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Iran Update, April 18, 2025

An unspecified senior Iranian official told Reuters on April 18 that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will refuse any deal that requires Iran to dismantle centrifuges, halt uranium enrichment, and reduce its stockpile below Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) levels.[5] The reported Iranian proposal lacks sunset clauses, but leaves Iran's centrifuge infrastructure intact, which would allow Iran to rapidly rebuild its stockpile of enriched uranium.[6] US Secretary of State Marco Rubio separately stated on April 18 that the United States seeks a durable deal that will prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon both now and in the future.[7] The Iranian proposal does not achieve the stated US government objective of preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon now and in the future because it leaves the necessary infrastructure in place to rapidly build a weapon if the deal collapses.

Source: IAEA Verification and Monitoring Reports[8]

This graphic shows the increase in centrifuge cascades at Iranian nuclear facilities since March 2022. The FFEP is the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant.[9] The FEP is the Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz.[10] The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) defines an operating cascade as cascades that “have been fed with UF6 for enrichment of collected product.”[11] The JCPOA limited Iran's enrichment capacity at the Natanz FEP to no more than 5,060 IR-1 centrifuges in no more than 30 cascades.[12] IR-4 and IR-6 centrifuges are more advanced than IR-1 centrifuges, enabling Iran to enrich uranium at a faster rate.[13]

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-april-18-2025

A Chinese satellite company is supporting attacks by Yemen’s Houthis on American interests, the State Department said Thursday, as the US military announced strikes on a fuel port it said was used by the Houthis.

The Houthis began targeting shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in November 2023, claiming to act in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, and American forces have been hammering them with strikes in a bid to stop the attacks.

“Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company... is directly supporting Iran-backed Houthi terrorist attacks on US interests,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told journalists. “Their actions — and Beijing’s support of the company, even after our private engagements with them — is yet another example of China’s empty claims to support peace,” she said.
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/united-states/2025/04/18/us-says-china-satellite-company-aiding-attacks-by-yemen-s-houthis

Iran Update, April 21, 2025

The Syrian General Security Services (GSS) interdicted a weapons shipment in Izraa, Daraa Province, on April 21 that was en route from Damascus to Suwayda Province.[46] GSS forces seized 40 anti-tank missiles, around 60 Iranian-made 107mm rockets, and an unspecified number of heavy machine guns.[47] GSS forces arrested a driver who had transported the weapons.[48]

Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem stated on April 18 that Hezbollah will not disarm.[85] Qassem stated that Hezbollah will “confront” anyone who tries to disarm Hezbollah.[86] Qassem’s statement comes amid an Iranian-led information operation that aims to obfuscate Iranian support for its proxies. A senior Hezbollah official recently claimed as part of this information operation that Hezbollah would be willing to disarm.[87]

The IDF killed Hezbollah Unit 4400 Deputy Commander Hussein Ali Nasser in an airstrike in southern Lebanon on April 20.[88] Nasser worked with Iranian officials to facilitate Hezbollah reconstitution by smuggling weapons and funds into Lebanon, including through Beirut International Airport. Nasser facilitated the purchase of weapons from smugglers on the Syria-Lebanon border to Hezbollah.

Senior Iranian officials continue to be concerned about a potential US or Israeli strike on Iran. Khatam ol Anbia Air Defense Headquarters Commander Brigadier General Alireza Sabahi Fard assessed the operational readiness of the Siraf Air Defense Group and inspected the Shahid Bushehrian Air Defense Zone in Bushehr Province on April 20 and 21, respectively.[90] These visits are part of a series of inspections that Sabahi Fard has conducted to Iranian air defense sites in southern Iran in recent weeks.

The Iranian rial appreciated from 853,000 rials to one US dollar on April 18 to 828,000 rials to one US dollar on April 21.[89]

https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-april-21-2025