Under shroud of secrecy US weapons arrive in Yemen despite Congressional outrage - CNN International

The distinctive shape of the US-made Oshkosh armored vehicle stands out in the early morning darkness, a piece of military hardware that is currently at the heart of a standoff between some American lawmakers and President Donald Trump's administration.

Aden is controlled by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, whose main partners are continuing to ship American-made weapons into the country despite bipartisan outrage in Congress over the way the US is backing Riyadh in this bloody and bitter conflict.

This footage showing the unloading of a variety of US-made arms -- which was filmed illicitly at the offloading site, then obtained and verified by CNN -- is itself contentious. Multiple witnesses told CNN that Yemeni authorities, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, have been arresting and questioning those they suspect of leaking it to the media.

Using whistleblower accounts and port documents CNN has identified the ship which offloaded the US weaponry in Aden last week as the Saudi-registered Bahri Hofuf. Looking at tracking data, the vessel's last recorded location was in the Saudi port of Jeddah on September 17, before it sailed to Port Sudan, arriving the following day.

After this, the boat's tracking system was switched off, before it appeared again under the cover of darkness in Aden on October 29.

Secrecy surrounds the flow of weaponry to Yemen's conflict that as of October 31 has killed more than 100,000 people since 2015, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

Related Article: Sold to an ally, lost to an enemy

The fighting has divided the country's north from south. Iranian-backed Houthis rebels control the capital of Sanaa, while the US-supported, Saudi-led anti-Houthi forces hold Aden. Infighting in the south this summer -- between Saudi-supported forces of the internationally recognized government and UAE-backed separatists -- further splintered territorial control, threatening to plunge the entire country into a protracted and multi-sided war.

A peace deal between government forces and the separatists was signed on Tuesday in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. It aims to end the power struggle around Aden and defer the issue of whether the south will secede until after the battle against the Houthi-controlled north has been won.

Violating US arms agreements

In February, a CNN investigation revealed that Saudi Arabia and the UAE -- key US allies -- had transferred American-made weapons to al Qaeda-linked fighters, hardline Salafi militias, and other fighting factions in Yemen, in violation of their agreements with Washington.

Oshkosh Defense, the manufacturer of one of the armored vehicles (MRAPs) seen in the latest shipment, told CNN that the firm "strictly follows all US laws and regulations relating to export control."

Last month, CNN revealed that US MRAPs had been distributed, in contravention of arms deals, to militia groups including the UAE-backed separatists. The separatists were using this equipment in the fight against government forces, who are also armed with US weapons.

Following the initial reporting the Pentagon said it had launched its own investigation, in conjunction with the State Department, into the unauthorized transfer of US weapons in Yemen, which a Pentagon spokesperson says remains "ongoing."

US lawmakers, citing CNN's investigations, have since moved to ban weapons sales to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, passing the War Powers Resolution against a sitting President for the first time in a bid to end US military support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, and also tried to sanction the Saudis for the alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The War Powers Resolution was approved by the House and Senate but was vetoed by Trump in April.

Trump again invoked his veto rights in late July to block a trio of Congressional resolutions banning $8.1 billion in weapons sales to various countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The President argued that maintaining the flow of weapons to the two US allies was necessary, citing national security issues and fears of Iranian aggression.

The 2014 deal signed by the UAE with the US was worth $2.5 billion and required the delivery of 4,500 MRAPs.

Under the UAE and Saudi Arabia's arms sales agreements with the US, American-made MRAPs are considered "proprietary technology," which neither party was supposed to let out of its control.

Recipients of US weaponry are also legally obligated to adhere to end-use requirements which prohibit the transferring of any equipment to third parties without prior authorization from the US government. That authorization was never obtained.

A State Department official told CNN that the American government takes all allegations of the misuse of US weaponry very seriously but insisted "there is currently no US prohibition on the use of US-origin MRAPs by Gulf coalition forces in Yemen." A spokesman for the Pentagon, Lt. Col Uriah L. Orland, told CNN "we cannot comment on any potential or ongoing investigations of claims of end-use violations," but also reiterated there was currently no prohibition on the use of US MRAPs in Yemen.

CNN has found multiple instances this year where that weaponry was diverted, in defiance of end-user agreements.

In response to CNN's request for comment a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition Col. Turki Al-Maliki said "the information that the military equipment will be delivered to a third party is unfounded." He went on to say that "all military equipment is used by Saudi forces in accordance with term and conditions of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) adopted by the US government and in pursuance of the Arms Export Control Act."

US hold on arms to UAE

Speaking exclusively to CNN, multiple congressional sources now say the US government has placed a hold on the latest outstanding MRAP delivery to the UAE while the Pentagon continues its investigation.

What this latest Saudi delivery of American weaponry to Aden proves is US military hardware is still flowing into Yemen.

The UAE has not responded to requests for comment.

In February, the UAE told CNN that there was no violation of end use requirements "in any manner." Responding to CNN's evidence in October, a UAE official said: "There were no instances when US-made equipment was used without direct UAE oversight, except for four vehicles that were captured by the enemy."

The US House Foreign Affairs Committee is demanding an urgent briefing from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper after CNN's reporting in October, seeking ways to stop the flow of weaponry into Yemen's chaos once and for all.

Peace deal

An agreement between the Saudi-backed forces and the UAE-supported separatists was signed in Riyadh on Tuesday. The text of the deal requires militias to return troops by mid-November to locations under their control prior to the breakout of fighting in August. The deal also designates that "medium and heavy weapons" are placed in camps under coalition supervision. It's unclear what this will mean in practice as there is no requirement for the militias to disarm.

No specific measures in the deal address the illicitly distributed US-made weaponry, whose advanced technology has proven decisive on the ground.

Sources close to the talks told CNN that the internationally recognized government had sought assurances from the UAE that it would cease arming separatist forces -- but none was forthcoming.

Meanwhile, the broader conflict between the Iran-supported Houthis and the US-backed Saudi-led coalition still remains unresolved.

CNN's Oscar Featherstone, Jennifer Hansler, Sarah El Sirgany, Barbara Starr and Ryan Browne contributed to this report.

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2019-11-06 10:18:00Z
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A suspect has been arrested in the massacre of a family from a Mormon community in Mexico - CNN

The Ministerial Agency for Criminal Investigations (AMIC) said it has detained an individual who was holding two bound and gagged hostages in the hills of Agua Priests in the state of Sonora. The suspect had several rifles and a large amount of ammunition, including a number of large-caliber weapons, the agency said in a statement posted to its official Facebook page.

The arrest comes just a day after women and children were brutally attacked by criminal groups while driving near the US-Mexico border, Mexican authorities said. The victims appear to be a fundamentalist sect separate from the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Three women, four small children and two infants -- all dual US-Mexican citizens -- were killed in their vehicles Monday, according to family member Alex LeBaron. The victims and eight surviving children were ambushed by criminal groups Monday evening while traveling between the states of Sonora and Chihuahua, Mexican authorities said.

The Attorney-General for the neighboring state of Chihuahua, Cesar Peniche Espejel, confirmed the arrest in an interview with Mexico's Imagen Radio on Tuesday, but could not confirm details of the suspect's involvement. "We are waiting for some more intelligence in order to issue an official statement," he said.

Peniche Espejel said he believes the newly-formed "Los Jaguares" cartel, an off-shoot of the Sinaloa cartel, may be behind the massacre. But earlier Tuesday, a US official said a rival cartel called La Línea is under focus.

"These very cartels of Sinaloa, after the arrest of Guzman 'El Chapo' have suffered fragmentations," Peniche Espejel said. "They have been growing near the border with the United States and are heavily involved in trafficking of immigrants into the United States and drug-trafficking."

Cars ablaze and full of bullets holes

Each of the three cars held mothers driving their children to see family: one to pick up her husband, another to meet her husband and move to North Dakota and the third to visit family in the neighboring state of Chihuahua, said family member Kendra Lee Miller.

At one point, one of the cars got a flat tire, Kendra Lee Miller said. The driver, Miller's sister-in-law Rhonita Maria Miller, left the car behind and went back with the others to get another family car to continue the drive.

Kendra Lee Miller said her brother Andre was on the mountain road near La Mora when he saw a fire in the distance where the caravan of three cars was attacked.

"My brother was fixing Rhonita's broken-down vehicle, saw a fire, didn't think anything of it," Kendra Lee Miller said.

"Then (he) saw the explosion, went to check it out, saw it was my mother's vehicle, full of bullet holes, completely ablaze," she said.

"My dad, Andre and couple of uncles and relatives went to check up on the vehicle. All they found was charred remains, ash and bones," Kendra Lee Miller said.

"There were remains inside and outside of the vehicle."

A family member said a 13-year-old boy who was unharmed in the attack walked about 14 miles for help, after hiding his bleeding siblings in the bushes and covering them with branches.

Seven children injured in the ambush were flown from Mexico to Douglas, Arizona, for transport to Tucson hospitals, LeBaron said.

The family may have been targeted

The LeBaron family had a history of conflict with Mexican drug cartels, which indicates that they may have been targeted, former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda told CNN on Tuesday evening.

"Cartels have taken too many of our family members," said Kendra Lee Miller, adding those killed Monday were "not the first."

Miller told CNN her family has recently been threatened by cartels over where it can travel.

The former minister also said the larger LeBaron community had been receiving the protection of 90 federal police stationed around the community since 2011 because of tensions between the family and cartels.

That protection was withdrawn to some extent by the current government earlier this year, according to Castañeda. It's unclear whether all 90 policemen were withdrawn or just some of them, he added.

In a news conference earlier Tuesday, Mexican Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said the attack may have been a case of mistaken identity of "conflicting groups in the area."

But Castañeda told CNN that he finds that theory unlikely, especially as two cars in two different locations carrying members of the same family were attacked in the same manner.

The community

The Mormons who were attacked appear to be members of a sect that is separate from the mainstream Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an LDS church spokesman said.

"We are heartbroken to hear of the tragedy that has touched these families in Mexico," spokesman Eric Hawkins told CNN. "From what I can tell, these were members of a polygamist sect, and not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."

Family members describe themselves as part of a Mormon community of about 3,000 members, living in their own agricultural community in Mexico.

Generally, the community is fundamentalist. One of the victim's relatives said some members practice polygamy.

Despite some differences between individual beliefs, "we are a massive family," Langford said.

"We love and support each other no matter what our individual beliefs. I've never seen such a strength of unity and love in a family as large as ours. This is the tragedy of our lives."

A region marred by violence

In 2009, a member of the LeBaron family living in Chihuahua state was abducted and returned unharmed a week later. His brother, Benjamin LeBaron, became an anti-crime activist but he and his brother-in-law were killed two months later.

The number of killings in the country has soared recently.

Last year, Mexico witnessed its highest number of homicides -- 33,000. And 2019 is on course to break that record.

Just last month, 13 Mexican police officers were killed in an ambush in the western state of Michoacan.

Now, grief from the latest high-profile massacre has spread across two countries.

CNN's Natalie Gallon and Fidel Gutierrez in Mexico City and CNN's Gianluca Mezzofiore, Samantha Beech, Ana Melgar Zuniga, Sarah Chiplin, Bethlehem Feleke, Gerardo Lemos, Maija Ehlinger, Valeria Longhi, Chandler Thornton and Daniel Burke contributed to this report., Gianluca Mezzofiore

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2019-11-06 10:16:00Z
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Under shroud of secrecy US weapons arrive in Yemen despite Congressional outrage - CNN

The distinctive shape of the US-made Oshkosh armored vehicle stands out in the early morning darkness, a piece of military hardware that is currently at the heart of a standoff between some American lawmakers and President Donald Trump's administration.

Aden is controlled by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, whose main partners are continuing to ship American-made weapons into the country despite bipartisan outrage in Congress over the way the US is backing Riyadh in this bloody and bitter conflict.

This footage showing the unloading of a variety of US-made arms -- which was filmed illicitly at the offloading site, then obtained and verified by CNN -- is itself contentious. Multiple witnesses told CNN that Yemeni authorities, backed by the Saudi-led coalition, have been arresting and questioning those they suspect of leaking it to the media.

Using whistleblower accounts and port documents CNN has identified the ship which offloaded the US weaponry in Aden last week as the Saudi-registered Bahri Hofuf. Looking at tracking data, the vessel's last recorded location was in the Saudi port of Jeddah on September 17, before it sailed to Port Sudan, arriving the following day.

After this, the boat's tracking system was switched off, before it appeared again under the cover of darkness in Aden on October 29.

Secrecy surrounds the flow of weaponry to Yemen's conflict that as of October 31 has killed more than 100,000 people since 2015, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.

Related Article: Sold to an ally, lost to an enemy

The fighting has divided the country's north from south. Iranian-backed Houthis rebels control the capital of Sanaa, while the US-supported, Saudi-led anti-Houthi forces hold Aden. Infighting in the south this summer -- between Saudi-supported forces of the internationally recognized government and UAE-backed separatists -- further splintered territorial control, threatening to plunge the entire country into a protracted and multi-sided war.

A peace deal between government forces and the separatists was signed on Tuesday in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. It aims to end the power struggle around Aden and defer the issue of whether the south will secede until after the battle against the Houthi-controlled north has been won.

Violating US arms agreements

In February, a CNN investigation revealed that Saudi Arabia and the UAE -- key US allies -- had transferred American-made weapons to al Qaeda-linked fighters, hardline Salafi militias, and other fighting factions in Yemen, in violation of their agreements with Washington.

Oshkosh Defense, the manufacturer of one of the armored vehicles (MRAPs) seen in the latest shipment, told CNN that the firm "strictly follows all US laws and regulations relating to export control."

Last month, CNN revealed that US MRAPs had been distributed, in contravention of arms deals, to militia groups including the UAE-backed separatists. The separatists were using this equipment in the fight against government forces, who are also armed with US weapons.

Following the initial reporting the Pentagon said it had launched its own investigation, in conjunction with the State Department, into the unauthorized transfer of US weapons in Yemen, which a Pentagon spokesperson says remains "ongoing."

US lawmakers, citing CNN's investigations, have since moved to ban weapons sales to Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, passing the War Powers Resolution against a sitting President for the first time in a bid to end US military support for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, and also tried to sanction the Saudis for the alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The War Powers Resolution was approved by the House and Senate but was vetoed by Trump in April.

Trump again invoked his veto rights in late July to block a trio of Congressional resolutions banning $8.1 billion in weapons sales to various countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The President argued that maintaining the flow of weapons to the two US allies was necessary, citing national security issues and fears of Iranian aggression.

The 2014 deal signed by the UAE with the US was worth $2.5 billion and required the delivery of 4,500 MRAPs.

Under the UAE and Saudi Arabia's arms sales agreements with the US, American-made MRAPs are considered "proprietary technology," which neither party was supposed to let out of its control.

Recipients of US weaponry are also legally obligated to adhere to end-use requirements which prohibit the transferring of any equipment to third parties without prior authorization from the US government. That authorization was never obtained.

A State Department official told CNN that the American government takes all allegations of the misuse of US weaponry very seriously but insisted "there is currently no US prohibition on the use of US-origin MRAPs by Gulf coalition forces in Yemen." A spokesman for the Pentagon, Lt. Col Uriah L. Orland, told CNN "we cannot comment on any potential or ongoing investigations of claims of end-use violations," but also reiterated there was currently no prohibition on the use of US MRAPs in Yemen.

CNN has found multiple instances this year where that weaponry was diverted, in defiance of end-user agreements.

In response to CNN's request for comment a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition Col. Turki Al-Maliki said "the information that the military equipment will be delivered to a third party is unfounded." He went on to say that "all military equipment is used by Saudi forces in accordance with term and conditions of Foreign Military Sales (FMS) adopted by the US government and in pursuance of the Arms Export Control Act."

US hold on arms to UAE

Speaking exclusively to CNN, multiple congressional sources now say the US government has placed a hold on the latest outstanding MRAP delivery to the UAE while the Pentagon continues its investigation.

What this latest Saudi delivery of American weaponry to Aden proves is US military hardware is still flowing into Yemen.

The UAE has not responded to requests for comment.

In February, the UAE told CNN that there was no violation of end use requirements "in any manner." Responding to CNN's evidence in October, a UAE official said: "There were no instances when US-made equipment was used without direct UAE oversight, except for four vehicles that were captured by the enemy."

The US House Foreign Affairs Committee is demanding an urgent briefing from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper after CNN's reporting in October, seeking ways to stop the flow of weaponry into Yemen's chaos once and for all.

Peace deal

An agreement between the Saudi-backed forces and the UAE-supported separatists was signed in Riyadh on Tuesday. The text of the deal requires militias to return troops by mid-November to locations under their control prior to the breakout of fighting in August. The deal also designates that "medium and heavy weapons" are placed in camps under coalition supervision. It's unclear what this will mean in practice as there is no requirement for the militias to disarm.

No specific measures in the deal address the illicitly distributed US-made weaponry, whose advanced technology has proven decisive on the ground.

Sources close to the talks told CNN that the internationally recognized government had sought assurances from the UAE that it would cease arming separatist forces -- but none was forthcoming.

Meanwhile, the broader conflict between the Iran-supported Houthis and the US-backed Saudi-led coalition still remains unresolved.

CNN's Oscar Featherstone, Jennifer Hansler, Sarah El Sirgany, Barbara Starr and Ryan Browne contributed to this report.

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2019-11-06 08:37:00Z
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Mormons were attacked near the US-Mexico border. A family member says 9 US-Mexican citizens were killed - CNN

Preliminary information indicates three vehicles traveling between the Mexican states of Sonora and Chihuahua in the region of Sierra Madre Occidental were attacked by criminal groups, Attorney General of the State of Chihuahua Cesar Peniche Espejel said in a statement Tuesday. The victims were mostly women and children, and minors were found with injuries, the statement said.

Victims' family members said the incident happened when the families were moving from Bavispe, Sonora, to Janos, Chihuahua, according to Peniche Espejel.

Alex LeBaron, who says he lost family members in the attack, told CNN that three vehicles were targeted, taking the lives of three women, four small children and two infants.

"Women and children (between 14 years old and 10 months) were massacred, burnt alive. Mothers were screaming for the fire to stop," he said. "We are a very tight knit community, we share everything that's happening. We've been dealing with this tragedy since early yesterday. We share all information within our family groups."

LeBaron said seven injured children were flown a few hours ago from Mexico to Douglas, Arizona, for transport to Tucson hospitals.

He said that there were two separate attacks on the victims, he believes, by two different groups that were part of the same cartel "most likely by accident, mistaken for their rivals. All shot while in vehicles while driving."

Authorities in the state of Sonora have not confirmed the number of casualties, and Peniche Espejel said that due to the remote location of the attack, it has "not been possible to specify an official figure of the total number of victims."

The attorney general's office confirmed that officials from Chihuahua have been sent to the area to assist. Sonora Governor Claudia Pavlovich Arellano said on her official Twitter that the state is collaborating with the investigation.

"As a mother I feel angry, scorn and a profound pain for the cowardly events in the mountains between Sonora and Chihuahua," she said. "I don't know what type of monsters would dare to hurt women and children. As governor, you have all my collaboration so that this doesn't remain unpunished and the responsible parties pay."

CNN is working to confirm the nationality of those involved in the attack and has reached out to the US State Department.

The attack comes amid worsening violence in the region and follows last month's ambush that killed 13 Mexican police officers in the western state of Michoacan. Last year set a record for homicides in the country at 33,000 -- which 2019 is on course to break.

Christopher Landau, US Ambassador to Mexico, tweeted early Tuesday, "The security of our nationals is our main priority. I am following closely the situation in the mountains between Sonora and Chihuahua."

Leah Staddon told CNN affiliate KTVK that her relatives were among the victims of the attack.

"I think a lot of us are just speechless. it's just horrific," Staddon told KTVK. "Their vehicle was on fire and there were bullet holes all throughout it."

CNN's Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report.

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2019-11-05 12:44:00Z
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US citizens killed, kidnapped in cartel shootout in Mexico - Fox News

At least six children and three women living in a Mormon community of U.S. citizens in Mexico were shot to death Monday and several others were reportedly kidnapped after their convoy came under fire during a brazen daylight ambush believed to have been carried out by gunmen affiliated with organized crime in the country.

Those attacked were members of the LeBaron family, a well known American clan who have lived in the fundamentalist community in the northern part of the country for decades, according to the New York Times. Kenny LeBaron, a cousin to several of the victims, told the Times he feared the death toll could increase.

“When you know there are babies tied in a car seat that are burning because of some twisted evil that’s in this world,” LeBaron said, “it’s just hard to cope with that.”

More than a dozen other members of La Mora — a decades-old settlement in Sonora state founded as part of an offshoot of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — were missing after the attack on the convoy of three SUVs, a relative told The Associated Press.

Rhonita Maria LeBaron (left), along with 4 children, Dawna Langford (center) and Christina Marie Langford (right) were among those killed (Facebook)

Early reports indicated the tragedy could have been a case of mistaken identity. But recent history also raises the possibility the LeBaron family was the intended target: only a decade ago two members of the family opposed to local drug trafficking groups were kidnapped and murdered, according to the Times.

MEXICO CITY POLICE REPORTEDLY FIND DOZENS OF SKULLS, FETUS AROUND ALLEGED DRUG DEN ALTAR

Lafe Langford Jr., another relative, shared a video on Facebook that showed a burned-out, bullet-ridden SUV where the bodies of a woman—identified as Rhonita Maria LeBaron—and her four children-- twin 6-month-olds and two others aged 8 and 10—were reportedly found outside the town of Bavispe, where the settlement is located. The LeBarons were American citizens,  according to the New York Times.

Early reports indicated the tragedy could have been a case of mistaken identity.<br> (Reuters)

Relatives claim that cartel members kidnapped surviving church members after the initial shootout.

Langford Jr., who grew up in the settlement but now lives in the U.S., told the Salt Lake Tribune the bodies of the two other mothers in the group—43-year-old Dawna Ray Langford and 31-year-old Christina Marie Langford—were found in a separate location later Monday. A third relative said a 4-year-old girl and a 6-year-old boy were also killed, bringing the death toll to at least 9.

BOTCHED CAPTURE OF EL CHAPO'S SON STEMMED FROM US WARRANT; DRUG LORD'S FAMILY TO COMPENSATE VICTIMS' FAMILIES

Mexico's federal Department of Security and Citizens' Protection said security forces were reinforced with National Guard, army and state police troops in the area following "the reports about disappearance and aggression against several people." The troops were searching for the missing community members, believed to include 11 children or more.

According to Langford Jr.’s Facebook post, one of the older boys in the group managed to escape with six of his siblings from the ongoing shootout and run back to his home at La Mora settlement, which is located about 70 miles south of Douglas, Ariz. He said he left other children who were injured hidden on the side of the road. It was unclear how many children were ultimately rescued as of Monday evening.

Many of the church's members were born in Mexico and thus have dual U.S. citizenship. The three SUVs left Bavispe and were traveling on the outskirts of Sonora, near the neighboring state of Chihuahua, when they were reportedly attacked.

Claudia Pavlovich Arellano, the governor from Sonora, tweeted in Spanish her determination to find the killers.

"As a mother I feel courage, repudiation and deep pain for what cowards did in the mountains between Sonora and Chihuahua," she wrote. "I don't know what kind of monsters dare to hurt women and children. As Governor, I will do everything to make sure this does not go unpunished and those responsible pay."

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The U.S. State Department issued a statement saying, “The safety and welfare of U.S. citizens abroad is among the Department of State’s top priorities. When a U.S. citizen is missing or passes away overseas, we engage with local officials at multiple levels and provide all appropriate consular assistance," according to Salt Lake City, Utah’s KSL-TV.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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2019-11-05 10:37:20Z
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Iran takes new step away from nuclear deal by activating sensitive Fordow enrichment facility - The Washington Post

Ho Iranian Presidency/AFP/Getty President Hassan Rouhani speaking during the opening of a factory in Tehran on Nov. 5.

ISTANBUL — Iran will begin injecting gas into centrifuges at its Fordow uranium-enrichment facility in its latest step away from the 2015 nuclear accord it struck with world powers, President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday.

Speaking live on state television, Rouhani said that he would instruct Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization to begin the new measures on Wednesday, feeding gas to more than 1,000 centrifuges installed at the plant.

Under the nuclear agreement, Iran is allowed to maintain 1,044 empty IR-1 centrifuges at Fordow and is banned from enriching uranium or even bringing uranium to the site for 15 years from the start of the accord.

“We know how sensitive they are to the Fordow facility,” Rouhani said in his address, referring to Western powers that negotiated the deal.

The site was revealed as a secret enrichment facility by Britain, France and the United States in 2009. It was constructed deep inside a mountain near the Iranian city of Qom.

“When they begin living up to their commitments [under the agreement], then we will stop feeding gas to the centrifuges,” Rouhani said. He added that the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, would be allowed to monitor the new activities.

The measures marked the fourth step Iran has taken this year to reduce its nuclear obligations under the pact, which curbed Iran’s atomic energy program in exchange for widespread sanctions relief. The landmark accord was negotiated between Iran and world powers, including the United States under President Barack Obama.

[Iran now operating advanced centrifuges in breach of nuclear pact ]

President Trump, however, withdrew the United States from the agreement last year, reimposing a near-total trade embargo on the Iranian economy. The economic restrictions are part of what the administration has called a “maximum pressure campaign” against Iran to force it to renegotiate restraints on its nuclear activities, as well as its support for proxy forces in the region and ballistic missile construction.

AP

Three versions of domestically built centrifuges are shown in a live TV program from Natanz, an Iranian uranium-enrichment plant, on June 6, 2018.

Instead, Iran in recent months has exceeded caps on the size and purity of its enriched uranium stockpile and doubled the number of its advanced centrifuges, in what Iranian officials say is a bid to persuade European nations to offset the effects of U.S. sanctions.

Iran has given Europe a series of 60-day deadlines to reset the terms of the deal, including facilitating the sale of Iranian oil, which is blocked under the U.S. embargo.

“We should be able to sell our oil, we should be able to make banking transactions, and all sanctions on other sectors should be lifted,” Rouhani said Tuesday. “Then we will return to our previous commitments.”

Despite the recent moves, Iran continues to enrich uranium far below the 90 percent level needed to produce a nuclear weapon, according to the IAEA. In its latest report in September, the agency said Iran was enriching uranium at 4.5 percent, sightly above the 3.67 percent cap established under the nuclear agreement.

In June, the agency reported that Iran had not conducted any uranium or related research at the Fordow plant.

“There has not been any nuclear material at the plant,” the report said.

Read more:

Iran displays new anti-U.S. murals on the 40th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy seizure

Iran will ‘set aside’ curbs on nuclear research and development, Rouhani says

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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2019-11-05 11:11:00Z
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Iranian president announces another break from nuclear deal - CNBC

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani arrives to address the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, September 25, 2019.

Carlo Allegri | Reuters

Iran's president announced on Tuesday that Tehran will begin injecting uranium gas into 1,044 centrifuges, the latest step away from its nuclear deal with world powers since President Donald Trump withdrew from the accord over a year ago.

The development is significant as the centrifuges previously spun empty, without gas injection, under the landmark 2015 nuclear accord. It also increases pressure on European nations that remain in the accord, which at this point has all but collapsed.

In his announcement, President Hassan Rouhani did not say whether the centrifuges, which are at its nuclear facility in Fordo, would be used to produce enriched uranium. The centrifuges would be injected with the uranium gas as of Wednesday, Rouhani said.

His remarks, carried live on Iranian state television, came a day after Tehran's nuclear program chief said the country had doubled the number of advanced IR-6 centrifuges in operation.

There was no immediate reaction from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations' nuclear watchdog now monitoring Iran's compliance with the deal. The European Union on Monday called on Iran to return to the deal, while the White House sanctioned members of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's inner circle as part of its maximalist campaign against Tehran.

Rouhani stressed the steps taken so far, including going beyond the deal's enrichment and stockpile limitations, could be reversed if Europe offers a way for it to avoid U.S. sanctions choking off its crude oil sales abroad.

"We should be able to sell our oil," Rouhani said. "We should be able to bring our money" into the country.

The centrifuges at Fordo are IR-1s, Iran's first-generation centrifuge. The nuclear deal allowed those at Fordo to spin without uranium gas, while allowing up to 5,060 at its Natanz facility to enrich uranium.

A centrifuge enriches uranium by rapidly spinning uranium hexafluoride gas. An IR-6 centrifuge can produce enriched uranium 10 times faster than an IR-1, Iranian officials say.

Iranian scientists also are working on a prototype called the IR-9, which works 50-times faster than the IR-1, Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akhbar Salehi said Monday.

As of now, Iran is enriching uranium up to 4.5%, in violation of the accord's limit of 3.67%. Enriched uranium at the 3.67% level is enough for peaceful pursuits but is far below weapons-grade levels of 90%. At the 4.5% level, it is enough to help power Iran's Bushehr reactor, the country's only nuclear power plant. Prior to the atomic deal, Iran only reached up to 20%.

Tehran has gone from producing some 450 grams (1 pound) of low-enriched uranium a day to 5 kilograms (11 pounds), Salehi said. Iran now holds over 500 kilograms (1,102 pounds) of low-enriched uranium, Salehi said. The deal had limited Iran to 300 kilograms (661 pounds).

The collapse of the nuclear deal coincided with a tense summer of mysterious attacks on oil tankers and Saudi oil facilities that the U.S. blamed on Iran. Tehran denied the allegation, though it did seize oil tankers and shoot down a U.S. military surveillance drone.

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https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/05/iranian-president-announces-another-break-from-nuclear-deal.html

2019-11-05 10:34:16Z
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