Four days into 2018, two Iranian nationals tried to buy parts of an advanced missile in Kyiv, according a spokesperson for the Ukrainian intelligence service. This effort appears to have violated a UN arms embargo on Iran.

Masked men in Ukraine’s secret police arrested the men and found parts of the missile in their vehicle, according to the spokesperson. What followed became a secret diplomatic incident, and both men were detained and then quietly deported to Iran.

Vasyl Hrytsak, the head of Ukraine’s intelligence service, described this all to American government officials during a recent trip to Washington.

The attempt as alleged by Ukrainian intelligence sources likely violated United Nations’ prohibitions on Iranian arms procurement. And it shows Iran may intend to procure weapons that would let it make the Persian Gulf more dangerous than ever.

Hrytsak told American officials Iranians tried to procure an X-31 anti-ship missile components, produced in Ukraine. “X-31” can also be rendered as a Kh-31 missile, depending on how you transliterate the cyrillic.

Officers from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) arrested the men when they were in possession of parts of the missile as well as technical documents related to its use, according to pictures of the arrest reviewed by The Daily Beast. (Those pictures included images of a vehicle’s open trunk, packed with missile parts.) One of the men, according to Hrytsak, is named Abdi Biyan and was a military attache at Iran’s embassy in Kyiv.

“ The diplomats in Ukraine are not there for Chicken Kiev... They’re there to get this kind of stuff. ” — Tom Karako, CSIS

“The diplomats in Ukraine are not there for Chicken Kiev,” said Tom Karako, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “They’re there to get this kind of stuff.”

The Kh-31 is a Russian-designed anti-ship weapon that can fly along the surface of the sea at supersonic speeds.

Dr. Nikolai Sokov, a fellow at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey and an expert on Russian missiles, said that photos of the missile components shared by The Daily Beast “look consistent” with Kh-31 parts but could not be certain the items in the images came from the Kh-31 given that the “missile is disassembled and the pictures are incomplete.”

“It’s most likely this missile is a Kh-31,” added Behnam Ben Taleblu, a research fellow focused on missiles at the FDD, who also reviewed the Ukrainian photos.

“The Islamic Republic is already home to a wide array of Chinese anti-ship weapons and their Iranian variants,” Taleblu said. “Had the Kh-31 been successfully procured, Iran’s ability to project power, harass vessels, and deter great powers in the Persian Gulf would have measurably grown.”

Iranian acquisition of Kh-31 missiles could improve its ability to attack U.S. and Gulf Arab countries’ naval forces as well as commercial maritime traffic transiting the Strait of Hormuz, the thin strip of sea between Iran and the United Arab Emirates that connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea. According to the U.S. government’s Energy Information Administration, 18 million barrels of oil went through the strait every day in 2016—more oil than moved through any other choke point that year. Iran has repeatedly threatened to shut the strait in response to tensions with the U.S. and Europe. Expanded Iranian capabilities to harass ships could have economic consequences as well as military ones.

Anti-ship cruise missiles are one of “four core areas” which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) has prioritized for naval weapons acquisition, according to a 2017 study published by the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence (PDF). In the event of a major conflict in the Gulf, the IRGCN would likely leverage its anti-ship missiles, fast attack craft, small boats, and naval mines to close or restrict access to the strait on the belief that sinking enemy ships early on “would break the political will of an adversary to continue with a military campaign against Iran.”

The Iranian military has long made a practice of harassing American Navy ships in the Persian Gulf, though these incidents have declined under the Trump administration, a U.S. Central Command spokesperson recently told the AP, according to Business Insider.

A spokesperson for Iran’s mission to the UN did not respond to multiple requests for comment on whether or not the country’s government disputes the Ukrainian intelligence service’s allegations. A spokesperson for the CIA declined to comment.

It is unclear if Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s government informed the UN of the men’s attempt to buy the missile. A spokesperson for Ukraine’s mission to the UN said he had no information on the matter.

This alleged attempt wouldn’t be the first time Iranians tried to get weapons from Ukraine. In 2005, Ukrainian prosecutors revealed that Iran smuggled Kh-55 air-launched cruise missiles out the country in 2001—a move U.S. officials reportedly believed was assisted by corrupt senior officials in the government of former President Leonid Kuchma. Missile experts believe that the illicitly acquired Kh-55 missiles formed the basis of Iran’s “Soumar” long-range cruise missile revealed in 2015.

Classified State Department cables released by WikiLeaks also show U.S. officials repeatedly warned Ukraine in the mid-2000s that its Zaporizhzhya Regional Foreign Economic Association—sanctioned by the U.S. in 2004—had sold specialty metals useful in the construction of ballistic missiles to Iranian missile procurement front companies. </s> WASHINGTON -- The United States has imposed sanctions on five Iranian companies it says are involved in Tehran’s illegal ballistic-missile program.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on January 4 said the "sanctions target key entities involved in Iran's ballistic-missile program, which the Iranian regime prioritizes over the economic well-being of the Iranian people."

The five companies are subsidiaries of Iran's Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group (SBIG), an Iranian defense entity that is already under U.S. sanctions.

They were listed as Shahid Kharrazi Industries, Shahid Sanikhani Industries, Shahid Moghaddam Industries, Shahid Eslami Research Center, and Shahid Shustari Industries.

At a December 14 news conference in Washington, Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, showed what she called was concrete evidence that Iran was supplying weaponry to the Huthi rebels in Yemen in violation of UN sanctions.

She displayed one of the fragments from a missile fired by the rebels toward Saudi Arabia that she said bore the logo of SBIG.

Under the new sanctions, any assets the firms hold in U.S. jurisdiction will be frozen and U.S. citizens will be barred from doing business with the companies.

A UN resolution passed in connection with the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal prohibited Tehran from supplying, selling, or transferring weapons unless the Security Council approved it. A separate UN resolution bans the supply of any weapons to the Huthi rebels in Yemen.

Although the sanctions were not directly related to the antigovernment protests that have erupted on the streets of Iran over the past week, Mnuchin said the authorities should spend more on public welfare than on banned weapons.

The protests began on December 28 in the country's second-largest city, Mashhad, initially over complaints of rising prices, but they have led to complaints over corruption and the lack of freedoms in the country.

"As the Iranian people suffer, their government and the [Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps] fund foreign militants, terrorist groups, and human rights abuses," he added.

"The United States will continue to decisively counter the Iranian regime's malign activity, including additional sanctions targeting human rights abuses."

President Donald Trump and the State Department have issued harsh criticism of the Iranian authorities for their crackdown on the protests and have threatened additional sanctions.

Iranian officials claim to have the unrest under control, with state television on January 4 showing video of pro-government counterdemonstrations in several cities, although the reports cannot be independently confirmed.

In its January 4 announcement, the U.S. State Department also said it had added three individuals linked to Al-Qaeda to its global terrorist list.

It identified the three as Muhammad al-Ghazali, Abukar Ali Adan, and Wanas al-Faqih, saying they were affiliated with either Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Al-Shabaab, or Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).

It added that Ghazali is a senior member of AQAP involved in internal security and the training of the group’s operatives.

Ali Adan is deputy leader of Al-Shabaab, which is active in Africa; while Faqih is an AQIM associate who planned the March 18, 2015, Bardo Museum attack in Tunis, Tunisia, that killed at least 20 people, it said. </s> The United States is imposing new sanctions against 18 individuals and entities over their support for Iran's ballistic missile program and other military-related activities.

The sanctions come one day after Washington certified that Iran is complying with the 2015 nuclear deal and will continue to receive nuclear-related sanctions relief.

The U.S. Department of Treasury said in a statement on July 18 it was targeting 16 entities and individuals for ”engaging in support of illicit Iranian actors or transnational criminal activity.”

Those sanctioned have supported Iran's military or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) by developing military equipment, producing and maintaining fast-attack boats, and procuring electronic components, the treasury said.

"This Administration will continue to aggressively target Iran's malign activity, including their ongoing state support of terrorism, ballistic missile program, and human rights abuses," Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin was quoted as saying in the statement.

The State Department also said it is designating two Iranian organizations involved in Iran’s ballistic missile program.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Iran was testing and developing ballistic missiles "in direct defiance" of a UN Security Council resolution.

The new sanctions were "in response to these continued Iranian threats," she said in a July 18 statement.

The State Department called on Iran to release U.S. citizens including Baquer Namazi, Siamak Namazi, and Xiyue Wang whose arrest and prison sentence on espionage charges was announced by a judiciary spokesman over the weekend.

With reporting by Reuters and dpa </s> The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on Friday on six subsidiaries of an Iranian company key to Iran‘s ballistic missile program in response to Tehran’s “continued provocative actions,” including Thursday’s launch of a space launch vehicle.

WATCH: U.S. lawmakers reach deal on sanctions against Russia, Iran, and North Korea

The Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed the sanctions on six Iran-based companies owned or controlled by Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, the Treasury said in a statement.

Iran denied on Friday U.S. accusations that its test of a rocket that can put satellites into orbit violated a U.N resolution and said Washington’s “rhetoric” was a sign of bad faith towards Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.

READ MORE: U.S. Navy fires warning shots near Iran ship in tense encounter

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said on Thursday that Iran‘s test violated a U.N. resolution which endorsed the 2015 deal and calls upon Tehran not to conduct activities related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.

Iran‘s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on Friday denied Tehran had missiles designed to carry nuclear warheads.

“Iran is not, and will not be, developing nuclear weapons; so by definition cannot develop anything DESIGNED to be capable of delivering them,” Zarif said on Twitter.

WATCH: ‘Unchecked Iran’ could follow ‘same path’ as North Korea, says Tillerson

“Iran – unlike the U.S. – has complied in good faith with the letter AND spirit of (the nuclear deal). Rhetoric and actions from U.S. show bad faith,” Zarif added.

Iran said it successfully tested the Simorgh (Phoenix) rocket which it said could put a satellite weighing up to 250 kg (550 pounds) in an orbit of 500 km (311 miles).

“The U.S. government should abandon its continued hostile behavior and policies that show lack of faith towards the (nuclear deal),” said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi, quoted by the state news agency IRNA.

READ MORE: U.S. slaps Iran with new sanctions over its ballistic missile program

The U.S. Senate voted almost unanimously on Thursday to impose new sanctions on Russia, and crack down on Iran and North Korea for activities including their missile development programs.

The measure also imposes restrictions on anyone involved in Iran‘s ballistic missile program and those who do business with them. The sanctions also apply to Iran‘s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps security force. </s> The US has sanctioned five Iranian firms which Washington say is involved in the country's ballistic missile program, thus breaking the spirit of Iran's nuclear deal with the P5+1 countries.

The Trump administration's latest salvo against Tehran comes despite the UN aligned International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) consistently confirming Iran's full compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The new economic measures against five Iranian-based entities of the Shahid Bakeri Industrial Group prohibits American firms from doing business with the firms. The sanctions further stipulates 'freezing' its properties in the US. "These sanctions target key entities involved in Iran's ballistic missile program, which the Iranian regime prioritizes over the economic well-being of the Iranian people," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

The US accuses the five companies of providing launchers, guidance systems, and propellants for Iran’s missile program, which Washington believes violates the goodwill of the 2015 nuclear deal, the signature foreign policy achievement of Barack Obama's presidency which Donald Trump has vowed to tear apart.

The deal, sealed by the US, UK, Russia, France, China, and Germany, places limitations on Iran's controversial nuclear energy program in return for the lifting of economic sanctions on Iran. There was, however, no agreement among the P5+1 to push for binding restrictions on Iran's ballistic-missile program. The IAEA has repeatedly confirmed that Iran is in full compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also called the Iran deal.

Washington, however, claims that Tehran's missile program violates UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which endorsed Tehran’s nuclear deal with the P5+1 states – the five permanent members of the UNSC plus Germany. The new sanctions come just days before the US deadline to make a decision on whether or not to certify Iran's compliance with the nuclear agreement.

Over the last few days, Trump has attacked Iran on Twitter, accusing the previous administration of funding terrorism by signing the landmark accord. The US president, along with senior administration officials have also expressed vociferous support for the anti-government protesters in the Central Asian country who are rallying against socio-economic conditions in the country.

On Thursday, Mnuchin echoed Trump's policy, warning that Washington might soon slap additional sanctions on Iran which will target the country's perceived human right abuses amid the deadly anti-government protests in the country. "The United States will continue to decisively counter the Iranian regime's malign activity, including additional sanctions targeting human rights abuses. We will not hesitate to call out the regime's economic mismanagement, and diversion of significant resources to fund threatening missile systems at the expense of its citizenry."

Trump's increasingly hostile stance towards Iran comes at a time when Tehran accused its detractors of interfering in their domestic affairs. Undeterred, Trump tweeted Wednesday, "You will see great support from the United States at the appropriate time!"

READ MORE: Iran slams ‘grotesque’ US meddling & calls for regime change through social media

Amid the rapidly escalating tensions, Moscow warned Washington against meddling in Iran’s internal affairs, critisizing the US for using the situation in the Islamic Republic to scupper the nuclear agreement with Tehran. Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov pointed out to his American counterparts that the P5+1 initiative was not a bilateral agreement and therefore cannot be unilaterally amended.

“The current situation, when Washington falls to the temptation to use the moment to raise new issues regarding the JCPOA, shows the deliberate attempt to undermine and shatter the international community's commitment the JCPOA,” Ryabkov told TASS Thursday. </s> The U.S. imposed sanctions on five entities tied to Iran's ballistic-missile program, seeking to punish Tehran for its management of the economy as thousands of Iranians protest against their government.

Treasury Department officials blamed Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other parts of the government for funding proxies across the Middle East despite the needs of the Iranian people at home.

"As the Iranian people suffer, their government and the IRGC fund foreign militants, terrorist groups, and human rights abuses," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Thursday. "We will not hesitate to call out the regime's economic mismanagement and diversion of significant resources to fund threatening missile systems at the expense of its citizenry."

Trump administration officials said they would be watching closely for human-rights abuses committed against protesters. "We have ample authorities to hold accountable those who commit violence against protesters, contribute to censorship, or steal from the people of Iran," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.

The entities sanctioned on Thursday, which the administration has assessed are related to one another, are responsible for the development of guidance systems, solid propellants, motor cases and research for the country's missile program.

Officials at Iran's United Nations mission didn't respond to a request for comment.

The sanctions aren't related to Iran's nuclear program, which is covered by the 2015 international nuclear agreement under which Iran agreed not to advance its program and world powers agreed to lift economic sanctions. </s> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States imposed sanctions on Friday on six subsidiaries of a company key to Iran’s ballistic missile program, citing continued “provocative actions” like Tehran’s launch of a rocket capable of putting a satellite into orbit.

Simorgh rocket is launched and tested at the Imam Khomeini Space Centre, Iran, in this handout photo released by Tasnim News Agency on July 27, 2017. Tasnim News Agency/Handout via REUTERS

Iranian state television reported on Thursday that Iran had successfully tested a rocket that can deliver satellites into orbit, an action the United States and others say breaches a U.N. Security Council resolution because of its potential use in ballistic missile development.

A joint statement on Friday from the United States, France, Germany and Britain said the launch was inconsistent with a U.N. Security Council resolution calling on Iran not to conduct such tests.

The U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control imposed sanctions on six Iranian firms owned or controlled by the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group. The move enables the U.S. government to block any company property under its jurisdiction and prevents U.S. citizens from doing business with the firms.

“These sanctions ... underscore the United States’ deep concerns with Iran’s continued development and testing of ballistic missiles and other provocative behavior,” Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a statement.

“The U.S. government will continue to aggressively counter Iran’s ballistic missile-related activity, whether it be a provocative space launch ... or likely support to Yemeni Houthi missile attacks on Saudi Arabia such as occurred this past weekend,” Mnuchin said.

The six Shahid Hemmat units targeted by the U.S. sanctions manufacture missile components, missile airframes, liquid-propellant ballistic missile engines, liquid propellant, guidance and control systems. They also do missile-related research and maintenance.

The Treasury move was announced just hours after the U.S. Senate voted almost unanimously to impose new sanctions on Iran, Russia and North Korea.

The measure put President Donald Trump, who has sought better ties with Russia, in a tough position, forcing him to either sign the bill into law or anger his party by vetoing it.

The sanctions in that bill also target Iran’s missile development programs as well as human rights abuses.

The State Department charged on Thursday that Iran’s test of the satellite launch vehicle was a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions as well as the spirit of the multinational Iran nuclear deal, under which Tehran agreed to curb its nuclear programs in exchange for a lifting of some economic sanctions.

Washington’s ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said the Trump administration would continue to impose consequences on Iran until it complied fully with U.N. resolutions.

“The issue with Iran always comes back to mistrust. Iran’s widespread support for terrorists tells us we can’t trust them. Iran’s breaking its obligation on missile testing tells us we can’t trust them. Yesterday’s launch proves that yet again,” she said in a statement.

The Trump administration certified Iran as being in compliance with the nuclear deal last week, even though Trump has called the agreement negotiated by his Democratic predecessor “the worst deal ever.”

Trump issued a veiled threat against Iran earlier this week, warning Tehran to adhere to the terms of the nuclear accord or face “big, big problems.” He said in a speech in Ohio that the deal had “emboldened” Iran and added “that won’t take place much longer.” </s> THE HAGUE: Ukraine has filed a case at the UN’s top court accusing Russia of sponsoring “terrorism” and demanding Moscow pay damages for the shelling of civilians and the downing of flight MH17, officials said on Tuesday.

Kiev has asked the International Court of Justice to “declare that the Russian Federation bears international responsibility, by virtue of its sponsorship of terrorism ... for the acts of terrorism committed by its proxies in Ukraine,” the court said in a statement.

Ukraine also asked the court to order “full reparation” for the 2014 downing of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine and “for the shelling of civilians” in certain towns in eastern Ukraine. “Russia must pay its price for the aggression,” Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Monday just after Kiev launched the proceedings with the court based in The Hague.

“The Russian Federation has been brutally violating international law for three years,” he added in a statement.

“For three years, Russia has been committing the illegal annexation of Crimea, illegal occupation of the east of our country in the territory of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, implementing the policy of elimination and discrimination in Crimea.”

The International Court of Justice, the UN’s highest court, was founded in 1945 to rule on border and territorial disputes between nations.

Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, accuses its neighbour Russia of triggering unrest by separatist pro-Russian rebels in retaliation for the ousting of Kiev’s Moscow-backed president in February 2014.

Fierce fighting flared in eastern Ukraine and Russia annexed Ukraine’s southern peninsula of Crimea in March 2014.

There had been hopes the war was winding down after nearly the deaths of nearly 10,000 people after several ceasefire accords.

Poroshenko said the filing of the case at the ICJ had resulted from “a long and meticulous work.”

Kiev has asked the tribunal to declare that Moscow has violated its obligations under the Terrorism Financing Convention and an international treaty against racial discrimination.

It urges the tribunal to order Moscow to “immediately and unconditionally cease and desist from all support, including the provision of money, weapons, and training, to illegal armed groups that engage in acts of terrorism in Ukraine.”

It also asks that Moscow be ordered:

- to ensure that illegal arms are withdrawn from eastern Ukraine

- to control its borders to stop acts of “financing of terrorism including the supply of weapons”

- to “make full reparation” for the shelling of civilians in the eastern Ukrainian towns of Mariupol, Kramatorsk, Volnovakha and Kharkiv, as well as for the shooting down of MH17.

- to protect the rights of “all groups in Russian-occupied Crimea, including Crimean Tatars and ethnic Ukrainians.”

A Dutch-led international investigation found that Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down by a Russian-made missile in July 2014 over eastern Ukraine, launched from a field in rebel-held territory.

All 298 on board the routine flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, mostly Dutch citizens, were killed.

Ukraine files ‘terrorism’ case against Russia was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on January 18, 2017 and was last updated on January 18, 2017. This news story is related to Print/179923-Ukraine-files-terrorism-case-against-Russia/ - breaking news, latest news, pakistan ne. Permanent link to the news story "Ukraine files ‘terrorism’ case against Russia" is https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/179923-Ukraine-files-terrorism-case-against-Russia. </s> The US has imposed sanctions on six people and three companies it says have ties to Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the penalties targeted those who had funnelled millions of dollars to the group, funding its "malign activity".

Iran's central bank was also accused of helping the IRGC to access US dollars.

The Treasury Department did not name the sanctioned individuals, but said they were all Iranian.

The move - which was carried out in conjunction with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) - prohibits US individuals and entities from doing business with them.

"The Iranian regime and its Central Bank have abused access to entities in the UAE to acquire US dollars to fund the (IRGC's) malign activities, including to fund and arm its regional proxy groups," Mr Mnuchin said in a statement.

"We are intent on cutting off IRGC revenue streams wherever their source and whatever their destination," he added.

What is the Revolutionary Guard?

The IRGC was set up in 1979 to defend Iran's Islamic system and is a major military, political and economic force in the country. The sanctions specifically target its overseas operations arm, the Quds Force.

President Donald Trump has labelled the group a "corrupt terror force and militia" and, in October, he hit them with sanctions.

The latest penalties come just two days after Mr Trump pulled the US out of the Iran nuclear deal and pledged to ramp up pressure on Tehran.

The 2015 agreement curbed Iran's nuclear activities in return for the lifting of UN, US and EU sanctions.

Mr Trump's decision to abandon the deal was described as a "mistake" by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

What has Israel been saying about Iran?

Meanwhile, Israel has accused the Iranian Quds Force of launching 20 rockets at its military positions in Syria on Thursday morning.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that four rockets were intercepted and 16 others fell short of their targets in the occupied Golan Heights.

Iran's deployment of troops to the country to help President Bashar al-Assad has alarmed Israel, which launched a wave of strikes in retaliation for the attack.

The IDF said fighter jets struck 70 military targets belonging to Iran inside Syria, causing significant damage. Targets included intelligence sites, military posts and weapons storage warehouses.

Russia, Germany and France called on both countries to exercise restraint, but the US said Iran bore "full responsibility for the consequences of its reckless actions" and that Israel had a right to defend itself.
The government of Ukraine states that it expelled two Iranians earlier this year for attempting to buy a Kh-31 missile in Kiev, in violation of United Nations sanctions.