Brief Notes

Saber-Rattling to Mark National Defense Industry Day: IRGC chief Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour today said that any “miscalculation” by adversaries would be met with a “decisive, rapid, and regret-inducing response.” Artesh (conventional/“regular” armed forces) chief Maj. Gen. Amir Hatami also said the armed forces were prepared to deliver a “crushing and regret-inducing response” to any aggressor. The threats, paired with a two-day naval exercise in the Sea of Oman and the Indian Ocean, marked National Defense Industry Day yesterday. Attack Kills Five Police Officers: The Sunni terrorist group Jaish al-Adl has claimed responsibility for an armed attack targeting two law enforcement patrol units on August 22 in the southeastern city of Iranshahr, Sistan-Baluchestan Province. Five police personnel were killed in the attack.

Security Chief: War With Israel Not Over

Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Larijani today said, “Our war has not ended yet and...we must all beware that we are living in a critical situation at the moment and, despite the ceasefire, retain our unity.” He made the remarks in an interview with the official website of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Larijani doubled down on the Islamic Republic’s rhetoric against the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, accusing him of “giving a carte blanche to the Zionists.” Although Larijani additionally said that Tehran would agree to an extension of the deadline for the re-activation of the snapback mechanism in exchange for certain concessions. Larijani also talked at length about the recent U.S.-brokered Armenia–Azerbaijan deal, referred to as the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP). He claimed that the Armenian security chief has reassured him that TRIPP is a commercial pact and would not affect Tehran–Yerevan relations or Tehran’s access to the Caucasus.

Talks With E3 Lead Nowhere

The E3 foreign ministers’ call with Islamic Republic Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi produced “no progress,” Axios reported. Tehran did not produce any new proposals or ideas on addressing concerns regarding the nuclear program. The call started with a confrontational tone, as Araghchi ranted about the E3 having no right to trigger the snapback mechanism to reimpose UN sanctions against the Islamic Republic. The same line has been repeatedly used by Tehran over the past few weeks as the deadline for initiating the mechanism approaches quickly. After E3 pushback, Araghchi expressed some openness to an extension of the snapback deadline but stressed this is for the UN Security Council to decide and not for Tehran. The Islamic Republic has been dangling the possibility of making some concessions in exchange for a one-off extension of the snapback deadline. On the issue of the Islamic Republic’s 60% highly enriched uranium stockpile, Araghchi said that it is buried under rubble without a real method of retrieval available at the moment. He also did not express willingness to resume talks with the U.S. and claimed it is Washington that is not open to talks.

On the Radar

Today, smoke or steam rose from Mount Damavand, north of Tehran. Damavand is a dormant stratovolcano and the highest peak in Iran and Western Asia. State media has described the incident as part of normal emissions from the mountain. In Iranian mythology, Damavand is where evil ruler Zahak is chained.
Germany’s ambassador to Iran Markus Potzel announced today that he is ending his mission in Tehran for “personal reasons,” and that the visa section is now operating at reduced capacity since the diplomatic mission to Tehran has been downsized.

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