Iranian Guards Physically Harassed Female UN Nuclear Inspectors, Diplomats Say - Laurence Norman (Wall Street Journal)
    Iranian security guards have physically harassed several female UN atomic agency inspectors at the Natanz nuclear facility since June, diplomats say, and the U.S. has demanded that Iran stop the behavior immediately.
    One diplomat said there had been at least four separate incidents of harassment. A second diplomat said there had been five to seven.

Drones Strike Pro-Iran Militants in Syria (Syrian Observatory for Human Rights-UK)
    Several vehicles belonging to Iranian-backed militias were destroyed just after crossing into Syria from Iraq, via unofficial crossings near al-Bokamal, as unidentified drones targeted them with four strikes.

U.S. Releasing Some Military Aid to Egypt (Israel Hayom)
    The Biden administration is releasing $170 million in military aid to Egypt but will hold back $130 million over human rights concerns, the State Department said Tuesday.
    The administration has the authority to waive human rights conditions placed on the assistance by Congress, in order to preserve continued engagement with Egypt as a critical national security interest.
    The withheld amount will be released "if the government of Egypt affirmatively addresses specific human-rights-related conditions," the department said.

Germany Arrests Man for Shipping Equipment for Iran's Nuclear Program (Reuters)
    German police arrested a German-Iranian man suspected of exporting equipment to be used in Iran's nuclear and missile programs in breach of EU sanctions, Germany's federal prosecutor said Tuesday.

Ohio Man Sentenced to 20 Years for Plotting Attack on Toledo Synagogue - Michael Sandlin (WTOL11-Toledo)
    Damon Joseph, also known as Abdullah Ali Yusuf, was convicted in May of supporting the ISIS terrorist organization and plotting an attack on a Toledo-area synagogue.
    On Monday he was sentenced to 20 years in prison and supervised release for life.
    The prosecution noted that Joseph told authorities he had a nine-point plan to commit mass murder on the local Jewish community and made plans with an undercover agent he thought was a fellow ISIS sympathizer.
    See also Man Sentenced for Planning Attack on Synagogue (U.S. Justice Department)

Iran's Energy Diplomacy - Dr. Rodger Shanahan (Lowy Institute-Australia)
    Iran uses its energy exports to take advantage of regional states' inability to fulfill their own domestic requirements, and exert its influence throughout the Middle East.
    In Iraq, Iranian gas and electricity powers more than a third of the country, particularly in the south.
    Tehran also exports electricity to Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as Turkey, though there has been a recent drop-off in energy imports from that country.
    In Lebanon, where the price of petrol has risen by 220% in a year, Iran's Lebanese ally Hizbullah claimed that Lebanon would be importing Iranian oil paid for in Lebanese pounds.
    At the same time, this summer saw power blackouts in parts of Iran as increased demand (including from Bitcoin miners) coincided with reduced hydro-electricity output during drought conditions.

New York Times Mangles Jewish History - Tamar Sternthal (CAMERA)
    The New York Times on Sep. 11 discussed "Legend of Destruction," an animated film about the destruction of the Second Temple and the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans.
    Isabel Kershner writes: "The Jews enjoyed two previous periods of sovereignty in the land in ancient times, but both lasted only about 70 or 80 years."
    In fact, the Kingdom of Judah was extant for more than 300 years, from the time of the collapse of the United Kingdom of Israel in 922 BCE until the Babylonian conquest in 586 BCE.
    Prior to that, the United Kingdom lasted for a century, starting around 1020 BCE.
    The northern Kingdom of Israel, the other half of the United Kingdom, lasted for 200 years.
    In addition, there was the Hasmonean dynasty, which lasted for 80 years.

Morocco Strengthens Ties with Israel as Internal Opposition Grows - Sami Erchoff (Inside Arabia)
    Morocco's hosting of an Israeli delegation in August, led by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, was the first high-level bilateral meeting between the two countries since 2003.
    Moroccan authorities have endeavored to present the normalization as a reconciliation between two natural allies due to the "Moroccanness" of so many Israelis, with over 800,000 Jews of Moroccan origin in Israel.
    Diplomatic normalization was simply an opportunity for the Kingdom to recognize and strengthen cooperation that has always existed and meets essential needs - primarily in the areas of health, technology, tourism, defense, and cybersecurity.
    Israel intervened with Pfizer so that the Kingdom could receive a shipment of two million Covid-19 vaccination doses.
    Even before the normalization, some 50,000-70,000 Israeli tourists of Moroccan origin visited the Kingdom every year.
    Yet in an opinion poll by The Arab Barometer, 59% of Moroccans say they are hostile to normalization between Morocco and Israel.
    Several political parties have accused the Moroccan state of betraying the Palestinian cause and collaborating with the Zionists.