UAE struck Iranian refinery in April attack - WSJ

Mohammadreza Ashrafi Ghehi, one of the two Iranian officials sanctioned by the US Treasury on Monday, had already been declared dead by both Iran and the Israeli military.

In a press release, the Treasury said Ashrafi Ghehi, identified as the commercial chief of the IRGC’s oil headquarters, was sanctioned along with another official and nine entities “for their roles enabling the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) sale and shipment of Iranian oil to the People’s Republic of China.”

The Treasury said Ashrafi Ghehi had “communicated with Haokun Energy regarding unresolved debts owed to the IRGC.”

However, the Israeli military announced in April that Ashrafi Ghehi was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Tehran on April 3. Iranian state media later published photos from his funeral, held on April 10.

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US President Donald Trump is increasingly inclined to order a resumption of military operations against Iran in some form because of frustration with Tehran’s conduct in negotiations, Israel's Channel 12 reported citing US officials.

One administration official was quoted as saying, “Trump is going to hit them a bit.”

Another senior official said, “We wanted an agreement, but now everyone understands where this is heading.”

Officials talking to Channel 12 said Trump had hoped to reach a deal but was surprised that Iran was unwilling to meet his demands, bringing the military option back to the forefront.

The report said Vice President JD Vance and envoy Steve Witkoff met Trump today to discuss next steps. Before the meeting, Trump said the ceasefire was “dying.”

The article added that the White House now believes Iran’s response does not allow for the hoped-for progress, and that the aim of renewed military action would be to pressure Tehran into making concessions.

Pakistan allowed Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields, potentially shielding them from American airstrikes, while serving as a diplomatic conduit between Tehran and Washington, CBS News reported, citing unnamed US officials.

Iran sent multiple aircraft to Pakistan’s Nur Khan Air Base, including an Iranian Air Force RC-130 reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering aircraft, days after President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire with Iran in early April, the report adding, citing the officials.

A senior Pakistani official rejected the claim, with CBS News quoting the official as saying: “Nur Khan base is right in the heart of (the) city, a large fleet of aircrafts parked there can’t be hidden from [the] public eye.”

Iran also sent civilian aircraft to Afghanistan, though it was not clear if military aircraft were among them, the report said.

CBS News quoted an Afghan civil aviation officer as saying one Mahan Air civilian aircraft had remained in Afghanistan, while Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied the presence of any Iranian aircraft in the country.

A US Navy Ohio-class nuclear-armed submarine arrived in Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory, on Sunday, the US Navy said in a rare announcement, after US President Donald Trump rejected Iran's proposal.

“The port visit demonstrates U.S. capability, flexibility, and continuing commitment to its NATO allies,” US Sixth Fleet Public Affairs said in a statement on Monday.

“Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines are undetectable launch platforms for submarine-launched ballistic missiles, providing the US with its most survivable leg of the nuclear triad,” it added.

Iran is prepared to downblend its highly enriched uranium stockpile to 3.7% and 20% levels but has refused to transfer the material outside the country, Al Jazeera reported, citing an Iranian source.

The source said Washington had demanded access to Iran’s 60%-enriched uranium and pushed for a 20-year halt to enrichment, which Tehran rejected. The source also said Iran was prepared to continue enrichment under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision.

The source added Washington rejected a proposal to pay fines to Iran in exchange for war losses.