Eye on Iran: German Spy Agency Says Iran's Growing Cyber Capabilities Pose Danger

TOP STORIES German Spy Agency Says Iran's Growing Cyber Capabilities Pose Danger | Reuters Iran has expanded its cyber attack capabilities and poses a danger to German companies and research institutions, Germany's BfV domestic intelligence agency said in its annual report.  John Bolton Backs Trump's Iran Threat: 'They Will Pay a Price' | Guardian (U.K.) Donald Trump plans to make Iran pay a price few countries have ever paid before, according to the US national security adviser, John Bolton, who doubled down on a late-night tweet in which the US president threatened Tehran. Iran Responds to Trump Tweet with Warning against Military Action | Wall Street Journal Iranian officials promised retaliation against any hostile U.S. actions after President Donald Trump issued a threatening tweet at the country's president, escalating a war of words fought in recent weeks. Iranian Defense Minister Amir Hatami said Monday that the U.S. and its allies "don't understand any other language than force," as he announced a new production line of air-to-air missiles in Tehran. SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS Sri Lanka to Pay Iran Oil Debt in Tea As Trade Partners Look for Creative Ways to Avoid Trump Sanctions | Independent (U.K.) Sri Lanka is drawing up proposals to get around international sanctions on Iran by paying its oil debt with the Middle East country in tea, according to a report. Iran Says Will Respond Equally if US Tries to Block Oil Exports | Reuters Iran will respond with equal countermeasures if the United States tries to block its oil exports, the foreign ministry in Tehran said on Tuesday. If Iran Tries to Close This Strait Crucial to the Oil Trade, the US Navy Can Unblock It Quickly - Adm. Stavridis | CNBC If Iran closes the crucial Strait of Hormuz one former U.S. admiral with in-depth knowledge of the challenge says the Navy is prepared to unblock it, quickly. Trump's War of Words with Iran Shines Spotlight on Vital Oil Route | Bloomberg The war of words between U.S. President Donald Trump and his counterpart in Iran over oil exports and sanctions is shining a spotlight on the narrow, twisting conduit for about 30 percent of the world's seaborne-traded crude. Will Iran, Russia Step Up Energy Cooperation to Blunt US Sanctions? | Al Monitor In recent weeks, Tehran has been trying to prevent the damaging impact of the reimposition of US secondary sanctions targeting the Iranian petroleum industry. Protecting the strategic value of its petroleum sector - both in terms of hard-currency earnings as well as technological impetus for industry - will, however, depend on Tehran's ability to attract foreign investment and technology as well as continuing to export crude and petroleum products. Germany Encourages India to Keep Buying Oil from Iran | OilPrice.com Germany's minister of state for foreign affairs has encouraged India to continue buying Iranian oil, despite pressure from the United States, which Niels Annen called "irritating, to put it mildly." U.S.-IRAN RELATIONS Pompeo's Iran Truth-Telling | The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board Donald Trump's all caps Twitter warning Sunday night to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani not to "THREATEN" the United States or suffer severe consequences gathered all the media attention on Monday. Which is too bad, because Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivered a speech Sunday that deserved more notice for speaking the truth about Iran. Mr. Pompeo explained at the Reagan Presidential Library how the Iranian regime's zeal to spread Islamic revolution has led its leaders to direct funds to "terrorists, dictators and proxy militias" rather than to the welfare of ordinary Iranians, and he called out Tehran's corruption by name and example. Just Tough Trump Tweeting? US Ratchets Up Iran Pressure | Associated Press President Donald Trump's explosive twitter threat to Iran's leader comes as his administration is ratcheting up a pressure campaign on the Islamic republic that many suspect is aimed at regime change. Iran Shoots Back At Trump: 'Color Us Unimpressed' | CNN Iran has shot back at US President Donald Trump, dismissing his all-caps Twitter warning that the country would suffer consequences if it continued to threaten the US, saying it was unimpressed by the late-night tweet. "COLOR US UNIMPRESSED," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted Monday night, employing Trump's penchant to use all capital letters in his tweets. Trump's Strategy to Pressure Iran Relies on North Korea Playbook | Bloomberg Donald Trump's late-night tweet warning of dire consequences if Iran threatens the U.S. highlighted the administration's confidence in a strategy the president credits with bringing North Korea to the negotiating table -- a move he boasted is already paying dividends. Trump, Iran, and the Dangers of Presidential Bluffing | Uri Friedman for the Atlantic The North Korean case cannot predict what will happen in the Iranian case. But in a narrow sense it does prove that Trump is perfectly willing to issue harsh threats without following through. And, given the trajectory of the U.S.-North Korea relationship over the past year, that he's perfectly willing to change course entirely... Yet there's also the possibility that the Iranians, believing Trump to be a bluffer, misinterpret which moves will actually prompt a U.S. military response from an American president surrounded by Iran hawks, raising the chances of war. Iran Faces the Consequences of Snubbing Trump | Leonid Bershidsky for Bloomberg The U.S. president has made nice with North Korea and Putin, but keeps Iran in the firing line. NORTH KOREA & IRAN North Korea Starts Dismantling Key Missile Facilities, Report Says | The New York Times North Korea has started dismantling a missile-engine test site, as President Trump said the North's leader, Kim Jong-un, promised he would during their historic summit meeting in Singapore in June, according to an analysis of satellite imagery of the location. GULF STATES, YEMEN, & IRAN Saudi Ambassador to US Calls for Confronting Iran's Malign Behavior | Asharq Al-Awsat (U.K.) Saudi Ambassador to the United States Prince Khalid bin Salman called on Monday for confronting Iran's malign behavior, instead of appeasing it. He said in an article published by Arab News that it "is encouraging to hear US President Donald Trump make clear that we will not approach Iran with the sort of appeasement policies that failed so miserably to halt Nazi Germany's rise to power, or avert the costliest war ever waged." TERRORISM & EXTREMISM Iranian Terror on European Soil | Hossein Abedini for the Wall Street Journal I was attacked in Istanbul in 1990. An attack in Paris was foiled this month. Eye on Iran is a periodic news summary from United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) a program of the American Coalition Against Nuclear Iran, Inc., a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Eye on Iran is not intended as a comprehensive media clips summary but rather a selection of media elements with discreet analysis in a PDA friendly format. For more information please email press@uani.com. United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is a non-partisan, broad-based coalition that is united in a commitment to prevent Iran from fulfilling its ambition to become a regional super-power possessing nuclear weapons.  UANI is an issue-based coalition in which each coalition member will have its own interests as well as the collective goal of advancing an Iran free of nuclear weapons.