UN inspectors have found evidence of illicit nuclear activity in an Iranian warehouse which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed in an address to the UN last September was used to store nuclear equipment and material, four Israeli officials told me.
Why it matters: The Iranians claimed at the time that the warehouse in Tehran was a carpet factory, and denied Netanyahu's accusations that it was tied to Iran's covert military nuclear program. Storing nuclear materials secretly without reporting it to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is a violation on the nuclear proliferation treaty to which Iran is a party.
Britain's government said Iranian boats tried to seize a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf Wednesday before a British warship intervened, the Telegraph reports.
"Contrary to international law, 3 Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz. "We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region."
— British government statement to U.K. media outlets
Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday the United States is moving ahead with plans to build an international military coalition to protect waters around Iran and Yemen, AP reports.
Driving the news: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the plan to deter threats from Iran last month, after the U.S. came to the brink of launching military action against Tehran over the downing an American drone. The U.S. blames Iran for attacks on 2 tankers in the Gulf in June, an issue Dunford plans to address with U.S. allies.
