The Times of Israel is liveblogging Tuesday’s events as they happen.
Iran accused of illegally testing missiles, sending drones to Russia, enriching uranium
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Western powers in the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran accused Tehran on Monday of developing and testing ballistic missiles, transferring hundreds of drones to Russia, and enriching uranium to an unprecedented 60% level for a country without a nuclear weapons program — all in violation of a UN resolution endorsing the deal.
Iran and its ally, Russia, dismissed the charges by Britain, France and Germany, strongly supported by the United States, which pulled out of the agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018.
The six-party agreement was aimed at ensuring that Iran could not develop atomic weapons. Under the accord, Tehran agreed to limit enrichment of uranium to levels necessary for the peaceful use of nuclear power in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
The sharp exchanges came at the Security Council’s semi-annual meeting on the implementation of its resolution endorsing the 2015 nuclear deal.
Both Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Iravani and Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia blamed the United States’ withdrawal from the JCPOA, Western sanctions and an “anti-Iran” stance for the current standoff.
Iravani said Iran is allowed to enrich uranium for peaceful purposes under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, and Nebenzia rejected alleged evidence that it was using Iranian drones in Ukraine.
At the council meeting, UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo stressed that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres still considers the JCPOA “the best available option to ensure that the Iranian nuclear program remains exclusively peaceful.”
She urged Iran to reverse course, as did the three European countries who issued a joint statement quoting the IAEA as saying Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium now stand at 22 times the JCPOA limit.
“There is no credible civilian justification for the state of Iran’s nuclear program,” the UK, France and Germany said. “The current trajectory only brings Iran closer to weapons-related capabilities.”
The Europeans and US Minister Counselor John Kelley stressed that they would use all means to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
As for the future, Kelley told the council: “Iran should take actions to build international confidence and de-escalate tensions and not continue nuclear provocations that pose grave proliferation risks.”
After delay, UN Security Council to vote today on Gaza ceasefire resolution
The UN Security Council is expected to vote today on an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for a halt to hostilities in Gaza, after delaying the vote Monday afternoon to avoid a second US veto.
The council said Monday’s 5 p.m. vote was pushed back until Tuesday morning, and diplomats said negotiations were taking place to get the United States, Israel’s closest ally, to abstain or vote “yes” on the resolution.
The draft resolution on the table Monday morning called for an “urgent and sustainable cessation of hostilities” in Gaza, the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages,” and to allow unhindered access to deliver humanitarian aid to the massive number of Gazan civilians in need of food, water and medicine.
But this language is expected to be watered down to a “suspension” of hostilities or similar language to get US support, the diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity because discussions have been private.
Like the resolution vetoed by the US on October 9, the new draft text too does not explicitly name Hamas but does vaguely condemn “all indiscriminate attacks against civilians.”
The importance of a Security Council resolution is that it is legally binding, but in practice many parties choose to ignore the council’s requests for action. General Assembly resolutions are not legally binding, though they are a significant barometer of world opinion.
The US vetoed a Security Council resolution backed by almost all council members and dozens of other nations demanding an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza on December 9.
The 193-member General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a similar resolution on Dec. 12 by a vote of 153-10, with 23 abstentions.
US CENTCOM confirms two vessels attacked by Houthis in Red Sea
US CENTCOM confirms that there were two Houthi attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea yesterday (Monday).
The attacks on the Norwegian-owned chemical/oil tanker Swan Atlantic and the bulk cargo ship M/V CLARA on Monday were the latest in a flurry of maritime incidents that have been disrupting global trade in an attempt to pressure Israel over its war against Hamas, following the Palestinian terror group’s surprise attack on October 7 when thousands of terrorists massacred 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 240 hostages.
CENTCOM says Swan Atlantic “was attacked by a one-way attack drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile launched from a Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen,” and the “USS CARNEY, the closest US warship, responded to assess damage” in the southern Red Sea.
At approximately the same time on December 18, at approximately 9:00a.m. Sanaa time, M/V CLARA reported an explosion in the water near their location. There was no request for support or report of damage.
There were no injuries reported during either incident.
In a statement Monday, the Houthis said they had carried out a “military operation against two ships linked to the Zionist entity” using naval drones, as part of their campaign to pressure Israel to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas, which it has vowed to destroy.
Iran-backed Houthi rebels have escalated attacks on tankers, cargo ships and other vessels in the Red Sea, imperiling a transit route that carries up to 12 percent of global trade
The Houthis vowed to “continue to prevent all ships heading to Israeli ports… from navigating in the Arab and Red Seas” until more food and medicine is allowed into Gaza.
But the Swan Atlantic’s owner, Norway’s Inventor Chemical Tankers, said in a statement the ship was carrying biofuel feedstock from France to Reunion Island.
It said the vessel has “no Israeli link” and was managed by a Singaporean firm, adding that the Indian crew were unharmed and the vessel sustained limited damage.
Three US warships — the USS Carney, the USS Stethem and the USS Mason, all Navy destroyers — have been moving through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait daily to help deter and respond to attacks from the Houthis.
Early on Tuesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced a 10-nation coalition to quell Houthi missile and drone attacks on ships the Red Sea.
“This is an international challenge that demands collective action,” Austin said in statement released just after midnight in Bahrain. “Therefore today I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative.”
The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain will join the US in the new mission, Austin announced. Some of the countries will conduct joint patrols while others provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Blinken notes US commitment to establishing Palestinian state in call with Saudi counterpart
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken underscores the Biden administration’s commitment to establishing a Palestinian state during a phone call with Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan.
Blinken also stressed “the importance of urgently addressing humanitarian needs in Gaza and preventing the further spread of the conflict,” according to a US readout.
The top US diplomat “condemned continued attacks by the Houthis on commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea and urged cooperation among all partners to uphold maritime security,” the State Department says.
In Israel, Jerry Seinfeld meets with freed hostages, families of abductees in Gaza
Comedian Jerry Seinfeld arrived in Israel this morning, and met tonight with families of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip as well as with hostages recently released from captivity since Hamas’s October 7 massacres in southern Israel.
Channel 13 reports that the meeting lasted two hours longer than scheduled, and Seinfeld was “sensitive” and “caring.”
ג'רי סיינפלד נפגש עם משפחות החטופים בת"א – ויצא עם הדיסקית על צווארו
עדכונים שוטפים – https://t.co/0bQRHYfDev pic.twitter.com/DmXL1q4pHJ
— חדשות 13 (@newsisrael13) December 18, 2023
Seinfeld, wearing a symbolic dog tag around his neck meant to draw attention to the plight of the hostages, waved to a camera as he got into a van following the meeting, but did not comment.
The channel says the Jewish-American entertainer plans to visit the southern border region and possibly meet with Israeli soldiers.