Iran's nuclear standoff and the war around it dominate the day, on three fronts: a Security Council referral, a new sanctions push undercut by a sanctions-evasion network, and a BRICS summit trying to paper over disagreement on the war.

Iran under pressure

  • The IAEA formally referred Iran's nuclear file to the UN Security Council after the US won a board vote, following a resolution drafted with the UK, France and Germany — though Russia and China can still veto binding enforcement (more).
  • The US sanctioned 27 Iranian airlines and 36 third-party enablers this week, which Iran's Mehr News Agency branded 'economic terrorism' (more).
  • Reuters simultaneously exposed a billion-dollar network keeping Chinese goods flowing into Iran despite sanctions, raising doubts about whether the aviation measures hit anything beyond Iran's own carriers (more).

BRICS and the Iran war

  • Vladimir Putin arrived in a heavily secured New Delhi for the BRICS summit (Saturday–Sunday), with the Iran war exposing disagreement inside the bloc ahead of a closing declaration meant to assert the Global South's own agenda (more).