Oct. 24 – Tankers carrying Iranian crude oil have begun transmitting signals which allow their vessels to be tracked, marking the first time the trackers have been activated in seven years.
Previously, vessels carrying crude oil turned off their tracking devices to evade U.S. sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic’s oil exports.
Experts believe that the decision to turn the trackers back on could be seen as a direct challenge to Washington following the imposition of more sanctions on Iran, bolstered by China’s rejection of the sanctions and continued purchase of Iranian oil, while other analysts have suggested the decision could signal Iran’s desire to appease the U.S. through compliance with maritime law.
A former U.S. embassy security guard has been sentenced to more than three years in prison by a Norwegian court for espionage for Iran and Russia.
The 28-year-old Norwegian man was accused of providing information about the embassy building and embassy staff in 2024, in return for 0.17 bitcoin from an Iranian intelligence outfit and €10,000 from a Russian intelligence unit.
The defendant told the court he had gathered the information as an act of protest against Israel’s attack on Gaza, following an attack by the Iran-aligned Hamas group on Israel in 2023 in which 1,200 people were killed.
And a leaked video on social media showing the daughter of senior hardline Iranian lawmaker Admiral Ali Shamkhani wearing a strapless wedding gown during a lavish ceremony has gone viral and led to accusations that Iran’s government, which enforces a modest dress code for women, does not follow its own laws.
The wedding gown featured a deep groove allowing for the bride’s cleavage to be almost completely visible, prompting calls for Shamkhani to step down, while other said the dress exemplified the double standards within government.
Shamkhani is a representative of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, and narrowly escaped an assassination attempt by Israel during the 12-day war in June with Iran.
