Iran refuses uranium handover; Hormuz tanker blasts continue

Summary

Iran has refused to hand over its enriched uranium, and the Revolutionary Guards said two more oil tankers exploded in the Strait of Hormuz, pushing any return to talks with Washington further away.⁠12

Security chief Mohsen Rezaei said that not a single particle of enriched nuclear material would leave the country, and that no negotiations with Washington were currently under way.⁠13

US officials have described the situation differently: Trump said the war with Iran is effectively over while the naval blockade continues, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said large-scale military operations are not needed because sanctions are hurting Iran's economy.⁠45

In an interview with Lebanon's Al Mayadeen TV, Rezaei also warned that if US bases in Europe were used to launch strikes on Iran, Iran would attack them, extending the threat beyond the Middle East.⁠6

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, government data released Wednesday showed more than 11,000 Ebola cases, making the outbreak the deadliest in the country's history, with more than 5,000 deaths.⁠7

In Spain, millions of people joined the country's first general strike in 14 years, protesting housing costs amid growing public anger over the housing crisis.⁠8

For Iran, the next checkpoint is the APEC summit in Shenzhen on November 18 to 19, where Trump says he expects to meet Xi and Putin, although Beijing has not confirmed the meeting.⁠9