Tehran

Spot what’s wrong with the following sentence: “The Obama administration is preparing to impose its first financial sanctions on Iran since it forged a landmark nuclear agreement in July.”

That’s from WSJ and it underscores how truly absurd the relationship between Washington and Tehran has become. Just as the US is preparing to lift crippling international sanctions against Iran in connection with the country’s nuclear program, The White House is set to slap new sanctions on the country to punish the Iranians for advances in ballistic-missile development.

Earlier today, a ship carrying over 25,000 pounds (11,000 kg) of low-enriched uranium materials allegedly departed from Iran for Russia, in what was dubbed a key step in Tehran's implementation of this year's historic nuclear accord with world powers. According to John Kerry this was "one of the most significant steps Iran has taken toward fulfilling its commitments."

"I am pleased to report that we have seen important indications of significant progress towards Iran completing its key nuclear commitments under the deal," Kerry said in a statement.

The fight to check the spread of Islamic State in Afghanistan is making for some strange bedfellows. 

On October 11, Iran test-fired a new generation of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles capable of hitting Israel. 

The Emad, as the long-range weapon is called, is a variant of Tehran’s Shahab-3, has a range of 1,700 kilometers, and is accurate to within 500 meters, according to  Anthony Cordesman, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. For those who might have missed it, here is the clip: