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April 30, 2024

This month’s newsletter features analyses of Iran’s January missile attacks
on Syria, Iraq, and Pakistan and its larger attack on Israel this month.
The January strikes contain important hints about the strengths and
limitations of Iran’s missile capabilities, which played out during the
April 13 attack and the successful air defense operation to blunt it.

The newsletter also includes profiles of a China-based procurement network
supporting Iran’s missile and drone programs, as well as news about Iran’s
attack on Israel, Israel’s reported reprisal, and a North Korean trade
delegation visiting Tehran. Additions to the Iran Watch library include
official responses to Iran’s attack against Israel, sanctions imposed on
Iran in response to the attack, and other recent sanctions designations and
enforcement activity.

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your inbox, or [3]view the newsletter in your browser.

PUBLICATIONS

[4]

Video footage showed a residence in Erbil after being struck by Iranian
ballistic missiles. (Credit: Rudaw English)

Articles and Reports | [5]Before the Bombardment: Revisiting Iran’s January
2024 Missile Strikes on Syria, Iraq, and Pakistan

On January 16—three months before Iran’s large-scale missile and drone
attack against Israel—the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) carried
out a coordinated ballistic missile attack against targets in Iraq and
Syria. Less than 24 hours later, it conducted an attack inside Pakistani
territory. The operations added to the body of evidence attesting that,
even as Iranian missiles have the ability to strike soft, stationary
targets with relative precision, Iran’s ability to destroy well-defended,
hardened targets remains a work in progress.

[6]READ THE ARTICLE

Articles and Reports | [7]Iran’s Missile Attack Against Israel

On April 13, Iran launched a large, coordinated attack on Israel,
reportedly firing more than 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120
ballistic missiles over the span of several hours. Remarkably, Israel along
with its partners intercepted the overwhelming majority of these, suffering
only minor damage at two military bases. An initial analysis explains what
weapons Iran fired, what the attack indicates about Iran's missile
capabilities in general, and how this operation compares to prior Iranian
missile attacks on other targets.

[8]READ THE ARTICLE

ENTITIES OF CONCERN

In January 2023, the United States indicted several members of a
China-based supply network led by [9]Emily Liu supporting Iran's ballistic
missile and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs.

[10]Rayan Roshd Afzar

An Iran-based technology company with ties to the [11]Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps (IRGC); according to the U.S. Department of Justice, has
procured thousands of U.S.-origin dual-use electronics from China through
Emily Liu's procurement network.

[12]LEARN MORE

[13]Yongxin Li

A Chinese national; a member of procurement networks led by Emily Liu and
Rayan Roshd Afzar supporting Iran's military programs; indicted in the
United States in January 2024, along with Liu, [14]Yiu Wa Yung, and Yanlai
Zhong.

[15]LEARN MORE

[16]ICGOO Electronics Limited

An online shopping platform headquartered in Beijing; according to the U.S.
Department of the Treasury, has provided sensitive components, including
U.S.-origin goods, to [17]Raybeam Optronics Co. Ltd., which is connected to
Emily Liu and Rayan Roshd Afzar.

[18]LEARN MORE

IN THE NEWS

[19]

The Isfahan airport and Eighth Shekari Air Base, where Israel reportedly
struck an Iranian air defense installation. (Credit: Google Earth)

[20]North Korea Officials Visit Iran in a Rare Public Trip | Reuters

April 23, 2024: Yun Jong Ho, North Korea's minister for international
trade, led a delegation to Iran, according to North Korean state media. Yun
also visited Moscow earlier in April and has previously worked on North
Korea's ties with Syria.

[21]Apparent Israeli Air Attack Strikes Near Iranian City Of Isfahan |
Radio Free Europe

April 19, 2024: Israel reportedly launched a strike in Iran targeting an
air base near Isfahan. The attack was an apparent retaliation for Iran’s
earlier drone and missile attack on Israel. Iranian officials said that the
explosions heard near Isfahan were the result of air defenses shooting down
three drones. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported no
damage to any of Iran’s nuclear sites. Israel also reportedly struck radar
installations in Syria on the same day.

[22]A Show of Might in the Skies Over Israel | New York Times

April 15, 2024: Iran launched over 300 drones and missiles at Israel in
retaliation for Israel’s strike on an Iranian embassy building in Syria.
The United States and Israel shot down nearly all of the munitions, using
fighter jets, Navy warships, Patriot batteries, and the Arrow 3 system to
destroy them as they crossed through Iraqi and Jordanian airspace. Iran
primarily fired Shahed-136 drones, Paveh cruise missiles, and Emad and
Kheibar Shekan ballistic missiles.

FROM THE LIBRARY

The permanent members of the U.N. Security Council split over Iran’s April
13 attack on Israel, but called for de-escalation.
* The [23]Iranian statement framed the attack as part of the country’s
inherent right to self-defense – April 14.
* The [24]Chinese and [25]Russian statements supported Iran’s view and
faulted the Security Council for not responding properly following
Israel’s earlier strike on the Iranian consular building in Syria – April
14 and 15.
* The [26]European Union, [27]United Kingdom, and [28]United States
condemned the attack “in the strongest terms,” with the White House
promising a coordinated diplomatic response – April 13 and 14.

Following Iran’s attack on Israel, Israel’s Foreign Ministry [29]called on
countries to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization and impose
“painful” sanctions on Iran.
* Days later, the United States [30]announced new sanctions targeting
Iran’s UAV program as well as the country’s steel and automotive sectors
– April 18.
* The United Kingdom [31]sanctioned seven individuals and six entities,
focusing on leading military figures – April 18.
* [32]Canada joined the [33]United Kingdom and [34]United States in
announcing a second round of coordinated sanctions, largely targeting
Iran’s drone production and transfers – April 25.

The United States also announced new sanctions and enforcement measures
unconnected to the April 13 attack.
* On April 4, the Treasury Department [35]sanctioned a network of 13
vessels managed by Oceanlink Maritime DMCC for facilitating illicit
shipments on behalf of Iran’s military – April 4.
* On April 23, the Treasury Department [36]designated two companies and
four individuals involved in malicious cyber activity on behalf of the IRGC
Cyber Electronic Command – April 23.
* In April, the United States [37]transferred light arms and ammunition
to Ukraine that had been seized by naval forces in the Arabian Sea en route
from Iran to Yemen – April 9.

Iran Watch is a website published by the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms
Control. The Wisconsin Project is a non-profit, non-partisan organization
that conducts research, advocacy, and public education aimed at inhibiting
strategic trade from contributing to the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction.

Copyright © 2024 - Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control

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