern over Iran's ongoing missile tests, highlighting that the Qaem 100 launcher uses the same technology as Iran’s long-range ballistic missiles.

These launches enable Iran to test technologies that could potentially advance its ballistic missile program, the statement said.

The US has also consistently criticized Iran's satellite launches, citing violations of Security Council resolutions due to perceived connections with its ballistic missile program.

In September 2023, Iran deployed the Noor-3 imaging satellite into orbit, positioned at an altitude of 450 kilometers, utilizing a Qased launch vehicle.

Hossein Shamkhani -- the son of Ali Shamkhani, a long-time defense minister and former head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council - was branded “a central player” in Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet".

An EU statement released on Friday accused him of using Dubai-based firms to conceal the origin of Russian crude.

“Hossein Shamkhani is involved in an economic sector providing a substantial source of revenue to the Government of the Russian Federation,” the bloc said.

Shamkhani was sanctioned alongside his companies Milavous Group Ltd and Admiral Shipping.

“He uses the company Milavous Group Ltd to blend crude oil with various petroleum products from Russia and to rebrand for exporting purposes, thereby concealing their origin,” the statement read.

“As Director of the company Admiral Shipping, he is involved in transporting and selling Russian crude oil.”

A 2024 Bloomberg investigation reported that the Shamkhani network is at the heart of a sanctions-evading secret trade with Russia, in which Iran provides Moscow with weapons in exchange for oil, helping Russia's war on Ukraine.

The investigation alleged that the network had become a major actor in the export of Iranian and Russian oil and had launched a hedge fund with offices in cities including London, Dubai, and Singapore to manage proceeds.

Shamkhani has denied Bloomberg report.

The Shamkhani family has faced repeated accusations of corruption and abuse of power. Iran International’s Mojtaba Pourmohsen reported on their alleged ownership of foreign assets and ties to the fatal 2022 building collapse in Khuzestan, linked to a businessman associated with the family.

The oil magnate's father, Ali, was seriously wounded in an Israeli strike on his residence in June. Initial reports said he had been killed, but state-linked outlets later confirmed he had survived. He remains a close confidant and advisor of Ali Khamenei.

The EU’s latest sanctions also included a move to lower the price cap on Russian crude in a bid to further constrain Moscow’s energy income.