News Digest: Week of April 5

April 5

Espionage: Iran claimed that it arrested an Israeli spy in its East Azerbaijan province, Reuters reported

Health: More than 700,000 doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, purchased through the World Health Organization, arrived in Iran. The vaccines were produced in South Korea and transported via the Netherlands to comply with the supreme leader's ban on vaccine imports from Britain. 

Diplomacy

 

April 6

Military: The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower returned to the Middle East after a weeklong traffic blockage in the Suez Canal. The aircraft carrier is likely to take command of Commander Task Force 50, which supports anti-ISIS operations. 

Naval: An Iranian ship was damaged by an Israeli mine in the Red Sea, the New York Times reported. The Saviz, the damaged cargo vessel, is likely a spy ship operated by the Revolutionary Guards, according to U.S. Naval Institute News

Diplomacy: 

 

April 7

Health: Iran broke its record for daily infections as new COVID-19 cases reached nearly 21,000. All provincial capitals were categorized as "red zones" with the highest risk of infection. Many had been classified as "blue" or in the lowest risk category during Nowruz, Tasnim News Agency reported. The Health Ministry announced that 85 percent of the country was in a "red" or "orange" zone. 

Nuclear: Iran and the U.N. nuclear watchdog delayed talks in Tehran originally scheduled for early April. Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told Newsweek that the agency planned to ask Iran questions about uranium participles discovered at undeclared sites.  

Diplomacy: