Israel state watchdog faults home front response in Iran war

“Our enriched uranium is buried under the rubble of bombed nuclear facilities,” Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi told state TV on Thursday.

It appeared to be the first official assertion that Iran's stockpile remained in place after the attack. Their whereabouts and UN inspectors' access to them had been an issue of pointed concern among Western powers.

He warned that if Germany, France and Britain move to activate the snapback mechanism to reimpose UN sanctions, "they will be excluded from nuclear negotiations with the Islamic Republic."

“If the snapback mechanism is activated against Iran, the Supreme National Security Council will decide on the response,” he added, without elaborating.

Araghchi’s comments come after the UN nuclear watchdog warned last week that Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium is “a matter of serious concern,” saying the agency has no visibility country’s activities since the June strikes on its nuclear facilities.

In a confidential report leaked to reporters on last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said Iran's stock of near-weapons grade uranium increased almost eight percent before Israel attacked its nuclear facilities on June 13.

The report shows Iran had 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched up to 60%, marking a 7.9% increase since the UN nuclear watchdog’s previous report in May.

"During this reporting period, the Agency lost continuity of knowledge in relation to the current inventories of nuclear material in Iran ... which urgently needs to be addressed," the report said.

Reuters reported in June that most of the enriched uranium at Iran’s Fordow facility appeared to have been moved days before the attacks.

The Financial Times also reported that preliminary intelligence assessments shared with European capitals also indicated the stockpile was relocated ahead of the US strikes.

Experts have pointed to satellite imagery showing truck convoys outside Fordow.

President Donald Trump dismissed the reports in a June interview with Fox News, saying the "(the Iranians) didn’t move anything.”

“Iran's threatening activities, finance and recruitment, has tripled for the last three years to the extent that there have been people in security associated with Iran who have been accused of spying for Iran," a security source told Iran International on condition of anonymity.

"For Iran, creating something in Jordan is important -- even if on a small scale.”

The source added that even after the official crackdowns earlier this year after a widely publicized raid uncovered a weapons cache initially attributed to the Muslim Brotherhood - a longtime political party in Jordan which was then banned.

Jordan at the time said it had arrested 16 people accused of manufacturing short-range missiles, possessing explosives and automatic weapons, concealing a ready-to-use missile and illegally recruiting and training militants.

Banned Brothers

The Muslim Brotherhood is a century-old pan-Arab movement opposed to Western influence and the erosion of religiosity in public life.

In Jordan its members have long held a significant influence in parliament and public life while its offshoot in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories is the Iran-backed armed group and political party Hamas.

“Hamas and Hezbollah were involved for money and training in Beirut,” the security source said. “Those training them were Palestinians from Hamas while Hezbollah facilitated the sites and expertise.”

“Iran wanted to created a front in Jordan as a backup to losing south Lebanon, before that happened last year,” the source added, referring to the weakening of Hezbollah following a punishing military campaign against the group last year.

'Iran influence on rise'

“It’s not a secret that the negative influence of Iran is still on the rise,” said another security source, saying that Jordanian citizens also perceive an increased threat.

“Public opinion in Jordan shows that the main threat to Jordanian national security 20-30 years ago was Israel but today it is Iran, and has been for the last 5-6 years,” he said.

In April last year, following an Israeli strike on Iran’s consulate in Damascus, the security head of the Iran-backed Iraqi militia Kata'ib Hezbollah. Abu Ali al-Askari said the group was "prepared to arm the Islamic Resistance in Jordan" with supplies for up to 12,000 fighters.

Their goal, he said, was to "defend the Palestinians and avenge the honor of Muslims" by targeting Israel, saying the group would start by "cutting off the land route that reaches the Zionist entity," referring to the Jordan-Israel border.

The perceived threat has seen Israel enhance its border security with Jordan in addition to carrying out a surprise drill for its forces in August, simulating a ground invasion from the Jordanian border.

“Weapons from Iran have also continued to be smuggled into Jordan and on to the West Bank from Syria," the security source added.

Friend of my enemy

Tehran continues to defy Amman, which it sees as an ally of Iran’s arch-enemies the United States and Israel, and a senior Jordanian official said protests through diplomatic channels have proven futile.

“We told them (Iran) they cannot fly their missiles over Jordan, but they did anyway,” the official said.

“They (Iran) don’t listen. We said they can fly over Syria, but they are adamant and have little regard for the consequences. This is a country that thinks they should be the masters of the Middle East.”

While the official said that Iran had lost influence in the region after military setbacks to its regional armed allies and a June war with Israel and the United States, the threat to Jordan abides.

“The desire and will is there to focus on Jordan because they lost cards with Hezbollah and Syria, but their ability has somewhat weakened. On the borders with Syria they’d love to do more damage but they lost a lot of their operatives there and Syria isn’t friendly to them.”

Tasnim reported on Thursday that Tsurkov was freed in exchange for two members of the “resistance,” a term used in Tehran to refer to allied armed groups. The agency’s Baghdad correspondent said one of those released was Imad Amehz, a Lebanese national who was seized by Israeli commandos in northern Lebanon last year.

Earlier Iraqi media had reported that Tsurkov was freed by security forces, without mentioning a swap. Neither Baghdad nor Washington has confirmed Tasnim’s account.

Tsurkov, a Princeton University PhD student and fellow at the New Lines Institute, disappeared in March 2023 while conducting field research in Baghdad. She was believed to have been held by Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Shiite militia accused of involvement in abductions and attacks on US and Israeli interests in Iraq.

The group denied responsibility, but an Iraqi official told Israel’s Channel 11 last year that Tsurkov was initially detained by Iraq’s intelligence service — or by individuals posing as its officers — before being transferred to Kata’ib Hezbollah.

Trump announces release

US President Donald Trump announced Tsurkov’s release on Tuesday, saying she was now “safely in the American Embassy in Iraq after being tortured for many months.” Her sister Emma confirmed the news and thanked the Trump administration for its efforts, noting her release came after 903 days in captivity.

Tsurkov’s fate drew wide international attention during her more than two years in captivity.

The rare attack on Qatari soil—a US ally and mediator in the Israel-Hamas conflict—took place Tuesday during a Hamas leadership meeting to consider a US-backed ceasefire proposal. Qatar’s Prime Minister denounced the assault as “state terrorism,” saying it sabotaged peace efforts.

Iranian officials moved quickly to condemn the strike. President Masoud Pezeshkian phoned Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani within hours, calling the attack an “illegal, inhumane and anti-peace action.”

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei described it as a violation of international law and Qatar’s national sovereignty, warning: “Global inaction in the face of Zionist regime’s crimes in Palestine and West Asia threatens all.”

National security chief Ali Larijani echoed the sentiment in Arabic.

“The message of the Zionist entity’s recent crime in Qatar: O countries of the region! Prepare yourselves for my upcoming dominance!” he posted on X.

Qatar-Iran relationship

Tehran’s framing draws on recent memory. Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s political bureau chief, was assassinated in Tehran in July 2024 while attending Pezeshkian’s inauguration—a killing Iran cast as part of a broader campaign to decapitate the Hamas leadership.

Iran has also sought to distinguish its conduct from Israel’s.

When it struck the US Al Udeid air base in June, Tehran notified Qatar in advance and emphasized that Doha was not the target. Qatar condemned the strike but acknowledged Iran’s outreach and later expressed hope for continued good ties.

On September 4, Pezeshkian sent a message through top diplomat Abbas Araghchi requesting Sheikh Tamim’s help in facilitating dialogue with the US and the E3 to resume nuclear negotiations.

‘Lesson for US allies’

Many in Tehran framed Israel’s strike as a gift to the Islamic Republic’s regional narrative.

Mohammad Mokhber, a former vice president and close advisor to Khamenei, said the incident shows the futility of relying on the Abraham Accords.

Hardline activist Hatef Salehi called it a “lesson” for US allies in the region.

“It demonstrated, in the clearest way, that no matter how much Arab states serve US interests … Washington’s absolute priority is always the protection of the Israeli regime,” he posted on X.

Even moderate voices highlighted potential benefits for Tehran.

Journalist Reza Ghobeishavi argued the incident may push Gulf states closer to Iran.

“Previously, there was an idea that Israel would defend the Gulf countries against Iran, but that notion has now been weakened,” he wrote on X. “Israel’s attack on Qatar benefits Iran’s camp and Israel’s opponents, while harming the camp that supports normalizing relations with Israel.”

“The US government is complicit in these crimes and has no respect or regard for global public opinion or even for its own allies,” Iran’s General Staff of the Armed Forces said in a statement carried by state media.

"Through direct and indirect support for the Zionist regime’s crimes, the United States seeks to create insecurity in the world and the region, promoting international terrorism to advance its sinister, colonial, and exploitative goals," it added.

Israeli warplanes bombed a Hamas office in Doha on Tuesday, in what Israel described as an targeted attack against the group’s senior leadership.

They seemed to miss their intended targets, killing a Qatari security official and five lower-ranking Hamas personnel.

Qatar denounced the attack as “criminal and cowardly,” while Iran called it an “extremely dangerous” violation of sovereignty and international law.

"This was a decision made by Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was not a decision made by me," US President Donald Trump said following the attack. Netanyahu said Israel acted alone and "takes full responsibility."

The US military's Al Udeid Air Base is the largest in the Middle East.

Hamas has long based its political leadership in the gas-rich Persian Gulf state, which has traditionally acted as a mediator in regional conflicts.

'Insane war machine'

Iran’s military also criticized Israel’s wider military campaigns in the region, calling for a united international response.

“There is an urgent need to halt this regime’s insane war machine and for all countries to sever ties with it,” the statement said. Tehran has long been ill at ease with Arab neighbors' improving ties with Israel.

Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates opened formal relations with Israel in the so-called Abraham Accords in 2020, but both condemned the attacks.

Iran's new national security chief Ali Larijani warned neighbors of what he described as Israel's hegemonic ambitions in a post in Arabic on social media on Wednesday.

“The message of the Zionist entity’s recent crime in Qatar is clear: O countries of the region! Prepare yourselves for my coming domination.”

Iran will likely cite the attack as a reason Arab states should beware of Israel, analysts told Iran International.

The Doha strike comes as Iran recalibrates its foreign policy after a June war with Israel and the United States battered its military and nuclear infrastructure.

Iran’s armed forces said support for what it called resistance to Israel around the region, adding it will “defend the defenseless and oppressed people of Palestine and Gaza.”