WASHINGTON —

Related video above: Deadly rocket strike hits Ukraine apartment building

The White House on Monday said it believes Russia is turning to Iran to provide it with “hundreds” of unmanned aerial vehicles, including weapons-capable drones, for use in its ongoing war in Ukraine.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said it was unclear whether Iran had already provided any of the unmanned systems to Russia, but said the U.S. has “information” that indicates Iran is preparing to train Russian forces to use them as soon as this month.

“Our information indicates that the Iranian government is preparing to provide Russia with up to several hundred UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline," he told reporters Monday.

Sullivan said it was proof that Russia's overwhelming bombardments in Ukraine, which have led it to consolidate gains in the country's east in recent weeks, were "coming at a cost to the sustainment of its own weapons."

Sullivan's revelation comes on the eve of President Joe Biden's trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia, where Iran's nuclear program and malign activities in the region will be a key subject of discussion.

The U.S. decision to publicly reveal that the two countries' chief regional rival was helping to rearm Russia comes as both Israel and Saudi Arabia have resisted joining global efforts to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine due to their domestic interests.

Sullivan also noted that Iran has provided similar unmanned aerial vehicles to Yemen's Houthi rebels to attack Saudi Arabia before a ceasefire was reached earlier this year.

Military analyst Samuel Bendett of the CNA think tank said Russia’s choice of Iran as a source for drones is logical because “for the last 20 years or more Iran has been refining its drone combat force. Their drones have been in more combat than the Russians'.” They are pioneers of so-called loitering munitions, the “kamikaze” drones like the Switchblade that the U.S. has provided Ukraine.

Iran has “a proven track record of flying drones for hundreds of miles and hitting their targets,” Bendett added, including penetrating American-supplied air defenses and striking Saudi oil refineries. He said the Iranian drones could be very effective at striking Ukrainian power stations, refineries and other critical infrastructure.

Bendett noted that before the Ukraine war, Russia had licensed drone technology for its Forpost UAV from a proven supplier: Israel. The Jewish state has remained neutral in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, so that source is no longer available to Moscow.

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Associated Press writer Frank Bajak in Boston contributed to this report.

A hard-fought World Cup game between USA and England ended in a 0-0 draw.

The two teams combined for about 20 shots on goal Friday in Qatar.

One of the best opportunities for the U.S. to take the lead came in the first half when Christian Pulisic's shot hit the crossbar.

England had a chance to win the game in the closing minutes of the game. Harry Kane's header went just wide of the goal in the 93rd minute.

This was the first scoreless draw for the U.S. in World Cup history.

"We're proud, but our work's not done," said Gregg Berhalter, head coach of the U.S. men's national team.

The U.S. will now need to win on Tuesday against Iran to move out of Group B and into the elimination round.

Iran beat Wales earlier in the day, 2-0.

Iranian authorities arrested one of the country’s most famous actresses on charges of spreading falsehoods about nationwide protests that grip the country, state media said Saturday.

The report by IRNA said Taraneh Alidoosti, star of the Oscar-winning movie "The Salesman," was detained a week after she made a post on Instagram expressing solidarity with the first man recently executed for crimes allegedly committed during the nationwide protests.

IRNA also said several other Iranian celebrities had "been summoned by the judiciary body over publishing provocative content." It did not say how many or provide further details.

According to the report published on the state media’s official Telegram channel, Alidoosti was arrested because she did not provide "any documents in line with her claims."

In her post, the 38-year-old actress said: "His name was Mohsen Shekari. Every international organization who is watching this bloodshed and not taking action, is a disgrace to humanity."

Shekari was executed on Dec. 9 after being charged by an Iranian court with blocking a street in Tehran and attacking a member of the country's security forces with a machete.

Last Week, Iran executed a second prisoner, Majidreza Rahnavard, in connection with the protests. Rahnavard's body was left hanging from a construction crane as a gruesome warning to others. Iranian authorities alleged Rahnavard stabbed two members of its paramilitary force.

Both men were executed less than a month after they were charged, underscoring the speed at which Iran now carries out death sentences imposed for alleged crimes related to the demonstrations. Activists say at least a dozen people have been sentenced to death in closed-door hearings.

Alidoosti has made at least three posts on her Instagram account expressing solidarity with protesters since the demonstrations broke out in September. Her account, which had some 8 million followers, has been suspended.

Iran has been rocked by protests since the Sept. 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died after being detained by the morality police. The protests have since morphed into one of the most serious challenges to Iran’s theocracy installed by the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Alidoosti has previously criticized the Iranian government and its police force.

In June 2020, she was given a suspended five-month prison sentence after she criticized the police on Twitter in 2018 for assaulting a woman who had removed her headscarf.

Other movies Alidoosti has starred in include “The Beautiful City” and “About Elly.”

Hengameh Ghaziani and Katayoun Riahi, two other famous actresses in Iran, were arrested by authorities for expressing solidarity with protesters on social media. Both have been released.

At least 495 people have been killed in the demonstrations amid a harsh security crackdown, according to Human Rights Activists in Iran, a group that has been monitoring the protests since they began. Over 18,200 people have been detained by authorities.

The Biden Administration is exploring "other options" to ensure Iran never receives a nuclear weapon as a diplomatic solution appears to be off the table. 

White House National Security Spokesman John Kirby told Scripps News that while the president would prefer to use diplomacy in achieving that goal, "diplomacy right now is not possible." 

"Iran was negotiating in good faith, and now, based on everything else they're doing — supporting Russia and Ukraine by sending them drones, killing and brutalizing their own people who are protesting, in addition to all the other destabilizing activities that Iran is doing in the region, it's clear that a return to the Iran deal diplomatically is not on the agenda," he explained. 

The comment comes after reporting from The Times of Israel in which Yaakov Amidror, a former head of Israel's National Security Council (2011-2013) said Israel needs to be ready for war with Iran without the U.S. 

"We need to prepare for war. It's possible that we will reach a point where we have to attack Iran even without American assistance," Amidror, a hawkish former general who served as National Security Council chief under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2011-2013, said in an interview with Radio 103 FM. 

Just weeks ago, the chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley made waves while testifying before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, saying "Iran will not have a fielded nuclear weapon." 

The term "fielded" caused concern the administration would allow Iran to have one as long as it was not deployed. 

Gen. Milley also told lawmakers "Iran could produce fissile material for a nuclear weapon in less than two weeks and would only take several more months to produce an actual nuclear weapon." 

Kirby emphasized that the president's goal has always been to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. 

"Period. That's his policy. And we're sticking to that," he said.

SEE MORE: Biden aide, Saudi prince see 'progress' toward Yemen war end

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Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. — When you look at a map of the world, you see lines and borders.

Some are created by water, others by man, and, often, by war.

If this week has taught anyone anything, it's that just because a country's borders are drawn a certain way, it doesn't mean they will stay that way.

WEST CONDEMNS RUSSIA

"This aggression cannot go unanswered," President Joe Biden said this week from the White House.

While the President and other world leaders are hoping severe sanctions force Russia to restore the borders in Europe to where they were at the start of the week, the reality is Russia has been interested in re-drawing Ukraine for years.

After all, Ukraine used to be part of the Soviet Union.

In 2014, Russia took Crimea, a part of Ukraine.

This week began with Russia sending troops to the Donbas region.

Now, the Russian military is spread throughout the country. Many military experts agree that Ukraine could fall completely since they are not equipped to fight Russia on their own.

THE WORLD IS WATCHING

A looming question is whether the invasion inspires other world leaders to do the same thing.

It’s something being watched closely in Washington.

For example, China has long wanted to claim Taiwan, an island of 23 million people, as their own.

North Korea has long had an interest in neighboring South Korea.

Iran has also expressed interest in land around the Middle East.

President Biden's statements about war could also lead to more tensions.

He has been very clear he doesn’t want American service members fighting in Ukraine. Last year, he made clear he didn’t want Americans fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.

BIDEN'S APPROACH

President Biden does believe that severe economic penalties, like the ones he has imposed on Russia, are enough to end conflicts and prevent future ones.

"America stands up to bullies,” Biden said Thursday.

He also isn't completely opposed to military action, deploying thousands of American troops to eastern Europe who are prepared to fight should the war extend beyond Ukraine's borders.

The U.S. and its allies restart Iran nuclear talks on Monday unsure how Tehran's new government will approach negotiations, not optimistic about the prospects ahead and emphasizing that if diplomacy fails, the U.S. is "prepared to use other options."

The parties to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action will reconvene in Vienna after almost six months to discuss a mutual return to the deal by both the U.S. and Iran, but the hiatus has given time for new obstacles to take root.

Video above: Trump's Iran deal exit 'very bad judgments,' Biden said earlier this month

On Friday, Iran announced yet more advances in its uranium enrichment, which reduces the amount of time Tehran would need to develop a nuclear weapon, if it chooses to, an announcement clearly meant to give Iran leverage when it arrives in Vienna for talks.

Other parties to the agreement -- including Germany, the UK, Britain, France, China and Russia -- are coming into the talks calling for negotiations to pick up where they left off. European sources tell CNN they expect the Iranians to treat the meeting as "round one." U.S. officials have expressed similar concerns.

The recently elected hardline government in Tehran will send a new set of negotiators to Vienna who have been emphasizing the need for complete U.S. sanctions relief, not compliance with the deal, while U.S. officials have said they have absolutely no plans to offer Iran incentives to talk.

'The time to choose is short'

And senior U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that if advances in Iran's nuclear program and enrichment capability continue unabated, they could render the benefits of the JCPOA moot -- a development that would force the U.S. to pursue other options.

"We are still hopeful that diplomacy can find a way," Brett McGurk, the National Security Council's coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, told the Manama Dialogue organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "But if it cannot find a way, we are prepared to use other options."

"There is no question, we are not going to allow Iran to get a nuclear weapon, period," McGurk said. "And when it came to military force for behavior change, that is a pretty fuzzy objective for a military force. When it comes to military force to prevent a country from obtaining a nuclear weapon, that is a very achievable objective."

U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley said in a tweet after a Nov. 18 meeting with Middle Eastern allies and European parties to the deal that Iran could choose one of two paths: "continued nuclear escalation & crisis, or mutual return to the JCPOA, creating opportunities for regional economic & diplomatic ties."

"Time to choose is short," Malley wrote.

Sources familiar with preparations for the talks say that the parties were closely watching International Atomic Energy Agency director Rafael Grossi's visit to Tehran last week, seeing it as an indication of Iran's approach to the talks in Vienna, those sources said. Grossi told the IAEA board afterward that the talks were "inconclusive."

One of the contentious issues remaining is that Iran is refusing inspectors from the IAEA monitoring access to the Karaj centrifuge production facility, which reports suggest has resumed operations.

"This is seriously affecting the [IAEA's] ability to restore continuity of knowledge at the [Karaj] workshop, which has been widely recognized as essential in relation to a return to the JCPOA," Grossi told a Board of Governors meeting on Wednesday.

The Arms Control Association noted that Iran's refusal to allow the IAEA to install new cameras or confirm that production hasn't restarted could undermine attempts to revitalize the JCPOA and its strict verification regime if it isn't possible to fully complete records of Iran's nuclear program. Tehran's refusal to grant access to Karaj also drives speculation and concern about what, exactly, Iran is doing, the ACA said.

'No choice'

On Thursday, the U.S. Mission to International Organizations in Vienna told the IAEA meeting that "if Iran's non-cooperation is not immediately remedied ... especially the restoration of continuity of knowledge at Karaj, the Board will have no choice but to reconvene in extraordinary session before the end of this year in order to address the crisis."

Meanwhile, on Friday, Iran announced its stock of 60% enriched uranium has grown to 66 pounds and its amount of 20% enriched uranium had also increased. Both levels are much closer to weapons-grade uranium which is enriched above 90%.

According to the Arms Control Association, enriching uranium to 20% "constitutes about 90 percent of the necessary work to enrich to weapons-grade."

As Iran's stockpiles grow, the ACA says, its breakout time, or the time it would take to produce enough uranium enriched to weapons-grade for one bomb, decreases. The ACA estimates that Iran's current breakout time is likely about one month, down from 12 months when the JCPOA was fully implemented.

Enrichment was limited under the JCPOA, which the U.S. left unilaterally in May 2018 under former President Donald Trump. Iran restarted enrichment last year to pressure the U.S. to ease sanctions.

'A very uncertain proposition'

State Department spokesman Ned Price reflected the ambiguity surrounding the resumed talks on Nov. 22, calling the mutual return to compliance with the JCPOA "a very uncertain proposition."

The next day, Price told reporters in Washington that, "it is our hope that the new government in Iran shows up in Vienna and shows up in Vienna ready to negotiate in good faith to build on the progress that had been achieved in the previous six rounds of negotiations."

But he added that the U.S. has "been very clear that we are not prepared to take unilateral steps solely for the benefit of greasing the wheel" to get the talks going again. Former President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. from the deal in 2018.

Sources familiar with the preparations for the talks have told CNN that the U.S. and its allies are not at a point where they would begin offering Iran confidence-building measures, but one official said there is a possibility the U.S. and its allies could employ them down the road. As a result, incentives for Iran won't be discussed at this week's meetings in Vienna, where the U.S. and allies will be focused on simply taking the temperature and seeking to advance from where they left off months ago, U.S. and European sources explained.

'Plan B'

Everyone involved in the talks is mindful of the ticking clock. The sources told CNN that there's still time to reach a deal, but it would likely run out by the end of next year. For now, they said there is no hard and fast "Plan B" yet.

Critics of the deal say that the Biden administration has sacrificed leverage by easing pressure on Iran while it builds up its nuclear program.

"The Biden administration's Iran policy is failing, and without a significant course correction that policy will either result in Iranian nuclear weapons or in a war to stop that development," said Mark Dubowitz, the CEO of Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Dubowitz argued that the administration's approach will allow Iran to rebuild toward a "lethal end state" of with pathways to nuclear weapons and a robust nuclear infrastructure.

"Israel is going to have no choice but to use military force to stop Iran's nuclear weapons before Tehran reaches this lethal end state," Dubowitz said.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett has been making clear that Israel will be prepared to act if necessary. Addressing delegates at a security conference near Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Bennett said that "if there is a return to the JCPOA, Israel obviously is not a party to the agreement and is not obligated by it."

Bennett complained that after the nuclear deal was signed in 2015, the "State of Israel simply went to sleep. We were occupied with other things. We will learn from this mistake. We will maintain our freedom of action," he said.

Western officials have tried to argue to the Israelis that attacks on Israel's nuclear program are not very useful when the overall goal is to come up with a comprehensive solution, and especially when the Iranians have sped up their capability to rebuild after attacks, sources familiar with the Iran talks have told CNN.

Western officials have also raised the danger of Iran responding with kinetic action, but sources familiar with the talks say Israeli officials still seem to think that it is still an effective tool to show their capabilities.

Asked about those warnings, Price said that, "at the end of the day, the United States and Israel, we share a common objective here, and that is to see to it that Iran is verifiably and permanently prevented from obtaining a nuclear weapon. And we continue to believe that diplomacy in coordination with our allies and partners -- and that, of course, includes Israel -- is the best path to achieve that goal."

"We've also been very clear that this is not a process that can go on indefinitely and if the Iranians through their actions or through their inactions demonstrate or suggest that they lack that good faith, that they lack that clarity of purpose, we'll have to turn to other means," Price said Tuesday. "We have a variety of other means we're discussing those with our allies and partners."

Diplomatic flurry

In recent weeks, U.S. officials have conducted a flurry of diplomacy with regional powers and other parties to the deal, working to forge a united front.

President Joe Biden met with European partners to discuss Iran during the June G7 meetings in the UK. In recent weeks, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has also conferred with European allies, as well as China and Russia, on Iran. And Malley recently met with Gulf countries, Israeli officials and European partners in the JCPOA.

"I think the Iranians believe they have some eastward option with Russia and China in which they can circumvent the pressure of sanctions," McGurk said on Sunday. "And that is just wrong. And so I think we are approaching the talks at the end of November as a pretty united front with the P5+1."

Suspected Iranian hackers have targeted dozens of defense technology and maritime transportation firms, successfully breaching a small number, in a spying campaign launched since July that could leave some of the companies vulnerable to follow-on hacking attempts, Microsoft announced Monday.

Among the targets were companies that work with the U.S., European Union and Israeli governments to make satellite systems, drones technology and "military-grade radars," Microsoft said.

It's just the latest effort by an alleged Iranian hacking group to access sensitive data held in the maritime sector. Another Iranian group last year stole information on the military unit of U.S. Navy members, according to IBM.

"Gaining access to commercial satellite imagery and proprietary shipping plans and logs could help Iran compensate for its developing satellite program," Microsoft researchers wrote in a blog post on Monday.

Microsoft did not attribute the activity directly to an Iranian government organization but instead said the hacking "supports the national interests" of Iran based on a number of factors, including hacking techniques associated with another Iranian group.

John Lambert, head of Microsoft Threat Intelligence Center, told CNN that Microsoft discovered the hacking activity when responding to a breach of a U.S. financial services firm this summer.

The goal of releasing information on the intrusions now is to help organizations prepare for follow-on breach attempts, Lambert said. The hackers, he added, could look to use stolen login information to break into the internal networks of targeted organizations.

The suspected Iranian operatives tried guessing passwords at roughly 250 organizations, including unnamed U.S. and Israeli defense firms and organizations operating in Persian Gulf ports, according to Microsoft. The hackers managed to breach "less than 20" of those organizations, the tech firm said.

The maritime sector has long been of interest to Iran's intelligence services and the country sits on the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of the world's oil shipments pass.

"Given Iran's past cyber and military attacks against shipping and maritime targets, Microsoft believes this activity increases the risk to companies in these sectors," the Washington State-based technology provider said.

While this activity appears concentrated on Persian Gulf ports, U.S. maritime authorities have also had to raise their network defenses in response to threats.

Unidentified hackers in August breached a computer network at the Port of Houston, U.S. officials have said. Early detection of the incident meant the intruders weren't in a position to disrupt shipping operations, according to a Coast Guard analysis of the incident obtained by CNN.

"The shipping lanes are the highways of the sea," Lambert said. "And anything related to that is going to be in the crosshairs and subject to geopolitical dynamics."

The United States handily won their men's basketball match against Iran, showcasing the country's strength in both offense in defense.Team USA dominated the court, defeating Iran with a final score of 120-66. Team USA is the most successful nation in men's Olympic basketball, having won all but four Olympic gold medals since basketball was introduced as a sport at the Games in 1936.This is a breaking story and will be updated.

Four Iranian nationals have been charged in an alleged plot to kidnap a U.S. journalist and human rights activist living in New York, court documents show.According to an indictment unsealed Tuesday in a New York federal court, Alireza Shavaroghi Farahani, aka Vezerat Salimi and Haj Ali, 50; Mahmoud Khazein, 42; Kiya Sadeghi, 35; and Omid Noori, 45, all of Iran, conspired to kidnap a Brooklyn journalist critical of the Iranian regime.The four were charged with conspiracies related to kidnapping, sanctions violations, bank and wire fraud and money laundering, according to the indictment. They are based in Iran and remain at large, authorities said."As alleged, four of the defendants monitored and planned to kidnap a U.S. citizen of Iranian origin who has been critical of the regime's autocracy, and to forcibly take their intended victim to Iran, where the victim's fate would have been uncertain at best," US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Audrey Strauss said in a news release.A fifth person, Niloufar "Nellie" Bahadorifar, was also charged with sanctions violations conspiracy, bank and wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy and structuring charges for allegedly providing financial services that supported the plot, according to the attorney's office.Bahadorifar, a California resident originally from Iran, was arrested on July 1 in California and arraigned on July 8, prosecutors said. Her attorney Martin Cohen declined to comment.Masih Alinejad, an activist with more than 5 million followers on Instagram, said she is the journalist targeted in the plot. Authorities released the indictment and did not name Alinejad publicly.Speaking to CNN on Wednesday morning, Alinejad said the FBI approached her about eight months ago and said her house was not safe."And I was like, you must be kidding me because I receive daily death threats, what's new? I'm here in America, they cannot do anything," she said. The FBI then revealed photos of her "private life" allegedly taken by private investigators at her home, and she said she was shocked the Iranian government got close to her "and then I took it serious."She was under FBI protection until now, she told CNN, adding that she was in different safe houses for her protection. Still, she said she would not stop her activism, in which she shares photos and videos of "voiceless" Iranian mothers protesting the regime."Not at all, you know why? Because these mothers are my heroes. Millions of Iranians who share photos and videos of themselves practicing their civil disobedience, those are the Rosa Parks of Iran," she said. "They are my heroes. To be honest, I have fear inside me, but what gives me power, these people. I am going to stop my activities the day when the Iranian people stop saying no to the Islamic Republic."She also posted a video to Twitter on Tuesday that shows a law enforcement vehicle with its top lights on outside what she says is her home. She speaks in Farsi but the video includes English subtitles."The police have been around my home for the past two weeks now. When I asked them why they were here, they told me it was to protect me," said Alinejad, according to the English subtitles. "They are here from 5 a.m. to midnight.""I see them often, even when I get out to check on my flowers in my garden. But it imbues me with a feeling of safety when I see the police protect me. This wouldn't have happened in my homeland. It's a weird feeling," she said.Before the alleged kidnapping plot, the indictment said, the government of Iran tried to lure Alinejad, referred to as Victim-1 in the indictment, by having her relatives who lived in Iran invite her to travel to a third country, with the apparent purpose of having her "detained and transported to Iran for imprisonment."Her relatives did not accept the offer, prosecutors said in their statement.According to the indictment, Farahani, an Iranian intelligence officer who resides in Iran, and his network, allegedly hired private investigators, "to surveil, photograph and video record Victim-1 and Victim-1's household members in Brooklyn" on multiple occasions in 2020 and 2021.Farahani's network procured days' worth of video and photographs and installed a live high-definition video feed of the victim's home.The intelligence network also researched ways to transport Victim-1 out of the US and to Iran, prosecutors said. Sadeghi allegedly researched a service offering military-style speedboats and researched travel from New York to Venezuela, which has friendly relations with Iran.According to officials, Farahani's network has targeted other victims in other countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates."This is not some far-fetched movie plot. We allege a group, backed by the Iranian government, conspired to kidnap a U.S.-based journalist here on our soil and forcibly return her to Iran. Not on our watch," FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said. "When we find you, you will be brought here and held accountable under U.S. law."Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh called the allegations "baseless and ridiculous," the semi-official news agency ISNA reported."This is not the first time that the United States has undertaken such Hollywood scenarios," he said.The U.S. State Department said that "the Iranian government continues to deny Iranians their human rights, including through severe restrictions on the rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of association, freedom of religion or belief, and freedom of expression.""The Biden administration will continue to call out and stand up to Iran's human rights abuses, and will support others who do so both here and in Iran," a spokesperson said in a statement.CNN's Mirna Alsharif, Jennifer Hansler, Eric Levenson, Sharif Paget, Mostafa Salem and Kristina Sgueglia contributed to this report.

Ten officials have been indicted in Iran over the 2020 military shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane that killed 176 people, Iranian media reported Tuesday, an announcement coming just as Tehran begins indirect negotiations with the West over its collapsed nuclear deal with world powers.

The timing of the announcement comes after Iran faced withering international criticism last month for releasing a final report into the shootdown of Ukraine International Airlines flight No. PS752 that blamed human error but named no one responsible for the incident.

Tehran military prosecutor Gholamabbas Torki made the comment Tuesday while handing over his office to Nasser Seraj. The semiofficial ISNA news agency and the Iranian judiciary's Mizan news agency both reported the remarks, without elaborating.

Video — Bodies recovered at site of Iran plane crash

Following three days of denial in January 2020 in the face of mounting evidence, Iran finally acknowledged that its forces mistakenly downed the Ukrainian jetliner with two surface-to-air missiles. In preliminary reports on the disaster last year, Iranian authorities blamed an air defense operator who they said mistook the Boeing 737-800 for an American cruise missile.

The shootdown happened the same day Iran launched a ballistic missile attack on U.S. troops in Iraq in retaliation for an American drone strike that killed a top Iranian general.

There appears to be progress between the U.S. and Iran to get both nations back in line with the 2015 nuclear deal. 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is meeting with international leaders Tuesday for the G7 summit in London, but he's downplayed any reports of an imminent deal with Iran. 

Despite that, two of the nuclear deal's biggest supporters in Congress, Democratic Senators Chris Coons and Chris Murphy, are currently touring the Middle East. 

Secretary Blinken joined his counterpart for a news conference in London yesterday and he also addressed reports coming out of Iran in regards to American prisoners being held in the country.

Iran says a deal has been struck to get hostages back to the U.S. In exchange for billions of dollars, but Blinken says that's not true. 

"I have no higher priority than bringing arbitrarily detained Americans, American hostages home to the United States. And that's across the board," he said. "And as Dominic said, the reports coming out of Tehran are not accurate. We are very closely engaged, ourselves, on this issue and will remain so." 

While these types of prisoner swaps are common, they hold more weight between the two countries now as talks over the nuclear deal continue. 

This story originally reported by Eliana Moreno on Newsy.com.