Israel says Hamas ran secret money-exchange network in Turkey with Iran help

One Western diplomat said a new campaign would be “short and intense” but strategically limited. “Iran will evidently retaliate with a missile launch, perhaps hitting buildings the way it did last time,” the diplomat said, adding that the fundamental balance of power would remain unchanged.

Enrichment described as the main red line

The current post-war equilibrium is deeply unstable, Raz Zimmt of the Institute for National Security Studies told Al-Monitor. Israel, he added, has yet to define precise red lines on Iran’s ballistic missile program, but a return to enrichment, weaponization work or attempts to recover the roughly 408 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent believed lost in the June attacks would almost certainly trigger a response.

“The more time passes without the United States and Iran reaching a nuclear agreement, the more likely a new round of conflict becomes,” Zimmt said.

Stalled diplomacy and Iranian pressure

Iran is rebuilding its air defenses, missile systems and protective measures around nuclear sites – a process Zimmt said could continue for up to a year without prompting an Israeli strike. But he warned Iran is effectively stuck in a “no war, no peace” posture, a phrase invoked by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, with sanctions eroding the economy while enrichment remains constrained.

Khamenei’s recent remark that the US is “not worthy” of engagement has further complicated prospects for diplomacy. Israeli officials argue any future US-Iran deal must cap enrichment at 3.67 percent, restore intrusive inspections and resolve the fate of the missing enriched uranium. Without those terms, some say, sanctions relief would be unjustified.

Zimmt noted Washington shows little urgency. Trump, he said, appears convinced the 2025 strikes destroyed Iran’s program – a view that reduces US pressure and leaves Israel preparing for what it sees as an increasingly likely confrontation.

“The Islamic Republic would examine the strategy, but at first glance, it is clear the White House continues to pursue the same objectives of previous US administrations,” Baghaei told reporters at his weekly briefing.

“Washington had focused all its efforts on imposing Israeli domination over the region.”

Tehran rejects US characterization of Iran

The document, published late Thursday, appears to downplay the scale of the threat from Iran and offers only cursory references to Tehran.

“Iran – the region’s chief destabilizing force – has been greatly weakened by Israeli actions since October 7, 2023, and President Trump’s June 2025 Operation Midnight Hammer, which significantly degraded Iran’s nuclear program,” the document reads.

“America will always have core interests in ensuring that Gulf energy supplies do not fall into the hands of an outright enemy, and that the Strait of Hormuz remain open,” it added.

During the 12-day conflict in 2025, the United States and Israel carried out coordinated attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. US president Donald Trump has repeatedly said that strikes on Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan destroyed Iran’s program.

Hezbollah and Lebanon tensions surface

Baghaei also addressed growing international demands for Hezbollah’s disarmament. The group, he said, “decides for itself regarding its behavior and policies,” rejecting Iranian interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs.

He declined to comment on reports that Lebanese foreign minister Youssef Raji had turned down an invitation to visit Iran. Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi invited Raji on December 4 for consultations on bilateral ties and regional developments, and Raji said he would respond through diplomatic channels. Israel’s Ynet reported that Raji favored meeting Araghchi in a “neutral country.”

“The disarmament of Hezbollah and the dismantling of its military structure are Lebanese demands, independent of international requests,” Raji told Al Arabiya on Saturday. New Gallup polling shows strong Lebanese backing for a unified national force: about 79 percent of respondents said only the Lebanese army should possess weapons.

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the GCC position repeated in the bloc’s closing communiqué after its Bahrain summit on Wednesday relied on “baseless and absurd claims encouraged by outside actors.”

Such language, he said, violated principles of territorial respect and good-neighborliness.

The GCC statement reiterated its backing for the United Arab Emirates, which claims Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abu Musa – territories controlled by Iran since 1971, when the Shah’s government took over the islands following Britain’s military withdrawal.

Tehran rejects any challenge to its sovereignty, and figures across Iran’s political spectrum oppose UAE claims.

Long-running dispute resurfaces

The islands issue has become a standard feature of GCC ministerial meetings and joint statements with partners including the EU and China. These declarations routinely “support UAE efforts” to resolve the dispute and encourage negotiations or referral to the International Court of Justice.

Iran typically answers such communiqués with statements and diplomatic protests. It summoned EU representatives after the bloc issued similar language in October, and lodged objections with Beijing in 2024 when China echoed the call for a “peaceful settlement.”

The territories, Ghalibaf said, were “pieces of Iran’s body,” urging regional states to avoid actions that could escalate tensions.

Although the three islands remain the core flashpoint, a newer dispute over the Arash/Durra gas field has entered GCC statements.

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia assert joint ownership, while Iran maintains overlapping claims, adding another layer of friction to an already crowded Persian Gulf maritime file.

Chad dismantled two networks accused of being tied to Iran, the report said quoting Chadian security forces.

Officials described a strategy of infiltration, indoctrination and promises of support for coups aimed at expanding Tehran’s influence in Africa.

According to Infobae, the interrogations detailed how the Revolutionary Guard's Quds Force and Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) allegedly recruit and train African citizens for operations targeting Western and Israeli interests.

In 2023, Israel asked visiting Chadian President Mahamat Deby to reduce the influence of Iran and Hezbollah in Africa’s Sahel region, four years after the Muslim-majority country in central Africa restored its relations with the Jewish State.

Déby visited Israel to open Chad’s new embassy in the country, where he also made a rare stop at Mossad headquarters, a signal that the renewed ties carry national-security weight.

The alleged push for influence in Chad is not an isolated case, as Iran has been reportedly sending military equipment to Chad's eastern neighbor Sudan whose army is fighting against the UAE-backed Rapid Support Forces.

Iran's alleged recruitments in Chad

The Infobae report says one of those detained by Chadian authorities admitted to investigators that he had been recruited by Iran's intelligence ministry. The detaine, identified as Ali Abdoulaye Mahamat, said the process began after studying at the Al-Mustafa International University in Iran's Qom.

Mahamat told authorities he met Iranian intelligence officers in hotels in 2022 and 2023. He said he was instructed to identify American, Israeli and French activity, recruit new members and map links between local rebel groups and Iranian handlers, according to the report.

He also described an intelligence officer named Karim, who he said escorted him to hotels, restaurants and secret locations and confiscated his phone. Mahamat told officials Karim demanded detailed information on foreign military movements and intelligence services operating in Chad.

Pressed by his handlers, Mahamat said he eventually provided names of Chadian intelligence officers and individuals allegedly in contact with Israelis.

Chad’s authorities say another detainee, Abdoulaye Ahmat Sheikh Alamine, confessed to being recruited by the Quds Force. During his interrogation, he said the cell he belonged to was directed by Department 400, which operates in Iraq, Africa and other regions.

He told investigators he received weapons training — including Kalashnikovs, RPGs and KFX systems — and traveled to Iraq under the guise of religious trips, where the group met Iranian contacts and trained alongside Shia militias, according to the report.

Mahamat also told investigators that MOIS officers posing as Iranian Foreign Ministry representatives instructed him to collect information on international presence in Chad, recruit assets for military training and assess the needs of rebel groups such as FACT.

According to Infobae, Chad’s security services say the revelations show a coordinated Iranian approach combining religious indoctrination, military training and promises of political power in exchange for attacks on Western and Israeli interests.

Chadian officials told the outlet their operations disrupted, at least temporarily, what they describe as Tehran’s efforts to expand influence and destabilize the region.

Last month, Iran International revealed an alleged Iranian plot targeting the Israeli embassy in Senegal and Israeli personnel in Uganda, which were thwarted by Mossad.

The operation was directed by the Quds Force, the IRGC’s overseas arm, which relied on a proxy network of Pakistani and Bangladeshi nationals based in Iran, alongside locally recruited operatives in Africa — many of whom were said to have been enlisted through social media.

“The Persian Gulf is 1,375 kilometers long – this missile’s range is beyond that,” Rear Admiral Alireza Tangsiri said in an interview with state television. He added that the weapon, built by the IRGC Navy, is fully indigenous and “can be guided after launch.”

His remarks came as the IRGC carried out the second phase of its naval drill, which began Thursday with ballistic and cruise missile fire at targets in the Oman Sea. State media said the exercise also included drone operations and air defense maneuvers around the Strait of Hormuz and Iran’s southern islands.

Tangsiri said all weapons used in the drill were domestically made, including a new ballistic missile with “very high precision.” “Our enemies have seen its accuracy,” he said.

Iran’s missiles have a declared range of up to 2,000 kilometers, which officials say is sufficient for deterrence and covers Israel. The United States and its allies have called on Tehran to restrict missile development to under 500 kilometers, a demand Iran has repeatedly rejected.