The U.S. State Department issues a new Travel Warning for Iran that supersedes the one issued in January 2008. The U.S. continues to warn American citizens to carefully consider the risks of travel to Iran, and specifically notes that dual national Iranian-American citizens may encounter difficulty when leaving Iran.

The U.S. Treasury Department designates the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), and 18 other affiliated entities, for providing logistical services to Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL). Essentially, this means the U.S. believes IRISL is transporting military shipments to Iran in violation of UN sanctions.

Iranian officials claim that Iran now has about 4,000 uranium-enriching centrifuges installed and operating at the Natanz nuclear facility.

Iran claims to have put a dummy test satellite in orbit using a domestically built rocket. However, there are doubts inside the U.S. Pentagon that the test launch was successful.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his nation now has as many as 6,000 uranium-enriching centrifuges.

There is apparently some photographic manipulation taking place at Iran's Sepah News, the media arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Two photos circulated by Sepah are seemingly identical, except for in one of the photos, an extra missile seems to have been digitally added.

Iran displays its missile technology with the test firing of nine long and medium range missiles. One of these is believed to be capable of reaching Israel.

Iran delivers a response to the six-nation offer of incentives in return for suspending its uranium enrichment program. At this time it is unknown exactly what Iran's response is. China, the EU, France, Russia, the UK and US offered the incentives to Iran in June.

In the July 7 issue of the New Yorker, Seymour Hersh takes a look at the alleged escalation of America's covert operations in Iran that are aimed at destabilizing the country's religious leadership, as well as collecting intelligence about Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program. Hersh writes that the Bush administration's plan calls for $400 million to fund the clandestine efforts.

Unnamed American officials leak information to the New York Times about Israel's massive military exercise over Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. The officials speculate that Israel conducted such a large, hard-to-miss exercise because it wants to show the US it is ready to take care of Iran's nuclear ambitions on its own if need be, without any help from the west.

In turn, there is speculation that the US went public with its "Israel is rehearsing to attack Iran" theory in order to preempt Israel from actually carrying out such a maneuver.

The European Union and six other nations offers Iran what is being called a 'generous package' of economic, technological and political incentives in exchange for suspending its uranium enrichment program. Iran's response is defiant and it insists it will not end its enrichment program because of these incentives or even with the threat of new sanctions. Unlike the last time such a package was offered in 2006, this time it is going to be made public to the Iranian people to see what they think of the deal.

Iraq's Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki meets with top Iranian officials including President Mahmoud Ahmadinead during his third visit to the country since becoming PM. Al-Maliki states his country will not be used by the U.S. as a base to launch attacks on neighboring Iran.

Israel conducts a massive military exercise over Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. Although it is not reported about until later in the month, US officials believe the drill could be a rehearsal for a potential strike against Iran's nuclear installations.

The exercise involves more than 100 F-16 and F-15 fighter jets.

Iran celebrates National Nuclear Technology Day today. So it is no wonder that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad uses the occasion to announce his country is installing 6,000 additional centrifuges at its main enrichment complex at Natanz.

The U.S. Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FINCEN) issues a warning about the risks of doing business with 51 state-owned and seven privately held Iranian banks. This is in effect the whole of Iran's banking sector. This warning is part of the Bush administration's attempt to curtail Iran's nuclear program, as well as its suspected support of terrorist organization like Hezbollah.

Iran is placed on the U.S. Coast Guard's port security advisory list. Therefore vessels arriving in U.S. ports which have visited Iranian ports will be targeted for increased boardings. DHS Secretary Chertoff is authorized by US policy to take this step when a foreign port poses a high risk of introducing terrorism to international maritime commerce.

Russia and China block a Western-backed resolution at the International Atomic Energy Agency denouncing Iran's nuclear program.

The United Nations Security Council impose a third round of sanctions against Iran to pressure the country to stop its uranium enrichment program. In general the latest sanctions include inspection of cargo suspected of carrying prohibited goods, the tighter monitoring of financial institutions and the extension of travel bans and asset freezes.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) releases its latest report on nuclear safeguards in Iran. While Tehran claims the report vindicates its nuclear power program as being one with peaceful intentions only, the U.S. is still considering pushing for a third round of sanctions.

Iran successfully fires a rocket into space from its newly opened space center. The rocket called "Researcher One" or "Explorer-1" is designed to put a satellite into low earth orbit later this year or next. There is concern in the West over this development because technology used to launch satellites into orbit could also be used to carry nuclear weapons.

Iran receives the eighth and final shipment of enriched uranium from Russia.

Iran receives its seventh shipment of uranium from Russia and now has 77 out of the 82 tons of nuclear fuel it requires to fire up the reactor. Iran only needs one more delivery.

Iran receives a third shipment of uranium from Russia for use in the Bushehr power plant.

A new wrinkle emerges in the January 6 incident in the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. says it is not sure where the voice on the videotape came from. They admit it very well might not have been the Iranian military saying, "I am coming to you. You will explode in a few minutes..." In fact the voice, could have come from a locally famous heckler in the region. The suspected heckler is known by the "ethnically insulting handle" of the "Filipino Monkey".

Iran releases a video it claims is of the incident on Sunday in the Strait of Hormuz in which a number of small Iranian vessels had an encounter with three U.S. warships. It is vastly different and much shorter than the footage released by the U.S. Defense Department.

The U.S. Department of Defense releases video footage of the encounter three warships had on Saturday (1/5) with Iranian vessels in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz. The video is available on CNN's website, and YouTube, among others. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said of the incident, "I found the action by the Iranians quite troubling, actually, and a matter of real concern." But Iran is downplaying the incident in which the U.S. ships are said to have come very close to opening fire.

Iran also claims the U.S. faked the footage and the audio. In the video it looks like the suspected Revolutionary Guard-piloted speedboats came precariously close to the U.S. ships.

The U.S. announces that five Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats made threatening moves and radio transmissions towards three U.S. Naval vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday (1/5). It seems the situation escalated to the point where the American ships were preparing to fire on the Iranians before they turned away. Reportedly the Iranian attack boats got within 200 yards of the U.S. ships.

Iran releases two Chinese citizens detained in July who were accused of spying because they were caught photographing a military complex in the town of Arak. A misunderstanding, the two were apparently conducting survey work.

It is reported that American Haleh Esfandiari is going to be released on bail in Iran.

The commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Yahya Rahim Safavi, has threatened the United States saying, "America will receive a heavier punch from the guards in the future" in response to the U.S. listing the Guard as a terrorist organization.

It's being reported that the United States may put part (the elite Quds Force) or all of Iran's Revolutionary Guard on its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). If it does so, it means the U.S. will have declared "open season" on the group and among other actions the U.S. Treasury Department would now go after the finances of the group and those who do business with it. The U.S. has already named Iran as a nation, a state supporter of terrorism.

Iran demonstrates its new domestically built fighter jet modeled after the Northrop F-5 called the Azarakhsh, or "Lightning".

According to Russian officials, there is no chance the Bushehr nuclear power plant in Iran will be completed as scheduled this fall. It is likely to take at least until fall 2008 for the facility to come online.

Two Iranian-American scholars appear on Iranian television and are shown to "confess" to the charges against them.

The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency says it has reached a deal with Iran to allow new inspections and safeguards at key nuclear facilities. According to an IAEA's press release, the "agreement was reached on: the designation of new Agency inspectors; a visit of Agency inspectors to the Heavy Water Research Reactor at Arak by the end of July 2007; and the finalisation of the safeguards approach at the Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz during early August 2007."

Iran, the world's fourth largest oil exporter begins fuel rationing. Angry citizens destroy at least two gas stations.

It is reported that an Australian Navy boarding team successfully defended themselves from an attempted capture by Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf prior to Iran's successful capture of 15 British sailors in March. One Australian source said they "were having none of it" and warned the Iranians to back off. There is some concern the British Navy did not learn their lesson very well from the Australian incident.

Three Finnish nationals employed by Nokia Siemens Networks in Dubai are detained by Iran and later released. They were reportedly on a fishing trip when they strayed into Iranian waters.

The U.S. State Department reissues a Travel Warning for American citizens in Iran. One particular group that should pay special attention to their personal safety and security is Iranian-American citizens. The report says, "Recently, Iranian authorities have prevented a number of Iranian-American citizen academics, journalists, and others who traveled to Iran for personal reasons from leaving, and in some cases have detained and imprisoned them on various charges, including espionage and being threat to the regime."

ABC News reports that U.S. President Bush has authorized the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to carry out a non-lethal regime destabilization plan against Iran. Since this plan was "secret" before the ABC report, there are those who believe ABC acted irresponsibly by reporting on this Presidential directive. ABC has defended its decision about the story and says it gave the CIA a chance to make a case for not airing it.

According to family members, another person of dual Iranian and American citizenship has been jailed in Iran. This is in addition to three already confirmed by the U.S. State Department as being in Iranian custody, including scholar Haleh Esfandiari, who was charged with conducting activities against the Iranian government.

Iran's intelligence ministry has charged Iranian-American academic, Haleh Esfandiari, with attempting to overthrow Iran's Islamic system of government.

Haleh Esfandiari, director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, is jailed by Iran the previous week for security crimes. Esfandiari is a scholar with dual Iranian-American citizenship. She had been detained since December 2006 by Iranian authorities and barred from leaving the country.

Iranian authorities have reportedly arrested Hossein Moussavian who is the former head of the foreign policy committee of the Supreme National Security Council and an ex-nuclear negotiator.

Iran announces it is ready to begin "industrial-scale" nuclear fuel production. At the same time, Iran also announces they are ready to resume serious negotiations over their nuclear ambitions.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announces he will pardon and set free the 15 British sailors and marines being held by Iran.

A former FBI agent has gone missing on Kish Island, off the southern coast of Iran, while on a business trip. This incident is currently being viewed as a missing person case. The man is identified as Robert A. Levinson, 59, of Coral Springs, FL. Kish Island is a Persian Gulf free-trade zone where no Iranian visa is required.

The United States Navy carries out its largest demonstration of force in the Persian Gulf since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Two aircraft carrier strike groups are stationed in the Gulf and conduct maneuvers just off the coast of Iran.

Fifteen British Navy personnel stationed on the HMS Cornwall are captured at gunpoint by Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf. There is controversy over whether the troops were operating in Iraqi or Iranian waters.

Adding tension to the Iranian nuclear issue, Russia threatens to halt the delivery of nuclear fuel to Iran’s nearly completed Bushehr power plant. Russia claims the delay in delivery is due to lack of payment.

Regarding Iran acquiring a nuclear weapons capability, Russian Security Council Secretary Igor Ivanov makes a statement saying, "Directly and indirectly this would be a threat to Russia's interests."

Iranian military helicopters fly over municipal buildings in Azerbaijan in an apparent attempt to scare the government to keep its distance from the United States.

Iran state television claims the successful launch of a missile capable of reaching orbit.

Journalist Seymour Hersh reports in of The New Yorker that a Pentagon panel was creating an Iran contingency plan that could be implemented within 24 hours of the President’s approval.

Iran misses the UN deadline to suspend its uranium enrichment program. Instead, Iran continues the expansion of the program.

Iranian patrol boats watch to see how the U.S. Navy operates in waters near Iraqi offshore oil terminals. In response, the U.S. Navy increases security precautions to guard against miscommunications or miscalculations. On at least two occasions, Iranian patrol boats entered Iraqi waters in the northern Persian Gulf within the past several months.

The US Treasury issues sanctions against three Iranian companies for supporting Iran's proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. Americans are banned from any transaction with them, and the US will seek to freeze any U.S. assets of the three corporations. The US took this step because it believes Kalaye Electric Company, Kavoshyar Company, and Pioneer Energy Industries Company are either owned or controlled by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) or acting for or on its behalf.

The U.S. releases supposed evidence of Iran's involvement with Shia militias in Iraq in the form of explosively formed penetrators (EFP) and other munitions believed to have come from Iran.

The UN International Atomic Energy Agency announces plans to suspend some 40 percent of projects it sponsors in Iran.

Iranian Defense Minister, General Ali Reza Asgari, disappears in Istanbul and is reportedly being interrogated by NATO intelligence officers in Germany. There is speculation that Asgari was either abducted by Western intelligence agencies, abducted by the Iranian rebel group Mujahedin-e-Khalq (MEK), or he defected.

Iranian television reports on the successful test of Soviet-designed SSN-4 Sark anti-ship missiles.

Iran military conducts two days of air and naval exercises in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman.

Gunmen who were supposedly wearing uniforms from the Iraqi 36th Commando Battalion abduct Jalal Sharafi, the Iranian embassy’s second secretary.

Detained in December 2006, an Iranian journalist is formally charged with espionage against Iran.

Iran bars 38 European and Canadian IAEA nuclear inspectors from the country while claiming a willingness to continue cooperation with the UN inspections.

Russia delivers advanced air defense missile systems technology to Iran. Israel warns Moscow the deal could have serious implications.

U.S. troops raid the Iranian embassy in Irbil, Iraq and detain five Iranian officials.

An unknown aircraft crashes in Barez Mounts, Iran. Reports are it was not a helicopter or airplane, and all passing aircraft are accounted for.

President Bush outlines his plan for stabilizing Iraq, which includes a stronger stance on Iran, whom he claims is influencing destabilization in Iraq. In addition to plans specific to Iraq, the U.S. will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria and work to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons.

It is reported that Israeli plans to use low-yield nuclear weapons to destroy Iran's uranium enrichment plants are leaked to the press. The plan calls for nuclear-tipped bunker-busting bombs should conventional weapons fail to destroy their targets.

The UN Security Council passes sanctions in response to Iran’s uranium enrichment program.