Iran's Malign Behavior Tracker

Iran’s Escalating Intransigence Since the JCPOA

Since the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement between Iran and the P5+1 powers on July 14, 2015, also known as the Iran Deal, UANI has been monitoring the day-to-day actions of the Iranian regime to determine if Tehran is abiding by its commitments and moderating its aggressive and threatening behavior.

A key benefit of the Iran Deal, proponents of the agreement argued, would be that it would contribute to the moderation of the Iranian regime. By tracking developments in Iran’s nuclear program, human rights situation, destabilizing regional activities, sponsorship of terrorism, and relations with the U.S., UANI’s Moderation Mythbuster clearly shows that the Iranian regime failed to moderate despite the sanctions relief and prospect of further economic engagement with the West that resulted from the JCPOA. In fact, Iran adopted a more hardline approach both in its domestic and foreign policy, even during the presidency of Hassan Rouhani, who was touted in the West as a supposed moderate. Iran’s aggression has only grown since hardliner Ebrahim Raisi assumed the presidency in September 2021.

The regime has pursued the path of increased intransigence in order to compel the U.S. to relent and rejoin the JCPOA, a deal that does not permanently prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapons capability. As comprehensively cataloged in this resource, Iran's failure to moderate highlights why the U.S. should refrain from providing up-front sanctions relief until the regime changes course.

To see daily Iran-related developments prior to the JCPOA, view UANI’s Rouhani Accountability Tracker.

Date Theme Event
08-31-2023
Nuclear Program

The U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will focus on Iran’s near bomb-grade uranium stockpile at its upcoming September 11 board meeting.

Iran is slowing the rate at which it’s stockpiling near weapons-grade uranium, the U.N. nuclear watchdog is expected to conclude next month, adding to an easing of Persian Gulf tensions that’s already seen Tehran and Washington discuss the release of prisoners and more oil pour onto global markets. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors are preparing to circulate their quarterly Iran safeguards report ahead of the Vienna-based agency’s September 11 board meeting. Some nuclear officials predict the IAEA data will show Iran is moderating its production of highly-enriched uranium, a key component of an atomic bomb. Iran says its program is peaceful. (Bloomberg)

08-30-2023
Human Rights

The trial of the lawyer for Mahsa Amini has begun in Iran. Saleh Nikbakht has been charged with "propaganda against the system."

The trial has begun in Iran of the lawyer for Mahsa Amini, the young Iranian Kurdish woman whose death last September triggered a widespread protest movement, a media report said. Saleh Nikbakht is charged with "propaganda against the system," the daily Etemad reported. “He was notified of the charge of propaganda activity against the regime for having spoken to foreign and local media, concerning the Mahsa Amini affair in particular," it said. Nikbakht's trial begins nearly a year after the death in custody last September 16 of 22-year-old Amini, after she was arrested for allegedly violating the Islamic republic's strict dress rules for women. (AFP)

08-29-2023
Human Rights

A student group says officials at Ferdowsi University in the city of Mashhad have decided to segregate classes by gender for the upcoming school year.

A student group says officials at Ferdowsi University in the city of Mashhad have decided to segregate classes by gender for the upcoming school year. The Student Guild Councils of Iran published photos on August 28 showing an internal memo approved by Abolfazl Ghaffari, the school's vice president for cultural, social, and student affairs, that outlines the implementation of the plan, which was sent to the dean of the Mathematics Department and will be issued to other department heads as well. In the directive, Ghaffari references a decision by Iran’s Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, which mandates the observance of Islamic guidelines in educational settings, endorsing the separation of male and female students in classes. Gender segregation has long been a contentious issue at Iranian universities. (Radio Free Europe)

08-29-2023
Human Rights

Iranian authorities have dismissed at least 10 university professors who supported the nationwide protests that began last September.

Iranian authorities have dismissed at least 10 university professors who supported the nationwide protests that began last September following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody. Just weeks ahead of the anniversary of her demise, reports on social media showed that Hamideh Khademi and Ameneh Aali, two professors from Allameh University in Tehran, were dismissed via phone call, while the Student Guild Council of Iran reported the dismissal of seven professors from the Faculty of Literature at the University of Tehran. Universities and students have long been at the forefront of the struggle for greater social and political freedoms in Iran. In 1999, students protested the closure of a reformist daily, prompting a brutal raid on the dorms of Tehran University that left one student dead. (Radio Free Europe)

08-29-2023
Terrorism

Iran is pressing its proxy group, Hezbollah, to attack Israel along its northern border, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told the United Nations Secretary-General.

Iran is pressing its proxy group, Hezbollah, to attack Israel along its northern border, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told the United Nations Secretary-General as he urged him to ensure that the organization’s peacekeeping force is empowered to monitor the situation. "The potential for escalation on the northern border is increasing following a blatant violation of Lebanon's sovereignty by Hezbollah’s military build-up,” Gallant said. “The U.N. must urgently intervene to reduce tensions by strengthening the freedom of movement of the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon in the region, and implementing its mandate on the northern border,” Gallant told Guterres. (Jerusalem Post)

08-28-2023
Politics

The administration of President Ebrahim Raisi is falsifying statistics pertaining to the government of Hassan Rouhani to pretend there has been growth under his stewardship.

Despite pervasive poverty in society, the Iranian government boasts about its performance but based on apparently fabricated data, a former official says. To justify its inept handling of the economic situation, manifested in devaluation of the national currency and runaway inflation, the administration of President Ebrahim Raisi is falsifying statistics pertaining to the government of Hassan Rouhani to pretend there has been growth under his stewardship. The sheer volume of inaccurate information has prompted Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, a vice president under Rouhani and the former head of the Planning and Budget Organization, to write an open letter to the incumbent, providing what he described as the correct data. (Iran International)

08-28-2023
Terrorism

The Jordanian army said it downed a drone heading from Syria in the third such incident this month, linked to Iran-backed militias.

The Jordanian army said it downed a drone heading from Syria in the third such incident this month, linked to Iran-backed militias. Meanwhile, officials said an increase in weapons being smuggled across the border was raising concerns about a new Iranian-instigated threat beyond drugs. The army said in a statement that the drone was brought down in its territory but did not say what it was carrying. Officials have recently revealed weapons were being smuggled as well as narcotics by drone. Jordanian officials said the increasing use of drones carrying explosives was adding a new dimension in a relentless cross-border billion-dollar drug war the staunch U.S. ally has long blamed on Iranian-backed militias that hold sway in southern Syria. (Iran International)

08-27-2023
Terrorism

Iran-backed Houthi rebels killed 10 Yemen army soldiers from a southern separatist faction in a "surprise attack" after more than a year of relative calm, military sources said.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels killed 10 Yemen army soldiers from a southern separatist faction in a "surprise attack" after more than a year of relative calm, military sources said. Twelve others were wounded in the attack by the Houthis in the border area between the southern provinces of Lahj and Al-Bayda, the sources told AFP on the condition of anonymity. Four Houthi fighters were also killed, and several were wounded, the sources said. There was no immediate comment from the rebels. The attack targeted a site manned by the separatists, who aspire to create an independent state in southern Yemen such as the one that existed until 1990, the military sources said. (AFP)

08-27-2023
Terrorism

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) cleared for publication that security forces foiled an attempt to smuggle Iranian-made explosives into Israel from Jordan last month.

The Israel Defense Forces cleared for publication that security forces foiled an attempt to smuggle Iranian-made explosives into Israel from Jordan last month. The smuggling attempt was thwarted by troops of the IDF’s 417th Regional Brigade and members of the Matilan Border Police counterterrorism unit on July 24 in the Jordan Valley just south of the Sea of Galilee, near the Ashdot Ya’akov kibbutz. Initially, few details were permitted for publication by the Military Censor, including the type of contraband seized by the forces, and its origins. Later, the censor allowed for media to publish that troops had seized Iranian-made explosives. (Times of Israel)

08-27-2023
Nuclear Program

Iran's enrichment of uranium continues based on a framework established by the country's parliament, Iranian nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said.

Iran's enrichment of uranium continues based on a framework established by the country's parliament, nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said when asked about reports regarding Tehran slowing down its 60% enrichment. "Our nuclear enrichment continues based on the strategic framework law," Eslami said, referring to a related legislation. Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal reported that Iran had significantly slowed the pace at which it was accumulating near-weapons-grade enriched uranium and diluted some of its stockpile, moves that could help ease tensions with the U.S. and revive broader talks over Iran's nuclear work. (Reuters)

08-26-2023
Anti-Americanism

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi told a summit of the BRICS group of nations that Tehran is determined to help member states ditch the U.S. dollar in their economic dealings.

Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi told a summit of the BRICS group of nations that Tehran is determined to help member states ditch the U.S. dollar in their economic dealings. Raisi was delivering his speech in Johannesburg, South Africa, only a day after BRICS — currently formed by Brazil, Russia, India and China — sent out invitations to Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia and Argentina to become new members as of 2024. "Iran decisively backs up BRICS' efforts toward de-dollarization … using national currencies and strengthening the bloc's mechanisms for payment and financial interactions," Raisi said in comments aired live by Iran's state TV. Sanctioned by the United States and squeezed by banking restrictions, Iran has long been knocking on doors to try to remove the dollar from its foreign business and restore payments for its vital oil sales. (Al-Monitor)

08-25-2023
Military

Iran launched exercises to test its “electronic warfare” capabilities against mock enemy drones, fighter jets and helicopters, state television reported.

Iran launched exercises to test its “electronic warfare” capabilities against mock enemy drones, fighter jets and helicopters, state television reported. It said units from the military's navy, ground, and air forces as well as air defenses took part in the drills in the central, largely desert region of the Islamic Republic. The exercises featured domestically manufactured radars, drones, manned and unmanned fighter jets, micro aerial vehicles and other military equipment, state TV said. (Reuters)  

08-25-2023
Human Rights

Iranian authorities are arresting activists and pressuring citizens not to resume antigovernment protests, seeking to head off a new outbreak of civil disobedience around the anniversary of last year’s nationwide demonstrations.

Iranian authorities are arresting activists and pressuring citizens not to resume antigovernment protests, seeking to head off a new outbreak of civil disobedience around the anniversary of last year’s nationwide demonstrations. The tactics signaled deepening concerns among Iran’s clerical leadership that the grievances that sparked protests last year haven’t abated, and that a resumption of clashes that brought parts of the country to a near standstill remains possible, even though calm has reigned for months. Last year’s protests began in mid-September. Demands for greater freedom quickly escalated into calls for the overthrow of the clerical leadership, in one of the biggest challenges to the Islamic Republic since its founding four decades ago. (Wall Street Journal)

08-23-2023
Military

Iran and Russia have entered discussions about the prospects of further military cooperation.

As Russia and Iran are both hit by economic sanctions from the West, the allied nations have entered discussions about the prospect of military cooperation. Russia’s deputy defense minister and the Iranian ground forces commander were in talks this week during an Iranian military delegation's visit to Moscow, Interfax reports. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine 18 months ago, the two nations have drawn closer in diplomatic and military exchanges, which has caused concern in the West. In August 2022, Iran’s supply of lethal drones to Russia sparked international interest and alarm. And the alleged transfer of drones from Iran to Russia for use against Ukraine triggered further concern. (Iran International)

08-22-2023
Politics

A former senior official of Iran’s Foreign Ministry and a lawmaker have warned that "infiltrators" in the upper echelons of the government pose a threat to national interests.

A former senior official of Iran’s Foreign Ministry and a lawmaker have warned that "infiltrators" in the upper echelons of the government pose a threat to national interests. A former Director General for the Middle East, Mohammad Ali Sobhani, has said in an interview with Entekhab website last week that "a radical group of infiltrators are furthering measures that prevents the Iranian government from normalizing its relations with other countries." In April 2021, former Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif had said that Russia interfered in Iran's domestic affairs particularly by dictating ideas to the top-level commanders of the revolutionary Guards (IRGC). Zarif said that Russia summoned former IRGC Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani to Moscow on a few occasions. (Iran International)

08-22-2023
Military

Iran’s Defense Ministry unveiled a drone resembling America’s armed MQ-9 Reaper.

Iran’s Defense Ministry unveiled a drone resembling America’s armed MQ-9 Reaper, claiming that the aircraft is capable of staying airborne for 24 hours and has the range to reach the country’s archenemy Israel. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency published a photograph of the drone, called the Mohajer-10, on display at a conference marking Defense Industry Day with what appeared to be smoke-machine fog underneath it. “Mohajer” means “immigrant” in Farsi and has been a drone line manufactured by the Islamic Republic since 1985. (Associated Press)

08-21-2023
Human Rights

Iran has executed at least eight individuals – most of whom were incarcerated for drug offenses – in a span of three days, local activists said.

Iran, which Amnesty International recently slammed for turning its prisons into "killing fields," has executed at least eight individuals – most of whom were incarcerated for drug offenses – in a span of three days, local activists said. The Baluch Activists Campaign said on August 21 that four executions – all linked to drug-related offences – took place at the Zahedan prison. The group identified the victims as Abdulsamad Khadem, a 29-year-old from Zahak; Yaqub Ejbari, a father of eight from Qarqaruk village; Mohammad Anwar Barahui and an individual with the surname Qanbarzehi, both of whom were from Zahedan, which is located in the southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan. (Radio Free Europe)

08-21-2023
Terrorism

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a series of recent deadly attacks against Israelis has been funded and encouraged by Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that a series of recent deadly attacks against Israelis has been funded and encouraged by Iran. "We are in the midst of a terror attack. This terror attack is encouraged, guided, funded by Iran and its satellite states," Netanyahu said in broadcast remarks. He spoke in the occupied West Bank at a site where hours earlier an Israeli woman was shot dead by suspected Palestinian gunmen. (Reuters)

08-20-2023
Politics

Hardliners hold such a strong sway within Iran's regime that media discuss their intentions to seize control of the political system for the upcoming decade.

Hardliners hold such a strong sway within Iran's regime that media discuss their intentions to seize control of the political system for the upcoming decade. They have almost been in total control of the presidential administration since 2021, while also holding the majority of seats in the parliament (Majles) following the controversial elections of 2020, when no moderate or reformist regime loyalists were allowed to run. The ultraconservatives' near-monopoly of power is already strong enough so that traditional conservatives such as the elderly members of the Islamic Coalition Party find it hard to consider themselves as players in the upcoming parliamentary election in March. (Iran International)

08-20-2023
Military

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps released footage showing Iranian forces confronting U.S. naval forces in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps released footage showing Iranian forces confronting U.S. naval forces in the Strait of Hormuz. The incident comes as U.S. warships entered the gateway to the Persian Gulf for the first time since 2021, responding to Iranian seizures and harassment of oil tankers. IRGC speed boats were seen in the video trailing the USS Bataan, which was carrying thousands of Marines as part of larger reinforcements to the area. “Your helicopter is in the vicinity of my vessels,” Iranian forces radioed to the American warship, “sometimes going to Iranian territorial waters. Advised to take them on your boat and do not enter … Iranian territorial waters. If you do not obey my orders, we will open fire on your helicopters, over.” (i24 News)

08-17-2023
Military

An Iranian scientific network led by a regime loyalist who has links to Iran’s brutal Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps is trying to engage U.K.-based academics with expertise in dual-use technologies.

An Iranian scientific network led by a regime loyalist who has links to Iran’s brutal Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps is trying to engage U.K.-based academics with expertise in dual-use technologies. Mohammad Hussain Ataee Dolat Abadi, director of International Conference of Research in Europe (ICRE), has persuaded leading scientists and engineers from universities including Cambridge, Birmingham, Glasgow Caledonian, and University College London to share their ideas and address conferences in Tehran. The network was personally backed by the former Iranian minister of science and supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and is an official partner of the Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, which has been subject to U.K. and E.U. sanctions due to its involvement with Iran’s nuclear weapons program since 2012. (Jewish Chronicle)

08-17-2023
Military

Iran and Russia are said to be running a month behind schedule on a drone manufacturing facility in Russia. The site at Alabuga is unlikely to meet its target date for 6,000 drones.

Although Western officials have revealed the existence of the facility and Moscow’s partnership with Tehran, documents leaked from the program and obtained by The Washington Post provide new information about the effort by two self-proclaimed enemies of the United States — under some of the world’s heaviest sanctions — to expand the Kremlin’s drone program. Altogether, the documents indicate that, despite delays and a production process that is deeply reliant on foreign-produced electronic components, Moscow has made steady progress toward its goal of manufacturing a variant of the Iranian Shahed-136, an attack drone capable of traveling more than 1,000 miles. (Washington Post)

08-14-2023
Anti-Americanism

Russian officials have said that the volume of trade between Russia and Iran will reach $7.5 billion by 2025.

The intensification of international sanctions against Russia has made Iran a potentially major trade partner for Moscow, a website in Tehran said. According to Rouydad24, Iranian officials have started to think of Russia as a $100 billion market for Iranian goods. This, however, is an outlandish expectation given Iran’s own isolation due to sanctions, its crippled economy, and the need for technology and raw materials hard for Iran to acquire. The volume of trade between Moscow and Tehran reached $4 billion between January and October 2022, a far cry from the $100 billion figure. Russian officials have said that the volume of trade will reach $7.5 billion by 2025. (Iran International)

08-13-2023
Extremism

Iranian authorities arrested nine followers of the Bahai faith— over a host of corruption charges — including money laundering and tax evasion, the intelligence ministry said.

Iranian authorities arrested nine followers of the Bahai faith— over a host of corruption charges — including money laundering and tax evasion, the intelligence ministry said. The Bahais, Iran's largest non-Muslim minority, are branded by the Islamic republic as "heretics" and are often targeted over alleged ties to Israel, home to their most important shrines and world headquarters. The arrests targeted members of the group in the capital Tehran, said to own "20 pharmacies, three cosmetic companies, and multiple unauthorized warehouses," according to the ministry. (Associated Press)

08-09-2023
Military

Iran announced that it has achieved the ability to produce supersonic cruise missiles.

Iran announced that it has achieved the ability to produce supersonic cruise missiles, a potentially significant military achievement at a time of heightened tensions with the United States. Iranian military scientists said they gained the “technical know-how” to manufacture cruise missiles that can travel at supersonic speeds and that the homegrown missile is currently in the testing stage. The development will “open a new chapter in Iran’s defense technologies,” the semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported. (Al-Monitor)

08-08-2023
Military

Iran warned that it could capture American vessels after the Pentagon beefed up its presence in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea.

In a message of defiance and apparent preparedness for escalation, Iran warned that it could capture American vessels after the Pentagon beefed up its presence in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. "The Islamic Republic is capable of reciprocating any mischief by the Americans … including through seizure of their vessels in reciprocation," said Brig. Gen. Ramezan Sharif, spokesman for Iran's hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in comments covered by Fars News Agency. The reaction came one day after the United States sent a 3,000-strong contingent of U.S. Marines and personnel to the Red Sea. Earlier last month, the U.S. military also dispatched F-35, F-16 and A-10 warplanes along with Navy destroyers to the Persian Gulf. The reinforcement, according to US officials, is meant to conduct joint patrols in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway of utmost vitality to the global oil trade. (Al-Monitor)

08-08-2023
Terrorism

The head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' elite Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, arrived in Beirut ahead of a meeting with Hezbollah's Nasrallah, according to Walla News.

The head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' elite Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, arrived in Beirut ahead of a meeting with Hezbollah's Nasrallah, according to Walla News. Citing reports, the Israeli news outlet noted this comes after a visit to Syria. The Quds Force is responsible for clandestine missions outside of Iran, aiding proxies hostile to Israel in the region, most notably the Hezbollah terrorist organization. Iranian activity has also come under scrutiny in the West Bank by Jerusalem's defense establishment for fomenting terrorism against Israelis. (i24 News)

08-06-2023
Politics

Iran appointed Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, who is under U.S. and British sanctions, to head the Islamic Republic’s top court.

Iran appointed Mohammad Jafar Montazeri, who is under U.S. and British sanctions, to head the Islamic Republic’s top court. Montazeri was named the supreme court chief after the “opinions of all the court judges” were taken into consideration, the judiciary’s Mizan Online website said. The 75-year-old, who had served as prosecutor general since 2016, would be succeeded in his former post by Mohammad Kazem Movahedi Azad, the chief of the High Disciplinary Court of Judges which investigates judicial conduct, Mizan added. Montazeri was placed under U.S. sanctions in December, with Washington identifying him as having a role in “overseeing the prosecution of protesters” during mass demonstrations in Iran last year. (Times of Israel)

08-03-2023
Military

Tehran is using partnerships between universities in Iran and the U.K. to develop their arms industry, an Iranian government document has reportedly shown.

Tehran is using partnerships between universities in Iran and the U.K. to develop their arms industry, an Iranian government document has reportedly shown. The document, discovered by Kasra Aarabi who heads the Iran Programme at the Tony Blair Institute, allows Iran's military access to sensitive research conducted by Iranian universities and their international partners that could be used to expand its capabilities. The document, which was issued by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, also gives the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), amongst other security services, powers to obtain the research, prompting Aarabi to state that research between the U.K. and Iranian universities is "being utilized by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and will end up in their hands." (The New Arab)

08-02-2023
Military

Iran's Revolutionary Guards' navy has unveiled new vessels equipped with 600-km range missiles.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards' navy has unveiled new vessels equipped with 600-km range missiles at a time of rising tensions with the U.S. in the Gulf, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. The announcement was made during a military exercise off the coast of Abu Musa Island, one of three Gulf islands under Iranian control but disputed by the United Arab Emirates. The news agency gave no details about the missiles but cited a commander on the need to defend the islands. (Reuters)

07-25-2023
Military

Iran's Defense Ministry said it had mass-produced the country's first long-range naval ballistic missile with a host of new combat features.

Iran's Defense Ministry said it had mass-produced the country's first long-range naval ballistic missile with a host of new combat features, designed to "completely destroy" enemy carriers, state media outlets reported. "We have employed artificial intelligence within the software of the naval missile's trajectory planning," Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani announced at a televised ceremony in Tehran. The ceremony marked the delivery of dozens of the projectiles to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran's regular army, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. The missile is dubbed Abu Mahdi after Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander of Iraqi's Tehran-backed Popular Mobilization Units. (Al-Monitor)

07-25-2023
Military

U.S. intelligence officials have warned that Russia is building a drone-manufacturing facility in country with Iran’s help that could have a significant impact on the war in Ukraine.

U.S. intelligence officials have warned that Russia is building a drone-manufacturing facility in country with Iran’s help that could have a significant impact on the war in Ukraine once it is completed. Analysts from the Defense Intelligence Agency told a small group of reporters during a briefing that the drone-manufacturing facility now under construction is expected to provide Russia with a new drone stockpile that is “orders of magnitude larger” than what it has been able to procure from Iran to date. When the facility is completed, likely by early next year, the new drones could have a significant impact on the conflict, the analysts warned. In April, the U.S. released a satellite image of the planned location of the purported drone manufacturing plant, inside Russia’s Alabuga Special Economic Zone about 600 miles east of Moscow. (CNN)

07-25-2023
Military

Bolivia is interested in obtaining Iranian drone technology to protect its borders and combat smuggling and drug trafficking, the Andean country’s defense minister confirmed.

Bolivia is interested in obtaining Iranian drone technology to protect its borders and combat smuggling and drug trafficking, the Andean country’s defense minister confirmed a day after Argentina demanded information on an agreement reached by Iran and Bolivia that has raised security concerns in the region. Edmundo Novillo dismissed those concerns, saying they were “exaggerated” and came from an Argentine lawmaker “who, I understand, has Israeli origins,” whom he did not name. (Associated Press)

07-25-2023
Human Rights

Iran topped the list of countries that imposed the highest number of internet restrictions in the first half of this year.

Iran topped the list of countries that imposed the highest number of internet restrictions in the first half of this year. Much of the disruption happens during protests, according to new data. According to figures from cyber security company Surfshark, Iran took the lead globally with 14 new restrictions, followed by India with nine and Pakistan with three. Protests were identified as the main driver of the shutdowns. Surfshark spokesperson Gabriele Racaityte-Krasauske said that it was "deeply concerning" to see Iran's surge in internet restrictions, particularly following the death of Mahsa Amini and the Zahedan massacre. (Al-Monitor)

07-23-2023
Military

Iran began an annual air force drill in the central part of the country, state media reported.

Iran began an annual air force drill in the central part of the country, state media reported, as the United States sends more fighter planes to the region to deter the Islamic Republic from seizing commercial vessels in the Persian Gulf area. The official IRNA news agency said 11 Iranian air force bases participated in the drill, dubbed Fadaeian Velyat-11, or Devotees of the Supreme Leader-11. It said an air base at the southern port of Bandar Abbas at the mouth of the strategic Strait of Hormuz is active in the drill. The Strait of Hormuz is the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20 percent of all crude oil passes. (Associated Press)

07-21-2023
Anti-Americanism

A fourth U.S. citizen has been detained in Iran, several sources confirmed to Al-Monitor.

A fourth U.S. citizen has been detained in Iran, several sources confirmed to Al-Monitor, potentially complicating the Biden administration’s pursuit of a prisoner exchange with Tehran. More than two years after the United States and Iran began indirect talks over a prisoner swap, Tehran was known to be holding three Iranian-Americans — Siamak Namazi, Emad Shargi and Morad Tahbaz — on charges U.S. officials say are baseless. Five sources with knowledge of the situation told Al-Monitor that the United States was seeking the release of a fourth individual detained by Tehran. Multiple sources said the detainee is a male dual U.S.-Iranian national, with one source saying he was arrested in late 2022. (Al-Monitor)

07-21-2023
Terrorism

Iran has assembled a heavily armed unit comprised of thousands of fighters from across the region capable of conducting attacks on U.S. troops in Syria as well as against neighboring Israel.

Iran has assembled a heavily armed unit comprised of thousands of fighters from across the region capable of conducting attacks on U.S. troops in Syria as well as against neighboring Israel, according to a document shared with Newsweek by a member of an intelligence agency of a nation allied with the United States. The intelligence official, who requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the information, told Newsweek that U.S. officials had been briefed on the contents of the document, which covered the existence of the "Imam Hossein Division," said to be linked to the expeditionary Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). (Newsweek)

07-20-2023
Military

Iran would retaliate against any oil company unloading Iranian oil from a seized tanker, the Revolutionary Guards' navy commander Alireza Tangsiri said, according to state media.

Iran would retaliate against any oil company unloading Iranian oil from a seized tanker, the Revolutionary Guards' navy commander Alireza Tangsiri said, according to state media. In April, the U.S. confiscated Iranian oil on a tanker at sea in a sanctions enforcement operation, according to a maritime security firm. Tangsiri added that Tehran would hold Washington responsible for allowing the unloading of the tanker's content. Sources familiar with the matter, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue, had said Washington took control of the oil cargo aboard the Marshall Islands tanker Suez Rajan after securing an earlier court order. (Reuters)

07-18-2023
Politics

In public messaging, Iran’s leaders have sought to deflect blame for water shortages.

From Tehran to rural regions, people are posting videos to social media complaining of days on end in the heat without running water, their faucets emitting nothing but murky drops. The water shortages, which experts say are driven in large part by decades of mismanagement, are a long-standing problem. But they have grown more severe as climate change accelerates — and are an increasing driver of discontent, sparking protests and confrontations in recent years.  In public messaging, Iran’s leaders have sought to deflect blame to the Taliban, which rules in neighboring Afghanistan, for restricting water flow in the Helmand River. Officials have also blamed floods and fallen rocks, for disrupting the operation of dams around Tehran, and ordinary citizens, for their consumption of water and electricity. (Washington Post)

07-18-2023
Military

The Iranian president is focusing on securing drone sales in return for food during his latest trip to Africa.

The Iranian president is focusing on securing drone sales in return for food during his latest trip to Africa. According to Kayhan newspaper, affiliated with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's office, President Raisi is working on “extraterritorial cultivation, export of products such as drones and cars, petrochemical products, as well as technical exports." The latest revelations will come as no shock, the barter deals of the heavily sanctioned regime the only way it can muddle through its current crisis, calling in favors from its dictatorial allies around the world from South America to Africa. Iran has been providing drones to guerrilla groups across the Middle East for decades, and most recently, has supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine with hundreds of Shahed drones used in large scale missile attacks. (Iran International)

07-18-2023
Military

Iran's top military officer said that his country has gained sufficient military prowess to make its foes forego the option of a military strike against the Islamic Republic.

Iran's top military officer said that his country has gained sufficient military prowess to make its foes forego the option of a military strike against the Islamic Republic. "It's been years since they have stopped talking about the military option," said the chief of staff of Iran's armed forces, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, in an interview with Tasnim news agency. Enumerating "criminal" foes, including the United States and Israel, Bagheri said they have also come to the conclusion that "a ground battle against the Islamic Republic will be doomed in failure." Despite engaging in on-and-off diplomacy with Tehran over the past decade, the United States has warned that "everything remains on the table" in its treatment of threats posed by the Islamic Republic's nuclear and missile programs. (Al-Monitor)

07-18-2023
Human Rights

Iran's clerical rulers are clamping down on dissent ahead of the anniversary of the death of a young woman in morality police custody.

Iran's clerical rulers are clamping down on dissent ahead of the anniversary of the death of a young woman in morality police custody, fearing a revival of nationwide protests that rocked the Islamic Republic for months. Journalists, lawyers, activists, human rights advocates and students have been arrested, summoned or faced other measures in a campaign that one activist described as "instilling fear and intimidation." (Reuters)

07-17-2023
Politics

President Ebrahim Raisi has sacked the head of Iran's Statistics Center and the Social Security Organization, as hardliners purge officials outside their circle.

President Ebrahim Raisi has sacked the head of Iran's Statistics Center and the Social Security Organization, as hardliners purge officials outside their circle. Javad Hossein-Zadeh was removed from his position as the head of the only government institution issuing statistics on the struggling economy, which somewhat differed from frequent rosy claims and predictions by the president and his immediate aides. He was replaced by Daryush Abouhamzeh, who will serve as the interim head for the moment. Although Iran's Statistics Center is administered and funded by the government and operates under the umbrella of Planning and Budget Organization, it maintained a veneer of credibility as one of the very scarce sources of data – both economic and social. (Iran International)

07-17-2023
Human Rights

Iranian police are resuming controversial patrols to ensure women obey dress codes and cover their hair in public, state media reports.

Iranian police are resuming controversial patrols to ensure women obey dress codes and cover their hair in public, state media reports. The "morality police" will return to the streets to enforce Iran's hijab laws, a spokesman said. It comes 10 months after a young woman, Mahsa Amini, died in custody following her arrest in Tehran for allegedly breaking the dress code. (BBC)

07-17-2023
Terrorism

An article at the pro-Iran Al-Mayadeen claimed that the “Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced that its fighters in Jenin have developed an Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP), or a self-forming warhead in Jenin.”

An article at the pro-Iran Al-Mayadeen media highlighted the presence of new weapons among Hamas members, especially since it was translated to English to reach a broader audience. The claim of new weapons, then, should be viewed in the context of Israel’s operation in Jenin earlier this month and Iran’s attempts to increase threats in the West Bank. The report claimed that the “Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announces that its fighters in Jenin have developed an Explosively Formed Penetrator (EFP), or a self-forming warhead in Jenin.” (Jerusalem Post)

07-14-2023
Human Rights

A group of 54 Iranian lawyers who expressed support for the family of Mahsa Amini after she died in police custody have been summoned by judicial authorities.

A group of 54 Iranian lawyers who expressed support for the family of Mahsa Amini after she died in police custody have been summoned by judicial authorities to explain social media posts, a move activists say is part of a campaign by officials to pressure them amid continued unrest over the suppression of women's rights by the Islamic regime. (Radio Free Europe)

07-13-2023
Human Rights

Iranian media reported that two other men were publicly hanged in Fouladshahr, Esfahan province, on charges of moharebeh (enmity against God) and corruption on earth.

Iranian media reported that two other men were publicly hanged in Fouladshahr, Esfahan province, on charges of moharebeh (enmity against God) and corruption on earth. According to the Judiciary's Mizan website, the two men identified as Mohammad Ghaedi Nasab, 35, and Sadegh Mahmoudi Baram, 25, were publicly hanged after a criminal court sentenced them to death for participation in murder. It is alleged that the two defendants fought and disarmed officers, killing one and causing another to lose a finger on November 18, 2021. The executions bring this week's total of public hangings to four. (Iran International)

07-13-2023
Terrorism

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Iran was responsible for a foiled plot to attack the Israeli embassy in Azerbaijan.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said Iran was responsible for a foiled plot to attack the Israeli embassy in Azerbaijan. “Tehran stands behind the attempt,” Cohen said in a statement during an official visit to Serbia. “Iranian terror is a global threat, as we saw in the past few days in Azerbaijan in an attempted attack against the Israeli Embassy in Baku, as well as in recent months in Cyprus and Greece in attempted attacks against Israelis and Jews,” Cohen said, adding Iran had funded and issued instructions to the terror cell that attempted the attack. Cohen called for the international community to come together to oppose Iran’s terror activities. (Times of Israel)

07-13-2023
Terrorism

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant revealed that Israel and other intelligence partners thwarted more than 50 attempts to attack Jewish and Israeli targets worldwide, all orchestrated by Iran.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant revealed that Israel and other intelligence partners thwarted more than 50 attempts to attack Jewish and Israeli targets worldwide, all orchestrated by Iran. Most of them were at the last stages of execution and were stopped at the "last moment." In his visit to Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, Iran's northern neighbor, Gallant accused Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei of overseeing a terrorist campaign "of unprecedented measure" targeting Israelis and Jews. (Fox News)

07-12-2023
Anti-Americanism

Despite evidence of the use of Iranian drones by the Russian army, Iran’s Supreme Leader holds American arms companies responsible for the continued war in Ukraine.

Despite evidence of the use of Iranian drones by the Russian army, Iran’s Supreme Leader holds American arms companies responsible for the continued war in Ukraine. Despite Iran’s denials, numerous reports show that the Russian army has used hundreds of Iranian-made drones to bomb Ukraine's infrastructure and civilians. However, in his meeting with seminary students and religious missionaries on Wednesday, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said: "They [the US] are ready to victimize a nation like the poor homeless nation of Ukraine, so that the pockets of the American arms companies will be filled," he said. (Iran International)

07-12-2023
Human Rights

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on July 12 launched into a condemnation of Western attitudes on homosexuality during a visit to Uganda.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on July 12 launched into a condemnation of Western attitudes on homosexuality during a visit to Uganda, which has just introduced some of the harshest anti-gay laws in the world. "The West today is trying to promote the idea of homosexuality and by promoting homosexuality they are trying to end the generation of human beings," Raisi said. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni signed a law in May making "aggravated homosexuality" a capital offense and same-sex relations punishable by life in prison, triggering outrage among human rights groups, the United Nations, LGBT activists, and Western powers. (Radio Free Europe)

07-11-2023
Human Rights

The father of one of the victims of Iran's recent protests was tried on charges of "assembly and collusion with the intention of disrupting national security."

The father of one of the victims of Iran's recent protests was tried on charges of "assembly and collusion with the intention of disrupting national security." Ali Rouhi's court session was held at Branch 26 of Tehran Revolutionary Court. He is the father of Hamidreza Rouhi, a university student who was shot dead near his home in Shahr-e Ziba neighborhood in the west of the capital on November 18. Ali Rouhi was arrested on April 6 after he invited people to attend the birthday of his murdered son. He was released from Evin prison on bail on April 9. Rouhi's family has been under pressure for attempts to keep their son’s memory alive. (Iran International)

07-11-2023
Terrorism

Azerbaijan's security agencies thwarted a terrorist attack on the Israeli embassy in Baku, the latest in a wave of Iranian plots against Israeli targets abroad.

Azerbaijan's security agencies thwarted a terrorist attack on the Israeli embassy in Baku, the latest in a wave of Iranian plots against Israeli targets abroad. According to media reports, an Afghan citizen, Fawzan Mosa Khan, has been arrested. In a video released by Azerbaijan's State Security Service, Khan discussed how he would monitor the target of the attack. Photographs suggested Musa Khan had been surveilling the Hyatt Regency hotel complex in Baku, where the Israeli embassy is located. (Iran International)

07-11-2023
Nuclear Program

A new assessment released by U.S. intelligence revealed that Iran is boosting its nuclear capabilities but is not pursuing the development of nuclear weapons.

A new assessment released by U.S. intelligence revealed that Iran is boosting its nuclear capabilities but is not pursuing the development of nuclear weapons. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s assessment said Iran has “undertaken research and development activities that would bring it closer to producing the fissile material needed” to produce a nuclear weapon. However, the report noted that while Iran has accelerated its nuclear program since 2020, it is still not yet capable of producing a weapon. “Iran is not currently undertaking the key nuclear weapons-development activities that would be necessary to produce a testable nuclear device,” the assessment reads. (The Hill)

07-10-2023
Extremism

Iran accused an Iraqi man who recently burned a copy of the Quran in Sweden of being an agent of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad.

Iran accused an Iraqi man who recently burned a copy of the Quran in Sweden of being an agent of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. Salwan Momika, a 37-year-old Iraqi citizen living in Sweden, stomped on the Quran and set several pages alight outside a Stockholm mosque on June 28, triggering widespread anger among Muslims around the world. Swedish police had granted Momika a permit for the demonstration, citing free speech protections. (Al-Arabiya News)

07-10-2023
Human Rights

At least 60 female students in Iran have reportedly been barred from university for flouting the country’s mandatory hijab law.

At least 60 female students in Iran have reportedly been barred from university for flouting the country’s mandatory hijab law. Videos recently shared by citizen journalists show the harassment of women and girls in subways, streets, and university campuses by disciplinary committees and pro-regime civilians. In defiance, female university students across the country have been recording themselves without headscarves. Several female activists have told the Guardian that detentions and arrests of young women are on rise. They said they have been warned of serious consequences if they fail to adhere to the mandatory hijab law. (The Guardian)

07-10-2023
Human Rights

Iran has sentenced a popular rapper to six years and three months in prison over his participation in protests that rocked the country last year, his supporters said.

Iran has sentenced a popular rapper to six years and three months in prison over his participation in protests that rocked the country last year, his supporters said. A social media account run by supporters of Toomaj Salehi announced the sentence, as did Ye-One Rhie, a member of the German parliament who has campaigned on his behalf. There was no immediate word from Iranian authorities. (Associated Press)

07-10-2023
Terrorism

National production of bitumen is largely distributed to the IRGC for construction and infrastructure projects. In turn, it is often smuggled or sold out of Iran to neighboring countries, enriching IRGC-linked middlemen.

With an annual production of several million tons, Iran is among the world’s top producers of bitumen, a fuel grade that is typically used in applications such as road surfacing, roofing and certain types of paint. As Iran Open Data reported on July 10, most of the national production is distributed free of charge to state-owned entities and affiliates of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be used for construction and infrastructure projects. However, available data suggest that most of this free bitumen is smuggled or sold out of Iran to neighboring countries, enriching IRGC-linked middlemen, the collaborative initiative said. (Iran Wire)

07-09-2023
Terrorism

Israel says Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia in southern Lebanon, has set up more than two dozen military outposts along the countries’ border in violation of international agreements.

Israel says Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militia in southern Lebanon, has set up more than two dozen military outposts along the countries’ border in violation of international agreements, a development it says risks increasing confrontation. Under a United Nations Security Council resolution following the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war, armed fighters from Hezbollah are not permitted to enter the border area. Troops from the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon — or UNIFIL — are stationed there to make sure both sides keep to the rules. Yet in the past year, Israeli military officials say, those outposts have sprung up along the Blue Line, the boundary set by the U.N. (Bloomberg)

07-09-2023
Nuclear Program

A fresh batch of damning European intelligence reports reveal that the Islamic Republic of Iran sought to bypass U.S. and E.U. sanctions to secure technology for its nuclear weapons program with a view toward testing an atomic bomb.

According to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which first published translations of the intelligence documents on its website, the security agencies of Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany revealed sensitive data during the first six months of 2023 on the Iranian regime's illicit nuclear weapons proliferation activities. The reports mainly cover Iran’s alleged illegal conduct in 2022. The most shocking revelation in the trove of intelligence data was from the Netherlands General and Intelligence Security Service (AVID) that determined Iran’s astonishingly fast development of weapons-grade uranium "brings the option of a possible [Iranian] first nuclear test closer." (Fox News)

07-08-2023
Nuclear Program

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed dissatisfaction with Iran's level of cooperation with the nuclear watchdog.

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed dissatisfaction with Iran's level of cooperation with the nuclear watchdog. Rafael Grossi made these remarks during a press conference after visiting the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station in Japan. "The situation is difficult. Efforts related to the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] have currently stalled, so there is not much progress on that front. Cooperation with Iran is ongoing, but it is not at the level that I would prefer. I have conveyed this to my Iranian counterparts. We have several unresolved issues," Grossi stated. He further mentioned that he had visited Iran in March, where he agreed on a joint statement and certain necessary steps to resolve existing disagreements. (Iran International)

07-07-2023
Terrorism

The U.S. Justice Department filed a forfeiture complaint this week to take control over thousands of weapons seized by the U.S. Navy that Iran had sent to terrorist groups in Yemen, including the Iran-backed Houthis.

The U.S. Justice Department filed a forfeiture complaint this week to take control over thousands of weapons seized by the U.S. Navy from Iran to terrorist groups in Yemen, including the Iran-backed Houthis. More than 9,000 rifles, 284 machine guns, approximately 194 rocket launchers, over 70 anti-tank guided missiles and over 700,000 rounds of ammunition were seized by the U.S. Navy during four interdictions of stateless vessels: two from 2021 and another two from 2023. (Al-Arabiya News)

07-06-2023
Military

Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized a tanker holding 900 metric tons of "smuggled fuel" and 12 crew members based on a court order, a report by the semi-official Fars news agency said.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized a tanker holding 900 metric tons of "smuggled fuel" and 12 crew members based on a court order, a report by the semi-official Fars news agency said. "A vessel carrying 900 tons of smuggled fuel with 12 crew members was seized by the Revolutionary Guards' Navy patrol vessels in the Persian Gulf with a court order," Fars news reported from Iran's southern port of Bandar Abbas. (Reuters)

07-06-2023
Nuclear Program

The U.N. expressed “serious concern” over Iran's steadily growing stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

The U.N. expressed “serious concern” over Iran's steadily growing stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Rosemary Di Carlo, undersecretary general for political and peacebuilding affairs, also noted that the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog remains unable to directly verify stockpiles of enriched uranium in the country. Ms. Di Carlo told the Security Council that the International Atomic Energy Agency estimates that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium has grown to more than 20 times the limit set in the 2015 nuclear deal and includes increased quantities of uranium enriched by up to 60 percent. (The National)

07-05-2023
Military

Iran tried to seize two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, firing shots at one of them, the U.S. Navy said.

Iran tried to seize two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, firing shots at one of them, the U.S. Navy said. It said that in both cases, the Iranian naval vessels backed off after the U.S. Navy responded, and that both commercial ships continued their voyages. "The Iranian navy did make attempts to seize commercial tankers lawfully transiting international waters," said Cmdr. Tim Hawkins, spokesman for the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet. "The U.S. Navy responded immediately and prevented those seizures." He said the gunfire directed at the second vessel did not cause casualties or major damage. (Associated Press)

07-05-2023
Terrorism

An Israeli researcher missing for months in Iraq is being held by a Shiite militia, according to a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

An Israeli researcher missing for months in Iraq is being held by a Shiite militia, according to a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Elizabeth Tsurkov, 36, a doctoral student at Princeton University, was kidnapped and held by the group Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi militia linked to Iran, after leaving a cafe in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, in late March, according to her family and people with knowledge of her case. She holds both Israeli and Russian passports and entered the country using her Russian passport, according to the Israeli government. Israel and Iraq do not have diplomatic relations, so she would not have been allowed to enter with an Israeli passport. (New York Times)

07-04-2023
Anti-Americanism

Iran joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) during the group’s virtual summit, representing a foreign policy achievement amid its isolation.

Iran joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) during the group’s virtual summit, representing a foreign policy achievement amid its isolation. This is the first time Tehran joins a regional pact since the 1979 revolution and the establishment of the Islamic Republic. The SCO also known as the Shanghai Pact is a Eurasian political, economic and security alliance formed in 2001 with Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, with one of its goals being cooperation against extremism. India and Pakistan joined the pact in 2017 and Belarus is also slated to become a member. (Iran International)

07-03-2023
Human Rights

Iran executed at least 354 people in the first half of 2023, a human rights group said.

Iran executed at least 354 people in the first half of 2023, a human rights group said as they renewed calls for action against Tehran. The majority of people – 206 – were put to death for drug-related offences, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights said. Among those put to death were six women and five protesters. At least 122 others were executed on murder charges, the organization said. Iran is notorious for its use of the death penalty, coming second only to China for its use of capital punishment in 2020. (The National)

07-01-2023
Terrorism

Palestinian Islamic Jihad chief Ziad Nakhaleh said in an interview that his Iran-backed terror group was working to establish cells of fighters throughout the West Bank.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad chief Ziad Nakhaleh said in an interview that his Iran-backed terror group was working to establish cells of fighters throughout the West Bank. Speaking with Iranian Arabic-language newspaper Al-Vefagh, Nakhaleh said Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — with whom he met two weeks ago in Tehran — was supportive of “moving from a state of calm to one of resistance” in the West Bank, while reiterating his support for arming Palestinians there. “The most important thing is that we strengthen the resistance,” the Damascus-based Nakhaleh said. (Times of Israel)

06-29-2023
Terrorism

Israel said its Mossad intelligence service carried out an operation in Iran to capture the suspected leader of an Iranian plot to attack Israeli businesspeople in Cyprus and thwart the attack.

Israel said its Mossad intelligence service carried out an operation in Iran to capture the suspected leader of an Iranian plot to attack Israeli businesspeople in Cyprus and thwart the attack. "In a unique operation on Iranian soil, the Mossad captured the head of the cell, who, during an investigation, gave a detailed confession that led to the exposure and dismantlement of the terrorist cell behind the Cyprus attack," the Mossad said in a statement. Iranian officials were not immediately available for comment. The Israeli agency identified the suspect as Yousef Shahabazi Abbasalilu and said he "received detailed instructions and weapons from senior (officials) in Iran's Revolutionary Guards" to carry out such an attack. (Reuters)

06-25-2023
Military

Iran’s Damavand destroyer, located on the land-locked Caspian Sea, has been outfitted with new missiles and a gun, Iranian media reported.

Iran’s Damavand destroyer, located on the land-locked Caspian Sea, has been outfitted with new missiles and a gun, Iranian media reported. Iran’s main warship on the Caspian Sea was ordered back in 2006 and completed in 2013. Iran can use this sea to expand its strategies in Central Asia and protect shipments of weapon systems, such as drones, to Russia. Iran reportedly ships drones and items for a drone factory via the Caspian Sea, according to a June 9 report at CNN. (Jerusalem Post)

06-25-2023
Terrorism

Israel formally acknowledged that an Iranian-planned terror attack targeting Israeli and Jewish targets in Cyprus was foiled.

Israel formally acknowledged that an Iranian-planned terror attack targeting Israeli and Jewish targets in Cyprus was foiled, and warned that its operatives would continue thwarting “Iranian terrorism wherever it raises its head,” including in Iran. Cypriot media reported the suspected terror plot, believed to be linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a branch of the Iranian army that is considered a terror organization by several countries, including the United States. The Phile News website said the plot was thwarted by Cypriot intelligence services, in cooperation with other foreign agencies, said to be from Israel and the U.S. (Times of Israel)  

06-22-2023
Politics

An Iranian member of parliament urged modesty rules for men as well.

As women en-masse defy the mandatory hijab in Iran, an Iranian member of parliament urged modesty rules for men as well. Alireza Pak-Fetrat said that men with tattoos must keep them covered, so as not to break Islam, which forbids tattoos as an unholy and unnecessary body ornament, defacing the sacred physical body. He also stressed that men must ensure their clothing appropriately covers their bodies, such as when riding bikes or sitting in public places, so as not to tempt women by revealing bare skin. Heated debates over a new bill about how to deal with women who refuse to observe compulsory hijab continues inside and outside the Iranian parliament. (Iran International)

06-21-2023
Politics

Iran has intensified its diplomatic activity, engaging with friends and foes alike as it seeks to reduce its isolation, improve its economy, and project strength.

Iran has intensified its diplomatic activity, engaging with friends and foes alike as it seeks to reduce its isolation, improve its economy, and project strength. Iran's ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi has led the way, swinging through China, Syria and Venezuela, hosting Saudi Arabia's top diplomat, and reaching out to other long-time regional rivals such as Egypt. And his foreign minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, has travelled to Oman, the mediator in indirect talks between Iran and its sworn enemy the United States over its suspect nuclear program and a possible prisoner swap. Sanam Vakil, director of Chatham House's Middle East and North Africa program, said Iran was seeking to show it can overcome its adversaries. (AFP)

06-21-2023
Human Rights

A group of hackers has reportedly leaked government documents suggesting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi approved the use of at least 100 trillion Iranian rials ($200 million) to put down protests during the recent nationwide unrest.

A group of hackers has reportedly leaked government documents suggesting Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi approved the use of at least 100 trillion Iranian rials ($200 million) to put down protests during the recent nationwide unrest sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in September while she was in police custody for an alleged head-scarf offense. The hackers, known as Uprising Until Overthrow and affiliated with the exiled opposition Mujahedin-e Khalq organization (MKO), reportedly hacked and released the highly confidential correspondence between the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the Thar Allah Headquarters in Tehran, and Raisi's office. (Radio Free Europe)

06-21-2023
Nuclear Program

Iran’s vice president claims the country is planning to produce 20,000 megawatts of electricity using nuclear power.

Iran’s vice president claims the country is planning to produce 20,000 megawatts of electricity using nuclear power. Mohammad Mokhber said that the use of fossil fuel is losing its place and the importance of nuclear energy is doubling. He also ordered the Minister of Energy and the Head of the Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) to compile a plan for the construction of a 20,000-megawatt nuclear power plant and provide the necessary resources for the implementation of this plan in the next year’s budget. (Iran International)

06-20-2023
Military

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) received at least $6 billion from the Iranian government, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi pushed to provide them with even more amid the protests that swept Iran last year, according to leaked documents.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) received at least $6 billion from the Iranian government, and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi pushed to provide them with even more amid the protests that swept Iran last year, according to documents leaked by the Ghyam Sarnegouni ("Rise to Overthrow") dissident hacker group this week. The leaked documents included a letter from the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri, to Raisi noting that, because of the nationwide protests, the IRGC and police needed at least 10 trillion tomans (equivalent to about $2.4 billion) in immediate funding, including funds for vehicles, military equipment, clothing and operational costs. (Jerusalem Post)

06-20-2023
Human Rights

The Iranian hacktivist group Edalat-e Ali has published documents that it says show that a top Iranian prosecutor confirmed that a “full naked body inspection” of a female political prisoner had taken place at a police detention center.

The Iranian hacktivist group Edalat-e Ali has published documents that it says show that a top Iranian prosecutor confirmed that a “full naked body inspection” of a female political prisoner had taken place at a police detention center. The information, which Edalat-e Ali said it obtained by hacking into Iran’s judiciary, came to light amid multiple complaints from women who have been subjected to such intrusive searches in Iranian prisons. Edalat-e Ali, which claims to work inside Iran to expose the "true face of the regime," said that the confidential documents reveal that Ahmad Rahmaniyan, first deputy of the public and revolutionary prosecutor, last year wrote to the head of the judiciary's Protection and Information Office confirming that the inspection of political prisoner Mojgan Kavousi was conducted in October 2021 in several stages at the Karaj Information and Security Police Detention Center. (Radio Free Europe)

06-20-2023
Terrorism

Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution claims the Iranian regime employs “state terrorism” to intimidate and eliminate opposition members in Germany.

Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution claims the Iranian regime employs “state terrorism” to intimidate and eliminate opposition members. It cautioned that Iranians residing in Germany could be targeted by Iranian intelligence and security services for abduction and espionage operations. “Fighting opposition groups and individuals at home and abroad is the focus of Iranian intelligence activities,” reads the Constitutional Protection Report 2022, which has just been released. The report further claimed that spying activities against (pro-)Israel and (pro-)Jewish targets in Germany are still part of Iran's field of espionage. (Iran International)

06-19-2023
Anti-Americanism

An Iranian intelligence officer has claimed that the United States and France are among some 20 countries involved in nationwide protests last year sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini.

An Iranian intelligence officer has claimed that the United States and France are among some 20 countries involved in nationwide protests last year sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini. The demonstrations erupted following the September 16 death in custody of Kurdish-Iranian Amini, 22, after her arrest for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women. Hundreds of people were killed, including dozens of security personnel, and thousands were arrested in connection with what officials labeled “riots” which they said were fomented by foreign countries after Amini’s death. (AFP)

06-19-2023
Human Rights

Five more teachers who supported anti-government protests in Iran have been summoned to the Revolutionary Court.

Five more teachers who supported anti-government protests in Iran have been summoned to the Revolutionary Court, the latest in a series of similar moves, including trials, of teachers in other cities across the country. The Iranian Teachers' Union's Coordination Council has confirmed the collective summons of teachers and cultural rights activists in the central Iranian city of Yazd. Three of the teachers, Ahmad Changizi, Mehdi Kalantari, and Hamideh Zare, were previously arrested following a nationwide teachers' rally in May 2022, which coincided with Teacher's Day in Yazd. The other two are Mansor Mirzaei and Mohammad Fakhralhosseini. (Radio Free Europe)

06-19-2023
Terrorism

France has banned an upcoming Iranian opposition rally over the risk of an attack.

France has banned an upcoming Iranian opposition rally over the risk of an attack, according to a letter sent to the organizers and seen by Reuters, after the release of an Iranian diplomat convicted of masterminding a plot to bomb the group in 2018. The ban comes as Western powers seek to defuse tensions with Iran and a few weeks after Tehran released several Europeans from prison, including two French nationals. French President Emmanuel Macron held a 90-minute call with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on June 10. The Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), political arm of the People's Mujahideen Organization of Iran (PMOI), has held frequent rallies in the French capital over the years, often attended by high profile former U.S., European and Arab officials critical of the Islamic Republic. (Reuters)

06-19-2023
Terrorism

The leaders of Palestinian militant groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas held talks with top Iranian officials in Tehran as deadly violence flared in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The leaders of Palestinian militant groups Islamic Jihad and Hamas held talks with top Iranian officials in Tehran as deadly violence flared in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi received Islamic Jihad chief Ziad al-Nakhalah while Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh held talks with Ali Akbar Ahmadian, the newly appointed secretary of the Supreme National Security Council (SNSC), ahead of meeting with other top officials. "The most efficient way to end the more than 75 years of occupation of Palestine is resistance," Ahmadian told Haniyeh, according to the Nournews website close to the SNSC. (AFP)

06-18-2023
Anti-Americanism

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi concluded his first Latin American tour, strengthening ties with communist dictators in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi concluded his first Latin American tour, strengthening ties with communist dictators in Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba. The Iranian head of state, against whom the U.S. has imposed sanctions, reinforced his geopolitical partnerships against the U.S., the common enemy of these four human rights violators. Raisi, a judge and religious fanatic responsible for the execution of 580 Iranians last year, reiterated to the tyrants of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela that this is not a “normal but rather a strategic” relationship against foreign interference. (The Hill)

06-15-2023
Military

Iran tested a suicide drone against a practice vessel in the Gulf and fired one other missile or drone without warning ships in the area, a U.S. official in the region said.

Iran tested a suicide drone against a practice vessel in the Gulf and fired one other missile or drone without warning ships in the area, a U.S. official in the region said. The one-way drone was launched from the Jask area of Iran 8-9 miles out to sea - within Iran's territorial waters - against a practice barge, the official said, citing U.S. intelligence data. "Essentially practicing hitting merchant vessels. That's the only reason why you would do that in the Gulf of Oman," the official said. (Reuters)

06-13-2023
Nuclear Program

Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, is signaling a willingness to make a new nuclear deal with the West, but on terms that would allow the Islamic Republic to maintain its nuclear threat.

Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, is signaling a willingness to make a new nuclear deal with the West, but on terms that would allow the Islamic Republic to maintain its nuclear threat. The U.S. shouldn’t fall for the trap. Rather, President Joe Biden’s administration should step up implementation of existing economic sanctions, and rally European allies to impose even tighter restraints on the regime in Tehran. Over the weekend, state media reported Khamenei as saying, “There is nothing wrong with the agreement [with the West], but the infrastructure of our nuclear industry should not be touched.” (Washington Post)

06-08-2023
Military

Universities in the United Kingdom have aided the Iranian regime in developing and improving military weapons including drones and fighter jets, according to a report from the Jewish Chronicle.

Universities in the United Kingdom have aided the Iranian regime in developing and improving military weapons including drones and fighter jets, according to a report from the Jewish Chronicle. Eleven British schools, including the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London, conducted at least 16 studies with connections to the Iranian regime's use of military technology. The technology that U.K. scientists have developed has likely been used in Iranian weapons deployed in Ukraine as Russia leans on the Iranians for military aid. (Washington Free Beacon)

06-06-2023
Extremism

The Telegram channel for “Islam World Resistance”—a group affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—announced that it seeks to murder Israeli LGBTQ community members.

The Telegram channel for “Islam World Resistance”—a group affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—announced that it seeks to murder Israeli LGBTQ community members in response to the annual LGBTQ parade in Jerusalem. The IRGC-linked group wrote on Telegram: "March of homosexuals in the occupied holy Al Quds city. After killing these impure [homosexuals], where should we bury them on the earth to not make the earth dirty?” (Jerusalem Post)

06-06-2023
Politics

An Iranian draft law that would set new penalties for women not wearing a headscarf in public has sparked heated debate within the Islamic Republic's leadership.

An Iranian draft law that would set new penalties for women not wearing a headscarf in public has sparked heated debate within the Islamic Republic's leadership as more women flout the country's strict dress code. Iran's conservatives, who dominate the country's parliament and leadership, have passionately defended the dress code and believe relaxing rules would begin a process leading to profound shifts in "social norms." But with many Iranians demanding change, in May the judiciary and the government proposed a "Support for the Culture of Hijab and Chastity" bill to "protect society" and "strengthen family life." The text proposes increased fines for "any person removing their veil in public places or on the internet" but withdraws the threat of a prison sentence. (AFP)

06-06-2023
Military

Iran claimed that it had created a hypersonic missile capable of traveling at 15 times the speed of sound.

Iran claimed that it had created a hypersonic missile capable of traveling at 15 times the speed of sound, adding a new weapon to its arsenal as tensions remain high with the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program. The new missile — called Fattah, or “Conqueror” in Farsi — was unveiled even as Iran said it would reopen its diplomatic posts in Saudi Arabia after reaching a détente with Riyadh following years of conflict. The tightly choreographed segment on Iranian state television apparently sought to show that Tehran’s hardline government can still deploy arms against its enemies across much of the Middle East. (Associated Press)

06-06-2023
Military

Tehran is shipping arms to Moscow via the Caspian Sea, reportedly beyond the reach of U.S. and NATO naval power.

American officials told Semafor that Tehran has stepped up its movement of arms to Moscow via the landlocked body of water, the Caspian Sea, which has prevented interdiction efforts by putting shipments beyond the reach of U.S. and NATO naval power. The U.S. has successfully intercepted seabound shipments of Iranian weapons to other war zones, such as Yemen. (Semafor)

06-06-2023
Terrorism

A new unit of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been revealed. Unit 700 will be responsible for transferring military equipment to pro-Iranian militias, notably in Syria and to Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A new unit of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been revealed. According to Israel's public broadcaster Kan, Unit 700 is headed by Gal Farsat, a former Al-Quds Force official with extensive connections to senior officials in Iran, Syria and Lebanon. Unit 700 was reported to be in charge of smuggling supplies and logistics for the Al-Quds Force. In particular, it will be responsible for transferring military equipment to pro-Iranian militias, notably in Syria and to Hezbollah in Lebanon. (i24 News)

06-05-2023
Military

The U.S. Navy said its sailors and the United Kingdom Royal Navy came to the aid of a ship in the crucial Strait of Hormuz after Iran's Revolutionary Guard "harassed" it.

The U.S. Navy said its sailors and the United Kingdom Royal Navy came to the aid of a ship in the crucial Strait of Hormuz after Iran's Revolutionary Guard "harassed" it. Three fast-attack Guard vessels with armed troops aboard approached the merchant ship at a close distance, the U.S. Navy said in a statement. It offered black-and-white images it said came from a U.S. Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon overhead, which showed three small ships close to the commercial ship. The U.S. Navy's guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul and the Royal Navy's frigate HMS Lancaster responded to the incident, with the Lancaster launching a helicopter. (Associated Press)

06-05-2023
Military

A purported arms contract seen by Sky News offers the first hard evidence that Iran has sold ammunition to Russia for its war in Ukraine, an informed security source has claimed.

A purported arms contract seen by Sky News offers the first hard evidence that Iran has sold ammunition to Russia for its war in Ukraine, an informed security source has claimed. If authentic, the 16-page document, dated 14 September 2022, appears to be for samples of varying sizes of artillery, tank shells and rockets worth just over $1m (£800,000). It was shared by the source along with five pages of an allegedly linked contract that includes barrels of a T72 tank and barrels of a Howitzer artillery piece, as well as ammunition shells. That deal was worth about $740,000 (£590,000). (Sky News)

06-05-2023
Nuclear Program

Iran is only allowing a “fraction” of the monitoring equipment at its nuclear sites that the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog expects, the organization's head said.

Iran is only allowing a “fraction” of the monitoring equipment at its nuclear sites that the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog expects, the organization's head said. Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, revealed Iran has for the first time allowed devices at two plants to detect uranium enrichment levels. Earlier this year, Mr. Grossi visited Iran and met President Ebrahim Raisi, after which a Joint Statement was issued stating Tehran “will allow the IAEA to implement further appropriate verification and monitoring activities.” The director general said for the first time the IAEA has installed an enrichment monitoring device at two uranium enrichment sites, at Fordow and Natanz. (The National)

06-04-2023
Extremism

Iran’s supreme leader defended his tough approach to the West, saying compromise would only invite further hostility from Iran’s enemies and blaming recent anti-government protests on “thugs and villains.”

Iran’s supreme leader defended his tough approach to the West, saying compromise would only invite further hostility from Iran’s enemies and blaming recent anti-government protests on “thugs and villains.” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s remarks come amid an intensifying standoff with Western countries over Iran’s nuclear program, which has made major advances in the five years since then-President Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from an international accord that restricted it. (Associated Press)

06-02-2023
Human Rights

An Iranian man, Vahid Afkari, spent his 1,000th day in solitary confinement in jail.

Amnesty International is calling for the release of an Iranian man who is spending his 1,000th day in solitary confinement in jail. Vahid Afkari, 37, was convicted, along with his two brothers, of murdering a security officer during protests over the cost of living five years ago. One of the brothers, champion wrestler Navid, was executed. The other brother, Habib, was released last year amid international pressure. (BBC)

06-02-2023
Human Rights

Iranian security forces opened fire on a protest sparked by the death of a student recently released from custody, rights groups and monitors said.

Iranian security forces opened fire on a protest sparked by the death of a student recently released from custody, rights groups and monitors said, with several people reported wounded. The protests erupted in the town of Abdanan, in the Kurdish-populated western province of Ilam, prompted by the death late last month of Bamshad Soleimankhani, 21, just days after his release from prison. The Norway-based Hengaw group published images reported to be of protesters showing wounds from birdshot pellets, along with footage showing people in the streets with gunshots audible. (Al-Arabiya)

06-02-2023
Nuclear Program

Iran is developing an underground uranium-enrichment site, integral to the construction of a nuclear missile, so deep that it could evade the United States purpose-built “bunker buster” bomb, according to satellite pictures.

Iran is developing an underground uranium-enrichment site, integral to the construction of a nuclear missile, so deep that it could evade the United States purpose-built “bunker buster” bomb, according to satellite pictures. The Natanz enrichment site is 80-100 meters deep, according to analysis by the James Martin Centre for Non-proliferation Studies, and has four entrances dug into the mountainside, each six meters wide by eight meters high. Experts exclusively told Express.co.uk that as Iran’s relationship with Russia continues to be “cemented” by a hatred of the West and an alliance over the war in Ukraine, the theocratic regime could prepare to build an arsenal of nuclear weapons. (Daily Express)

06-01-2023
Anti-Americanism

The U.S. imposed sanctions on an Iranian Revolutionary Guard official and others it says took part in wide-ranging plots to kill former national security adviser John Bolton and others around the world.

The U.S. imposed sanctions on an Iranian Revolutionary Guard official and others it says took part in wide-ranging plots to kill former national security adviser John Bolton and others around the world, including at least one additional U.S. government official. The alleged 2021 plot against Bolton, one of the best-documented of the alleged assassination efforts, is part of what U.S. prosecutors and former government officials describe as ongoing efforts by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to kill Trump-era officials behind a 2020 U.S. airstrike that killed the head of the Iranian guard’s elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani. (Associated Press)

06-01-2023
Anti-Americanism

Iran is arming militants in Syria for a new phase of lethal attacks against U.S. troops in the country.

Iran is arming militants in Syria for a new phase of lethal attacks against U.S. troops in the country, while also working with Russia on a broader strategy to drive Americans from the region, intelligence officials and leaked classified documents say. Iran and its allies are building and training forces to use more powerful armor-piercing roadside bombs intended specifically to target U.S. military vehicles and kill U.S. personnel, according to classified intelligence reports obtained by The Washington Post. Such attacks would constitute an escalation of Iran’s long-running campaign of using proxy militias to launch rocket and drone strikes on U.S. forces in Syria. (Washington Post)

05-31-2023
Military

The defense minister of Mali went to Iran for meetings that could see Iran sending arms to Mali in North Africa.

The defense minister of Mali went to Iran for meetings that could see Iran sending arms to Mali in North Africa. Malian Defense Minister Colonel Sadio Camara had meetings with Iranian Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani. Iran’s pro-regime Tasnim media reported that “the defense minister of Iran expressed the country’s readiness to provide Mali with military equipment and experiences in the fight against terrorism.” Ashtiani said Iran is prepared to share equipment, experiences and capabilities in training with Mali. “The Islamic Republic of Iran will spare no effort to strengthen Mali’s defense power against the threats posed by terrorist groups,” the Iranian general who is also the defense minister added. (Jerusalem Post)

05-31-2023
Military

Iran plans to ramp up its exportation of weapons and other military equipment in the coming months, one of the country's top generals said.

Iran plans to ramp up its exportation of weapons and other military equipment in the coming months, one of the country's top generals said. The chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Baqeri, said Iran plans to share both its equipment and military expertise with friendly countries in the region and around the world. "Introducing the Islamic Republic’s defense and military capabilities and sharing them [with friendly countries] can expand the country’s defense relations and strengthen deterrence," Baqeri said at a Wednesday press conference, according to Iranian state-run Press TV. (Fox News)

05-31-2023
Nuclear Program

Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium grew by over a quarter in the three months to May, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported.

Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium grew by over a quarter in the three months to May, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported, adding to concerns over the speed with which Tehran is accumulating 60% highly enriched uranium that can be quickly converted into weapons-grade material for nuclear weapons. U.S. officials have said it could take Iran as little as 12 days to have enough fuel for a bomb. But the Islamic Republic has also taken its first steps in several years to improve the United Nations atomic agency’s oversight of its nuclear work, the IAEA said. (Wall Street Journal)

05-30-2023
Nuclear Program

Iranian media reported that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has resolved nuclear issues with Iran relating to one of three sites being investigated over the presence of uranium particles.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has resolved nuclear issues with Iran relating to one of three sites being investigated over the presence of uranium particles, Iranian media reported. The agency’s alleged case regarding the findings of uranium particles with 83.7 purity has also been closed, a source told the semi-official Mehr news agency. (Reuters)

05-29-2023
Military

Iran wants to boost Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military by upgrading the country's air-defense system, the Fars news agency reported.

Iran wants to boost Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's military by upgrading the country's air-defense system, the Fars news agency reported on May 29. In an interview with the news agency, Iranian General Said Hamzah Kalandari said that although Syria had its air-defense capabilities, the "Syrian brothers" will be supported with equipment and tactical upgrades. The general, who is active in the Defense Ministry, said the aim was to contain Israeli attacks. Along with Russia, Iran is Assad's most important ally. Iran has been expanding its political and military relations in the region since the 1990s. (Radio Free Europe)

05-29-2023
Military

Iran is preparing to unveil a hypersonic missile in the near future, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander said.

Iran is preparing to unveil a hypersonic missile in the near future, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander said. This comes after Iran last week unveiled a new ballistic missile capable of reaching a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) and carrying warheads weighing over a ton. “The hypersonic missile has passed its tests and will be unveiled soon,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the IRGC’s aerospace unit, as saying. “This new missile is capable of passing through all missile defense systems. It targets the enemy’s anti-missile systems and is a big leap in the field of missiles,” he added. (Al-Arabiya)

05-29-2023
Human Rights

An Iranian journalist went on trial behind closed doors on charges linked to her coverage of the funeral of a Kurdish-Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini.

An Iranian journalist went on trial behind closed doors on charges linked to her coverage of the funeral of a Kurdish-Iranian woman whose death in custody last year triggered months of unrest, her lawyer told ILNA news agency. The death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in custody of the morality police for allegedly violating the Islamic dress code unleashed a wave of mass protests across Iran for months, marking the biggest challenge to Iran's clerical leaders in decades. Elaheh Mohammadi covered Amini's funeral in her Kurdish hometown Saqez, where the protests began. The Islamic Republic accused its foreign foes of igniting the protests to destabilize the country. (Reuters)

05-27-2023
Military

Iranian media highlighted its use of drones in anti-submarine warfare.

Iranian media highlighted its use of drones in anti-submarine warfare. The article at Fars News didn’t elaborate a lot on Iran’s new capabilities but did say that Iran’s navy commander Shahram Irani has discussed the use of anti-submarine drones for operations. Iran claims it can use these drones out to a distance of 1,000 kilometers. Iran says it uses a weapon known as the Mark 46 torpedo which can be mounted on a drone. The drone can carry several types of torpedoes, the article claims. It is not clear if it can carry more than one at a time. “In addition to the anti-submarine torpedo, the anti-submarine drone can also carry an anti-ship torpedo,” the report said. (Jerusalem Post)

05-26-2023
Anti-Americanism

Iran Urges Asian Partners to Drop the Dollar from Bilateral Trade.

Members of the Asian Clearing Union (ACU) – a nine-strong group of central banks including those of India, Pakistan and Iran – are to launch a new cross-border financial messaging system in the coming weeks, as an alternative to the main existing international network Swift. According to officials from Iran – which currently chairs the body – the members of the bloc agreed at a meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran on May 24 that they would set up the new system within a month. (Forbes)

05-25-2023
Military

Iran unveiled what it called the latest iteration of its liquid-fueled Khorramshahr ballistic missile, the Khorramshahr-4, amid wider tensions with the West over its nuclear program.

Authorities showed off the Khorramshahr-4 to journalists at an event in Tehran, with the missile on a truck-mounted launcher. Defense Minister Gen. Mohammad Reza Ashtiani said the missile could be prepared for launch in a short period. “One of the prominent characteristics of this missile is its ability to evade radar detection and penetrate enemy air defense systems, thanks to its low radar signature,” the general told journalists. (Associated Press)

05-24-2023
Nuclear Program

Former MP Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh claims the country's nuclear dossier will now move to the Foreign Ministry, meaning the end of the JCPOA.

Former MP Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh claims the country's nuclear dossier will now move to the Foreign Ministry, meaning the end of the JCPOA. Speaking to Setareh-e Sobh newspaper, he said: “It seems likely that foreign policy cases will be transferred from the Council to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which means issues like the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will be archived,” he claimed, referring to the recent change to the leadership of the Supreme National Security Council. Iran's Security Chief Ali Shamkhani stepped down with President Ebrahim Raisi appointing a heavily sanctioned Revolutionary Guards commander as his replacement. (Iran International)

05-23-2023
Extremism

A British-Iranian hunger striker calling for the U.K. to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) is to resume his public protest this week after a fatwa was allegedly issued against him.

A British-Iranian hunger striker calling for the U.K. to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) is to resume his public protest this week after a fatwa was allegedly issued against him. Vahid Beheshti, 46, was recently discharged from hospital after spending two months on hunger strike in a tent outside London’s Foreign Office and is believed to be recovering in a 'safehouse'. He told the JC that “nothing” would stop him from returning to Whitehall to protest, despite being “strongly advised” not to by counterterrorism operatives. (Jewish Chronicle)

05-23-2023
Politics

A moderate conservative politician says the ultraconservative Paydari Party has occupied most power centers including the parliament and the state television.

A moderate conservative politician says the ultraconservative Paydari Party has occupied most power centers including the parliament and the state television. Former lawmaker Mansour Haghighatpour told Etemad Onlinethat the "audacious Paydari Party" has a lot of money, controls several powerful institutions and has seized and occupied the state television silently. Haghighatpour is close to Iran’s former conservative parliament (Majles) speaker Ali Larijani who recently had a public run-in with ultraconservatives or hardliners. (Iran International)

05-22-2023
Military

Israel accused the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) of turning commercial ships into platforms for launching missiles, drones and commandos.

Israel accused the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) of turning commercial ships into platforms for launching missiles, drones and commandos, saying the objective was to spread Tehran's clandestine naval clout well beyond the Gulf. Showing images of six purportedly repurposed Iranian vessels, five of them named, Gallant told the Herzliya Conference security forum that these were "floating terror bases" and that one had recently sailed toward the Gulf of Aden. (Reuters)

05-22-2023
Nuclear Program

Iran is building a nuclear facility in the Zagros Mountains so deep in the earth that it is likely beyond the range of a last-ditch U.S. weapon.

Near a peak of the Zagros Mountains in central Iran, workers are building a nuclear facility so deep in the earth that it is likely beyond the range of a last-ditch U.S. weapon designed to destroy such sites, according to experts and satellite imagery analyzed by The Associated Press. The photos and videos from Planet Labs PBC show Iran has been digging tunnels in the mountain near the Natanz nuclear site, which has come under repeated sabotage attacks amid Tehran’s standoff with the West over its atomic program. (The Independent)

05-20-2023
Politics

The current ultraconservative-dominated parliament is working hard in extraordinary sessions to pass an amendment to Iran's Election Law to serve the hardliners by giving even more power to the conservative-dominated Guardian Council.

Iranian lawmaker Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh told Khabar Online website that the current ultraconservative-dominated parliament is working hard in extraordinary sessions to pass an amendment to Iran's Election Law to serve the hardliners by giving even more power to the conservative-dominated Guardian Council to disqualify any candidate who does not belong to the ultraconservative camp. (Iran International)

05-20-2023
Anti-Americanism

An Iranian military commander threatened the U.S. over the killing of Iran’s top general over three years ago, vowing to drive American forces out of the Middle East.

An Iranian military commander threatened the U.S. over the killing of Iran’s top general over three years ago, vowing to drive American forces out of the Middle East. Iran has repeatedly vowed vengeance since a U.S. airstrike killed General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in January 2020. “Although the Americans martyred Haj Qassem Soleimani, they received the first blow and now are receiving the second blow, which is nothing but their gradual withdrawal from the region,” Iranian general Hossein Salami, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, said. (Times of Israel)

05-19-2023
Human Rights

Iran has executed three men detained during anti-government protests.

Iran has executed three men detained during anti-government protests despite a public outcry over their convictions and objections by rights groups and several governments who say authorities held rushed trials, forced "confessions," and denied the accused due process. According to a report published by the Mizan News Agency, affiliated with Iran's judiciary, Saleh Mirehashemi, Majid Kazemi, and Saeed Yaqoubi were executed at dawn on May 19 in a prison in the central Iranian city of Isfahan. (Radio Free Europe)

05-16-2023
Human Rights

Iran's Cyber-Police (FATA) has threatened women fashion businesses, surgery clinics and gyms with closure over unveiled photos in their social media content.

Iran's Cyber-Police (FATA) has threatened women fashion businesses, surgery clinics and gyms with closure over unveiled photos in their social media content. Ramin Pashaei, deputy chief of FATA, said Cyber Police aims at “clearing the [Persian language] cyberspace of immoral content” and warned that any social media content considered “outside norms and against moral standards” would bring about prosecution. Authorities accuse boutiques, beauty salons, modelling agencies, gyms and plastic surgery establishments of encouraging women not to wear the hijab by their “immoral” content. (Iran International)

05-14-2023
Anti-Americanism

An Iranian-backed militia in northern Iraq was behind the drone attack that killed a U.S. military contractor in northeast Syria on March 23 and wounded more than two dozen American civilian and military personnel, according to U.S. officials.

An Iranian-backed militia in northern Iraq was behind the drone attack that killed a U.S. military contractor in northeast Syria on March 23 and wounded more than two dozen American civilian and military personnel, according to U.S. officials. The Iraqi origin of that attack has not been previously reported but was acknowledged by a senior U.S. military official in response to questions from The Wall Street Journal.  It was one of four attempted drone attacks launched from Iraqi territory by Iranian-backed militias against U.S. forces outside the country since August. (Wall Street Journal)

05-11-2023
Politics

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC) stands to take control of Iran’s economy by gaining full power over the "economic arteries" of the country, according to an anti-regime group.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC) stands to take control of Iran’s economy by gaining full power over the "economic arteries" of the country, according to an anti-regime group. "The documents unveiled by the MEK unequivocally demonstrate that regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has granted the IRGC complete authority over Iran's economy," Alireza Jafarzadeh, deputy director of the Washington office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), told Fox News Digital. (Fox News)

05-11-2023
Anti-Americanism

Iran has stressed its right to retaliate against any Israeli action on the country’s nuclear program, threatening to hold the U.S. accountable.

Iran has stressed its right to retaliate against any Israeli action on the country’s nuclear program, threatening to hold the U.S. accountable. In a letter, Iran's permanent representative to the U.N., Saeid Iravani, made the comments to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council's president. The ambassador's threats came after U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Washington stood ready to do whatever it could to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon and that "freedom of action" was given to Israel. (Iran International)

05-11-2023
Human Rights

Iran executed seven people on rape and drug-related charges in one day, bringing the total to at least 10 confirmed cases of prisoners hanged this week.

Iran executed seven people on rape and drug-related charges in one day, bringing the total to at least 10 confirmed cases of prisoners hanged this week, as rights groups sound the alarm over the “chilling” execution spree in the Islamic Republic. Iran Human Rights (IHR) said in a report that four people convicted of rape were hanged at the Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj, 36 kilometers (22 miles) west of Tehran. The Oslo-based group could not identify the identity of the men. It said that in most rape cases, confessions are obtained under torture and defendants do not have access to a lawyer. Iranian authorities did not confirm the rape-related executions. (Al-Monitor)

05-11-2023
Terrorism

U.K. Metropolitan police received credible threats to the life of Masih Alinejad, a leading Iranian dissent based in the U.S.

Masih Alinejad, a leading Iranian dissident based in the U.S., has been put under 24-hour police protection in the U.K. after the Metropolitan police received credible threats to her life. Alinejad has become one of the main amplifiers of the protests inside Iran, appearing at the U.N. and meeting European leaders such as France’s Emmanuel Macron and the Netherland’s Mark Rutte. The Met, Alinejad said, told her “‘because of the level of the threats we are going to be with you and protect you everywhere you go. So give us your schedules, we have to know everything in advance to prepare close protection.’” (The Guardian)

05-11-2023
Terrorism

German prosecutors charged a German-Iranian dual national for an attempted arson attack near a synagogue on the orders of the government in Tehran.

German prosecutors charged a German-Iranian dual national for an attempted arson attack near a synagogue on the orders of the government in Tehran. Babak J. was instructed by an intermediary “acting on behalf of unknown Iranian state agencies” in November 2022 to carry out an arson attack on a synagogue in the region of North Rhine-Westphalia, the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement. Subsequently, the accused is said to have sought to convince an acquaintance to set fire to a synagogue in Dortmund using a Molotov cocktail but was refused.  (Al-Arabiya)

05-11-2023
Terrorism

A source in the Gaza-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group told i24NEWS that the Boraq 85 rocket that hit the central Israeli city of Rehovot, killing one person, was Iranian-made.

The Boraq 85 is a relatively new weapon system fielded by Gaza's Palestinian Islamic Jihad. A source in the Gaza-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group told i24NEWS that the rocket that hit the central Israeli city of Rehovot, killing one person, was Iranian-made. Police said four others were also wounded, and six people were being treated for anxiety. The same source also said that the rocket intercepted the day before by Israel's David's Sling air defense system was the Iranian Boraq 85 model.  (i24 News)

05-11-2023
Syria Conflict

Iran has continued supplying weapons and drugs that fuel the Yemen war despite its agreement to restore diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking said.

Iran has continued supplying weapons and drugs that fuel the Yemen war despite its agreement to restore diplomatic ties with Saudi Arabia, U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking said. The Chinese-brokered accord reached in March, talks between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis, and a cease-fire that largely has held despite expiring in October have boosted prospects for an end to the conflict. But Lenderking told reporters in an online briefing on his latest visit to the region that Iran is still supplying arms and drugs that help fuel the war, which erupted in 2014 and has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. (Reuters)

05-10-2023
Terrorism

Named only as Lebanese national Hassan M. and German-Lebanese dual citizen Abdul-Latif W., the pair were detained in northern Germany, suspected of recruiting and organizing activities for the Iran-backed group.

German federal prosecutors announced the arrest of two alleged members of Hezbollah suspected of recruiting and organizing activities for the Iran-backed group. Named only as Lebanese national Hassan M. and German-Lebanese dual citizen Abdul-Latif W., the pair were detained in northern Germany, the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement. It said Abdul-Latif W. joined the organization “at the latest” in 2004 and Hassan M. in 2016. They are both now facing charges of “membership of a foreign terrorist organization.” (Al-Arabiya)

05-10-2023
Syria Conflict

Iran’s Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian predicted during a Russia-hosted summit that Syrian dictator Bashar Assad will provide a launchpad for new attacks against Israel.

Syrian dictator Bashar Assad will provide a launchpad for new attacks against Israel, a senior Iranian official predicted during a Russia-hosted summit. "We are sure that the Syrian Army will respond to the Israeli raids at a proper time,” Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Abdollahian said. “All the signs and variables testify to the transition process in the world order, the decline of the U.S. power, and the strengthening of regionalism.” Israeli officials have conducted airstrikes in Syria for years, with the stated goal of preventing Iranian forces, which have fought in tandem with Russia to preserve the Assad regime, from establishing military outposts on Israeli borders. (Washington Examiner)

05-09-2023
Extremism

The Islamic Radio and Television Union (IRTVU), which the IRGC uses to coordinate the activities of its proxies and partners’ media activities and spread extremist views and ideology, allegedly launders money through the broadcasting of football matches t

According to Iran International's Mojtaba Pourmohsen, the head of Iraq’s section of the Islamic Radio and Television Union (IRTVU), Hamid al-Husseini, has managed to get the right to broadcast football (soccer) matches in Iraq for the Popular Mobilization Forces, an Iranian controlled Shia umbrella organization of more than 60 different armed factions, with around 128,000 fighters. According to the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a global anti-money laundering watchdog, the cash-rich sport is among the most vulnerable to money laundering, with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimating that about $140 billion is laundered globally through soccer each year. (Iran International)

05-07-2023
Syria Conflict

Iran and its proxies are enabling attacks on U.S. troops in Syria through clandestine weapons shipments hidden within humanitarian aid.

Iran and its proxies are enabling attacks on U.S. troops in Syria through clandestine weapons shipments hidden within humanitarian aid that has flowed into the region after a catastrophic earthquake killed tens of thousands earlier this year, according to classified U.S. intelligence and an Israeli military official familiar with the matter. The findings, outlined in a leak of U.S. secrets circulated on the Discord messaging platform and obtained by The Washington Post, raise dire questions about the ability of the United States and its allies to intercept Iranian-sourced arms used routinely to target American personnel, partner forces and civilians in the Middle East. (Washington Post)

05-05-2023
Extremism

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met with anti-Israel groups during his two-day visit to Syria, Tehran's close ally, where he also signed several agreements.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met with anti-Israel groups during his two-day visit to Syria, Tehran's close ally, where he also signed several agreements. Heading a high-ranking politico-economic delegation, Raisi arrived in Damascus. The visit was the first by an Iranian president since the civil war broke out in Syria in 2011. (Iran International)

05-05-2023
Human Rights

Iran has embraced artificial intelligence (AI) as a way to significantly improve its state surveillance networks, allowing the repressive regime to further crack down on perceived offenses.

Iran has embraced artificial intelligence (AI) as a way to significantly improve its state surveillance networks, allowing the repressive regime to further crack down on perceived offenses. "The Iran regime is certainly joining rogue leaders of the world in redefining and modernizing their modes of suppression," Lisa Daftari, a Middle East expert and editor-in-chief of The Foreign Desk, told Fox News Digital. "Unfortunately, just as the Iranian people are finding innovative ways of using social media, streaming and VPNs to get their message out, the regime is also taking advantage of technological advances to continue their reign of brutality."  (Fox News)

05-04-2023
Extremism

Iran has humiliated Israel by organizing “Islamic resistance,” commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force, Esmail Qaani said in Tehran. “At this point, Israel has reached a level of humiliation that it has surrounded itself with barbed wire and rad

Iran is using a state-controlled media group to spread antisemitic messaging to English-speaking audiences online, according to a report. Iran’s Press TV, an English-language government mouthpiece, uses social media to evade broadcast bans and disseminate propaganda, said the report by the Anti-Defamation League and the Center for Countering Digital Hate, a U.K.-based nonprofit. Press TV was founded by the regime in 2007 to “break the global media stranglehold of Western outlets.” (Times of Israel)

05-04-2023
Extremism

Iran has humiliated Israel by organizing “Islamic resistance,” commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force, Esmail Qaani said in Tehran.

Iran has humiliated Israel by organizing “Islamic resistance,” commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force, Esmail Qaani said in Tehran. “At this point, Israel has reached a level of humiliation that it has surrounded itself with barbed wire and radars to prevent infiltration,” Qaani told a gathering of young clerics. (Iran International)

05-03-2023
Extremism

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi bashed Israel, saying that Israel "cannot defend itself" because of what he called "the new world order."

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi bashed Israel, saying that Israel "cannot defend itself" because of what he called "the new world order." "The Zionist entity cannot supply itself with security because the conditions are significantly different from the past," he said, "Today, it's clear to everyone that the Sharm al-Sheikh, Camp David and Oslo agreements cannot supply Israel with security. The Zionist entity knows very well that it can never clash with Iran." (Jerusalem Post)

05-03-2023
Military

Iran has seized a second oil tanker in a week in Gulf waters, the U.S. Navy said, the latest escalation in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial vessels in Gulf waters since 2019.

Iran has seized a second oil tanker in a week in Gulf waters, the U.S. Navy said, the latest escalation in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial vessels in Gulf waters since 2019. The Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet of the U.S. Navy said the Panama-flagged oil tanker Niovi was seized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) at 6:20 a.m. (0220 GMT) while passing through the narrow Strait of Hormuz. The incident comes after Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman called the Advantage Sweet. (Reuters)

04-29-2023
Extremism

The Islamic Republic of Iran organized an exhibition in Afghanistan’s third-largest city of Herat that advocated the “nuclear extinction” of Israel in April as part of the month-long Al-Quds Day celebrations.

The Islamic Republic of Iran organized an exhibition in Afghanistan’s third-largest city of Herat that advocated the “nuclear extinction” of Israel in April as part of the month-long Al-Quds Day celebrations. “This exhibition is an example of the Iranian regime's exporting of its antisemitic ideology. There is a permissive environment in Afghanistan for the Iranian system to do so now, especially with the Taliban in charge, and there are natural linkages to the Hazara community, which have a significant presence in Herat," Jason Brodsky, policy director for the US-based United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), told The Jerusalem Post. The Herat exhibit that urged the nuclear obliteration of the Jewish state coincided with the antisemitic Al-Quds Day event. (Jerusalem Post)

04-29-2023
Terrorism

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is expected to visit Iran soon to discuss “political and field developments,” Hamas announced.

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is expected to visit Iran soon to discuss “political and field developments,” Hamas announced. The planned visit is seen by Palestinians as another sign of improved relations between Hamas and Iran after the tensions that erupted between the two sides over the civil war in Syria. Relations between Hamas and Iran were strained when the Palestinian group refused to come out in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad, a key ally of the Iranian regime in the Middle East. (Jerusalem Post)

04-27-2023
Military

Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman in international waters, the U.S. Navy said.

Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman in international waters, the U.S. Navy said, the latest in a series of seizures or attacks on commercial vessels in sensitive Gulf waters since 2019. According to the International Maritime Organization shipping database, the Advantage Sweet is owned by a China-registered company called SPDBFL No One Hundred & Eighty-Seven (Tianjin) Ship Leasing Co Ltd. (Reuters)

04-26-2023
Military

The unrest following the 2021 coup in Myanmar has increased demand for Chinese drones and for their spare parts, especially engines, which are widely believed to have been purchased from Iran.

Chinese drones have been used by the Myanmar military since 2015 to support counterinsurgency operations in the country’s restive north. But the unrest following the 2021 coup has increased demand for their use and for their spare parts, especially engines, which are widely believed to have been purchased from Iran. The Washington DC-based Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control and the U.S. watchdog United Against Nuclear Iran believe [the MD550 engine] is produced by Iranian manufacturer Oje Parvaz Mado Nafar Company or MADO. (Iran International)

04-26-2023
Human Rights

Iran's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Iranian-German dual national Jamshid Sharmahd on charges of "corruption on earth,” a judiciary spokesperson said.

Iran's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Iranian-German dual national Jamshid Sharmahd on charges of "corruption on earth," a judiciary spokesperson said. The Islamic Republic's hardline judiciary handed down the death penalty against Sharmahd in February after convicting him of heading a pro-monarchist group accused of a deadly 2008 bombing and planning other attacks in the country. (Reuters)

04-26-2023
Human Rights

Iranian authorities have been shutting down a large number of shops and businesses around the country they say are not observing the mandatory hijab law.

Iranian authorities have been shutting down a large number of shops and businesses around the country they say are not observing the mandatory hijab law. According to reports from Iran, Ali Akbar Javidan, the police commander of Kermanshah Province, said the Public Places' Supervision Department, in cooperation with "other responsible agencies," has begun "the implementation of the chastity and hijab plan." Javidan said 45 businesses were closed after ignoring warnings they were not abiding by the compulsory hijab rule. (Voice of America)

04-24-2023
Military

Russian ships are ferrying large quantities of Iranian artillery shells and other ammunition across the Caspian Sea to resupply troops fighting in Ukraine, Middle East officials said.

Russian ships are ferrying large quantities of Iranian artillery shells and other ammunition across the Caspian Sea to resupply troops fighting in Ukraine, Middle East officials said. Over the past six months, cargo ships have carried more than 300,000 artillery shells and a million rounds of ammunition from Iran to Russia, according to the officials and documents viewed by The Wall Street Journal. (The Wall Street Journal)

04-23-2023
Politics

Iran's state TV has been taken over by hardline figures who use it to transmit ideological and hardline views targeting the Reformists and opposition, including in entertainment shows.

State TV has long been recognized as one of the most powerful and influential institutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran. However, in the past two years, Vahid Jalili, a hardline figure, has taken the helm causing concern even among conservatives, with his primary goal to promote the Islamic Republic's ideology in the most hardline and extreme way. In 2021, a power struggle ensued between two like-minded groups of hard liners and conservatives vying for control of state TV. The state TV network holds a complete monopoly over domestic radio and television services, leaving no room for alternative channels in Iran. (Al-Monitor)

04-20-2023
Military

Iran’s defense ministry has delivered the army with more than 200 new drones equipped with missile capabilities and electronic warfare systems, state media reported.

Iran’s defense ministry has delivered the army with more than 200 new drones equipped with missile capabilities and electronic warfare systems, state media reported. In a ceremony broadcast on television, Defense Minister Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani handed over “more than 200 long-range strategic drones” to army chief Abdolrahim Mousavi, the official news agency IRNA said. Produced by the Iranian defense ministry, the drones are designed for reconnaissance and strike missions, and can carry air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, IRNA said. (AFP)

04-20-2023
Terrorism

Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told reporters in a briefing that Iran funds the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon with $700 million a year, as well as “knowledge and strategic weaponry,” such as precision-guided munitions.

Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said Iran was the “driving force” of a recent multi-front escalation, while detailing the funding the Islamic Republic provides to its proxies across the region. Gallant told reporters in a briefing that Iran funds the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon with $700 million a year, as well as “knowledge and strategic weaponry,” such as precision-guided munitions. The Hamas terror group that rules the Gaza Strip is funded by Iran with $100 million annually, with additional funding worth tens of millions of dollars going to the second largest terror group in the Palestinian enclave, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Gallant said. (Times of Israel)

04-19-2023
Terrorism

Iranian hackers known as "Mint Sandstorm" have been refining their tactics and targeting energy and transportation infrastructure in the U.S.

Iranian hackers known as "Mint Sandstorm" have been refining their tactics and targeting energy and transportation infrastructure in the U.S., including ports, energy companies and transit systems, Microsoft Threat Intelligence reported. Mint Sandstorm is the new name used by Microsoft to track the activity of the collection of hacker groups formerly known as Phosphorus, a collection of threat actors assessed to be associated with an intelligence arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The groups included under Mint Sandstorm have also been referred to as APT35, APT42, Charming Kitten, and TA453. (Jerusalem Post)

04-19-2023
Nuclear Program

Iran's nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami says Tehran and U.N. atomic watchdog, the IAEA, are in constant contact and talks between the two sides are progressing.

Iran's nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami says Tehran and U.N. atomic watchdog, the IAEA, are in constant contact and talks between the two sides are progressing. Eslami said that the talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency are pursued and experts report daily on the progress. During a trip to Tehran in early March, IAEA's director Rafael Grossi said he reached an agreement to ensure Iran's full cooperation and said more meetings would take place soon. (Iran International)

04-18-2023
Extremism

Iran’s president reiterated threats against Israel while marking the country’s annual Army Day.

Iran’s president reiterated threats against Israel while marking the country’s annual Army Day, though he stayed away from criticizing Saudi Arabia as Tehran seeks a détente with the kingdom. The comments by Ebrahim Raisi came as fighter jets and helicopters flew overhead in Tehran, and as Iranian submarines sailed across its waters during a ceremony carried live by state television. The day celebrates Iran’s regular military, not its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, whose expeditionary forces operate across the wider Mideast and aid Iranian-allied militia groups like Lebanon’s Hezbollah. (Associated Press)

04-17-2023
Terrorism

Indictments were filed against two Palestinian West Bank residents after they had been recruited to conduct operations on behalf of Hezbollah and the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force.

Indictments were filed against two Palestinian West Bank residents after they had been recruited to conduct operations on behalf of Hezbollah and the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced. Yusuf Mansour and Maarsil Mansour allegedly agreed to smuggle and traffic military equipment in Israel for operatives who had identified themselves as representatives of Hezbollah. Yusuf is accused of gathering intelligence with assistance from Maarsil on IDF operations in the West Bank on behalf of the Lebanon-based terrorist organization. (Jerusalem Post)

04-16-2023
Politics

Iran’s parliament speaker helped oust the country’s chief banker in December because he resisted giving more money to the IRGC’s Quds extraterritorial force.

Iran’s parliament speaker helped oust the country’s chief banker in December because he resisted giving more money to the IRGC’s Quds extraterritorial force. Iran International has obtained information that Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf and his aide Jamaleddin Aberoumand pushed former governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), Ali Salehabadi, out of office to pave the way for stepping up financial support for proxy forces under the command of IRGC’s Quds force (Qods) Force—a division responsible for extraterritorial military and clandestine operations. Both Ghalibaf and Aberoumand were senior officers in the Revolutionary Guard. (Iran International)

04-16-2023
Military

General Ali Kouhestani, the head of the Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization of the IRGC Ground Force, announced that there is a development of a powerful anti-tank guided missile called the Sadid-365.

General Ali Kouhestani, the head of the Research and Self-Sufficiency Jihad Organization of the IRGC Ground Force, announced during an interview with Tasnim news agency that there is a development of a powerful anti-tank guided missile called the Sadid-365. With a range of 8 km, the missile is capable of obliterating any armored equipment that it targets, according to Mehr news. "This optically guided missile is highly accurate in hitting the target and with the ability to attack from above, it can also pass through the active defense systems and destroy them," Kouhestani said. (Jerusalem Post)

04-14-2023
Extremism

Tens of thousands of Iranians, some chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” marched in the capital of Tehran to mark Jerusalem Day, an annual show of support for the Palestinians.

Tens of thousands of Iranians, some chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” marched in the capital of Tehran to mark Jerusalem Day, an annual show of support for the Palestinians. Senior Iranian officials attended the rally, including President Ebrahim Raisi. Since Iran’s Islamic Revolution in 1979, the rallies marking what is also known as al-Quds Day have typically been typically held on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. (Associated Press)

04-14-2023
Extremism

Iran’s president delivered an unprecedented speech to an annual pro-Palestinian rally in the Gaza Strip.

Iran’s president delivered an unprecedented speech to an annual pro-Palestinian rally in the Gaza Strip, a display of Iran’s importance to the Hamas militant group that rules the territory. In a virtual address to hundreds of supporters of Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad group gathered at a soccer field, Ebrahim Raisi urged Palestinians to press on with their struggle against Israel. “The initiative to self-determination is today in the hands of the Palestinian fighters,” Raisi said, dismissing Hamas’ domestic political rival, the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, which has long sought to win Palestinian statehood through negotiations with Israel. (Associated Press)

04-14-2023
Terrorism

Iran is recruiting militant allies to launch attacks against Israel.

The long shadow war between Iran and Israel is moving into an unpredictable new phase after one of the Islamic Republic’s most powerful military commanders began rallying allies across the Middle East to launch a fresh wave of attacks on Israeli targets. People familiar with the discussions said Esmail Qaani, who leads the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, has held a series of clandestine meetings with militant leaders across the region in recent weeks, including some operating in Syria and Iraq. (Wall Street Journal)

04-12-2023
Military

China and Russia are in advanced secret talks with Iran to replenish the Islamic Republic’s supply of a key chemical compound used to propel ballistic missiles: ammonium perchlorate.

China and Russia are in advanced secret talks with Iran to replenish the Islamic Republic’s supply of a key chemical compound used to propel ballistic missiles, diplomats familiar with the matter say, a move that would mark a clear violation of United Nations sanctions and possibly help Moscow replenish its depleted stock of rockets. Tehran has held concurrent negotiations with officials and government-controlled entities from both countries, including the state-owned Russian chemical maker FKP Anozit, to acquire large amounts of ammonium perchlorate, or AP, the main ingredient in solid propellants used to power missiles, said the diplomats, who requested anonymity in order to discuss confidential information. (Politico)

04-12-2023
Terrorism

Iran has used earthquake relief flights to bring weapons and military equipment into its strategic ally Syria.

Iran has used earthquake relief flights to bring weapons and military equipment into its strategic ally Syria, nine Syrian, Iranian, Israeli and Western sources said. The sources told Reuters that the goal was to buttress Iran's defenses against Israel in Syria and to strengthen Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Reuters is the first to report this development. After the February 6 earthquake in northern Syria and Turkey, hundreds of flights from Iran began landing in Syria's Aleppo, Damascus and Latakia airports bringing supplies, and this went on for seven weeks, the sources said. (Reuters)

04-10-2023
Politics

A website in Tehran says that former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, and his brother who is programming chief at state TV plan to win control of the next parliament.

A website in Tehran says that former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili, and his brother who is programming chief at state TV plan to win control of the next parliament. Khabar Online, wrote in an April 9 report that the Jalili brothers are determined to go from where they are in positions of power to the Iranian parliament (Majles) next year. Khabar Online added that all those who were in charge of the state television before were also political activists linked to major political groups. (Iran International)

04-10-2023
Anti-Americanism

A rocket attack targeted a base in eastern Syria where U.S. troops are based causing no injuries or damage, the U.S. military said.

A rocket attack Monday targeted a base in eastern Syria where U.S. troops are based causing no injuries or damage, the U.S. military said. The military said in a statement that one rocket struck the Mission Support Site Conoco in eastern Syria on Monday evening and another rocket was found at the attack point of origin. No one claimed responsibility for the attack. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said that Iran-backed fighters based in eastern Syria might have been behind the attack. (Associated Press)  

04-10-2023
Human Rights

As schools in Iran reopen after the new year holiday, female students are again being targeted by chemical attacks.

As schools in Iran reopen after the new year holiday, female students are again being targeted by chemical attacks. It is not immediately clear who is responsible for the poisonings, but some Iranians suspect that their own government is the likely culprit. The attacks have targeted schools across the country and students are poisoned by unknown substances that spread through the buildings, according to media reports. Some of the victims have been admitted to hospitals with shortness of breath and other respiratory symptoms. (Voice of America)

04-09-2023
Military

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed it has developed its latest suicide drone: the Meraj 532.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has claimed it has developed its latest suicide drone as the regime steps up military drone production. Known as the Meraj 532, it will be used by the IRGC ground force with a one-way range of 450km. Spokesperson Ali Kouhestani said the easy-setup drone can fly up to a height of 12,000 feet for 3 hours after taking off from a vehicle, adding that with its 50 kg warhead, it has high accuracy. (Iran International)

04-09-2023
Terrorism

The Israeli military said that three rockets were launched from Syria toward Israeli territory, a rare attack from the country's northeastern neighbor.

The Israeli military said that three rockets were launched from Syria toward Israeli territory, a rare attack from the country's northeastern neighbor that comes after days of escalating violence on multiple fronts. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket launches, which caused no damage or casualties. Only one rocket managed to cross into Israeli territory and landed in a field in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, the Israeli military said. Fragments of another destroyed missile fell into Jordanian territory near the Syrian border, Jordan's military reported. (CBS)

04-06-2023
Terrorism

Thirty-four rockets were fired from southern Lebanon, with 25 intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system over northern Israel.

Thirty-four rockets were fired from southern Lebanon, with 25 intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system over northern Israel, the military said. At least three people were injured and several buildings were damaged. In the evening several mortar shells impacted near the northern town of Metula, not causing any injuries or damage. Israel blamed Lebanon-based Hamas forces for the afternoon attacks, with Israeli official sources saying it would not have been carried out without Hezbollah’s consent. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is currently in Lebanon. (Times of Israel)

04-06-2023
Syria Conflict

Azerbaijan’s security services arrested six people accused of being recruited by Iran in order to overthrow Baku’s secular government and install a pro-Iranian religious regime.

Azerbaijan’s security services arrested six people accused of being recruited by Iran in order to overthrow Baku’s secular government and install a pro-Iranian religious regime. Those detained are all Azerbaijani nationals and are accused of being members of a group that’s received funding and instructions from Iran’s theocratic government to “undermine stability and start armed riots” in Azerbaijan, the State Security Service, the Ministry of Interior and the Prosecutor General’s Office said in a joint statement.  Dozens of Azerbaijani nationals have reportedly been arrested in the past few weeks for alleged links to Iran amid escalating tensions between the two countries over a range of issues including Israel and Azerbaijan’s conflict with Armenia. (Bloomberg)

04-05-2023
Terrorism

A senior Israeli security official revealed the alleged identity of a handler in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who recruited a pair of Pakistani nationals accused of planning to attack a Chabad house in Athens.

A senior Israeli security official revealed the alleged identity of a handler in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps who recruited a pair of Pakistani nationals accused of planning to attack a Chabad house in Athens. The handler’s name is Mohammad Mohsen Reza, a 65-year-old Pakistani national living in the Iranian city of Qom, the security official told reporters. The official said that Reza has been running a network of fellow Pakistani nationals that has been planning attacks on targets of the IRGC around the globe. (Times of Israel)

04-03-2023
Human Rights

Universities in Iran will bar female students who refuse to wear the hijab from education services.

Universities in Iran will bar female students who refuse to wear the hijab from education services. The Ministry of Science, Research and Technology said all universities and higher education centers under its supervision will be able to bar female students who do not wear a hijab from educational and welfare services, according to a statement carried by the judiciary's Mizan news agency. An education official from the health ministry said medical schools "are prohibited from providing any services to students without the Islamic hijab." (The National)

04-03-2023
Terrorism

Reports allege that three out of four of the suspects in the shooting of Azerbaijani MP Fazil Mustafa were working on the order of Iranian security forces.

The identity of four of the suspects in the shooting of Azerbaijani MP Fazil Mustafa was published by Azerbaijani media, with the reports alleging that the three were working on the order of Iranian security forces. The four were identified as Azer Sarijanov, Sabuhi Shirinov, Elshad Askerov and Emin Aliyev, according to the Azerbaijani Turan news site. According to Azerbaijani reports, the suspects visited Iran often and Sarijanov is a religious activist known as "Haji Azer" who posts speeches on YouTube. (Jerusalem Post)

04-01-2023
Human Rights

Iran’s judiciary chief has threatened to prosecute “without mercy” women who appear in public unveiled.

Iran’s judiciary chief has threatened to prosecute “without mercy” women who appear in public unveiled, Iranian media reported. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei’s warning comes on the heels of an interior ministry statement that reinforced the government’s mandatory hijab law. “Unveiling is tantamount to enmity with [our] values,” Ejei was quoted as saying by several news sites. (The Guardian)

03-31-2023
Military

China's Da-Jiang Innovations Science & Technology Co. (DJI)—a global leader in drone technology with a large presence in America—has been marketing its equipment in Iran.

China's Da-Jiang Innovations Science & Technology Co. (DJI)—a global leader in drone technology with a large presence in America—has been marketing its equipment in Iran, according to evidence collected by United Against a Nuclear Iran (UANI), a research and advocacy organization. UANI researchers discovered "multiple and explicit examples of DJI products being sold in Iran," according to a March 28 letter sent from the watchdog group to DJI's North American office in Los Angeles. (Washington Free Beacon)

03-29-2023
Politics

Hard-line lawmakers in Iran have proposed new tougher measures to enforce the country's hijab law.

Hard-line lawmakers in Iran have proposed new tougher measures to enforce the country's hijab law. The proposed measures would impose fines of up to $60,000 on women who violate the law as well as the confiscation of their passports and driver's licenses, according to lawmaker Hossein Jalali. Another member of parliament, Bijan Nobaveh, said the proposed measures also include using surveillance cameras to monitor if women in public are wearing the compulsory hijab. As punishment, offenders would be denied mobile phone and Internet services, he said. (Radio Free Europe)

03-28-2023
Terrorism

Greek police arrested two Pakistani nationals who were allegedly planning mass-casualty terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in the country.

Greek police arrested two Pakistani nationals who were allegedly planning mass-casualty terrorist attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets in the country. Israel’s Mossad spy agency, which aided the Greek investigation, said in a statement that the two were part of an Iranian terror network. The Iran-born pair, aged 27 and 29, were being held at police headquarters in central Athens, Greek authorities said. A third man, who is not in Greece, was wanted for questioning and charged in absentia. (Times of Israel)

03-27-2023
Military

Russia is helping Iran gain advanced digital-surveillance capabilities as Tehran seeks deeper cooperation on cyberwarfare.

Russia is helping Iran gain advanced digital-surveillance capabilities as Tehran seeks deeper cooperation on cyberwarfare, people familiar with the matter said, adding another layer to a burgeoning military alliance that the U.S. sees as a threat. The potential for cyberwarfare collaboration comes after Iran has, according to U.S. and Iranian officials, sold Russia drones for use in Ukraine, agreed to provide short-range missiles to Moscow and shipped tank and artillery rounds to the battlefield. Tehran is seeking the cyber help along with what U.S. and Iranian officials have said are requests for dozens of elite Russian attack helicopters and jet fighters and aid with its long-range missile program. (Wall Street Journal)

03-24-2023
Anti-Americanism

A strike by a suspected Iranian-made drone killed a U.S. contractor and wounded five American troops and another contractor in northeast Syria, the Pentagon said.

The Pentagon said a drone attack on a U.S. base killed a contractor and injured five U.S. troops and another contractor. That was followed by two simultaneous attacks on U.S. forces in Syria, according to U.S. officials. The officials said that based on preliminary information, there was a rocket attack at a Conoco plant, and one U.S. service member was injured but is in stable condition. At about the same time, several drones were launched at Green Village, where U.S. troops are also based. One official said all but one of the drones were shot down, and there were no U.S. injuries there. (Associated Press)

03-23-2023
Military

Two networks of alleged Iranian operatives were indicted for attempts to procure and export U.S. weapons technology to Tehran, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

Two networks of alleged Iranian operatives were indicted for attempts to procure and export U.S. weapons technology to Tehran, the U.S. Department of Justice announced, and four connected companies were designated for sanctioning by the U.S. Treasury Department. The schemes would have supported Iran's ballistic missile, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and weapons programs, in violation of the Arms Export Control Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. Between 2012 and 2013, Iranian citizen Amanallah Paidar and Turkish citizen Murat Bükey conspired to secure a device to test fuel cells and a bio-detection system that has application in weapons of mass destruction research. (Jerusalem Post)

03-23-2023
Human Rights

An assistant coach with Iran's national soccer team has been fired amid a campaign by hard-liners to oust him over social media posts he made criticizing the government's response to protests.

An assistant coach with Iran's national soccer team has been fired amid a campaign by hard-liners to oust him over social media posts he made criticizing the government's response to protests sparked by the death of a young woman while in police custody. Rahman Rezaei, a former star player on the Iranian men's national soccer team, had come increasingly under fire after being named last week as an assistant coach for his comments online about the regime's crackdown on demonstrators, including one last October where he said, "Enough is enough. You should be tried in the nation's courts." (Radio Free Europe)

03-18-2023
Human Rights

A human rights group says nearly 30,000 people were arrested for staging protests, political activities, or the expression of their opinions in the Iranian year ending on March 20.

A human rights group says nearly 30,000 people were arrested for staging protests, political activities, or the expression of their opinions in the Iranian year ending on March 20. The report by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) states that during the 12 months, 29,688 people were arrested in Iran, of which 28,419 were detained for exercising their rights free expression. 328 women's rights activists, 258 trade union activists, 235 ethnic minorities and 169 people of religious minorities were also among the detainees, according to the report. (Iran International)

03-17-2023
Human Rights

Iran hanged a Kurdish man viewed as a political prisoner by activists.

Iran hanged a Kurdish man viewed as a political prisoner by activists, rights groups said, amplifying alarm over the soaring number of executions in the country this year. Mohayyedin Ebrahimi, 43, was hanged at dawn at Urmia prison in northwestern Iran, the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) and Hengaw rights groups said in separate statements. Five other men were also executed on drug-related charges at Urmia on Friday morning, the groups added. (AFP)

03-17-2023
Terrorism

The Islamic Republic has opened an office in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah province to recruit young locals to join its proxies.

The Islamic Republic has opened an office in Syria’s northeastern Hasakah province to recruit young locals to join its proxies. Offering vulnerable young men a monthly salary of $200, The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the Islamic Republic is on a new drive to recruit militants from one of the region’s poorest countries. It claimed that 80 men are working voluntarily in the office, part of the Islamic Republic's efforts to expand its military and political influence in Syria. (Iran International)

03-13-2023
Military

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval arm claims that it has put “laser-guided missiles” and “air defense” on its fast attack boats.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) naval arm claims that it has put “laser-guided missiles” and “air defense” on its fast attack boats. This comes after a series of recent claims by the IRGC about upgrading its navy. The IRGC has its own naval ships while Iran has an official navy as well. The two compete for resources from the regime although the two also have different missions. The IRGC Navy carries out the harassment of foreign navies and is also involved in developing new weapons while the regular navy has larger ships and conducts longer-range missions. In recent years, the IRGC navy has sought to improve its fast attack boats, of which it has several types and hundreds of boats. (Jerusalem Post)

03-13-2023
Human Rights

Prominent reformist politician Mostafa Tajzadeh, who is currently being held at Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, says he and his cell mates were attacked by guards.

Prominent reformist politician Mostafa Tajzadeh, who is currently being held at Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, says he and his cell mates were attacked by guards for their support of recent comments made by opposition figure Mir Hossein Mousavi on regime change. Tajzadeh, 65, said in a letter that he and fellow prisoners Saeed Madani and Hossein Razzaq were attacked after they were subjected to an "unusual and long search" of their cell over the weekend. (Radio Free Europe)

03-12-2023
Military

Iran has reached a deal to buy advanced Su-35 fighter planes from Russia.

Iran has reached a deal to buy advanced Su-35 fighter planes from Russia, Iranian state media said, expanding a relationship that has seen Iranian-built drones used in Russia's war on Ukraine. "The Sukhoi-35 fighter planes are technically acceptable to Iran and Iran has finalized a contract for their purchase," the broadcaster IRIB quoted Iran's mission to the United Nations in New York as saying. IRIB's report did not carry any Russian confirmation of the deal, details of which were not disclosed. The mission said Iran had also inquired about buying military aircraft from several other unnamed countries, IRIB reported. (Reuters)

03-10-2023
Military

Russia has been capturing some of the U.S. and NATO-provided weapons and equipment left on the battlefield in Ukraine and sending them to Iran.

Russia has been capturing some of the U.S. and NATO-provided weapons and equipment left on the battlefield in Ukraine and sending them to Iran, where the U.S. believes Tehran will try to reverse-engineer the systems, four sources familiar with the matter told CNN. Over the last year, U.S., NATO and other Western officials have seen several instances of Russian forces seizing smaller, shoulder-fired weapons equipment including Javelin anti-tank and Stinger anti-aircraft systems that Ukrainian forces have at times been forced to leave behind on the battlefield, the sources told CNN. Russia believes that continuing to provide captured Western weapons to Iran will incentivize Tehran to maintain its support for Russia’s war in Ukraine, the sources said. (CNN)

03-08-2023
Human Rights

Iran has sentenced Franco-Irish citizen Bernard Phelan to 6.5 years in prison for "providing information to another country."

Iran has sentenced Franco-Irish citizen Bernard Phelan to 6.5 years in prison for "providing information to another country," his sister said in a statement, adding that her 64-year-old brother was at risk of dying in custody. Ties between France and Iran have deteriorated in recent months with Tehran detaining seven French nationals in what Paris has said are arbitrary arrests that are equivalent to state hostage taking. One of those, Iranian-French academic Fariba Adelkhah, was released, but it is still unclear how much longer she will have to stay in Iran before returning to France. (Reuters)

03-08-2023
Nuclear Program

The U.S. and Europe's top powers expressed alarm at Iran having produced a tiny amount of uranium enriched to 84% purity.

The U.S. and Europe's top powers expressed alarm at Iran having produced a tiny amount of uranium enriched to 84% purity, very close to weapons grade, and said Iran must explain how it happened. The U.N. nuclear watchdog found uranium particles enriched to up to 83.7% at Fordow, a site dug into a mountain and the second place where it is continuously enriching uranium to up to 60%. Weapons grade is around 90%. (Reuters)

03-07-2023
Politics

A new ultraconservative political coalition in Iran is taking shape, indicating jostling for next year’s parliamentary elections.

News broke March 2 of the emergence of a new ultraconservative political coalition in Iran, indicating jostling for next year’s parliamentary elections. Iranian journalist Saleh Meftah reported on Twitter two days later that a new coalition has emerged among members of the ultraconservative Paydari Party, which has the upper hand in the Iranian parliament. According to the report some 500 ultraconservative politicians took part in a meeting in Velenjak at a building where former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad meets his aides. The meeting was called by Roads and Housing Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash, a leading member of Paydari and at least two other Paydari leaders, firebrand cleric Mahmoud Nabavian who is known for his opposition to the 2015 nuclear deal and former populist presidential candidate Amir-Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi. (Iran International)

03-07-2023
Military

The head of Iran's army has said it has become one of the three countries to produce ballistic missiles capable of destroying mobile naval units.

The head of Iran's army has said it has become one of the three countries to produce ballistic missiles capable of destroying mobile naval units. Tehran has begun mass producing the missiles, which will create "significant security" in its waters, Maj Gen Mohammed Bagheri told news agency Tasnim, affiliated to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The missiles will be able to operate at a distance of 1,000 km, he said. Iran's naval activity is often the source of tension with the US, including in the Gulf of Oman, where Iran attacked an Israeli commercial vessel in November with a Shahed-136 missile. (The National)

03-07-2023
Terrorism

Hackers linked to the Iranian government were behind a cyberattack last month that shut down the operating systems of an Israeli university.

Hackers linked to the Iranian government were behind a cyberattack last month that shut down the operating systems of an Israeli university, Israel’s cyber authority said. The group responsible for the hack was identified as MuddyWater, which is affiliated with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security, the National Cyber Directorate said in a statement. The Feb. 12 attack on the Israel Institute of Technology, also known as Technion, used malware to encrypt the operating systems, the Israeli investigation found. (Bloomberg)

03-06-2023
Terrorism

The alleged orchestrator of a shooting at a synagogue in Germany is suspected of directing attacks from Tehran through his criminal networks in Germany, allegedly at the behest of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The alleged orchestrator of a shooting of a synagogue in Germany, according to five German security officials and two Western intelligence officials, was Ramin Yektaparast: a muscled Hells Angels leader wanted in the case of a gruesome biker gang murder in Germany. Yektaparast is suspected of directing attacks from Tehran through his criminal networks in Germany, allegedly at the behest of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the officials say. (Washington Post)

03-02-2023
Human Rights

Reports of Iranian schoolgirls being poisoned at school continue to stream in from across Iran, with over 1,000 students in more than 50 schools impacted so far.

Reports of Iranian schoolgirls being poisoned at school continue to stream in from across Iran, with over 1,000 students in more than 50 schools impacted so far, according to opposition reports this week. The poisonings were first reported in late November, with the pace of reports rising in recent weeks. At least eight schools throughout Iran reported poisoning incidents in one day, according to opposition media. (Jerusalem Post)

03-02-2023
Syria Conflict

The British navy seized anti-tank missiles and fins for ballistic missile assemblies during a raid on a small boat heading from Iran likely to Yemen.

The British navy seized anti-tank missiles and fins for ballistic missile assemblies during a raid on a small boat heading from Iran likely to Yemen, authorities said, the latest such seizure in the Gulf of Oman. The raid took place February 23 after an American aircraft detected a small motorboat with cargo covered by a gray tarp heading from Iran, with a helicopter from the Royal Navy frigate HMS Lancaster chasing the vessel as it ignored being hailed by radio, the British Defense Ministry said. The boat tried to reenter Iranian territorial water, but was stopped before it could.  (Associated Press)

03-01-2023
Military

Iran’s parliament has approved legislation to allow the government to allocate 3 billion euros to the Armed Forces “to strengthen the country's defense infrastructure.”

Iran’s parliament has approved legislation to allow the government to allocate 3 billion euros to the Armed Forces “to strengthen the country's defense infrastructure.” Based on the approved legislation, the General Staff of the Armed Forces is allowed to export three billion euros worth of crude oil and oil products through small private refineries after the approval of the country's budget organization. In the budget bill for the next Iranian year, starting March 21, the government had granted new permits to some departments such as the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic to sell oil on behalf of the government and earn some of the income. (Iran International)

02-28-2023
Military

Iran has shown off what it claims are underground tunnels used for air defense systems.

Iran has shown off what it claims are underground tunnels used for air defense systems. Iran showed off the tunnels during air defense drills this week. The drills are called “Guardians of Velayat Sky-1401.” The footage was released by Iran showing a 3rd Khordad air defense system apparently being driven out of a tunnel.  This is an advanced air defense system Iran used to shoot down a U.S. Global Hawk drone in 2020. According to the report the air defense system was operated by the IRGC’s Aerospace unit. The systems are kept in “subterranean tunnels” and can be easily moved out to ground level “when needed.” (Jerusalem Post)

02-28-2023
Military

Iranian media sources say a "defensive" joint exercise by the Revolutionary Guard and the Islamic Republic Army will be held to counter "enemy aerial threats."

Iranian media sources say a "defensive" joint exercise by the Revolutionary Guard and the Islamic Republic Army will be held to counter "enemy aerial threats." Brigadier General Abbas Farajpour, the spokesman for the "joint air defense exercise", said that the drills will be conducted in "two-thirds of the country's skies." This comes after the National Security Committee of Iranian Parliament held a meeting with the officials of the ministry of intelligence regarding "recent events in Isfahan and Karaj." Residents near Karaj, west of Tehran, published videos of explosions and anti-aircraft fire, which the government media described as military drills by the IRGC. One of these videos showed anti-aircraft tracer rounds soaring into the sky while an explosion can also be seen on the ground. There was no prior public notification of planned military exercises. (Iran International)

02-28-2023
Anti-Americanism

Iran has renewed threats to target former President Donald Trump and top members of his former Cabinet.

Iran has renewed threats to target former President Donald Trump and top members of his former cabinet, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, for the 2020 killing of its top military commander, Qasem Soleimani. "God willing, we are looking to kill Trump [and] Pompeo … and military commanders who issued the order should be killed," Amir Ali Hajizadeh, head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps aerospace force, told Iranian state television. The threats are nothing new, though this time they came as Tehran was announcing a new long-range cruise missile capable of flying more than 1,000 miles, which could give it additional striking capabilities to U.S. forces in the Middle East. (Fox News)

02-27-2023
Military

Two Iranian warships docked in Rio de Janeiro after Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government granted permission despite pressure from the United States to bar them.

Two Iranian warships docked in Rio de Janeiro after Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government granted permission despite pressure from the United States to bar them. The IRIS Makran and IRIS Dena warships both arrived at the port, Rio's port authority said in a statement. Reuters earlier this month reported that Brazil had bowed to U.S. pressure and declined Iran's request for the vessels to dock in Rio in late January, in a gesture from Lula as he flew to Washington to meet U.S. President Joe Biden. (Reuters)

02-27-2023
Terrorism

A smuggling operation involves the illegal trade of Iranian oil to Venezuela in return for gold bullion, which is used to fund the Lebanese-based Hezbollah terrorist organization.

Israel's minister of defense issued an order indicating that an Iranian smuggling operation uncovered last May continues to be a concern. The smuggling operation involves the illegal trade of Iranian oil to Venezuela in return for gold bullion, which is used to fund the Lebanese-based Hezbollah terrorist organization. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant signed a document revealing that dozens of kilograms of gold were smuggled from Venezuela to Europe and Syria. The gold was transported from Caracas to Tehran via Mahan Air, a privately-owned Iranian airline based in Tehran. The profits from the smuggled gold were then transferred to Hezbollah, according to the findings. (All Israel News)

02-26-2023
Military

Iran is openly talking about upgrading Syrian air defenses to help Damascus fend off continued Israeli airstrikes.

Iran is openly talking about upgrading Syrian air defenses to help Damascus fend off continued Israeli airstrikes. However, as has been the case for a decade now, Israel will undoubtedly take preemptive military action if Tehran takes any serious steps toward implementing this stated objective. On Feb. 24, Iranian state television reported Tehran's intent to supply its advanced, long-range indigenous air defense missile systems to Damascus. Any deployment of the Khordad 15 would almost certainly incur immediate Israeli strikes. The indigenous Iranian system carries Sayyad-3 missiles with a purported 120-mile range, which could potentially constrain Israel's Syria air campaign if successfully deployed. (Forbes)

02-26-2023
Human Rights

Iran’s deputy education minister says the serial poisoning of female students in the religious city of Qom and other cities have been "intentional."

Iran’s deputy education minister says the serial poisoning of female students in the religious city of Qom and other cities have been "intentional." Younes Panahi said that "it was found that some people wanted all schools, especially girls' schools, to be closed." "It has been revealed that the chemical compounds used to poison students are not war chemicals, and the poisoned students do not need aggressive treatment, and a large percentage of the chemical agents used are treatable," he told a press conference. (Iran International)

02-25-2023
Extremism

The news organization controlled by the Islamic Republic of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei urged that the Iranian authorities seize and prosecute German diplomats in Tehran.

The news organization controlled by the Islamic Republic of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei urged that the Iranian authorities seize and prosecute German diplomats in Tehran in response to Berlin's expulsion of two Iranian diplomats. Kayhan, the news outlet that serves as Khamenei's mouthpiece, demanded that German embassy staff not be allowed to leave Iran in response to Berlin's eviction of two Iranian diplomats due to the clerical regime imposing the death penalty on the German citizen Jamshid Sharmahd, who is also a legal resident of California. (The Jerusalem Post)

02-25-2023
Nuclear Program

Iranian state television has offered a defense against an accusation attributed to International Atomic Agency Organization inspectors that it enriched uranium to 84% purity.

Iranian state television has offered a defense against an accusation attributed to International Atomic Agency Organization inspectors that it enriched uranium to 84% purity. An Iranian official implicitly accepted the accusation, telling state television's English-language arm, Press T.V. that the allegation is a part of a “conspiracy” against Tehran amid tensions over its nuclear program. Iran’s Nuclear Agency Spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said that finding highly-enriched uranium particles in the pipes connecting centrifuges was a “normal issue.” (Iran International)  

02-24-2023
Military

Iran has developed a cruise missile with a range of 1,650 km (1,025 miles), a top Revolutionary Guards commander said.

Iran has developed a cruise missile with a range of 1,650 km (1,025 miles), a top Revolutionary Guards commander said, in a move likely to raise Western concerns after Russia's use of Iranian drones in the Ukraine war. Separately, Amirali Hajizadeh, the head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace force, also spoke of Iran's often repeated threat to avenge the U.S. killing of a top Iranian commander, saying "We are looking to kill (former U.S. President Donald) Trump." (Reuters)

02-24-2023
Human Rights

After long airing forced televised “confessions” of dissidents, Iran's regime is increasingly coercing individuals to post dictated statements on social media.

After long airing forced televised “confessions” of dissidents, Iran's regime is increasingly coercing individuals to post dictated statements on social media. A video of a woman unveiling at an official event in Tehran went viral on social media. Then, the same woman posted a video of herself apologizing for her “rash” behavior. (Iran International)

02-23-2023
Politics

The Islamic Republic’s Assembly of Experts, the deliberative body empowered to appoint the Supreme Leader, has renewed its loyalty to Iran’s ruler Ali Khamenei.

The Islamic Republic’s Assembly of Experts, the deliberative body empowered to appoint the Supreme Leader, has renewed its loyalty to Iran’s ruler Ali Khamenei. The Secretariat of the Assembly – also translated as the Assembly of Experts of the Leadership or as the Council of Experts – issued a statement, reiterating obsequious remarks about Khamenei. In their statement, the members of the assembly described Khamenei as a force of “solidarity and national unity," and decried the slogans and slurs that are chanted against him during popular protests for over five months. Members of the Assembly are elected from the inner circle of the regime and people very close to the Khamenei, which explains their full loyalty. The assembly is in charge of supervising, dismissing and electing the Supreme Leader. (Iran International)

02-23-2023
Terrorism

Iran is hiring organized criminals to spy on Britain’s Jews in preparation for a potential assassination campaign against prominent members of the community.

Iran is hiring organized criminals to spy on Britain’s Jews in preparation for a potential assassination campaign against prominent members of the community, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat told the JC. The regime is “mapping” Jews in the diaspora to lay the ground for high-profile revenge murders should Israel launch a military attack against the theocracy. In response, the minister, who is responsible for MI5, said: “You were right. We have very clear intelligence about the activities of hostile regimes in the U.K. and we keep a very close eye on what their agents and those close to them are doing. We know that the Iranians are using non-traditional sources to carry out these operations, including organized criminal gangs.” (Jewish Chronicle)  

02-22-2023
Military

Iran might soon receive advanced Su-35 Flanker-E multirole fighter jets from Russia and possibly other military equipment, including S-400 air defense missile systems.

Iran might soon receive advanced Su-35 Flanker-E multirole fighter jets from Russia and possibly other military equipment, including S-400 air defense missile systems. How substantially these acquisitions could ultimately affect the power balance in the Middle East remains to be seen. A mockup of a Su-35 recently photographed by satellite outside Iran's southern underground Eagle 44 airbase further fueled speculation that Iran expects to receive that aircraft as part of its most substantive fighter order in over 30 years. (Forbes)

02-21-2023
Terrorism

The Iranian government has been behind 15 credible threats to kill or kidnap British citizens or U.K.-based people in just over a year.

The Iranian government has been behind 15 credible threats to kill or kidnap British citizens or U.K.-based people in just over a year, security minister Tom Tugendhat has told parliament following intimidation that forced the closure of a Persian-language television station. Tehran had also tried to gather information on U.K.-based Jewish and Israeli individuals as “a preparation for future lethal operations”, the minister told the House of Commons in a statement. Tugendhat was speaking after Iran International, viewed by many Iranians as an opposition TV channel, temporarily ceased broadcasting from the U.K. over the weekend as a result of what Tugendhat called “very real and specific threats” towards members of its staff. (Financial Times)

02-19-2023
Terrorism

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran was responsible for a reported attack on an oil tanker.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran was responsible for a reported attack on an oil tanker. An attack on the Liberian-flagged Campo Square was confirmed by the ship's captain, who said it was lightly damaged by an airborne object on Feb. 10 while sailing through the Arabian Sea. Shipping databases linked the tanker to Zodiac Maritime, which is controlled by Israeli shipping magnate Eyal Ofer. "Last week Iran again attacked an oil tanker in the Persian Gulf and harmed the international freedom of navigation," Netanyahu said at a weekly cabinet meeting.  (Reuters)

02-19-2023
Nuclear Program

United Nations atomic agency inspectors have detected uranium that has been enriched to near weapons-grade in Iran.

United Nations atomic agency inspectors have detected uranium that has been enriched to near weapons-grade in Iran in recent weeks, three senior diplomats said, a finding that will deepen concerns about Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Iran has been producing highly enriched, weapons-grade material of 60% purity since early 2021, but the material found was of 84% purity, according to the diplomats. Weapons-grade enriched uranium is generally considered to be from around 90%-enriched uranium. The diplomats said they had been informed that Iran doesn’t appear to be accumulating a stockpile of the 84% material. (The Wall Street Journal)

02-17-2023
Military

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant delivered a speech at the opening of the 59th Security Conference in Munich, Germany, where he denounced Iran's efforts to export lethal weapons despite the embargo imposed on it.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant delivered a speech at the opening of the 59th Security Conference in Munich, Germany, where he denounced Iran's efforts to export lethal weapons despite the embargo imposed on it. The minister called on the international community to unite against the Islamic Republic's efforts and work on regulating an alternative mechanism to the embargo on ground-to-ground missiles and drones that is set to expire at the end of this year. "Below and above the surface, Iran is relentlessly working to destroy the State of Israel. It does so both directly and through its proxies - the terrorist armies that operate near Israel's borders. Iran threatens not only Israel but also the security and stability of Europe and the world at large," said Gallant. (i24 News)

02-16-2023
Military

Recent reports indicate that Iran and Turkey are pushing ahead with their respective projects to build enormous factories in Russia and Ukraine for manufacturing large numbers of their homegrown Shahed and Bayraktar drones.

Recent reports indicate that Iran and Turkey are pushing ahead with their respective projects to build enormous factories in Russia and Ukraine for manufacturing large numbers of their homegrown Shahed and Bayraktar drones. On Jan. 5, a high-level Iranian delegation visited the Russian town of Yelabuga, about 600 miles east of Moscow. Iran and Russia have ambitious plans to build a large factory there that will manufacture at least 6,000 drones based on Iranian designs. Iran has already supplied Russia with hundreds of Shahed-131/136 loitering munitions – single-use, self-detonating drones – for the war against Ukraine. (Forbes)

02-15-2023
Military

U.S. forces shot down an Iranian-made reconnaissance drone flying over a base housing American troops in northeastern Syria.

U.S. forces shot down an Iranian-made drone flying over a base housing American troops in northeastern Syria, the U.S. military said. The incident comes more than a week after a deadly 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked Turkey and Syria, followed by a significant de-escalation of violence across the war-torn country. U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the reconnaissance drone flew over Mission Support Site Conoco before American forces shot it down. (Associated Press)

02-15-2023
Terrorism

Seif al-Adel, the apparent new leader of al Qaeda is in Iran, a United Nations report has said and the United States confirmed the information.

Seif al-Adel, the apparent new leader of al Qaeda is in Iran, a United Nations report has said and the United States confirmed the information. State Department spokesperson Ned Price was asked during his daily press briefing to comment on the UN report. He said: “Our assessment aligns with that of the UN…offering safe haven to al Qaeda is another example of Iran’s wide-ranging support for terrorism, its destabilizing activities in the Middle East and beyond.” Asked by a reporter what the United States is ready to do if Adel is in Iran, Price said that the Biden administration is determined not to allow threats to emerge. (Iran International)

02-14-2023
Anti-Americanism

Iran warned it would firmly respond to any move threatening its security, saying the U.S. was responsible for any action taken by its ally Israel.

Iran warned it would firmly respond to any move threatening its security, saying the U.S. was responsible for any action taken by its ally Israel. The Israeli army said its Defense Forces and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) launched Juniper Oak, a joint drill focused on air defense, cyber security, intelligence, and logistics. Some 6,400 US and over 1,500 Israeli troops, over 140 aircraft, 12 naval vessels, and artillery systems are taking part, making it the nations' largest-ever joint drill. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

02-14-2023
Terrorism

The number of cyberattacks by Iran on targets in Israel has doubled in the past year.

The number of cyberattacks by Iran on targets in Israel has doubled in the past year, the director general of the Israeli Nation Cyber Directorate (INCD) has told Tech Monitor. Speaking to Tech Monitor at the Cybertech Conference in Tel Aviv, Portnoy said his organization has thwarted 1,000 potential cyberattacks over the past year, far outstripping its neighbors. Iran’s cyberattacks against Israel doubled in the past year, explains Portnoy. Other countries in the region have felt the same pressure, from cyber espionage to ransomware and attacks on critical national infrastructure (CNI). (Tech Monitor)

02-13-2023
Terrorism

Australian security agencies have disrupted a foreign interference plot by Iran that was targeting an Iranian-Australian on Australian soil.

Australian security agencies have disrupted a foreign interference plot by Iran that was targeting an Iranian-Australian on Australian soil, the government has said. The plot allegedly included individuals monitoring the home of a critic of the Iranian regime and extensively researching the person and their family. The home affairs minister, Clare O’Neil, revealed the incident in a speech to the Australian National University on Tuesday while also describing foreign interference as “one of the core threats our democracy faces.” (The Guardian)

02-13-2023
Syria Conflict

Britain says it has for the first time presented evidence that Iran is supplying advanced weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Britain says it has for the first time presented evidence that Iran is supplying advanced weapons to the Houthi rebels in Yemen, after finding images of tests conducted at the headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards in Tehran on the hard drive of an unmanned aircraft seized by the Royal Navy. Personnel from the British ship HMS Montrose seized the unmanned quadcopter along with a shipment of missiles and missile parts in February last year when they stopped and searched a number of fast-moving skiffs in the Gulf of Oman. The weapons and other evidence were presented to the United Nations as linking Iran to violations of Security Council resolutions barring weapons shipments to the Houthis, Britain’s Ministry of Defense said Monday in London.  (Associated Press)

02-12-2023
Politics

A new budget bill proposed cuts in the health and public sectors, and granted an increase in the budget of military and security forces.

As Iranians struggle to survive years of an unrelenting economic crisis, a new budget bill proposed cuts in the health and public sectors, and granted an increase in the budget of military and security forces. Lawmakers on 22 January approved the outlines of the budget bill, submitted by conservative President Ebrahim Raisi, for the Iranian year beginning on 21 March. (Middle East Eye)

02-12-2023
Military

Iran has reportedly used the country's state-owned airline and boats to smuggle high-end drones to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine.

Iran has reportedly used the country's state-owned airline and boats to smuggle high-end drones to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine. Sources within Iran told The Guardian that at least 18 advanced drones have been delivered to Russia's military since November, including six Mohajer-6 drones plus 12 Shahed 191 and 129 drones. Iran has also provided 54 technicians – about three per drone – to help the Russian military put the aircraft into service, according to the report. (Fox News)

02-09-2023
Military

Iran appears to be modifying the attack drones it’s providing to Russia so that the explosive warheads can inflict maximum damage on infrastructure targets inside Ukraine.

Iran appears to be modifying the attack drones it’s providing to Russia so that the explosive warheads can inflict maximum damage on infrastructure targets inside Ukraine, according to a new investigative report obtained exclusively by CNN. An unexploded warhead from an Iranian Shahed-131 drone found in the Southern Ukrainian region of Odesa in October 2022 was examined last month by the UK-based investigative organization Conflict Armament Research, along with the Ukrainian military. CAR provided its findings first to CNN. The composition of the warhead helps explain how Russia’s onslaught on Ukrainian energy infrastructure over the last several months has proven so effective. (CNN)

02-09-2023
Military

A large shipment of drones is set to be sent from Tehran to Beijing.

The adviser to Iran’s minister of intelligence has claimed that 90 countries are "customers" of Iranian drones, and China is in the "queue" to receive 15,000 of these drones. (Iran International)

02-09-2023
Human Rights

Documents show that Iran had access to the private data of Facebook users.

Released documents show that Iran, along with Russia, China and some other authoritarian governments had access to the private data of Facebook users. Internal documents in a related privacy litigation that emerged late last month have trigged the chairs of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Mark Warner and Marco Rubio, to write a letter to Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg asking fresh questions about what he and his company knew about how much user data the platform was leaking in previous years. “It appears from these documents that Facebook has known, since at least September 2018, that hundreds of thousands of developers in countries Facebook characterized as “high-risk,” including the People’s Republic of China (PRC), had access to significant amounts of sensitive user data,” they write. (Iran International)

02-08-2023
Military

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps displayed an apparent ballistic missile with the words “Death to Israel” emblazoned in Hebrew down the side.

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps displayed an apparent ballistic missile with the words “Death to Israel” emblazoned in Hebrew down the side, at an exhibition in the central city of Isfahan. Pictures posted by the Tasnim news agency show what appears to be a surface-to-surface missile in a launcher with elaborate Hebrew script running down its side. It was not clear if it was an actual missile or a mockup. (Times of Israel)

02-07-2023
Military

Iran's army unveiled its first underground base for fighter jets designed to withstand possible strikes by U.S. bunker-busting bombs.

Iran's army unveiled its first underground base for fighter jets designed to withstand possible strikes by U.S. bunker-busting bombs, state media reported. The base, named Oghab 44 (Persian for eagle), can accommodate "all types of fighter jets and bombers, in addition to drones," the official news agency IRNA said, releasing images and videos from inside the base. The exact location of the base was not revealed, but state media said it was "at the depth of hundreds of meters under the mountains," and capable of withstanding "bombs by strategic U.S. bombers." (AFP)

02-07-2023
Human Rights

A teenager arrested during protests has attempted suicide in Zahedan prison, southeast of Iran, due to severe physical, sexual and mental torture.

Baluch Activists Campaign say a teenager arrested during protests has attempted suicide in Zahedan prison, southeast of Iran, due to severe physical, sexual and mental torture. According to the human rights organization, the teenager was arrested by the Revolutionary Guard intelligence in Zahedan on January 3, but he tried to take his own life after being severely tortured. The 16-year-old has been identified as Benyamin Kouhkan, a citizen of Zahedan, the provincial capital of the largely Sistan-Baluchestan province largely populated by Sunnis of Baluch ethnicity. (Iran International)

02-06-2023
Human Rights

The Guardian spoke to 11 protesters, women and men, who claim that they were subjected to rape, sexual violence, beatings and torture while being detained by security forces.

The Guardian spoke to 11 protesters, women and men, who claim that they were also subjected to rape, sexual violence, beatings and torture while being detained by security forces. Some say they were assaulted in a police van or on the streets; others while in custody in police stations or prisons. A nurse from a hospital in Gilan says she has encountered several women in the past few months who showed signs of sexual assault and rape. “I’ve treated at least five female protesters under 30 who came in with vaginal infections and told me they were assaulted in police custody. Some of them were bleeding from their genitals,” she says. (The Guardian)

02-05-2023
Military

Moscow and Tehran are moving ahead with plans to build a new factory in Russia that could make at least 6,000 Iranian-designed drones for the war in Ukraine.

Moscow and Tehran are moving ahead with plans to build a new factory in Russia that could make at least 6,000 Iranian-designed drones for the war in Ukraine, the latest sign of deepening cooperation between the two nations, said officials from a country aligned with the U.S. As part of their emerging military alliance, the officials said, a high-level Iranian delegation flew to Russia in early January to visit the planned site for the factory and hammer out details to get the project up-and-running. The two countries are aiming to build a faster drone that could pose new challenges for Ukrainian air defenses, the officials said. (The Wall Street Journal)

02-04-2023
Extremism

The Iranian regime-controlled Channel 4 ran a series of broadcasts with British and American Holocaust deniers in January shortly before International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27.

The Iranian regime-controlled Channel 4 ran a series of broadcasts with British and American Holocaust deniers in January shortly before International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. British Holocaust denier Nicholas Kollerstrom told the Iranian regime outlet it is time to put the "nightmare hallucination narrative" of the Holocaust "to bed," and that the aim of "this holo-hoax tale" was to crush Germany's spirit, according to a translation by The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). (The Jerusalem Post)

02-03-2023
Extremism

Iranian media responded to cooperation between Israeli and Azeri defense ministers by publishing antisemitic cartoons targeting Azerbaijan’s president.

Iranian media responded to cooperation between Israeli and Azeri defense ministers by publishing antisemitic cartoons targeting Azerbaijan’s president. Iranian newspaper Javan, owned by the son of Ayatollah Hossein Mazakheri from Iran's central city of Isfahan, published on its frontpage a cartoon depicting Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev as a stereotypical Jew with a huge hooked nose, with the Israeli prime minister standing behind his back. The cartoon illustrated the article "Tel Aviv’s Trap for Baku" comes as Iran's reaction to the phone conversation between the defense ministers of Israel and Azerbaijan. (i24 News)

02-03-2023
Politics

Iran's ultra-hardliners have been pushing for further restrictions on social freedoms and freedom of expression.

Iran's ultra-hardliners have been pushing for further restrictions on social freedoms and freedom of expression. Commenting on the issue of hijab, lawmaker Hossein-Ali Haji-Deligani said in an interview with Entekhab news website recently that he believes the country should have an entity dedicated to “promotion of virtue and prevention of vice” as a completely independent organization to enforce hijab. “Our society and religion do not accept today’s kind of [lenient] hijab,” he said. (Iran International)

02-03-2023
Terrorism

An Iranian government-backed hacking team allegedly stole and leaked private customer data belonging to French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.

An Iranian government-backed hacking team allegedly stole and leaked private customer data belonging to French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, security researchers at Microsoft said. The magazine was hacked in early January after it published a series of cartoons that negatively depicted Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei. The caricatures were part of a media campaign that Charlie Hebdo said was intended to support anti-government protests in the Islamic nation. (Reuters)

02-03-2023
Nuclear Program

A U.N. watchdog report shows Iran is being inconsistent in meeting its nuclear obligations, the United States, Britain, France and Germany said in a joint statement.

A U.N. watchdog report shows Iran is being inconsistent in meeting its nuclear obligations, the United States, Britain, France and Germany said in a joint statement. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) criticized Iran for making an undeclared change to the interconnection between the two clusters of advanced machines enriching uranium to up to 60% purity, close to weapons grade, at its Fordow plant. Iran said the IAEA's position on Tehran's nuclear work was not correct. (Reuters)

02-02-2023
Terrorism

The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened punishment for those behind the desecration of Islam’s holy book, the Quran, in Europe.

The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) threatened punishment for those behind the desecration of Islam’s holy book, the Quran, in Europe. “Today, we are the guardians of Islam and the Quran … We say to those who burned the Quran, this fire will catch your bodies and turn them into corpses,” state news agency IRNA quoted Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami as saying. “Live in secret from today and have nightmares every night, Muslims will not leave you even if decades pass,” added Salami. (Al Arabiya)

02-01-2023
Extremism

Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry has detained around 40 people it suspects of being part of an Iranian spy network that used religion to push pro-Iranian propaganda.

Azerbaijan's Interior Ministry has detained around 40 people it suspects of being part of an Iranian spy network that used religion to push pro-Iranian propaganda. Local media reported on February 1 that the suspects were arrested in Baku and other regions of the country as a result of the operation conducted by the ministry. Some reports a day earlier put the number of people detained at seven. Law enforcement bodies have neither confirmed nor rejected the reports. (Radio Free Europe)

02-01-2023
Politics

The Iranian parliament is planning to introduce new articles to the Islamic Penal Code which would criminalize "expressing opinions on social networks."

The Iranian parliament is planning to introduce new articles to the Islamic Penal Code which would criminalize "expressing opinions on social networks." If approved, this will further limit freedom of speech in the Islamic Republic. According to Iran's reformist daily newspaper Etemad in an article headlined "Be careful with your comments; If it is against the official reading, you will be punished!" (Middle East Monitor)

02-01-2023
Military

Iran shows off its “Saqr” missile.

Iranian pro-government media reported extensively about the Saqr missile, noting that it had been used in Yemen by the Iran-backed Houthi group, as well as in Iraq, to target U.S. forces and also in Syria. This links Iran to all these attacks, without explicitly taking credit for them. The Tasnim report noted that this “mysterious” missile has been used in many places, all of them linked to pro-Iran forces around the Middle East. It explains how the missile behaves like a cruise missile and a “loitering” munition, that it can detect targets with optical and thermal systems. (The Jerusalem Post)

02-01-2023
Terrorism

Iran International has obtained information that unravels some details about the inner workings of a Revolutionary Guard’s Quds force unit tasked with smuggling money from Iraq to Iran.

Iran International has obtained information that unravels some details about the inner workings of a Revolutionary Guard’s Quds force unit tasked with smuggling money from Iraq to Iran. According to the information, the Islamic Republic’s embassy in Iraq is also involved in the money laundering operations that aim to funnel the regime’s revenues from oil and gas exports to Iran. As per a repeatedly extended sanctions’ waiver by Washington, Tehran is only allowed to import medicine and some essential goods in exchange for its export to its neighboring country. (Iran International)

02-01-2023
Syria Conflict

French special forces discovered more than 3,000 Iranian-supplied assault rifles, at least a half million rounds of ammunition and over 20 antitank guided missiles, in route to the Houthis in Yemen.

Elite French special forces seized a boatload of Iranian-supplied weapons and ammunition bound for militants in Yemen as part of a deepening effort to contain Tehran, according to officials familiar with the operation. On Jan. 15, the officials said, a French warship stopped a suspected smuggling ship off the Yemeni coast where the specially trained French team boarded the boat. On board, the officials said, the French military discovered more than 3,000 assault rifles, at least a half million rounds of ammunition and over 20 antitank guided missiles. (The Wall Street Journal)

01-30-2023
Military

Iranian Navy Commander Shahram Irani said Iran is looking to expand operations on the coast of the Makran region in the Sistan and Baluchistan province.

Iranian Navy Commander Shahram Irani said Iran is looking to expand operations on the coast of the Makran region in the Sistan and Baluchistan province. According to Irani, the navy and army want to focus on various fields such as fisheries and shipbuilding and providing facilities to repair ships. While these may be purely mundane discussions about improving Iran’s facilities along the coast, they could also be important, as this is the same area where Iran holds weapons – including drones – that have been used in naval drills. (The Jerusalem Post)

01-27-2023
Military

Iran's biggest warship and one of its frigates are sailing across the Pacific in a first-of-its-kind journey likely meant to show off Tehran's growing naval force to friends and foes alike.

Iran's biggest warship and one of its frigates are sailing across the Pacific in a first-of-its-kind journey likely meant to show off Tehran's growing naval force to friends and foes alike. The two ships appear to be the frigate IRIS Dena and the forward base ship IRINS Makran. They were spotted by the French and Australian navies in early January as they sailed through the South Pacific. The ships have been granted permission to dock in Rio de Janeiro, reportedly arriving on January 23. (Business Insider)

01-27-2023
Human Rights

A newspaper in Iran says the parliament's plan to add two new articles to the “Islamic Penal Code” could further restrict civil liberties and freedom of speech.

A newspaper in Iran says the parliament's plan to add two new articles to the “Islamic Penal Code” could further restrict civil liberties and freedom of speech. According to Etemad newspaper, based on the new legislation, making any comment about the state of affairs in the country can land people in trouble, particularly politicians, political activists and celebrities. The newspaper said that lawmakers at the Judiciary Committee wish to make sure that all public comments are identical with official version of developments. (Iran International)

01-27-2023
Terrorism

The Department of Justice has charged three members of an Eastern European criminal group with ties to Iran with attempting to assassinate a prominent U.S. journalist and activist critical of the Iranian regime.

The Department of Justice has charged three members of an Eastern European criminal group with ties to Iran with attempting to assassinate a prominent U.S. journalist and activist critical of the Iranian regime. In a 25-page indictment unsealed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, the Department of Justice said the three men were enlisted last year to murder an American citizen of Iranian origin on U.S. soil. The indictment did not identify the victim by name but said the person wrote critically about Iran’s treatment of women, protesters and other issues. (NBC)

01-26-2023
Human Rights

Iran has sentenced an ethnic Iranian-Kurdish pregnant woman being held in Urmia Central Prison to death.

Iran has sentenced an ethnic Iranian-Kurdish pregnant woman being held in Urmia Central Prison to death, according to a report by Iran Wire. Shahla Abdi, from the north-western province of West Azerbaijan and said to be in her early 20s, was initially arrested in Urmia in mid-October at the peak of mass protests that were triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody. Ms. Abdi is said to have received the death sentence after being accused of setting fire to a portrait of former Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. (The National)

01-26-2023
Terrorism

Iranian and Russian hackers are targeting British politicians and journalists with espionage attacks.

Iranian and Russian hackers are targeting British politicians and journalists with espionage attacks, officials have warned. The National Cyber Security Centre has issued a fresh alert about increasing attempts to steal information from specific groups and individuals. NCSC said the hackers usually target those doing research and work about Iran and Russia. (BBC)

01-25-2023
Nuclear Program

International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi warned that Tehran has amassed enough material for “several nuclear weapons.”

Diplomatic efforts to prevent Iran developing a nuclear weapon should restart, said International Atomic Energy Agency chief Rafael Grossi, who warned that Tehran has amassed enough material for “several nuclear weapons.” Speaking ahead of a planned visit to Tehran, Grossi told a European Parliament subcommittee in Brussels that Iran has not yet built a nuclear weapon and the West should redouble efforts to stop it from doing so. Uranium enriched to more than 90% can be weaponized. Iran has 70 kilograms (154 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity and 1,000 kilograms to 20% purity, according to Grossi. (CNN)

01-24-2023
Human Rights

An activist group says sixteen young people arrested in Urumieh in November, including several minors, have been tortured and threatened with rape to incriminate each other.

An activist group says sixteen young people arrested in Urumieh in November, including several minors, have been tortured and threatened with rape to incriminate each other. Follow Up Iran (komite-ye Peygiri-ye Bazdashtshodegan) which on its twitter account introduces itself as a group of activists said in a brief report on its Telegram page that the IRGC’s intelligence organization in West Azarbaijan Province has been torturing these young people to “confess” against each other and say their group was in contact with foreign intelligence services. State media reported in November that intelligence bodies had arrested 25 members of Youth of Urumieh Neighborhoods and accused them of trying “to deceive young people and incite them [to riot].” (Iran International)    

01-23-2023
Military

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is ramping up Syria’s air defense system, despite rampant poverty in Iran.

Amid new sanctions by Western countries on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard for human rights violations and other mischiefs, the multi-role organization is ramping up Syria’s air defense system, despite rampant poverty in Iran. According to a report by the Newsweek earlier in the month, the Islamic Republic has invested tens of millions of dollars from the country's public budget for the deployment of a comprehensive aerial defense network in Syria. Newsweek cited an unnamed intelligence source from a nation allied with the United States that the IRGC over the past two years has been “promoting the deployment of aerial defense capabilities on its behalf in Syria at a cost of tens of millions of dollars in order to deal with the Israeli airstrikes.” (Iran International)

01-23-2023
Human Rights

Iranian authorities have arrested three female journalists in the past two days, local media said.

Iranian authorities have arrested three female journalists in the past two days, local media said, amid months of protests triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini. "In the past 48 hours, at least three female journalists, namely Melika Hashemi, Saideh Shafiei and Mehrnoush Zarei, have been arrested in Tehran," reformist newspaper Etemad quoted the Tehran journalists' union as saying. The paper said the three women had been transferred to Evin prison, where many of those arrested in connection with the protests are being held. (AFP)

01-22-2023
Military

In addition to the 24 Su-35 Flanker-E fighter jets Tehran expects to receive from Russia as soon as March 21, the Persian New Year, Tehran also claims it has ordered helicopters and missile systems.

Iran expects to receive the first of the 24 Su-35 Flanker-E fighter jets it ordered from Russia as soon as March 21, the Persian New Year. Tehran also claims it has ordered helicopters and missile systems. Shahriar Heidari, a member of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, told Iranian state media that Iran has ordered other Russian military equipment, including helicopters, air defense systems, and other missile systems, and expects to receive them soon. While the specific equipment Iran expects in addition to Su-35s remains unclear, the seemingly imminent delivery of those two dozen air superiority fighters, originally built for Egypt, has dominated discussions and headlines. (Forbes)

01-22-2023
Anti-Americanism

Islamic Republic’s education minister says parts of the documents obtained during the US embassy takeover in 1979 will be included in school textbooks as of next year.

Islamic Republic’s education minister says parts of the documents obtained during the US embassy takeover in 1979 will be included in school textbooks as of next year. [Education Minister] Yousef Nouri said that the move was done upon a call by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the materials will be included in textbooks in all levels from the elementary school to the end of high school according to the level of understanding of the students. (Iran International)

01-20-2023
Anti-Americanism

Three drones targeted a U.S. base in Syria's Al-Tanf region but no American troops were injured, the U.S. military said in a statement.

Three drones targeted a U.S. base in Syria's Al-Tanf region but no American troops were injured, the U.S. military said in a statement. U.S. Central Command said two of the drones were shot down while the remaining drone hit the compound, injuring two members of the Syrian Free Army forces. (Reuters)

01-18-2023
Human Rights

Sources have told BBC Persian that Mohammad Mehdi Karami—a 22-year-old karate champion hanged by Iran—had less than 15 minutes to defend himself in court.

Four young men have been executed in connection with the nationwide protests that erupted in Iran four months ago, while 18 other people have been sentenced to death. Human rights groups have said they were convicted after grossly unfair sham trials. Mohammad Mehdi Karami, a 22-year-old karate champion, was hanged on 7 January, just 65 days after his arrest. Sources have told BBC Persian that he had less than 15 minutes to defend himself in court. (BBC)

01-18-2023
Syria Conflict

In a recent lengthy interview, the deputy commander of the Iranian Army for Training Affairs Brig.-Gen. Alireza Sheikh discussed how Iran’s regime views its military doctrine.

The recent interview [with the deputy commander of the Iranian Army for Training Affairs Brig.-Gen. Alireza Sheikh] reveals how Iran is following Russia’s military doctrine and also learning from Pakistan and how it is focusing on missiles and drones. Tehran is also warning its adversaries that it is practicing conducting raids that could destabilize the Gulf if Iran were confronted with a larger conflict. (The Jerusalem Post)

01-17-2023
Human Rights

A Kurdish rights group says during the first 15 days of 2023, at least 96 Kurdish citizens have been arrested by Islamic Republic government forces.

A Kurdish rights group says during the first 15 days of 2023, at least 96 Kurdish citizens have been arrested by Islamic Republic government forces. Hengaw Human Rights Organization announced in a tweet that 13 children, five university students, four teachers, and five women are among the detainees. Iranian security forces used excessive and lethal force against protesters in Kurdish regions since the beginning of nationwide protests following the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini in police custody in mid-September. (Iran International)   

01-17-2023
Human Rights

Iran has sought to develop an “unprecedented” mobile surveillance system.

Iran has sought to develop an “unprecedented” mobile surveillance system, and discussed setting up the program with a pair of Western companies, according to research from the University of Toronto’s Citizen Lab. Based on hacked documents that Citizen Lab verified were authentic, Iran’s ambitions focused on deeply integrating into mobile business systems. (Washington Post)

01-15-2023
Extremism

The Islamic Republic has announced its intention to change the content of textbooks in foreign language schools after criticism by Iran’s ruler Ali Khamenei.

The Islamic Republic has announced its intention to change the content of textbooks in foreign language schools after criticism by Iran’s ruler Ali Khamenei. Head of Non-Governmental Schools and Centers Ahmad Mahmoudzadeh told ILNA Sunday that “We will have a call to produce content of language books for schools, which will be implemented in line with the order of the Supreme Leader.” Changing the content of textbooks based on the government's propaganda policies has been implemented in the last few years upon the order of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. However, this is the first time that these changes will be applied to the language teaching books of private institutes. (Iran International)

01-15-2023
Military

Iran will receive Russian Su-35 fighter jets within three months under an agreement with Moscow.

Iran will receive Russian Su-35 fighter jets within three months under an agreement with Moscow, an Iranian parliamentarian said, Anadolu reports. Shahriar Heidari, a member of the parliament's National Security Committee, told Tasnim News Agency that the jets will arrive in Iran in the coming Iranian year, which begins March 21. According to the MP, Tehran has also ordered a number of other military equipment from Russia, including air defense systems, missile systems and helicopters, most of which will arrive soon. According to media reports, Iran will receive 24 twin-engine, highly maneuverable fourth-generation fighter jets that will be used primarily for air superiority missions. (Middle East Monitor)

01-13-2023
Terrorism

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian traveled to Beirut to meet with senior Lebanese officials and political figures such as Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian traveled to Beirut to meet with senior Lebanese officials and political figures such as Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah said in a statement that Nasrallah and Amir-Abdollahian discussed Israel’s new, hardline government and regional developments. He also held a meeting with Secretary-General of Palestinian Islamic Jihad Ziyad al-Nakhalah during his trip to Lebanon. (Iran International)

01-12-2023
Human Rights

Iranian authorities may be using new technology to help enforce the country's strict dress code for women.

Iranian authorities may be using new technology to help enforce the country's strict dress code for women, expanding the use of facial recognition technology to issue fines and other penalties for those breaking the rules. "Many people haven't been arrested in the streets," Shaparak Shajarizadeh, who fled from Iran to Canada in 2018 after multiple violations of Iran's strict laws and became an activist, told Wired in a report. "They were arrested at their homes one or two days later." (Fox News)

01-11-2023
Military

Iran's navy is set to station warships for the first time in the Panama Canal.

Iran's navy is set to station warships for the first time in the Panama Canal. Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, the commander of Iran's navy, said that his forces will establish a presence in the Panama Canal later this year, marking the first time Iran's military has entered the Pacific Ocean. Iran in recent years has placed a greater focus on moving its military into Latin American territories as it strengthens relations with anti-American dictators in the region, most notably in Venezuela. (Washington Free Beacon)

01-10-2023
Terrorism

The US intercepted a shipment of more than 2,000 Iranian assault rifles destined for Yemen.

The US intercepted a shipment of more than 2,000 Iranian assault rifles destined for Yemen, according to a statement from the US military. The interception took place in international waters in the Gulf of Oman, US Central Command said. A team from the USS Chinook, a patrol coastal vessel, boarded the other ship along a route historically used to smuggle weapons from Iran to the Houthis in Yemen. A photo from the USS The Sullivans shows the 2,116 assault rifles covering the deck of the guided missile destroyer. (CNN)

01-10-2023
Syria Conflict

Over the last two years, Iran has shifted its strategy in Syria toward prioritizing the “deployment of aerial defense capabilities," an intelligence source told Newsweek.

Iran has pursued the establishment of a comprehensive aerial defense network in Syria by sending equipment and personnel to the war-ravaged Arab nation in a project Israel has sought to thwart through repeated airstrikes, an intelligence source from a nation allied with the United States told Newsweek. However, the source told Newsweek that over the course of "the last two years" Iran has shifted its strategy, "promoting the deployment of aerial defense capabilities on its behalf in Syria at a cost of tens of millions of dollars in order to deal with the Israeli airstrikes." (Newsweek)

01-08-2023
Terrorism

German police have taken into custody a 32-year-old Iranian citizen suspected of having procured deadly poisons cyanide and ricin to commit an "Islamist-motivated" attack.

German police have taken into custody a 32-year-old Iranian citizen suspected of having procured deadly poisons cyanide and ricin to commit an "Islamist-motivated" attack, authorities in western Germany said. The residence of the suspect in the city of Castrop-Rauxel was searched as part of the investigation, according to a joint press release from the Duesseldorf public prosecutor's office and police in the cities of Recklinghausen and Muenster. Police said the Iranian was suspected of having planned a "serious act of violence endangering the state" by allegedly procuring cyanide and ricin to commit an Islamist-motivated attack. This carries a prison sentence of between 6 months to 10 years. (Reuters)

01-07-2023
Politics

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has appointed Ahmad Reza Radan as the country's new police chief.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has appointed Ahmad Reza Radan as the country's new police chief. Radan replaced outgoing Hossein Ashtari after his eight-year term of service ended, state media reported. Radan, who served as acting commander of police from 2008-2014, is known for his violent crackdown on the 2009 mass protests over a disputed presidential election. He also imposed tough measures against women who don't fully observe the hijab law. (Radio Free Europe)

01-07-2023
Human Rights

Two protesters who allegedly took part in anti-regime protests last year, Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini, were hanged.

The executions of two young men in Iran, one a karate champion, the other a volunteer children’s coach, in connection with nationwide protests have sparked outrage around the world. Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Seyed Mohammad Hosseini were hanged, state-affiliated Fars News reported. The pair, who allegedly took part in anti-regime protests last year, were convicted of killing Seyed Ruhollah Ajamian, a member of the country’s Basij paramilitary force, in Karaj on November 3, according to the Iran’s judiciary news agency Mizan. (CNN)

01-07-2023
Terrorism

An audio file shared on social media has revealed that the regime threatens Iranians abroad for taking part in anti-government protests and expressing opposition.

An audio file shared on social media has revealed that the regime threatens Iranians abroad for taking part in anti-government protests and expressing opposition. In the audio file published by the VOA Farsi service, a security agent of the Islamic Republic, who introduces himself as an agent of the intelligence ministry, threatens "Massi Kamri", an Iranian activist living in France, saying if she does not stop acting against the regime, they will imprison her parents and family members in Iran. Apparently, she participated in rallies against the Islamic Republic’s bloody crackdown on anti-government protests that have engulfed Iran following the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. (Iran International)

01-04-2023
Anti-Americanism

Two rockets struck a base housing American troops in eastern Syria without causing any human or material losses, the U.S. military said.

Two rockets struck a base housing American troops in eastern Syria without causing any human or material losses, the U.S. military said. The morning attack on Mission Support Site Conoco came as Iran and its allies in the region marked the third anniversary of the killing of Iran’s elite Quds force chief Gen. Qassem Soleimani, in a U.S. drone strike in Baghdad. No one claimed responsibility for the attack in east Syria, where it is not uncommon for bases housing U.S. troops to come under rocket fire or mortar attacks. Iran-backed militia are based nearby as are sleeper cells of the Islamic State group that was defeated in Syria in March 2019. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the rockets were fired by Arab tribesmen in the region who are armed by Iran. (Associated Press)

01-03-2023
Anti-Americanism

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi vows revenge for the assassination of Qassem Soleimani.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi, speaking on the third anniversary of the US killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, said that revenge for the slain commander was “certain.” “We have not forgotten and will not forget the blood of martyr Soleimani, and let them know that revenge for the blood of martyr Soleimani is certain,” Raisi said in a televised speech. (Al Arabiya News)

01-02-2023
Human Rights

Iranian police have resumed warnings that women must wear mandatory headscarves even in cars.

Iranian police resumed warnings that women must wear mandatory headscarves even in cars, Iranian state media reported, as unrest continues following the death of Mahsa Amini. "The removal of hijab has been observed in your vehicle: It is necessary to respect the norms of the society and make sure this action is not repeated," read a message reportedly sent by police and posted on social media. Iran's morality police — known as Gasht-e Ershad, or "Guidance Patrol" — have a mandate to enter public areas to check on the implementation of the strict dress code. (AFP)

01-02-2023
Terrorism

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei celebrated the new year by praising slain Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was directly responsible for the deaths of over 603 U.S. serviceman and women.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei celebrated the new year by praising slain Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed by a U.S. airstrike nearly three years ago and was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of U.S. service members and allies. Khamenei also lauded Esmail Qaani, Soleimani's replacement as head of the U.S.-designated terrorist organization the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force, which was designated by the U.S. as a foreign terrorist organization in 2019. (Fox News)

12-30-2022
Military

Iran held top military drills in a joint effort involving air, sea and land forces in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran held top military drills in a joint effort involving air, sea and land forces, in what one major general referred to as "the war before the war" while he spoke against the threat Israel and the U.S. pose. The drills, held in the Strait of Hormuz which sees roughly 25% of the world's oil transported through it, were dubbed "Zolfaghar-1401" and involved commandos, airborne infantry, drones, various aircraft and submarines, according to local reports. The drills were held to "improve readiness in confronting foreign threats and any possible invasion.” (Fox News)

12-27-2022
Human Rights

At least 100 detainees identified by an Oslo-based human rights NGO face capital punishment, including at least 11 already sentenced to death.

At least 100 Iranians arrested over more than 100 days of nationwide protests face charges punishable by death, Oslo-based group Iran Human Rights (IHR) has said. The NGO published a report that said many of them had limited access to legal representation. “By issuing death sentences and executing some of them, [the authorities] want to make people go home,” said IHR director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam. “It has some effect … [but] what we’ve observed in general is more anger against the authorities. Their strategy of spreading fear through executions has failed.” (AFP)

12-25-2022
Terrorism

Iran brags about how it exports missiles to Palestinians and Hezbollah.

Iranian pro-government media published an article on Sunday bragging about its “integrated missile network” and how it has armed the “resistance” in the Middle East. By “resistance,” the report was referring to a network of pro-Iranian groups and proxy groups it supports, particularly Hezbollah, the Palestinians and Yemen. (Jerusalem Post)

12-21-2022
Terrorism

A member of an Iranian intelligence network (Kiya Sadeghi) attempted to hire a private investigator in Canada to conduct surveillance on anti-regime activists.

A member of an Iranian intelligence network (Kiya Sadeghi) attempted to hire a private investigator in Canada to conduct surveillance on anti-regime activists, The Fifth Estate has learned. Kiya Sadeghi is wanted by the FBI in the United States along with three other Iranian intelligence operatives for allegedly plotting to kidnap exiled Iranian journalist and activist Masih Alinejad from her home in New York City. According to a June 2021 indictment filed in U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, Sadeghi used false pretenses to hire private investigators in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom to conduct surveillance on Alinejad and other dissidents. (CBC)

12-20-2022
Human Rights

Hard-line Iranian lawmakers have proposed a plan to impose tougher penalties against those who publish news that is deemed to have "negative social consequences."

Hard-line Iranian lawmakers have proposed a plan to impose tougher penalties against those who publish news that is deemed to have "negative social consequences." According to the plan, those who publish "fake news" in the media will be responsible for the negative social consequences resulting from it. The rules would "apply to any type of news." Mohammad Taghi Naqdali, a member of the Legal and Judicial Commission of the Iranian Parliament, said prosecution and punishment are not only limited to those who publish news with negative consequences, but "punishment has also been determined for individuals or media outlets that exaggerate the news." (Radio Free Europe)

12-19-2022
Human Rights

A 14-year-old girl in Iran was reportedly raped and killed for removing her hijab in school in amid ongoing protests rocking the Islamic Republic.

A 14-year-old girl in Iran was reportedly raped and killed for removing her hijab in school in amid ongoing protests rocking the Islamic Republic. The New York Times reports that the teen, identified as Masoomeh, was from a poor neighborhood in Tehran and took her headscarf off at school in protest.  School cameras identified the girl and she was arrested. She was later treated at a hospital for "severe vaginal tears," The Times reported, citing the Center for Human Rights in Iran, a New York-based watchdog organization. (Fox News)

12-19-2022
Human Rights

Iran’s government accesses the social media accounts of those it detains in search of incriminating information regarding the protests.

As protests spread in the country, much of the attention has focused on the Iranian government’s efforts to shut down the internet. But behind the scenes, some worry the government is using technology in another way: accessing mobile applications to surveil and suppress dissent. Human rights activists inside and outside of Iran have been warning for years about the Iranian regime’s ability to remotely access and manipulate protesters’ cell phones. And tech companies may not be well equipped to handle such incidents, experts say. (CNN)

12-18-2022
Human Rights

A prominent Iranian actress was arrested by the local authorities after she posted messages on social media expressing solidarity with antigovernment protests.

Taraneh Alidoosti, a prominent Iranian actress, was arrested by the local authorities after she posted messages on social media expressing solidarity with antigovernment protests that have rocked Iran for nearly three months. Ms. Alidoosti, 38, was arrested in connection with what state news media described as “unsubstantiated comments about recent events” and “the publication of provocative material.” It is one of the highest-profile detentions the Iranian authorities have made in their effort to crack down on a women-led uprising that started in September. (New York Times)

12-17-2022
Human Rights

Iran arrested the lawyer of two female journalists detained after reporting the death of a woman in custody, which sparked three months of protests, the Ham Mihan newspaper said.

Iran arrested the lawyer (Mohammad Ali Kamfirouzi) of two female journalists detained after reporting the death of a woman in custody, which sparked three months of protests, the Ham Mihan newspaper said. The arrest brings to 25 the number of lawyers detained in connection with the protests, the reformist daily said. (AFP)

12-17-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran said that its uranium enrichment capacity has increased to record levels, a day before U.N. nuclear monitors are set to visit the country.

Iran said that its uranium enrichment capacity has increased to record levels, a day before U.N. nuclear monitors are set to visit the country. “Currently, the enrichment capacity of the country has reached more than twice the entire history of this industry,” Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA. “Nuclear energy and atomic power production have great economic savings for the country and are effective in reducing fossil and non-renewable fuel consumption and environmental problems,” he added. (Times of Israel)

12-15-2022
Human Rights

Two young Kurdish men—Shadman Ahmadi and Shahriar Adeli—were killed by torture on the same day as the execution of Mohsen Shekari.

Two young Kurdish men—Shadman Ahmadi and Shahriar Adeli—were killed by torture on the same day as the execution of Mohsen Shekari. These murders, like many others, were not adequately covered in the media. The numbers of reported killed, tortured, sentenced to death, and detained are likely underestimations, especially given the government-directed internet blackouts and the shut-down of communication services and platforms. (CBC)

12-15-2022
Terrorism

An Albanian court has convicted an Iranian man on terrorism-related charges and sentenced him to ten years’ imprisonment.

An Albanian court has convicted an Iranian man on terrorism-related charges and sentenced him to ten years’ imprisonment, court officials said. In a ruling, Albania’s Special Court on Corruption and Organized Crime found Bijan Pooladrag guilty of funding terrorism and being a member of a terrorist organization. No details on Pooladrag’s age, home city, or when he had come to Albania were made known. Pooladrag denied the charges. He has the right to appeal the verdict. (Associated Press)

12-14-2022
Extremism

A hardline newspaper close to Iran’s ruling clerics suggested authorities close the Strait of Hormuz.

A hardline newspaper close to Iran’s ruling clerics suggested authorities close the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global energy supplies, in response to alleged foreign support for the nationwide protests gripping the country. The suggestion came from the editor-in-chief of the hardline Kayhan newspaper, who is appointed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in an editorial that could be seen as a trial balloon. “Closing the Strait of Hormuz to Western countries’ oil tankers and commercial vessels is Iran’s legal right,” Hossein Shariatmadari wrote. “We can even seize a part of their commercial cargo as compensation for the financial damage they have done to our country.” (Washington Post)

12-13-2022
Human Rights

Iran says it has publicly hanged a 23-year-old in what is the second execution linked to the recent anti-government protests.

Iran says it has publicly hanged a 23-year-old in what is the second execution linked to the recent anti-government protests. Majidreza Rahnavard, 23, was hanged in the city of Mashhad, the judiciary said. A court convicted him of "enmity against God" after finding he had stabbed to death two members of the paramilitary Basij Resistance Force. Rahnavard was hanged just 23 days after his arrest. (BBC)

12-13-2022
Terrorism

Britain is facing growing interference, threats and influence from state actors including Iran, security minister Tom Tugendhat has warned.

Britain is facing growing interference, threats and influence from state actors including Iran, security minister Tom Tugendhat has warned. Since 10 Iranian plots were revealed in November more incidents have come to light. Foreign meddling of this nature, he said, poses monumental challenges to freedom of speech in the UK and residents' way of life. Speaking at London-based think tank Policy Exchange, he said that “acute threats” to national security require an immediate response. (The National)

12-13-2022
Nuclear Program

Vladimir Putin could seek to help Iran develop its nuclear weapons program in exchange for Tehran's continued support of his war in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin could seek to help Iran develop its nuclear weapons program in exchange for Tehran's continued support of his war in Ukraine, US intelligence has claimed. Weapons supplied by the Islamic Republic have been used by the Russian military in the conflict—particularly Iranian-manufactured Shahed-136 drones which are playing a central role in ongoing attacks on civilian populations and key energy infrastructure. This “sordid” alliance led British foreign secretary James Cleverly to announce a sanctions package targeting “high-level” figures from both countries as he condemned the embattled Iranian regime for making deals with Russia in “a desperate attempt to survive.” (Daily Mail)

12-09-2022
Military

The US National Security Council spokesman said that Tehran is receiving “an unprecedented level of military and technical support” from Moscow in exchange for Iranian drones, and potentially ballistic missiles, for use in Ukraine.

US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that “support is flowing both ways,” as Moscow offers “an unprecedented level of military and technical support” to Tehran in exchange for Iranian drones, and potentially ballistic missiles, for use in Ukraine. “We are concerned that Russia intends to provide Iran with advanced military components,” Kirby said. He declined to specify what those components were but agreed “that could include air defense.” Russia’s S-400 air defense system is considered one of the world’s most capable. (Washington Post)

12-09-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran’s nuclear chief said traces of enriched uranium found on its territory by U.N. inspectors were brought into the country from abroad.

Iran’s nuclear chief said traces of enriched uranium found on its territory by U.N. inspectors were brought into the country from abroad, disputing claims of secret nuclear activity. The U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, has for months been pressing Tehran to explain the presence of the nuclear material at three undeclared sites. The discovery further complicated efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal that has been hanging by a thread since the United States unilaterally withdrew from it in 2018 under then-president Donald Trump. (AFP)

12-08-2022
Human Rights

Mohsen Shekari, 23, was executed after being convicted for attacking a member of the Basij militia during a protest.

The Iranian government announced that it had hanged a 23-year-old prisoner, the first known execution of a person arrested in the protests that have engulfed the country for the past three months. The man, Mohsen Shekari, was accused of blocking a street in Tehran and of attacking a member of the Basij militia with a machete, according to the Mizan news agency, which is overseen by the country’s judiciary. He is one of 11 protesters who have so far been sentenced to death by the regime. (New York Times)

12-08-2022
Human Rights

Iranian security forces are targeting women at anti-regime protests with shotgun fire to their faces, breasts, and genitals.

Iranian security forces are targeting women at anti-regime protests with shotgun fire to their faces, breasts and genitals, according to interviews with medics across the country. Doctors and nurses – treating demonstrators in secret to avoid arrest – said they first observed the practice after noticing that women often arrived with different wounds to men, who more commonly had shotgun pellets in their legs, buttocks and backs. While an internet blackout has hidden much of the bloody crackdown on protesters, photos provided by medics to the Guardian showed devastating wounds all over their bodies from so-called birdshot pellets, which security forces have fired on people at close range. Some of the photos showed people with dozens of tiny “shot” balls lodged deep in their flesh. (The Guardian)

12-08-2022
Human Rights

Some of the most violent attacks by Iranian security forces on protesters over the last three months have been occurring in provinces where minorities, including Kurds, Arabs, Sunnis and Balochis, reside.

The Iranian regime’s suppression, specifically of religious and ethnic minorities, has reached a new peak. Some of the most violent attacks on protesters over the last three months have been occurring in provinces where minorities, including Kurds, Arabs, Sunnis and Balochis, reside. Three major institutions appear to be involved: The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), its paramilitary group the Basij and the regime’s security forces. The deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch, Adam Coogle, warned that attacks by IRGC forces “on residential areas in the Kurdistan region of Iraq (are) part of a long history of lethal attacks on civilians, including during the war in Syria.” (Arab News)

12-07-2022
Human Rights

Iranian authorities have executed more than 500 people this year, up more than 50 percent compared to 2021’s figure of 333.

Iranian authorities have executed more than 500 people this year, according to data released by Iran Human Rights. Up more than 50 percent on 2021’s figure of 333, the spike in executions marks a dramatic shift following years of decline, with numbers only likely to climb amidst the government’s brutal response to protests in the wake of the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody. Five further death sentences were handed out to protesters yesterday, for killing a member of the security forces, bringing to 11 the total number arising from the protests. (Arab News)

12-06-2022
Syria Conflict

An Iranian patrol boat tried to temporarily blind US Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz by shining a spotlight toward the vessels and crossing within 150 yards of them, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

An Iranian patrol boat tried to temporarily blind U.S. Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz by shining a spotlight toward the vessels and crossing within 150 yards of them, U.S. Central Command said in a statement. A few days prior to this incident, the U.S. Navy intercepted more than 50 tons of ammunition rounds and “other illegal weapons” sent from Iran to Yemen, marking U.S. 5th Fleet’s second such seizure within a month, according to U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. (CNN)

12-05-2022
Human Rights

Iran subjected a prisoner to mock execution as a form of torture.

A person sentenced to death over the current anti-government protests in Iran has been subjected to mock executions three times in prison, a source has told BBC Persian. A Revolutionary Court in Tehran found Sahand Noormohammadzadeh, 26, guilty of "enmity against God" last month. He was accused of setting a bin on fire and blocking traffic, which he denied. Before his trial, the source said, Noormohammadzadeh was "asked to go on a chair blindfolded to be hanged.” (BBC)

12-05-2022
Human Rights

Hackers backed by the Iranian government have targeted two Human Rights Watch staff members and at least 18 other high-profile activists, journalists, researchers, academics, diplomats, and politicians working on Middle East issues.

An investigation by Human Rights Watch attributed phishing attack against Human Rights Watch staff members and at least 18 other high-profile activists, journalists, researchers, academics, diplomats, and politicians working on Middle East issues to an entity affiliated with the Iranian government known as APT42 and sometimes referred to as Charming Kitten. “Iran’s state-backed hackers are aggressively using sophisticated social engineering and credential harvesting tactics to access sensitive information and contacts held by Middle East-focused researchers and civil society groups,” said Abir Ghattas, information security director at Human Rights Watch. (Human Rights Watch)

12-04-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran began construction on a new nuclear power plant in the country’s southwest, Iranian state T.V. announced.

Iran began construction on a new nuclear power plant in the country’s southwest, Iranian state TV announced, amid tensions with the U.S. over sweeping sanctions imposed after Washington pulled out of the Islamic Republic’s nuclear deal with world powers. The new 300-megawatt plant, known as Karoon, will take eight years to build and cost around $2 billion, the country’s state television and radio agency reported. The plant will be located in Iran’s oil-rich Khuzestan province, near its western border with Iraq, it said. (Associated Press)

12-01-2022
Terrorism

The Iranian government has stepped up its efforts to kidnap and kill government officials, activists and journalists around the world, including in the United States, according to government documents and interviews.

Tehran has targeted former senior U.S. government officials; dissidents who have fled the country for the United States, Britain, Canada, Turkey and Europe; media organizations critical of the regime; and Jewish civilians or those with links to Israel, according to the officials and government documents. Iran’s intelligence and security services rely largely on proxies to carry out their plans, offering hundreds of thousands of dollars to jewel thieves, drug dealers and other criminals in murder-for-hire schemes, the officials said. The tempo of the plots has dramatically increased in the past two years, and they are among the most ambitious and far-reaching in recent memory, according to the officials and documents. Iran’s actions have led to diplomatic expulsions and warnings to potential targets from governments. (Washington Post)

11-30-2022
Human Rights

Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi faces the death penalty for “corruption on earth” charge over Iran protests.

Last year, the Iranian rapper was arrested for songs criticizing the government and denouncing those he described as apologists for the Iranian government abroad. He was released on bail earlier this year, but it was not long before he found himself in prison again — and this time he may pay the ultimate price. The 31-year-old was among the thousands of Iranians who took to the streets across the country to protest the death of a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman in custody of the so-called morality police. Mahsa (Jina) Amini was arrested on Sept. 13 for allegedly wearing an improper hijab and died three days later, sparking a nationwide uprising. (Washington Post)

11-29-2022
Anti-Americanism

A top Revolutionary Guard commander claimed that several people who were arrested during Iran’s “riots” were in touch with U.S. intelligence agencies.

A top Revolutionary Guard commander claimed that several people who were arrested during Iran’s “riots” were in touch with U.S. intelligence agencies. Iranian officials use the term “riot” to describe the nationwide antigovernment protests. Deputy commander of the IRGC Ali Fadavi said those arrested were not only in touch with “Iran International [TV], which is a branch of the enemy's spy services, but also were related to the intelligence and spy services of the United States.” (Iran International)

11-29-2022
Human Rights

Iran regime officials told players on the national soccer team that their families would face violence and torture if they did not sing the national anthem before their World Cup match.

The families of Iran’s World Cup soccer team have been threatened with imprisonment and torture if the players fail to “behave” ahead of the match against the USA, a source involved in the security of the games said. Following the refusal of Iranian players to sing the nation’s national anthem in their opening match against England on November 21, the source said that the players were called to a meeting with members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The source said that they were told that their families would face “violence and torture” if they did not sing the national anthem or if they joined any political protest against the Tehran regime. (CNN)

11-22-2022
Syria Conflict

U.S. Navy investigators confirmed an explosive-laden drone that struck an oil tanker associated with an Israeli billionaire off the coast of Oman was an Iranian Shahed-136.

U.S. Navy investigators confirmed an explosive-laden drone that struck an oil tanker associated with an Israeli billionaire off the coast of Oman was an Iranian Shahed-136. The “suicide drone” attack on the Liberian-flagged oil tanker Pacific Zircon on November 15 appeared to be part of a long-running shadow war between Israel and Iran that has included the targeting of Israeli-linked ships around the region. Western and Israeli officials said the recent attack, which caused damage but no injuries, was launched from an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) base in the southeastern Iranian city of Chabahar. (The Times of Israel)

11-21-2022
Human Rights

Iran’s security forces are using rape to quell protests.

With media access inside Iran severely constrained, CNN went to the region near Iraq’s border with Iran, interviewing eyewitnesses who'd left the country and verifying accounts from survivors and sources both in and outside Iran. CNN corroborated several reports of sexual violence against protesters and heard accounts of many more. At least one of these caused severe injury, and another involved the rape of an underage boy. In some of the cases CNN uncovered, the sexual assault was filmed and used to blackmail the protesters into silence, according to sources who spoke to the victims. (CNN)

11-21-2022
Syria Conflict

Iran attacked Kurdish groups in Iraq that it blames for the unrest that broke out across Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini.

Iran launched drones and missiles against Kurdish groups in northern Iraq, the second time in a week, as the Islamic Republic intensifies efforts to suppress a two-month-old protest movement inside its borders. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that it had targeted Kurdish military bases in Erbil and Sulaimaniya, alleging that factions there are fomenting unrest in Iran. The latest strikes are part of Tehran’s campaign to retaliate against outside groups and foreign governments that it has blamed for supporting the discord at home, which is posing the clerical establishment’s biggest challenge in decades. (The Wall Street Journal)

11-20-2022
Politics

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has appointed another Revolutionary Guard commander to a civilian post as Tehran governor.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi has appointed another Revolutionary Guard commander to a civilian post as Tehran governor. In a decision of the cabinet, Alireza Fakhari was appointed governor of Tehran province. Fakhari was suggested by Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi, who is another high-ranking IRGC officer. Raisi’s move in effect changed the civilian governorship in Tehran into a military governorship. Alireza Fakhari was the deputy coordinator of Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarter of the IRGC until earlier this year. (Iran International)

11-19-2022
Military

Tehran has agreed to help Moscow manufacture hundreds of unmanned weaponized aircraft on Russian soil, according to new intelligence seen by U.S. and other Western security agencies.

Moscow has quietly reached an agreement with Tehran to begin manufacturing hundreds of unmanned weaponized aircraft on Russian soil, according to new intelligence seen by U.S. and other Western security agencies. By acquiring its own assembly line, Russia could dramatically increase its stockpile of relatively inexpensive but highly destructive weapons systems that, in recent weeks, have changed the character of the Ukraine war. Moscow has shifted to a strategy of relentless air assaults on Ukrainian cities, using a combination of cruise missiles and self-detonating drones packed with explosives to knock out electricity and running water for millions of people. Iran’s leaders may believe that they can avert new sanctions if the drones are physically assembled in Russia, the officials said. (Washington Post)

11-17-2022
Nuclear Program

The International Atomic Energy Agency demanded that Iran start cooperating with the agency’s investigation into undeclared nuclear material found by the IAEA in Iran in recent years.

The International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) board formally rebuked Iran, demanding that it start cooperating with the agency’s investigation into undeclared nuclear material found by the IAEA in Iran in recent years. Many officials believe the traces of nuclear material found in Iran were related to the nuclear weapons work Iran did until at least 2003. The IAEA probe is a major sticking point in nuclear negotiations. Iran has said that Western powers must commit to close the investigation before a revived nuclear deal is fully implemented. (The Wall Street Journal)

11-16-2022
Terrorism

Iran has plotted to kidnap or kill at least 10 British nationals or U.K.-based individuals perceived as enemies of the regime this year, Britain’s domestic spy chief said.

Iran has plotted to kidnap or kill at least 10 British nationals or U.K.-based individuals perceived as enemies of the regime this year, Britain’s domestic spy chief said. Iran International T.V. in London said two of its journalists had been told by the Metropolitan Police that the threats against them pose “an imminent, credible and significant risk to their lives and those of their families.” The television network’s extensive coverage of the protests has enraged Iranian authorities, who have accused it of fomenting the demonstrations and allege it is a tool of Saudi Arabia. The powerful commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, has warned Saudi Arabia over the network without naming it, saying Riyadh should “be careful.” (NBC)

11-14-2022
Terrorism

The Biden administration has determined that Iranian threats against former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and one of his former top aides remain credible and persist nearly two years after they left office.

The Biden administration has determined that Iranian threats against former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and one of his former top aides remain credible and persist nearly two years after they left office. The State Department notified Congress last week that both Pompeo and Brian Hook, who served as special representative for Iran during the Trump administration, were still both subject to a “serious and credible threat from a foreign power or agent of a foreign power” stemming from their work while in government. The determinations — which mean Pompeo and Hook will continue to receive government protection — were signed by Deputy Secretary of State for Management Brian McKeon on Nov. 8. (Associated Press)

11-10-2022
Military

Iran has built a hypersonic ballistic missile, the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace commander was quoted as saying, in remarks likely to heighten concerns about Iranian missile capabilities.

Iran has built a hypersonic ballistic missile, the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted the Revolutionary Guards' aerospace commander as saying, in remarks likely to heighten concerns about Iranian missile capabilities. Hypersonic missiles can fly at least five times faster than the speed of sound and on a complex trajectory, which makes them difficult to intercept. However, there have been no reports of such a missile being tested by Iran and, while the Islamic Republic has developed a large domestic arms industry in the face of international sanctions and embargoes, Western military analysts say Iran sometimes exaggerates its weapons capabilities. (Reuters)

11-10-2022
Nuclear Program

The U.N. atomic watchdog said it believes that Iran has further increased its stockpile of highly-enriched uranium.

The U.N. atomic watchdog said it believes that Iran has further increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium and criticized Tehran for continuing to bar the agency’s officials from accessing or monitoring Iranian nuclear sites. In its quarterly report, the International Atomic Energy Agency said that according to its assessment, as of Oct. 22, Iran has an estimated 62.3 kilograms (137.3 pounds) of uranium enriched to up to 60% fissile purity. That amounts to an increase of 6.7 kilograms since the IAEA’s last report in September. That enrichment to 60% purity is one short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Nonproliferation experts have warned in recent months that Iran now has enough 60%-enriched uranium to reprocess into fuel for at least one nuclear bomb. (Associated Press)

11-09-2022
Syria Conflict

Iran attempted to smuggle weapons into Syria over the border with Iraq, but the convoy was struck by Israel.

The attack near Abu Kamal—a border town often used as a transshipment point by militant groups with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—destroyed several vehicles and killed at least 10 people, including an unknown number of Iranians, according to the people and Iraqi militia members. Iraqi officials said the tanker convoy was carrying a legal shipment of fuel that Iran had sent to Lebanon. At least some of the vehicles were believed to be transporting munitions and missiles in addition to oil, the people familiar with the attack said. Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes aimed at interrupting Tehran’s smuggling of weapons to the Lebanese militant and political group Hezbollah and against Iran’s military forces and proxies in Syria. (The Wall Street Journal)

11-08-2022
Politics

Iranian lawmakers demand “no leniency” for protesters as mass demonstrations continue.

Iranian lawmakers have urged the country’s judiciary to “show no leniency” to protesters in a letter cited by state-run Press TV, as thousands of people continue to rally on the streets despite the threat of arrest. In an open letter signed by 227 of Iran’s 290 members of Parliament, the lawmakers called for protesters to be taught a “good lesson” to deter others who threaten the authority of the Iranian government. (CNN)

11-04-2022
Anti-Americanism

Iran celebrated the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover amid anti-government protests.

Iran held state-sponsored annual rallies, marking the 1979 seizure of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, as the clerical establishment that has ruled since then battles nationwide protests calling for its downfall. Radical students cemented the Islamic Revolution by storming the embassy soon after the fall of the U.S.-backed Shah, and 52 Americans were held hostage there for 444 days. The two countries have been enemies ever since and, as Iranian authorities urged security forces to swiftly stamp out anti-government protests that have spread to all layers of society, new bilateral tensions surfaced. (Reuters)

11-04-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran is seeking Russia’s help to bolster its nuclear program, U.S. intel officials believe.

Iran is seeking Russia’s help to bolster its nuclear program, U.S. intelligence officials believe, as Tehran looks for a backup plan should a lasting nuclear deal with world powers fail to materialize. The intelligence suggests that Iran has been asking Russia for help acquiring additional nuclear materials and with nuclear fuel fabrication, sources briefed on the matter said. The fuel could help Iran power its nuclear reactors and could potentially further shorten Iran’s so-called “breakout time” to create a nuclear weapon. Experts emphasized to CNN, however, that the nuclear proliferation risk varies depending on which reactor the fuel is used for. And it is also not clear whether Russia has agreed to help – the Kremlin has long been outwardly opposed to Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon. (CNN)

11-01-2022
Military

Iran is preparing to send additional weapons including ballistic missiles to Russia to use in Ukraine, western officials say.

Iran is preparing to send approximately 1,000 additional weapons, including surface-to-surface short range ballistic missiles and more attack drones, to Russia to use in its war against Ukraine, officials from a western country that closely monitors Iran’s weapons program said. The shipment is being closely monitored because it would be the first instance of Iran sending advanced precision guided missiles to Russia, which could give the Kremlin a substantial boost on the battlefield. The last shipment of weapons from Iran to Russia included about 450 drones, officials said, which the Russians have already used to deadly effect in Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said last week that they have shot down more than 300 Iranian drones. (CNN)

11-01-2022
Human Rights

As unrest grips Iran’s schools, the government is going after children.

Across Iran, schoolgirls have defiantly taken off their headscarves, stomped on pictures of the supreme leader and chanted for freedom, producing some of the most iconic images from the country’s anti-government uprising. Now, the state is coming for them. In interviews with The Post in recent weeks, three students and two parents described the assaults on schools, where teachers are under pressure to squash any sign of dissent and are often powerless to stop security forces from targeting the minors in their care. School attendance lists, report cards and security cameras have become tools of repression. Parents are warned to keep their children in check. (Washington Post)

11-01-2022
Syria Conflict

Saudi Arabia shared intelligence with the U.S. suggesting that Iran was about to carry out an attack on targets in the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia shared intelligence with the U.S. warning of an imminent attack from Iran on targets in the kingdom, putting the American military and others in the Middle East on an elevated alert level, said Saudi and U.S. officials. In response to the warning, Saudi Arabia, the U.S. and several other neighboring states have raised the level of alert for their military forces, the officials said. They didn’t provide more details on the Saudi intelligence. Saudi officials said Iran is poised to carry out attacks on both the kingdom and Erbil, Iraq, in an effort to distract attention from domestic protests that have roiled the country since September. (The Wall Street Journal)

10-31-2022
Human Rights

Iranian authorities announced they will hold public trials for 1,000 people in the capital, Tehran, over the protests that have convulsed the country.

Iranian authorities announced they will hold public trials for 1,000 people in the capital, Tehran, over the protests that have convulsed the country. The mass indictments mark the government’s first major legal action aimed at quashing dissent since unrest erupted over six weeks ago. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency quoted judicial officials as saying that a thousand people who had a central role in the protests would be brought to trial in Tehran alone over their “subversive actions,” including assaulting security guards, setting fire to public property and other accusations. (Associated Press)

10-30-2022
Human Rights

Protests in Iran entered a more violent phase as students were met with tear gas and gunfire from security forces, social media videos showed.

Protests in Iran entered a more violent phase as students, who defied an ultimatum by the Revolutionary Guards and a warning from the president, were met with tear gas and gunfire from security forces, social media videos showed. One video showed a member of Basij forces firing a gun at close range at students protesting at a branch of Azad University in Tehran. Gunshots were also heard in a video shared by rights group HENGAW from protests at the University of Kurdistan in Sanandaj. Videos from universities in some other cities also showed Basij forces opening fire at students. Across the country, security forces tried to block students inside university buildings, firing tear gas and beating protesters with sticks. (Reuters)

10-29-2022
Anti-Americanism

Two female journalists who were instrumental in reporting the death of Mahsa Amini have been labelled as CIA foreign agents by the Iranian regime.

Two female journalists who were instrumental in reporting the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman whose death in the custody of Iran’s morality police has sparked nationwide protests, have been labelled as CIA foreign agents by the Iranian regime. Niloofar Hamedi and Elahe Mohammadi, who were arrested shortly after news broke of Amini’s death and who are reportedly being held in Iran’s notorious Evin prison, were accused of being foreign agents in a joint statement released by Iran’s ministry of intelligence and the intelligence organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards last night. (The Guardian)

10-28-2022
Military

Russia’s expanding use of Iranian drones in Ukraine poses an increasing threat for the U.S. and its European allies as Tehran attempts to project military power beyond the Middle East.

Russia’s expanding use of Iranian drones in Ukraine poses an increasing threat for the U.S. and its European allies as Tehran attempts to project military power beyond the Middle East. In recent weeks, Ukrainian officials say, Russia has launched more than 300 Iranian drones that have targeted military units, power plants and civilian buildings in the capital, Kyiv. The Ukrainian military said it has shot down more than 70% of the drones, but Ukrainian officials are asking the U.S. and NATO allies for more help to counter the threat. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has vowed to rush hundreds of drone jammers to Ukraine as part of a deepening effort to shore up Ukraine’s air defenses. (The Wall Street Journal)

10-28-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran is a problem that is ever more "relevant," the U.N. nuclear watchdog's chief, Rafael Grossi, said, referencing the growing number of advanced centrifuges the Islamic Republic is using to enrich uranium.

Iran is a problem that is ever more "relevant", the U.N. nuclear watchdog's chief, Rafael Grossi, said, in an apparent reference to the growing number of advanced centrifuges the Islamic Republic is using to enrich uranium. The International Atomic Energy Agency has said in recent confidential reports to member states seen by Reuters that Iran has been installing and enriching with more cascades, or clusters, of advanced centrifuges at its underground enrichment plants at Natanz and Fordow. (Reuters)

10-25-2022
Politics

By tightening curbs on women's rights, President Ebrahim Raisi has boosted his hardline credentials and possibly his prospects of becoming Iran's Supreme Leader.

By tightening curbs on women's rights, President Ebrahim Raisi has boosted his hardline credentials and possibly his prospects of becoming Iran's Supreme Leader, even at the cost of provoking mass protests and driving a wedge between many Iranians and the ruling elite, three analysts and a pro-reform official said. A year after Raisi's election marked the end of what many Iranians recall as more pragmatic, tolerant times, his government's tougher enforcement of hijab wearing in the weeks before Mahsa Amini's death in custody on Sept. 16 reflected a full reassertion of hardline influence. (Reuters)

10-25-2022
Human Rights

Iran has reportedly turned to child soldiers in an attempt to crack down on the ongoing riots in the country.

Iran has reportedly turned to child soldiers in an attempt to crack down on the ongoing riots in the country, a tactic the Islamic Republic has used in the past and a potential violation of international law. "The Iranian regime’s use of child soldiers is a sign of both its desperation and its abhorrent ideology," Orde Kittrie, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital. Kittrie's comments come after an FDD report revealed that Iran was attempting to crush protests in the country by using minors, citing recent pictures that have emerged on social media showing children wearing Basij militia uniforms, which is a branch of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (Fox News)

10-20-2022
Military

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is conducting military exercises along the country's border with Azerbaijan amid signs of tensions between the two countries.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is conducting military exercises along the country's border with Azerbaijan amid signs of tensions between the two countries. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency has reported that the maneuvers, which commenced in the northwestern region, were being held in accordance with a pre-planned, annual activity calendar. The location of the exercises, which include Iran’s East Azerbaijan and Ardabil provinces, is home to a large ethnic Azerbaijani population. (Voice of America)

10-20-2022
Military

Iranian personnel have been working in Crimea to train Russian pilots to use Iranian-made drones, the U.S. said.

Iranian personnel have been working in Crimea to train Russian pilots to use Iranian-made drones, the U.S. said, as Moscow attempts to maintain its hold on the territory in southern Ukraine. The statement by John Kirby, the National Security Council’s Coordinator for Strategic Communications, marks the first official U.S. accusation that Iran is directly involved in the war in Ukraine. Mr. Kirby said the U.S. is worried that Russia is also seeking to obtain surface-to-surface missiles from Iran for use in Ukraine. Such a move, former U.S. officials say, could provide a significant boost to Russia as its supply of missiles dwindles. (The Wall Street Journal)

10-19-2022
Human Rights

Forty-one journalists have been confirmed detained by Iran since protests broke out last month over the death of a woman in the custody of the country's so-called morality police.

Forty-one journalists have been confirmed detained by Iran since protests broke out last month over the death of a woman in the custody of the country's so-called morality police. Mahsa Amini, 22, a Kurdish woman, was arrested in September for improperly wearing her hijab. She died three days after her arrest. Iran has violently suppressed the protests that followed, and the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists has documented that as of Wednesday, 41 journalists have been detained. A handful were later released on bail. Most are accused of taking part in the protests they were covering. (Voice of America)

10-16-2022
Anti-Americanism

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi blamed President Biden for inciting “chaos” and “terror” amid anti-regime protests happening around the country.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi blamed President Biden for inciting “chaos” and “terror” amid anti-regime protests happening around the country. In a statement through the country’s official news agency, Raisi, who was elected Iran’s president last year, gave a stern warning to Biden about the ongoing crisis in his country. “The American president, who allows himself through his comments to incite chaos, terror and destruction in another country, should be reminded of the eternal words of the founder of the Islamic Republic, who called America the great satan,” Raisi reportedly said. (The Hill)

10-14-2022
Human Rights

Nearly two dozen children were killed last month during protests in Iran, according to a new report by a human rights watchdog.

Nearly two dozen children were killed last month during protests in Iran, according to a new report by a human rights watchdog that accuses the country’s security forces of targeting young people “with absolute impunity.” The 19-page report released by Amnesty International said at least 23 children – some as young as 11 – were killed by security forces in the last 10 days of September alone. Nationwide protests against the Islamic regime that has ruled Iran for decades have gripped the country following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last month after she was taken into custody by the country’s morality police for apparently not wearing her hijab properly. Her death has sparked violent clashes between demonstrators and authorities, reportedly leaving scores dead. (CNN)

10-13-2022
Human Rights

Iranian security forces stepped up their crackdown on Kurdish regions of the country overnight, deploying militia troops.

Iranian security forces stepped up their crackdown on Kurdish regions of the country overnight, deploying militia troops, as authorities pursued their deadly suppression of nationwide protests sparked by Mahsa Amini's death in police custody. Nearly four weeks after Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, was detained in Tehran for "inappropriate attire", the protests show no sign of abating in a bold challenge to Iran's clerical rulers, even if the unrest does not seem close to toppling them. (Reuters)

10-11-2022
Human Rights

An Iranian singer named Shervin Hajipour was accused of spreading anti-government propaganda and temporarily detained.

Shervin Hajipour, whose song Baraye has become an anthem for the ongoing protests in Iran over the death of a 22-year-old woman in police custody, has been accused of "propaganda against the system" and "inciting people to violent acts." Majid Kaveh, Hajipour's lawyer, said on Twitter on October 9 that that his client was temporarily detained before being released on bail and prohibited from leaving the country. The song Baraye, which roughly translates as "because of," is based on the outpouring of public anger following the death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody on September 16. She was detained by Iran's morality police for allegedly wearing a head scarf improperly. (Radio Free Europe)

10-11-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran is rapidly expanding its ability to enrich uranium with advanced centrifuges at its underground plant at Natanz.

Iran is rapidly expanding its ability to enrich uranium with advanced centrifuges at its underground plant at Natanz and now intends to go further than previously planned, a confidential U.N. nuclear watchdog report seen by Reuters showed. While indirect talks between Iran and the United States on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal have stalled, Tehran has brought onstream a larger number of advanced centrifuges the deal bans it from using to produce enriched uranium. (Reuters)

10-06-2022
Human Rights

Iranian security forces have massacred over 80 people in the southeastern city of Zahedan in Sistan-Baluchestan province.

Iranian security forces have massacred over 80 people in the southeastern city of Zahedan in Sistan-Baluchestan province, in a crackdown on protests that erupted as Iran is convulsed by nationwide demonstrations, rights activists charge. President Ebrahim Raisi has ordered an investigation into the unrest that started on September 30 after Friday prayers, which officials have characterized as attacks by "extremists" on police stations. Activists however say the horrifying images of bloodied corpses with bullet wounds are emblematic of Tehran's repressive policies towards a poor ethnic minority region. (AFP)

10-03-2022
Anti-Americanism

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded publicly to the biggest protests in Iran in years, blaming the U.S and Israel.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei responded publicly to the biggest protests in Iran in years, breaking weeks of silence to condemn what he called “rioting” and accuse the U.S. and Israel of planning the protests. Khamenei said he was “heartbroken” by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in the custody of Iran’s morality police, which set off the nationwide protests. However, he sharply condemned the protests as a foreign plot to destabilize Iran, echoing authorities’ previous comments. “This rioting was planned,” he told a cadre of police students in Tehran. “These riots and insecurities were designed by America and the Zionist regime, and their employees.” (Associated Press)

09-30-2022
Military

The chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, Mohammed Bagheri, vowed to respond to any “hostile actions” targeting Iranian drones.

The chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, Mohammed Bagheri, vowed to respond to any “hostile actions” targeting Iranian drones, Iranian news outlets reported. The threats followed Wednesday’s shooting down of an Iranian drone that was reportedly heading toward the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, Erbil. Earlier this week, Iran unleashed a wave of missile and drone attacks against Iranian Kurdish opposition forces based inside the Kurdish region, killing at least 14 people, including a pregnant woman and a US citizen. It was among the deadliest spate of such attacks in recent years. (Al Monitor)

09-30-2022
Syria Conflict

An American citizen, a mother, and her 1-day-old infant are among the 14 people who were killed this week by a barrage of Iranian missiles fired at Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq.

An American citizen, a mother, and her 1-day-old infant are among the 14 people who were killed this week by a barrage of Iranian missiles fired at Iranian Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq. Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) targeted Kurdish opposition groups in northern Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region with dozens of missiles and explosives-laden drone aircraft. In a statement carried by Iranian state TV, the IRGC, which the U.S. government considers a terrorist group, said its "operation will continue with our full determination until the threat is effectively repelled, terrorist group bases are dismantled, and the authorities of the Kurdish region assume their obligations and responsibilities." (CBS)

09-28-2022
Politics

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that the death of a young woman in custody had "saddened" everyone in the Islamic Republic, but warned that "chaos" would not be accepted amid spreading violent protests over Mahsa Amini's death.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said that the death of a young woman in custody had "saddened" everyone in the Islamic Republic, but warned that "chaos" would not be accepted amid spreading violent protests over Mahsa Amini's death. "We all are saddened by this tragic incident ... [However] Chaos is unacceptable," Raisi said in an interview with state TV, while protests continued around the country. (Reuters)

09-26-2022
Anti-Americanism

Tehran accused the United States of using the unrest to try to destabilize the country.

Iran faced more international criticism over the death of a woman in police custody that triggered nationwide protests after Tehran accused the United States of using the unrest to try to destabilize the country. Iran has cracked down on the biggest demonstrations since 2019, sparked by the death of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16 after she was detained by morality police enforcing the Islamic Republic's strict restrictions on women's dress. The case has drawn widespread condemnation. (Reuters)

09-22-2022
Military

Iran, Russia and China will hold joint naval exercises in the northern Indian Ocean “this autumn,” Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported.

Iran, Russia and China will hold joint naval exercises in the northern Indian Ocean “this autumn,” Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reported. Other countries including Oman and Pakistan may also join the drills, Mehr cited Iranian Chief of Staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri as saying, without giving further details. The northern Indian Ocean extends to the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the export of oil to world markets. The three nations started joint exercises in December 2019, according to Iranian state media, to deal with unspecified “threats in the region.” (Bloomberg)

09-22-2022
Military

Iran unveiled a new medium-range ballistic missile during a military parade commemorating the Iran-Iraq war, state television said.

Iran unveiled a new medium-range ballistic missile during a military parade commemorating the Iran-Iraq war, state television said. “The liquid-fueled Rezvan ballistic missile has an operational range of 1,400 kilometers (870 miles),” said the station, which aired images of the missile mounted on a military vehicle. The Rezvan missile was presented in Tehran during an annual parade of the armed forces to commemorate the start of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. (AFP)

09-21-2022
Anti-Americanism

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi used an address to the U.N. General Assembly to launch a tirade against U.S. foreign policy and promote the emergence of a new world order.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi used an address to the U.N. General Assembly to launch a tirade against U.S. foreign policy and promote the emergence of a new world order. Raisi claimed that Daesh was a U.S. construct, slamming what he contended was the hypocrisy of a country claiming a base in justice and humanity. Raisi claimed that U.S. hegemony is coming to an end, saying: “This order has lost its power, and a new order is shaping up to tackle it as this old system’s policies are defeated. (Arab News)

09-21-2022
Human Rights

Iranians experienced a near-total internet blackout amid days of mass protests against the government.

Iranians experienced a near-total internet blackout amid days of mass protests against the government over the death of a woman held by the country’s morality police for allegedly violating its strictly-enforced dress code. An Iranian official had earlier hinted that such measures might be taken out of security concerns. The loss of connectivity will make it more difficult for people to organize protests and share information about the government’s rolling crackdown on dissent. (Associated Press)

09-19-2022
Extremism

The Iranian president’s comment that “there are some signs” that the Holocaust happened but that the issue required more research sparked an outcry from Israeli officials.

The Iranian president’s comment that “there are some signs” that the Holocaust happened but that the issue required more research sparked an outcry from Israeli officials, who denounced the remarks as antisemitic Holocaust denial. Hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi made the comment during an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes” on the eve of his visit to New York for the U.N. General Assembly. When asked whether he believed the Holocaust happened, Raisi said there “are some signs that it happened.” (Associated Press)

09-19-2022
Politics

The head of Iran’s morality police has reportedly been suspended from his post as protests swept across Iran for a third day over the killing of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman.

The head of Iran’s morality police has reportedly been suspended from his post as protests swept across Iran for a third day over the killing of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman who was detained by the police after being accused of not wearing the hijab appropriately. A number of respected Iranian news outlets reported that Col Ahmed Mirzaei, the head of the moral security police of Greater Tehran, had been suspended from his role after the death of Mahsa Amini. Tehran police denied he had been suspended or fired. (The Guardian)

09-16-2022
Human Rights

Mahsa Amini, 22, died in northern Tehran. She had been arrested and reportedly was taken to a hospital shortly afterward. Amini suffered multiple blows to the head before she died.

Mahsa Amini, 22, died in northern Tehran. She had been arrested and reportedly was taken to a hospital shortly afterward. Amini suffered multiple blows to the head before she died, according to London-based broadcaster Iran International. Amini was arrested in her brother's car during a visit to see family members in the capital, the outlet reported. She was originally from Saqqez in Kurdistan province. Amini's family say officers beat her in the police van after her arrest, citing eyewitnesses who support that claim. Police reject the allegations, saying Amini died after being taken to a hospital because she had a heart attack. (NPR)

09-15-2022
Terrorism

The Justice Department unsealed an indictment alleging that three Iranian men encrypted hundreds of systems around the world and demanded ransoms to unlock them.

The Justice Department unsealed an indictment alleging that three Iranian men encrypted hundreds of systems around the world and demanded ransoms to unlock them. But the unsealed indictment said the men did so independently of the Iranian government, while the Treasury Department said they were linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). That called attention to how — for some of the United States’ top adversaries in cyberspace — the lines between nation-state hacker and cybercriminal, between government employee and freelance contractor, aren’t always clear. (Washington Post)

09-12-2022
Military

Iran says it has developed drone “designed to hit Israel's Tel Aviv.”

Iran has developed an advanced long-range suicide drone "designed to hit Israel's Tel Aviv, Haifa,” the semi-official Mehr News quoted Iran’s ground forces chief as saying. Brigadier General Kiomars Heidari said the drone, named Arash-2, is a newer version of Arash-1. (Reuters)

09-12-2022
Terrorism

Albania blamed the Iranian government for a cyberattack against computer systems used by Albanian state police.

Albania blamed the Iranian government for a cyberattack against computer systems used by Albanian state police — just days after the White House condemned Tehran for a hack that disrupted Albanian government services in July. The latest hack forced Albanian officials to temporarily take offline its Total Information Management System (TIMS), a system for tracking the data of those entering and leaving Albania, according to a statement from Albania’s interior ministry. The cyberattack was the work of the “same aggressors” that carried out the July hack, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama alleged in a tweet. (CNN)

09-10-2022
Syria Conflict

Yemen’s information minister warned that Iran is arming the Houthis to weaken the country and gain control over international trade and energy through the Red Sea.

Yemen’s information minister has called for stronger international action to rein in Iran’s destructive activities, warning that Iran is arming the Houthis to weaken the country and gain control over international trade and energy through the Red Sea. Muammar Al-Eryani wrote for the Atlantic Council that Iran is establishing a Yemeni Hezbollah model by arming and financing the Houthi militia with the goal of seizing control of Yemen and using it as a launching pad for attacks against neighboring countries and international maritime activities via Bab Al-Mandab and the Red Sea. (Arab News)

09-09-2022
Politics

Experts say Raisi’s administration has been secretly implementing a highly controversial draft bill designed to intensify online censorship and limit Internet access.

During his election campaign, Ebrahim Raisi vowed not to further restrict the internet in Iran, where authorities already block tens of thousands of websites and regularly throttle or cut Internet connectivity. But since the hardline president assumed power in August 2021, experts say his administration has been secretly implementing a highly controversial draft bill designed to intensify online censorship and limit Internet access. The Cyberspace Protection Bill would hand over control of Iran's Internet gateways to the armed forces and criminalize the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) that mask Internet users’ locations and enable them to view blocked websites. (Radio Free Europe)

09-08-2022
Military

Iran’s Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the IRGC’s Aerospace Force, has claimed that Iran has new capabilities in its technological innovation.

Iran’s Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the IRGC’s Aerospace Force, has claimed that Iran has new capabilities in its technological innovation. Iran has already increased abilities in space, as well as missiles and drones; and cyber. Hajizadeh spotlighted the importance of Iranian universities in creating a pipeline of expertise for the IRGC and Iranian military forces. (The Jerusalem Post)

09-08-2022
Human Rights

Iranian authorities confirmed the arrest of 25 people during a protest on August 24 against a cut in water supplies in the western Iranian city of Hamedan.

Iranian authorities confirmed the arrest of 25 people during a protest on August 24 against a cut in water supplies in the western Iranian city of Hamedan. Mohammad Ali Mohammadi, the governor of Hamedan, accused the detainees – who were attending three different demonstrations – of creating insecurity and panic among the public. Water cuts in Hamedan have led to weeks of street protests and were initially tolerated by security forces, but as they continued, police began moving in on gatherings, such as the demonstrations on August 24 where they arrested many protesters. (Radio Free Europe)

09-07-2022
Nuclear Program

The U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency warned that the agency cannot determine that Iran’s nuclear aims are "exclusively peaceful."

The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency released a report outlining the progress Iran's nuclear program has made, warning that the agency cannot determine that the country's nuclear aims are "exclusively peaceful." "The Agency is not in a position to provide assurance that Iran's nuclear program is exclusively peaceful," said the report, according to Reuters. The report comes as the Biden administration reportedly closed in on a renewed nuclear deal with Iran in recent weeks, though talks have stalled in the last 24 hours and the European Union's chief negotiator has attempted to downplay speculation that a deal could be close. (Fox News)

09-06-2022
Anti-Americanism

An elderly American wrongfully held in Iran for more than six years must undergo urgent surgery "to clear life-threatening blockages in his left internal carotid artery," his family said.

An elderly American wrongfully held in Iran for more than six years must undergo urgent surgery "to clear life-threatening blockages in his left internal carotid artery," his family said. Baquer Namazi, 85, and his son, Siamak Namazi are both considered wrongfully detained by the U.S. State Department, and the elder is in need of the surgery "within weeks," his family said. They are urging the Iranian government to release his Siamak on furlough to be with his father during and after the surgery. (CNN)

09-05-2022
Human Rights

A court in Iran has sentenced to death two gay rights activists on charges of promoting homosexuality, campaigners said.

A court in Iran has sentenced to death two gay rights activists on charges of promoting homosexuality, campaigners said, urging pressure from the international community to stop the implementation of the verdicts. The two women, Zahra Sedighi Hamedani, 31, and Elham Chubdar, 24, were sentenced to death by the court in the northwestern town of Urmia, the Hengaw Kurdish rights organization said. They were convicted of "spreading corruption on earth" — a charge frequently imposed on defendants deemed to have broken the country's sharia laws, it added. They were informed of the sentence while in detention in the women's wing of the Urmia jail. (CBS)

09-05-2022
Nuclear Program

A damning new Swedish intelligence report accuses the Islamic Republic of Iran of illegal attempts to secure nuclear weapons technology in the Scandinavian nation during 2021.

As the Biden administration seeks to temporarily restrict Tehran from building an atomic bomb, a damning new Swedish intelligence report accuses the Islamic Republic of Iran of illegal attempts to secure nuclear weapons technology in the Scandinavian nation during 2021. The Swedish document places new question marks over the efficacy of the controversial Iran nuclear deal that rewards the clerical regime with up to $275 billion in economic benefits during the first year of an agreement and as much as $1 trillion by 2030, according to one estimate. (Fox News)

09-04-2022
Military

Iranian authorities have introduced defense systems in 51 cities to counter “biological, radiological, and chemical threats,” Iran’s deputy defense minister Mehdi Farahi has announced.

Iranian authorities have introduced defense systems in 51 cities to counter “biological, radiological, and chemical threats,” deputy defense minister Mehdi Farahi has announced. The defense ministry has “provided 51 cities in the country with the necessary installations and equipment for passive defense,” Farahi was cited as saying by Iribnews, the state broadcaster’s website. He added that the ministry is “now able to identify the threats thanks to the infrastructure put in place to confront all sorts of biological, radiological, and chemical threats.” (The Defense Post)

09-04-2022
Human Rights

Iran has stepped up its actions against Baha’i citizens, arresting 12 believers accused by Tehran of being “heretics” and having links to Israel.

Iran has stepped up its actions against Baha’i citizens, arresting 12 believers accused by Tehran of being “heretics” and having links to Israel in a continuing crackdown that has been condemned by Iranian and global rights groups. Iranian state media on September 4 said the arrests took place in different cities in Mazandaran Province, the same area where 14 members of Iran’s largest non-Muslim religious minority were arrested on August 31. Baha'is – who number some 300,000 in Iran and have an estimated 5 million followers worldwide – say they face systematic persecution in Iran, where their faith is not officially recognized in the constitution. (Radio Free Europe)

08-31-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran has begun enriching uranium with the second of three cascades, or clusters, of advanced IR-6 centrifuges recently installed at an underground plant at Natanz.

Iran has begun enriching uranium with the second of three cascades, or clusters, of advanced IR-6 centrifuges recently installed at an underground plant at Natanz, a report by the UN nuclear watchdog seen by Reuters said. Like the first of those three cascades of up to 174 machines each, the second is enriching uranium to up to 5% fissile purity and the third has not been fed with nuclear material, the confidential report to member states said. A separate report said the first cascade had been brought onstream. (Reuters)

08-30-2022
Syria Conflict

An Iranian ship tried to seize an American maritime drone in the Persian Gulf.

The U.S. Navy stopped an Iranian ship from seizing an American maritime drone in the Persian Gulf, in a fresh confrontation that underscored the sharp tensions between Tehran and Washington, U.S. defense officials said. The episode began when the U.S. Navy observed an Iranian ship towing the Saildrone Explorer, an unmanned U.S. vessel equipped with camera, radars, and sensors. The U.S.S. Thunderbolt, a patrol coastal ship, and a Navy helicopter moved toward the scene. The Iranians dropped the tow line and eventually left the area, the defense officials said. (The Wall Street Journal)

08-29-2022
Military

Iran sent first shipment of drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.

Russian cargo planes have quietly picked up the first of scores of Iranian-made combat drones for use against Ukraine, U.S. officials said, in a move that underscores deepening ties between Moscow and Tehran while also highlighting Russia’s struggles to supply its overstretched military. Transport planes departed Iran on Aug. 19 hauling at least two types of unmanned aerial vehicles, both capable of carrying munitions for attacks on radars, artillery and other military targets, according to intelligence gathered by U.S. and other spy agencies. (Washington Post)

08-24-2022
Syria Conflict

Three U.S. service members were injured in rocket attacks in Syria carried out by suspected Iran-backed militants, according to U.S. Central Command.

Three U.S. service members were injured in rocket attacks in Syria carried out by suspected Iran-backed militants, according to U.S. Central Command, the latest in a slew of attacks on American personnel that U.S. officials said were directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Rockets landed at two separate sites in northeastern Syria starting at roughly 7:30 p.m. local time, the command said late Wednesday in a press release. Several rockets struck inside the perimeter of Mission Support Site Conoco, followed by additional rockets that landed in the vicinity of Mission Support Site Green Village. (Politico)

08-24-2022
Nuclear Program

An Iranian official announced that his country will not allow any nuclear inspections beyond what was agreed upon in its 2015 arrangement with the United States.

An Iranian official announced that his country will not allow any nuclear inspections beyond what was agreed upon in its 2015 arrangement with the United States. "We are committed to inspections in the framework of the nuclear deal that are linked to nuclear restrictions which we have accepted in the past... Not one word more, not one word less," said Mohammad Eslami, head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, according to a video carried by state media. Eslami’s statement appears to contradict reporting earlier this week that Iran has dropped some of its main demands. (Fox News)

08-23-2022
Politics

Iran’s Mobarakeh Steel Company is reeling from the release of a lengthy parliamentary investigation that alleges corruption amounting to $3 billion tied to the administration of former President Hassan Rohani.

One of Iran's biggest cash cows, the Mobarakeh Steel Company, is reeling from the release of a lengthy parliamentary investigation that alleges corruption amounting to $3 billion tied to the administration of former President Hassan Rohani. Since the Iranian parliamentary investigatory commission read out its damning allegations on August 18 following a three-year investigation, the Iranian stock exchange suspended trading of Mobarakeh shares and hardline President Ebrahim Raisi has called for company personnel implicated in the report to be fired. (Radio Free Europe)

08-23-2022
Military

Iran's armed forces will launch large scale drone drills across the country involving 150 unmanned aerial vehicles to show off its "power.”

Iran's armed forces will launch large scale drone drills across the country involving 150 unmanned aerial vehicles to show off its "power," state media reported. "The accuracy and power of weapons... the capabilities of guidance and control systems and the combat capabilities of drones are among the things that will be tested and evaluated in this exercise," deputy coordinator of the armed forces Admiral Habibollah Sayyari told the state broadcaster. "This is the first time that a joint drone exercise is conducted at the level of the four forces of the Islamic republic of Iran's army and the country's joint air defence base," Sayyari added. (AFP)

08-20-2022
Terrorism

Iranian operatives have targeted several senior members of US-based advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) through surveillance and cyber operations.

Iranian operatives have targeted several senior members of US-based advocacy group United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) through surveillance and cyber operations. According to a report by The Dispatch, members of the New York-based think tank have been the subject of suspected Iranian surveillance operations carried out on U.S. soil as well as various phishing operations believed to be carried out by a cyber warfare group linked to the Islamic Republic. (Iran International)

08-18-2022
Human Rights

Human right activists say Khadijeh Mehdipour, a political prisoner being held in Ilam prison in western Iran, has been beaten again by inmates who are serving time for violent crimes.

Human right activists say Khadijeh Mehdipour, a political prisoner being held in Ilam prison in western Iran, has been beaten again by inmates who are serving time for violent crimes. The Hengaw Human Rights Organization says Mehdipour, who is in prison without being segregated from dangerous prisoners, was beaten by violent criminals at the instigation of the prison authorities and even forced to sleep in the prison library. Some human rights sources, including the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), say Mehdipour has been handed new charges while in prison for "insulting Islamic sanctities." (Radio Free Europe)

08-16-2022
Human Rights

A woman who was arrested for protesting mandatory head-scarf rules appeared on television and gave a "confession" that was allegedly made under duress.

Dozens of female civil activists have called on Iranian authorities to release a woman who was arrested for protesting mandatory head-scarf rules after she appeared on television and gave a "confession" they allege was made under duress. According to the Free Union Workers of Iran's Telegram channel, the women took to the streets of Tehran carrying placards asking, "Where is Sepideh Rashno?" and demanded to know her status after the 28-year-old writer and artist was arrested on June 15 after a video of her arguing with another woman who was enforcing rules on wearing a head scarf on a bus in Tehran went viral. (Radio Free Europe)

08-15-2022
Anti-Americanism

The propaganda newspaper Kayhan, the mouthpiece for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, announced in a blaring editorial on its front page that the assassination of President Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in the cards.

The propaganda newspaper Kayhan, the mouthpiece for Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, announced in a blaring editorial on its front page that the assassination of President Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in the cards. In an editorial on Saturday, the newspaper wrote, "The attack on [Rushdie] shows it is not a difficult job to take similar revenge on Trump and Pompeo and from now on they will feel more in danger for their lives." (Fox News)

08-15-2022
Syria Conflict

A drone attack hit a compound run by American troops and U.S.-backed Syrian opposition fighters in eastern Syria.

An attack with drones hit a compound run by American troops and U.S.-backed Syrian opposition fighters in eastern Syria, the U.S. military said, adding that there were no casualties or damage. The military said the attack took place in the vicinity of al-Tanf base near where the borders of Syria, Jordan and Iraq meet. There was no claim of responsibility for the attack. The attack occurred hours after Israeli airstrikes on western and central Syria killed three soldiers, wounded three others and caused material damage. (Associated Press)

08-12-2022
Extremism

An assailant stabbed Mr. Rushdie, 75, in the abdomen and the neck, over thirty years after the Supreme Leader of Iran Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa—a religious edict—calling for his death.

An attacker rushed the stage of Chautauqua Institution in Western New York, where Mr. Rushdie was scheduled to give a talk about the United States as a safe haven for exiled writers, and stabbed Mr. Rushdie, 75, in the abdomen and the neck, the police and witnesses said, straining to continue the attack even as several people held him back. Mr. Rushdie had effectively been living under a death sentence since 1989, about six months after the publication of his novel “The Satanic Verses,” which fictionalized parts of the life of the Prophet Muhammad with depictions that many Muslims found offensive and some considered blasphemous. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the Supreme Leader of Iran after the 1979 Iranian Revolution, issued a religious edict known as a fatwa on Feb. 14, 1989, ordering Muslims to kill Mr. Rushdie. A price was put on his head of several million dollars. (New York Times)

08-10-2022
Terrorism

A member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was charged with a plot to murder the former National Security Advisor and UANI Board Member John Bolton.

According to court documents, beginning in October 2021, Shahram Poursafi, aka Mehdi Rezayi, 45, of Tehran, Iran, attempted to arrange the murder of former National Security Advisor John Bolton, likely in retaliation for the January 2020 death of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Qods Force (IRGC-QF) commander Qasem Soleimani. Poursafi, working on behalf of the IRGC-QF, attempted to pay individuals in the United States $300,000 to carry out the murder in Washington, D.C. or Maryland. Poursafi offered the CHS $250,000 to hire someone to “eliminate” the former National Security Advisor. This amount would later be negotiated up to $300,000. Poursafi added that he had an additional “job,” for which he would pay $1 million. Poursafi directed the source to open a cryptocurrency account to facilitate payment, but stipulated that the CHS would likely have to carry out the murder before he/she could be paid. (U.S. Justice Department)

08-04-2022
Military

A new satellite that Russia is preparing to launch on Iran’s behalf next week will greatly enhance Tehran’s ability to spy on military targets across the Middle East.

A new satellite that Russia is preparing to launch on Iran’s behalf next week will greatly enhance Tehran’s ability to spy on military targets across the Middle East — but first, Moscow intends to use the spacecraft to assist its own war effort in Ukraine, according to Western security officials familiar with the matter. Russia’s Roscosmos space agency announced an Aug. 9 launch date for the satellite, dubbed “Khayyam” after a 12th-century Persian mathematician, in fulfillment of a deal negotiated with Iran over nearly four years. Russia agreed to build and launch the Kanopus-V system, which will include a high-resolution camera that would give Tehran unprecedented capabilities, including near-continuous monitoring of sensitive facilities in Israel and the Persian Gulf. (Washington Post)

08-01-2022
Terrorism

A man has been arrested after he was found with an assault rifle outside the Brooklyn home of an Iranian American journalist who was previously the target of a brazen abduction plot by Iranian intelligence agents.

According to a criminal complaint filed in Federal District Court in Manhattan, the suspect, Khalid Mehdiyev, was observed by law enforcement officials near the Brooklyn home of Masih Alinejad, a prominent human rights activist critical of the Islamic Republic of Iran. During a subsequent search of the vehicle, investigators found a loaded AK-47-style assault rifle in a suitcase on the rear seat, the court document shows. Masih Alinejad, an exiled journalist and women’s rights advocate living in New York, has long been critical of the regime in Tehran. Last year, four Iranians were charged with conspiring to kidnap her and take her to the Middle Eastern country, possibly via a daring maritime mission. (Washington Post)

07-21-2022
Extremism

Iran’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, who is former spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), threatened Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan on Twitter.

Iran’s ambassador to Azerbaijan, who is former spokesperson for Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), threatened Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan on Twitter, saying, “Our beloved Tabriz is known as the land of firsts in Iran’s proud history. Apparently, the first evil Zionist is going to be buried by the zealous people of Tabriz, too. Never cross our red line, ever!” He was responding to the Israel ambassador’s tweet which said, “I am learning so much about Azerbaijani history and culture in Tabriz in this great book I was recently presented.” (Twitter)

07-20-2022
Nuclear Program

Tehran gave assurances that its nuclear policy was unchanged and that it still adhered to a fatwa banning weapons of mass destruction, after an Iranian official said the country was able to make atomic bombs.

Tehran gave assurances that its nuclear policy was unchanged and that it still adhered to a fatwa banning weapons of mass destruction, after an Iranian official said the country was able to make atomic bombs. It is the second time in the past 18 months that Iran has reiterated its opposition to nuclear weapons following comments by an official. "In regard to the topic of weapons of mass destruction, we have the fatwa", or religious edict, by Iran's supreme leader that prohibits the manufacture of such weapons, said foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani. The fatwa declares the use of atomic bombs and other weapons of mass destruction to be "haram", or forbidden by Islam, and it is often cited by Iranian authorities as a guarantee of Tehran's good intentions. (France 24)

07-20-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran warned that proposed U.S. legislation targeting the Islamic Republic could further imperil stalled Biden administration efforts to resurrect the moribund nuclear deal.

Iran warned that proposed U.S. legislation targeting the Islamic Republic could further imperil stalled Biden administration efforts to resurrect the moribund nuclear deal. The bipartisan U.S. Senate bill, called the Iran Nuclear Weapons Capability Act of 2022, seeks to compel the government to assess the dangers posed by Iran and come up with a strategy to deal with them. The law would require the Biden administration establish a task force that would be required to integrate intelligence from Israel -- Tehran’s leading regional foe -- and report updated assessments of Iran’s nuclear capabilities every 120 days. If passed and signed into law, the legislation would also force the White House to outline US diplomatic and military plans to counter Iranian threats. (Bloomberg)

07-19-2022
Syria Conflict

Iran’s supreme leader issued a declaration of support for Mr. Putin’s war in Ukraine of the kind that even other countries close to Russia have so far stopped short of making.

Raveling to Iran, Mr. Putin worked to solidify an Iranian-Russian alliance that has been emerging as a significant counterweight to American-led efforts to contain Western adversaries. He met with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, who issued a declaration of support for Mr. Putin’s war in Ukraine of the kind that even other countries close to Russia have so far stopped short of making. “War is a violent and difficult endeavor, and the Islamic Republic is not at all happy that people are caught up in war,” Mr. Khamenei told Mr. Putin, according to the supreme leader’s office. “But in the case of Ukraine, if you had not taken the helm, the other side would have done so and initiated a war.” Mr. Khamenei’s endorsement of the war went well beyond the much more cautious support offered by another key Russian ally, China, embracing Mr. Putin’s claim that the West had left the Kremlin no choice but to act. (New York Times)

07-19-2022
Human Rights

Iran’s judiciary ordered one of the country’s leading filmmakers to serve out a six-year prison sentence from a decade ago that had never been enforced.

Iran’s judiciary on Tuesday ordered one of the country’s leading filmmakers to serve out a six-year prison sentence from a decade ago that had never been enforced. The order came as the government seeks to silence criticism amid growing economic turmoil and political pressure. Masoud Setayeshi, spokesman for Iran’s judiciary, announced that award-winning director, Jafar Panahi, perhaps Iran’s best-known film director, would fulfill his six-year prison term handed down in 2011 on charges of producing antigovernment propaganda, a final verdict that he said should have been implemented at the time. Although Panahi was banned from traveling over the past years, the sentence was never enforced and he continued to make underground films, which were released abroad to great acclaim. (The Washington Post)

07-19-2022
Human Rights

A legal U.S. resident and German citizen Jamshid Sharmahd faces public execution in Iran for being a journalist.

A legal U.S. resident and German citizen Jamshid Sharmahd faces public execution in Iran for being a journalist. A Tehran regime lawyer told the family a "death sentence is certain." Sharmahd’s daughter said a sixth hearing of her father’s "sham trial" might unfold this week. Iran’s regime refused to allow an independent lawyer to represent Sharmahd. The clerical regime kidnapped the 67-year-old Sharmahd in July 2020 while he was staying at a hotel in Dubai. Sharmahd has lived in California since 2003. Tehran’s opaque justice system claims Sharmahd played a role in a 2008 terrorist attack at a mosque in Shiraz, Iran that left 14 dead and more than 200 injured. (Fox News)

07-19-2022
Human Rights

The Intelligence Organization of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has arrested Zahra Hamadani, a defender of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights, on a charge of "trafficking" Iranian women to Iraq.

The Intelligence Organization of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has arrested Zahra Hamadani, a defender of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights, on a charge of "trafficking" Iranian women to Iraq. An IRGC statement accused Hamadani of "promoting homosexuality, gambling, fraud, and promoting illicit sexual relations and publishing them on the Internet." It did not give any evidence backing up the claim. Neither Hamadani nor her supporters have commented on the allegations, but she has previously been targeted by authorities for her activities related to LGBT rights. She was arbitrarily detained in October 2021 for her social media posts defending LGBT rights. (Radio Free Europe)

07-19-2022
Human Rights

A woman has been arrested after a video of her arguing with another woman who was enforcing rules on wearing a head scarf on a bus in Tehran went viral.

A woman has been arrested after a video of her arguing with another woman who was enforcing rules on wearing a head scarf on a bus in Tehran went viral. The woman, identified as Sepideh Rashno, a 28-year-old writer and artist, was confronted by a woman who warned her she would send video to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) showing Rashno riding the bus without the mandatory hijab. The notorious Guidance Patrols, or morality police, have become increasingly active and violent. Videos have emerged on social media appearing to show officers detaining women, forcing them into vans, and whisking them away. (Radio Free Europe)
 

07-18-2022
Human Rights

An Iranian political prisoner’s health is deteriorating due to him being on a hunger strike and in solitary confinement.

Relatives of Manuchehr Bakhtiari have warned that the Iranian political prisoner's health is deteriorating due to him being on a hunger strike and in solitary confinement. In an interview with Radio Farda on July 18, a relative who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals from authorities, said that Bakhtiari, whose 27-year-old son Pouya Bakhtiari was killed in a crackdown on protests in Iran in November 2019, is on hunger strike and his family is not allowed to contact him. In November 2019 thousands of citizens protested in more than 100 Iranian cities and towns against the government's sudden decision to raise gas prices. The protests quickly turned political, with many chanting against the Iranian clerical establishment and its leaders. Security agents on July 11 raided and arrested a number of family members of victims of the November 2019 protests, the day before a planned protest against the mandatory wearing by women of the hijab, or head scarves. (Radio Free Europe)

07-18-2022
Terrorism

Israeli forces downed a drone that Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group apparently flew over the border, the Israeli military said.

Israeli forces on Monday downed a drone that Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group apparently flew over the border, the military said. It did not specify how the drone was brought down as it entered Israeli airspace; however, it was believed to have been using electronic warfare means. “The drone likely belongs to the Hezbollah terror group,” the IDF said. In an image shared by the army, the drone appears to be a commercially available quadcopter manufactured by Chinese company DJI. Defense officials have previously noted that at least some of the drones Hezbollah apparently uses for surveillance purposes are commercially available devices. (Times of Israel)

07-17-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran is technically capable of making a nuclear bomb but has not decided whether to build one, a senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said.

Iran is technically capable of making a nuclear bomb but has not decided whether to build one, a senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Qatar's al Jazeera TV. Kamal Kharrazi spoke a day after U.S. President Joe Biden ended his four-day trip to Israel and Saudi Arabia, vowing to stop Iran from "acquiring a nuclear weapon." Kharrazi's comments were a rare suggestion that Iran might have an interest in nuclear weapons, which it has long denied seeking. "In a few days we were able to enrich uranium up to 60% and we can easily produce 90% enriched uranium ... Iran has the technical means to produce a nuclear bomb but there has been no decision by Iran to build one," Kharrazi said. (Reuters)

07-17-2022
Terrorism

A pro-Iranian hacker group calling itself Altahrea Team claimed responsibility for a cyberattack that disrupted access to the Israeli Health Ministry website to users from abroad.

A cyberattack disrupted access to the Health Ministry website to users from abroad, the ministry said Sunday. Though the site was still functioning for local Israelis, those trying enter from outside the country were unable to do so intermittently, the ministry said in a statement. A group of pro-Iranian hackers based in Iraq and calling itself Altahrea Team claimed responsibility for the assault, according to Hebrew media reports. On its Telegram channel, the group reportedly wrote that the attack was carried out in response to the bombing of the Gaza Strip over the weekend and a list of other ills. (The Times of Israel)

07-16-2022
Politics

Iran's Supreme Leader has reappointed hardliner politician Ahmad Jannati, 95, to another six-year term as the head of the Guardian Council.

Iran's Supreme Leader has reappointed hardliner politician Ahmad Jannati, 95, to another six-year term as the head of the Guardian Council. He will finish his term when he turns 101. According to a decree issued by Ali Khamenei on Saturday, Mohammad-Reza Modarresi Yazdi and Mehdi Shabzendedar Jahromi were also reinstated as the Islamic sharia law experts in the body, in charge of checking legislation approved by the parliament with the Constitution and sharia, and approving the candidates in various elections. But in fact, critics of the council say that it is simply a tool under Khamenei’s control who engineers elections by having the institution reject candidates. (Iran International)

07-15-2022
Military

Iran unveiled military advances on Friday that have put armed drones aboard its warships, creating a new threat for the U.S. and its allies in the Persian Gulf.

Iran unveiled military advances on Friday that have put armed drones aboard its warships, creating a new threat for the U.S. and its allies in the Persian Gulf, as President Biden tours the region in part to help build security partnerships to counter Tehran. Iranian state television broadcast a report showing some of Iran’s biggest warships and submarines launching drones at sea. The drones are able to fly for up to 24 hours and 600 miles, it said. The U.S. and its allies in the region have accused Iran of using drones to target adversaries including Israel and Saudi Arabia as well as ships in the Persian Gulf. The new developments are expected to give Tehran an expanded ability to target foes across the Middle East. (The Wall Street Journal)

07-14-2022
Extremism

Iran might resort to new methods to “punish” Israel, a website close to its security establishment said, as President Joe Biden visits the region.

Iran might resort to new methods to “punish” Israel, a website close to its security establishment said, as President Joe Biden visits the region. Nour News, close to Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the supreme national security council said that “Any steps to disrupt the current security order in West Asia can impact other spheres, such as transportation and transit of energy and add to the existing global food and energy crisis.” The reference to transportation of energy could be a threat to shipping in the Persian Gulf. Iran in recent and distant past has repeatedly made such threats and in the summer of 2019, attacks took place against many tankers, which were generally blamed on Iran. The article on Nour News also went on to say that Washington should know that “Israel’s mischiefs can, under some circumstances, cause loss of control over the situation and lead to the use of different options for punishing the usurping Zionist regime,” (Iran International)

07-14-2022
Anti-Americanism

Iran may be planning to assassinate top members of Donald Trump’s administration, including the former president himself, in revenge for the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a US intelligence report has warned.

Iran may be planning to assassinate top members of Donald Trump’s administration, including the former president himself, in revenge for the killing of Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a US intelligence report has warned. Issued by the National Counterterrorism Center, the report also identifies threats against former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Kenneth McKenzie, former head of US Central Command, The Independent reported. “Since January 2021, Tehran has publicly expressed a willingness to conduct lethal operations inside the United States and has consistently identified former president Donald Trump, former secretary of state Michael Pompeo, and former CENTCOM Commander Gen. Kenneth McKenzie as among its priority targets for retribution,” the report said. “Iran would probably view the killing or prosecution of a US official it considers equivalent in rank and stature to Soleimani or responsible for his death as successful retaliatory actions.” (Arab News)

07-14-2022
Anti-Americanism

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Iran will have a “harsh and regrettable response” to any “mistake” committed by Washington or its allies, and blames the U.S. and its regional allies for stoking instability in the region.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said Iran will have a “harsh and regrettable response” to any “mistake” committed by Washington or its allies. The Iranian president spoke as US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid signed a joint pledge on Thursday to deny Iran nuclear arms, a show of unity by allies long divided over diplomacy with Tehran. Raisi blamed the US and “its regional allies” for stoking instability in the region, state-run IRNA news agency reported. (Aljazeera)

07-13-2022
Terrorism

Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah threatened Israel with military escalation if a future deal over the disputed maritime border between the two countries is not in Lebanon’s favor.

The leader of Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah group threatened Israel with military escalation if a future deal over the disputed maritime border between the two countries is not in Lebanon’s favor. Sayyed Hassan Narallah said in a televised speech that Lebanon should be able to extract oil and gas in Lebanese waters. Lebanon claims the Karish gas field is disputed territory under ongoing maritime border negotiations, whereas Israel says it lies within its internationally recognized economic waters. Negotiations between Lebanon and Israel to determine their maritime borders commenced in October 2020, when the two sides held indirect U.S.-mediated talks in southern Lebanon. (Associated Press)

07-12-2022
Human Rights

Iran has arrested three renowned filmmakers within the past week, as well as a prominent reformist politician and the family members of protesters killed in anti-government uprisings in 2019.

In a new crackdown on dissidents and artists, Iran has arrested three renowned filmmakers within the past week, as well as a prominent reformist politician and the family members of protesters killed in anti-government uprisings in 2019. The directors, Jaffar Panahi, Mohammad Rasolouf and Mostafa Aleahmad, have all been vocal critics of the government. Mr. Rasolouf recently organized a social media campaign that called for the country’s security forces facing protesters to put down their weapons and join the people. The latest arrests come as a new chief takes over the powerful intelligence wing of the Revolutionary Guards Corps, following the ouster in late June of its former head, Hossein Taeb. (New York Times)

07-11-2022
Syria Conflict

Iran is preparing to provide Russia with drones for the battlefield in Ukraine, as well as training for its forces to use them, a senior White House official said.

Iran is preparing to provide Russia with drones for the battlefield in Ukraine, as well as training for its forces to use them, a senior White House official said Monday. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said the U.S. has information that Tehran “is preparing to provide Russia with up to several 100 UAVs, including weapons-capable UAVs on an expedited timeline.” At a briefing for reporters, Mr. Sullivan said Iran was preparing to train Russian troops to use them, beginning as soon as early this month. “It’s unclear whether Iran has delivered any of these UAVs to Russia already.” (The Wall Street Journal)

07-11-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran announced that it has begun enriching uranium up to 20% using sophisticated centrifuges at its underground Fordo nuclear plant.

Iran announced that it has begun enriching uranium up to 20% using sophisticated centrifuges at its underground Fordo nuclear plant, state TV reported, an escalation that comes amid a standoff with the West over its tattered atomic deal. That Tehran is enriching uranium up to 20% purity — a technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90% — with a new set of its most advanced centrifuges at a facility deep inside a mountain deals yet another blow to the already slim chances of reviving the accord. In a report to member states, Director General Rafael Grossi described a system of “modified sub-headers,” which he said allowed Iran to inject gas enriched up to 5% purity into a cascade of 166 IR-6 centrifuges for the purpose of producing uranium enriched up to 20% purity. (NBC News)

07-05-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran added demands unrelated to discussions on its nuclear program during the latest talks and has made alarming progress on enriching uranium.

Iran added demands unrelated to discussions on its nuclear program during the latest talks and has made alarming progress on enriching uranium, the U.S. envoy for talks on reinstating a nuclear deal said on Tuesday. "They have, including in Doha, added demands that I think anyone looking at this would be viewed as having nothing to do with the nuclear deal, things that they've wanted in the past," Robert Malley, U.S. Special Envoy for Iran, said in an interview with National Public Radio. The demands included some that the United States and Europeans have said could not be part of negotiations. (Reuters)

07-02-2022
Terrorism

The Israel Defenses Forces said it successfully intercepted three drones flown by the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah terror group that were heading for the Karish gas field off Israel’s Mediterranean coast.

The Israel Defenses Forces said it successfully intercepted three drones flown by the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group that were heading for the Karish gas field off Israel’s Mediterranean coast. Tensions have risen over the site in recent weeks, after a gas production vessel arrived in Israel to launch extraction operations in the offshore field, drawing condemnation from Lebanon, which had laid claim to parts of it. Israel says Karish is in part of its UN-recognized exclusive economic zone. One of the Hezbollah aircraft was downed by an F16 fighter jet, and the other two by Barak 8 missiles launched from the Saar 5 Class Corvette INS Eilat, the military said in a statement. Hezbollah added that the mission was accomplished successfully and “a message was conveyed.” (Times of Israel)

06-26-2022
Military

Iran has carried out a second test of its Zuljanah satellite launcher, Iranian state TV reported.

Iran has carried out a second test of its Zuljanah satellite launcher, Iranian state TV reported on Sunday, in a move likely to irk Washington amid expectations of a resumption of indirect talks between the arch foes to revive a 2015 nuclear pact. The United States fears such long-range ballistic technology used to put satellites into orbit could also be used to launch nuclear warheads. Tehran denies the U.S. accusation. The Zuljanah is a three-stage satellite launcher using a combination of solid and liquid fuels. (Reuters)

06-21-2022
Anti-Americanism

Iran is renewing threats to assassinate former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, prompting a fresh warning from the State Department that any attempt to take the life of a current or former U.S. official will prompt "severe consequences."

Iran is renewing threats to assassinate former secretary of state Mike Pompeo, prompting a fresh warning from the State Department that any attempt to take the life of a current or former U.S. official will prompt "severe consequences." An Arabic-language Twitter account affiliated with the hardline Iranian regime stated during the weekend that Pompeo, who served under former president Donald Trump, should fear for his life. "Live in fear, liar," the account tweeted, alongside an image of Pompeo with crosshairs on his forehead. The post indicates that Iran wants Pompeo dead as payback for the 2020 drone strike that killed Iranian terror leader Qassem Soleimani. (The Washington Free Beacon)

06-21-2022
Human Rights

Iran executed more than 100 people in the first three months of 2022, continuing a worrying upward trend, according to a report by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Iran executed more than 100 people in the first three months of 2022, continuing a worrying upward trend, according to a report by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "While 260 individuals were executed in 2020, at least 310 individuals were executed in 2021, including at least 14 women," she said, adding that the trend had continued this year. Between January 1 and March 20, she said, "At least 105 people were executed," many of whom belonged to minority groups." Guterres's report had noted with deep concern the increase of executions for lesser crimes, including for drug-related offenses, Nashif said. (VOA News)

06-20-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran is escalating its uranium enrichment further by preparing to use advanced IR-6 centrifuges at its underground Fordow site that can more easily switch between enrichment levels.

Iran is escalating its uranium enrichment further by preparing to use advanced IR-6 centrifuges at its underground Fordow site that can more easily switch between enrichment levels, a United Nations nuclear watchdog report seen by Reuters on Monday showed. The move is the latest of several steps Iran had long threatened to take but held off carrying out until 30 of the 35 countries on the International Atomic Energy Agency's Board of Governors backed a resolution this month criticizing it for failing to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites. IAEA inspectors verified on Saturday that Iran was ready to feed uranium hexafluoride (UF6) gas, the material centrifuges enrich, into the second of two cascades, or clusters, of IR-6 centrifuges installed at Fordow, a site dug into mountain, the confidential IAEA report to member states said. (Reuters)

06-20-2022
Terrorism

False rocket warning sirens that were activated in Jerusalem and Eilat were likely caused by a cyberattack, the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) confirmed.

False rocket warning sirens that were activated in Jerusalem and Eilat on Sunday evening were likely caused by a cyberattack, the Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) confirmed on Monday morning. By Monday, there was rampant speculation that Iran was the perpetrator of the hack, with a slew of cyber experts opining as such in interviews about the possibility of Iranian involvement. A diplomatic source downplayed the significance of the attack, saying, “There is constant cyber activity against Israel. Part of the [Israel’s] multi-year plan is to build a cyber iron dome in cooperation with other nations.” On Sunday evening, rocket sirens sounded for almost an hour in Eilat and across several Jerusalem neighborhoods including Talpiot, Katamon and Beit Hakerem. (The Jerusalem Post)

06-19-2022
Terrorism

Israeli officials warn of impending Iranian attacks on its citizens visiting Turkey.

Despite repeated statements from Israeli officials warning of impending Iranian attacks on its citizens visiting Turkey, Tehran has generally remained silent. Defense Minister Benny Gantz issued his latest statement on Saturday reiterating that there is a serious risk of attacks on Israelis in Turkey by Iranian networks. Several individuals affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard have been killed or died mysteriously in recent weeks in Iran. These incidents are attributed to a covert war waged by Israel inside Iran. So far there have been no incidents, but Israeli officials have been insisting that they are in close cooperation with Turkish security agencies to thwart any Iranian threat. (Iran International)

06-16-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran is digging a vast tunnel network just south of the Natanz nuclear production site, in what officials believe is Tehran’s biggest effort yet to construct new underground nuclear facilities.

Israeli and American intelligence officials have been watching each day as Iran digs a vast tunnel network just south of the Natanz nuclear production site, in what they believe is Tehran’s biggest effort yet to construct new nuclear facilities so deep in the mountains that they can withstand bunker-busting bombs and cyberattacks. Though the construction is evident on satellite photographs and has been monitored by groups that track the proliferation of new nuclear facilities, Biden administration officials have never talked about it in public and Israel’s defense minister has mentioned it just once. (New York Times)

06-10-2022
Syria Conflict

Attacks by Iranian proxies against bases housing U.S. military personnel in Iraq and Syria are increasing, but Washington has not responded with force since 2021.

Attacks by Iranian proxies against bases housing U.S. military personnel in Iraq and Syria are increasing, U.S. officials say, and Washington has not responded with force since 2021. There were seven attacks in May, as many attacks that month as February, March and April combined, and there have been a total of 29 since October without a kinetic U.S. response. The attacks have been carried out by Iranian-backed militias, the U.S. officials say. (NBC News)

06-10-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran has started removing 27 surveillance cameras from nuclear sites across the country, the head of the U.N. atomic watchdog said.

Iran has started removing 27 surveillance cameras from nuclear sites across the country, the head of the U.N. atomic watchdog said, warning this could deal a "fatal blow" to the tattered nuclear deal as Tehran enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels. The development comes a day after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)'s board of governors censured Tehran for failing to provide "credible information" over manufactured nuclear material found at three undeclared sites in the country. (CBS News)

06-08-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran has begun installing advanced IR-6 centrifuges in a cluster at an underground enrichment plant in line with a longstanding plan.

Iran has begun installing advanced IR-6 centrifuges in a cluster at its underground enrichment plant in Natanz in line with a longstanding plan and now intends to add two more such clusters, or cascades, the U.N. nuclear watchdog told its member states on Wednesday. The moves are described in a confidential International Atomic Energy Agency report sent to member states shortly before the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors passed a resolution criticizing Iran for failing to explain uranium traces found at undeclared sites. Iran had warned of retaliation. Iran's commercial-scale Fuel Enrichment Plant (FEP) at Natanz is its biggest and was built underground, apparently to protect it from potential aerial bombardment. (Reuters)

06-07-2022
Human Rights

Twelve people from an ethnic minority group were hanged in Iran, Iran Human Rights (IHR) said.

Iran has carried out a mass execution of 12 inmates at a prison in its southeast, an NGO said. The 11 men and one woman — convicted either on drugs-related or murder charges — were hanged in the main prison of Zahedan in Sistan-Baluchestan province, Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) said. They were all members of the Baluch ethnic minority who mainly adhere to the Sunni strain of Islam rather than the Shiism that is dominant in Iran, it added. Activists have long expressed concern that executions in Iran disproportionately target members of Iran’s ethnic and religious minorities, notably Kurds in the northwest, Arabs in the southwest and Baluch in the southeast. (The Times of Israel)

06-06-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran is only a few weeks away from having enough enriched uranium to produce a nuclear explosive device.

Iran is only a few weeks away from having a "significant quantity of enriched uranium," the International Atomic Energy Agency's Director General Rafael Grossi said on Monday. "Having a significant quantity does not mean having a bomb," Grossi told a press conference following the start of the quarterly Board of Governors meeting in the Austrian capital of Vienna on Monday. The IAEA defines "significant quantity" of enriched uranium as "the approximate amount of nuclear material for which the possibility of manufacturing a nuclear explosive device cannot be excluded." (CNN)

06-06-2022
Terrorism

Thai security forces have thwarted several recent Iranian attempts to harm Western and Israeli targets in the southeast Asian country.

Thai security forces have thwarted several recent Iranian attempts to harm Western and Israeli targets in the southeast Asian country, according to a report. The news comes as Iran has reportedly been trying to retaliate for several high-profile assassinations and mysterious deaths in the Islamic Republic in recent months, including of a senior IRGC official and a top scientist. According to Channel 12, security forces in Thailand were successful in preventing an Iranian agent from establishing a terror cell in the country and potentially carrying out attacks against Israelis. Nonetheless, Thai security forces remain on high alert. Iran is still believed to be planning attacks against Israelis in Thailand and elsewhere. (Times of Israel)

06-01-2022
Terrorism

The FBI thwarted a planned cyberattack on a children’s hospital in Boston that was to have been carried out by hackers sponsored by the Iranian government, FBI Director Christopher Wray said.

The FBI thwarted a planned cyberattack on a children’s hospital in Boston that was to have been carried out by hackers sponsored by the Iranian government, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday. Wray told a Boston College cybersecurity conference that his agents learned of the planned digital attack from an unspecified intelligence partner and got Boston Children’s Hospital the information it needed last summer to block what would have been “one of the most despicable cyberattacks I’ve seen.” He did not ascribe a particular motive to the planned attack on the hospital, but he noted that Iran and other countries have been hiring cyber mercenaries to conduct attacks on their behalf. (The Times of Israel).

05-30-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran has not credibly answered the U.N. nuclear watchdog's long-standing questions on the origin of uranium particles found at three undeclared sites despite a fresh push for a breakthrough, the agency said in a report.

Iran has not credibly answered the U.N. nuclear watchdog's long-standing questions on the origin of uranium particles found at three undeclared sites despite a fresh push for a breakthrough, the agency said in a report seen by Reuters on Monday. A separate quarterly IAEA report seen by Reuters said Iran's stockpile of uranium enriched to 60%, close to the roughly 90% that is weapons grade and in a form that can be enriched further, is estimated to have grown by 9.9 kg to 43.1 kg. That amounts to slightly more than what the IAEA calls a "significant quantity," defined as "the approximate amount of nuclear material for which the possibility of manufacturing a nuclear explosive device cannot be excluded." (Reuters)

05-28-2022
Military

Iran unveiled its first cruise missile that can be fired from a drone, the Heidar-1.

Mohammad Bagheri, chief of staff of the Iranian armed force, has unveiled Iran’s first cruise missile than can be fired from a drone, named Heidar-1. Visiting the underground ‘strategic drone base 313,’ Bagheri also revealed a drone that can be mounted on a helicopter. The Heidar-1’s UAV was reported to have a 200km range and be capable of hitting a target at a maximum speed of 1,000km per hour. Over 100 drones are kept in the base in the Zagros mountains, including Kaman-22, Kaman-12 and Qods Mohajer, the last an intelligence, surveillance, target-acquisition, and reconnaissance drone capable of carrying four precision-guided munitions. The base is also home to the Ababil-5, which is fitted with Qaem-9 missiles, an Iranian-made version of the air-to-surface United States Hellfire missile. (Iran International)

05-27-2022
Military

Iranian forces seized two Greek tankers in the Gulf, shortly after Tehran warned it would take "punitive action" against Athens over the confiscation of Iranian oil by the United States from a tanker held off the Greek coast.

Iranian forces seized two Greek tankers in the Gulf, shortly after Tehran warned it would take "punitive action" against Athens over the confiscation of Iranian oil by the United States from a tanker held off the Greek coast. It said a similar incident took place on another Greek-flagged vessel near Iran, without naming the ship, adding both actions violated international law and Greece had informed its allies, as well as complained to Iran's ambassador in Athens. Greek authorities last month impounded the Iranian-flagged Pegas, with 19 Russian crew members on board, near the coast of the southern island of Evia due to European Union sanctions. The United States later confiscated the Iranian oil cargo held onboard and plans to send it to the United States on another vessel, Reuters reported on Thursday. (Reuters)

05-25-2022
Nuclear Program

Iran secured access to secret United Nations atomic agency reports almost two decades ago and circulated the documents among top officials who prepared cover stories and falsified a record to conceal suspected past work on nuclear weapons.

Iran secured access to secret United Nations atomic agency reports almost two decades ago and circulated the documents among top officials who prepared cover stories and falsified a record to conceal suspected past work on nuclear weapons, according to Middle East intelligence officials and documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The IAEA records accessed by Iran were among more than 100,000 documents and files seized by Israeli intelligence in January 2018 from a Tehran archive. The file included reports on nuclear material that Iran had received from China, internal IAEA reports of the agency’s inspections of Iranian facilities and data from samples the agency had taken at Iran’s conversion facilities. (The Wall Street Journal)

05-12-2022
Syria Conflict

The new CENTCOM commander calls Iran the most destabilizing force in the Middle East, reiterating the position that the United States will not allow a nuclear Iran.

The new CENTCOM commander calls Iran the most destabilizing force in the Middle East, reiterating the position that the United States will not allow a nuclear Iran. General Erik Kurilla, who was on a tour of Saudi Arabia and Egypt as part of what he called a “listening tour”, told Al Arabiya on Thursday that countering the threat posed by Iran needs regional cooperation. “I view Iran as the most destabilizing force in the Middle East. The United States’ position is that we will not allow a nuclear Iran. However, our concerns about Iran go beyond its nuclear capability,” the top US military general for the Middle East said. Describing Iran’s ballistic missile program and its support for proxies and Iran-backed militias in the region as other concerns for the US, Kurilla said, “The Iranian threat requires a firm effort from us and our security partners in the region... CENTCOM is committed to that effort.” (Iran International)

05-12-2022
Terrorism

France’s Foreign Ministry said that two French nationals have been arrested in Iran and French authorities have “fully mobilized” to secure their swift release.

France’s Foreign Ministry said Thursday that two French nationals have been arrested in Iran and French authorities have “fully mobilized” to secure their swift release. Prominent trade union Workers’ Force identified the two Thursday as a teachers’ union official named Cecile Kohler, and her partner. It said they were on a tourist trip to Iran as part of an Easter vacation break. The union said it was made aware of the arrests Wednesday. France’s Foreign Ministry said its ambassador in Tehran has already attempted to obtain consular access to the couple and the charge d’affaires at Iran’s Paris embassy has been summoned for explanations. The ministry didn’t say what charges the two French faced. The French government said it “condemns this groundless arrest” and “calls for (the French nationals’) immediate release.” (The Associated Press)

05-01-2022
Terrorism

Israeli intelligence operatives foil an Iranian assassination plot targeting Israelis, Americans, and Germans.

A short audio recording was published by Israeli media on Saturday with a photo of a man introduced as Iranian national Mansour Rasouli. In the audio recording, Rasouli says he was sent to Turkey by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) to establishing an operational network to assassinate an Israeli diplomat in Istanbul, a Germany-based US general, and a journalist in France. The audio recording surfaced hours after Iran International's report of the alleged Iranian triple assassination plot. Iran International's diplomatic sources said a member of the IRGC'S Qods Force had been detained in an unnamed European country for assassination plots in Germany, France and Turkey. Apparently duped by his interrogators' claim that they were from one of Iran's many intelligence bodies, Rasouli says in the recording that accepting to carry out the operation was a mistake that he will never make again. (Iran International)

04-28-2022
Extremism

The ultraconservative Kayhan newspaper in Iran, whose editor was appointed by Supreme Leader Khamenei, ran a piece prior to the anti-Israel event Quds Day, praising Hitler.

While Holocaust Remembrance Day falls on April 27-28, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the only state in the world to deny the Holocaust as a matter of policy, celebrates its annual anti-Israel Quds Day on April 29. This year, in a bid to welcome the latter event a day early, the ultraconservative Kayhan newspaper ran a range of related content in its April 28 issue. The centerpiece? Open praise for Adolf Hitler, leader of Nazi Germany and instigator of the genocide of six million Jews. Kayhan is unsurprisingly a favorite of the Iranian regime establishment and is edited by Hossein Shariatmadari: an appointee of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a career Holocaust denier. The newspaper, too, has a long history of praising Holocaust deniers, including those with Nazi sympathies. But it has gone a step further by allowing a writer to openly praise Hitler. (Iranwire)

04-26-2022
Terrorism

U.S. Department of Justice charged a New Jersey man with plotting terror attacks on the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, and New York airports at the behest of Iran-backed terrorist organization Hezbollah.

Alexei Saab stands accused of preparing attacks against the U.S. from 2000 to 2005 at the behest of Hezbollah. His targets included U.S. infrastructure and popular venues like Rockefeller Center. He was planning to attack the U.S. in the event of a U.S. attack on Iran. He was charged with “providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, conspiracy, receiving military-type training from a foreign terrorist organization, unlawful procurement of citizenship to facilitate international terrorism and citizenship application fraud,” and multiple surveillance videos of popular U.S. destinations were found in his possession at the time of his arrest. (NBC News)

04-22-2022
Terrorism

No militant group in Gaza has yet claimed responsibility for the rocket fire directed at Israel on multiple occasions throughout April, but the Israeli army holds Hamas responsible.

Militants in Gaza fired rockets into Israel on April 18th, April 20th, and April 22nd. No group claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks. On the day of the first attacks, Ali Akbar Velayati, the foreign policy advisor of Iran’s supreme leader, reportedly spoke via phone with Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh and Secretary General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement Ziyad al-Nakhalah. Separately, Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, engaged in phone calls with the leadership of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The Israeli army said in its early Thursday statement that it holds Hamas responsible for what takes place in the Gaza Strip. In response to the rocket fire, the Israeli military targeted posts belonging to Hamas. (Times of Israel)

04-21-2022
Terrorism

A group of pro-Iranian hackers said it was behind a cyberattack that temporarily took down the Israel Airports Authority’s website.

A group of pro-Iranian hackers said it was behind a cyberattack that temporarily took down the Israel Airports Authority’s website on Wednesday. The targeting came in the form of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack during which the Airports Authority website servers were overwhelmed by near-simultaneous requests to connect. The Airports Authority was one of several Israeli websites targeted in an attack that the ALtahrea Team of pro-Iran hackers in Iraq said began at 1:02 a.m. on Wednesday, coinciding with the two-year anniversary of Qassem Soleimani’s assassination by the US in Baghdad. (The Times of Israel)

03-25-2022
Syria Conflict

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis launched attacks on Saudi Aramco's petroleum products distribution station.

Yemen's Houthis said they launched attacks on Saudi energy facilities, and the Saudi-led coalition said oil giant Aramco's petroleum products distribution station in Jeddah was hit, causing a fire in two storage tanks but no casualties. The Iran-aligned Houthis have escalated attacks on the kingdom's oil facilities in recent weeks and ahead of a temporary truce for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The coalition has repeatedly said it is exercising self-restraint in the face of the attacks, but launched a military operation in Yemen early on Saturday saying it aimed to protect global energy sources and ensure supply chains…The ministry blamed Iran for continuing to arm the Houthis with ballistic missiles and advanced drones. (Reuters)

03-23-2022
Syria Conflict

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) plans to dispatch a large number of fighters from its Iraqi affiliates to Yemen.

Reports that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) plans to dispatch a large number of fighters from its Iraqi affiliates to Yemen have raised fears that, if true, this will expand the war in Yemen into a regional one, analysts said. Such a move also would threaten any path towards the establishment of peace in Yemen, they said. In a February 17 report, Intelligence Online revealed that the IRGC is planning to send a large force of fighters from Iran-backed Iraqi militias to support the Houthis in Yemen. This will include fighters from Asaib al-Haq and Harakat al-Nujaba, it said, noting that the move follows massive Houthi losses in the battles of Marib and Shabwa. (Al Mashareq)

03-13-2022
Military

Iran struck the Kurdish capital Erbil with ballistic missiles in March 2022.

A nascent plan for Iraq's Kurdistan region to supply gas to Turkey and Europe - with Israeli help - is part of what angered Iran into striking the Kurdish capital Erbil with ballistic missiles this month, Iraqi and Turkish officials say. The March 13 attack on Erbil came as a shock to officials throughout the region for its ferocity and was a rare publicly declared assault by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC said the strike hit Israeli "strategic centres" in Erbil and was retaliation for an Israeli air raid that killed two of its members in Syria. The choice of target, however, baffled many officials and analysts. Most of the 12 missiles hit the villa of a Kurdish businessman involved in the autonomous Kurdistan region's energy sector. Iraqi and Turkish officials who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity this week said they believe the attack was meant as a multi-pronged message to U.S. allies in the region - but that a key trigger was a plan to pump Kurdish gas into Turkey and Europe, with Israel's involvement. (Reuters)

03-11-2022
Anti-Americanism

Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is the target of an Iranian assassination plot.

The Washington Examiner acquired a report, marked sensitive but unclassified, on the Diplomatic Security Service’s protection of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The report details the costs of protecting Pompeo at $2 million per month given the heightened threat against his life emanating from Iran, especially since the January anniversary of the death of Qassem Soleimani. “Additional protective measures” have been needed since January 2021, says the report. Furthermore, the report adds that the security services provided by the State Department to former U.S. officials will not be authorized by law after June 2022, unless included in the “2022 appropriations act or other legislation.” (The Washington Examiner)

03-08-2022
Military

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has successfully put a second military satellite, the Noor 2, into orbit, the state-media said.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has successfully put a second military satellite, the Noor 2, into orbit, the state-media said on Tuesday. Noor 2 is orbiting at an altitude of 500 kilometres (311 miles). The first military satellite, launched by the Islamic Republic in April 2020, placed the Noor, or "light" in Persian, at an orbit of 425km (265 miles) above the earth’s surface. Putting a second satellite in space would be a major advance for Iran’s military, raising concerns about the country's nuclear and missile programs. (Reuters)

03-07-2022
Anti-Americanism

Iranians belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards’ covert-action Quds Force are plotting to assassinate former national security advisor and UANI board member John Bolton.

At least two Iranians belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards’ covert-action Quds Force are plotting to assassinate former national security advisor John Bolton, according to a Justice Department official with direct knowledge of the investigation. John Bolton currently sits on the UANI advisory board, and he was instrumental in the Trump administration’s decision to withdraw from the JCPOA. The source tells the Washington Examiner that the department possesses indictable evidence against the Iranians but that Biden administration officials are resisting publicly indicting the men for fear that it could derail their drive for a nuclear deal with Iran, which at the time appeared to be nearing completion in negotiations in Vienna, Austria. It is possible but unlikely that there are sealed indictments against the men, but the DOJ source said the seriousness of the conspiracy and the evidence warranted public indictment without delay. (The Washington Examiner)

03-01-2022
Anti-Americanism

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the war in Ukraine should be stopped and accused the "mafia-like regime" of the United States of creating the conflict.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday the war in Ukraine should be stopped and accused the "mafia-like regime" of the United States of creating the conflict. "The U.S. regime creates crises, lives off of crises and feeds on various crises in the world. Ukraine is another victim of this policy," Khamenei said in a televised speech. "In my view, Ukraine is a victim of the crises concocted by the United States," he said. "There are two lessons to be learnt here. States which depend on the support of the U.S. and Western powers need to know they cannot trust such countries." While Tehran and Washington have been foes for decades, Iran and Russia have deepened trade ties and have been allies in the Syrian conflict. (Reuters)

03-01-2022
Human Rights

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei described homosexuality as part of the "moral deprivation" widespread in Western civilization.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei described homosexuality as part of the "moral deprivation" widespread in Western civilization, during a televised speech on Tuesday. "There is severe moral deprivation in the world today such as homosexuality and things that one cannot bring oneself to even talk about. Some have rightly called Western civilization a new age of ignorance," Khamenei said. Western rights groups have often criticized Iran, where homosexual acts among men can be punished by the death penalty. (Reuters)

02-16-2022
Terrorism

The leader of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group, Hassan Nasrallah, said for the first time that it has the ability within Lebanon to convert thousands of rockets into precision missiles and to produce drones.

The leader of Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group, Hassan Nasrallah, said for the first time on Wednesday that it has the ability within Lebanon to convert thousands of rockets into precision missiles and to produce drones. "We have been producing drones in Lebanon for a long time, and whoever wants to buy them, submit an order," Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a televised speech to followers. He said Hezbollah was able to transform standard rockets into precision missiles with the cooperation of "experts from the Islamic Republic of Iran." (Reuters)

02-09-2022
Military

Iran unveiled a new domestically-made missile with a range of 1,450 kilometers, state TV reported.

Iran unveiled a new domestically-made missile with a range of 1,450 kilometers on Wednesday, state TV reported, a day after Tehran and Washington resumed indirect talks to salvage a 2015 nuclear deal. Iran, which has one of the biggest missile programs in the Middle East, says its ballistic missiles have a range of up to 2,000 km (1,200 miles) and are capable of reaching its arch-foe Israel and U.S. bases in the region. State TV displayed the new surface-to-surface "Kheibar Shekan" (Kheibar buster) missile. "This long-range missile is domestically manufactured by the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) ... It has high accuracy and is propelled by solid fuel and is capable of penetrating missile shields," Iranian state media reported. (Reuters)

02-03-2022
Nuclear Program

Biden Administration officials concluded late last year that Iran’s nuclear program had advanced too far to re-create the roughly 12-month so-called breakout period of the 2015 nuclear deal.

Biden Administration officials concluded late last year that Iran’s nuclear program had advanced too far to re-create the roughly 12-month so-called breakout period of the 2015 pact, the U.S. officials said. Despite the change, the U.S. is pushing ahead with talks. A revised deal needs to be reached soon, the officials said, to leave the U.S. and its allies with enough time to respond to an Iranian nuclear buildup. How limited that breakout period will be depends on the precise steps Iran agrees to take to dismantle, ship abroad, destroy or place under seal its stockpile of enriched uranium, machines for producing nuclear fuel and centrifuge manufacturing capacity. (The Wall Street Journal)

02-02-2022
Syria Conflict

A little-known extremist group claimed a drone attack on the United Arab Emirates, raising the possibility that Iran has decided to mobilize its proxy militias from other countries in the region beyond Yemen.

A little-known extremist group claimed a drone attack on the United Arab Emirates, raising the possibility that Iran has decided to mobilize its proxy militias from other countries in the region beyond Yemen. On the same day, according to the Iranian state news agency IRNA, Iran Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian stressed during a conversation [with his UAE counterpart] that ‘the Zionist regime’s presence is a threat to the regional security,’ in a reference to the normalisation of ties between Israel and some Gulf countries including the UAE. Alwiyat al-Waad al-Haq (True Promise Brigades), which is believed to be simply a cover name used by pro-Iranian factions operating in Iraq, said it launched four drones at dawn on Wednesday targeting the Gulf state. The UAE announced the interception and destruction on Wednesday of three "hostile drones,” which follows three previous drone and missile attacks claimed by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels since January 17. (The Arab Weekly)

02-01-2022
Human Rights

Iran has executed two gay men who were convicted on charges of sodomy and spent six years on death row.

Iran has executed two gay men who were convicted on charges of sodomy and spent six years on death row, a rights group reported. Homosexuality is illegal in Iran, considered one of the most repressive places in the world for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. They were sentenced to death for “forced sexual intercourse between two men” and hanged in a prison in the northwestern city of Maragheh, some 500 kilometers (310 miles) from the capital, Tehran. Under Iranian law, sodomy, rape, adultery, armed robbery and murder are among crimes that can lead to the death penalty. (Associated Press)

01-26-2022
Anti-Americanism

The U.S. State Department provided an unclassified but non-public assessment to Congress on January 11 detailing the “specific [Iranian] threat [that] persists with respect to former special representative [for Iran] Brian Hook.”

The U.S. State Department provided an unclassified but non-public assessment to Congress on January 11 detailing the “specific threat [that] persists with respect to former special representative [for Iran] Brian Hook.” The threat has existed since at least January 2021, the State Department determined. Hook led the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran following the withdrawal from the JCPOA in 2018. While the report doesn’t explicitly name Iran as the threat, it comes amid public statements by top Iranian leaders threatening Trump administration officials. (The Washington Free Beacon)

01-17-2022
Syria Conflict

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement used cruise missiles and ballistic missiles alongside drones in a deadly strike on the United Arab Emirates.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement used cruise missiles and ballistic missiles alongside drones in a deadly strike on the United Arab Emirates, which intercepted part of the attack, the Gulf state's ambassador to the United States said. On the day of the first attack, top Houthi negotiator Mohammed Abdulsalam met with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in Tehran, according to the Al-Mayadeen news outlet. At the meeting, he referred to the attack as a response to the UAE’s military involvement in Yemen. It is the first time the UAE, which rarely discusses its security in public, has said missiles were used in the assault that killed three civilians in Abu Dhabi, and the first time it has claimed to have intercepted some of the weapons. The UAE said the attack hit a fuel depot of state oil firm ADNOC in Musaffah and a construction site near Abu Dhabi airport. Abu Dhabi police said they found parts of small planes that could possibly be drones. (Reuters)

01-13-2022
Syria Conflict

Four rockets targeted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, the latest in a series of aerial attacks amid Iranian threats and political violence as Iraq’s factions struggle to form a new government.

Four rockets targeted the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, the latest in a series of aerial attacks amid Iranian threats and political violence as Iraq’s factions struggle to form a new government. The rockets were launched against the backdrop of a spate of rocket and drone strikes against American personnel in Iraq and Syria that Biden administration officials have attributed to Iran-backed militias. Asked if the United States would retaliate for the latest barrage, Mr. Kirby would not specify what response, if any, was possible. (New York Times)

01-13-2022
Military

Iran’s paramilitary Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps launched a solid-fuel satellite carrier rocket into space.

Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard last week launched a solid-fuel satellite carrier rocket into space, the country’s official IRNA news agency reported Thursday. The report quoted Gen. Amirali Hajizadeh, chief of the Guard’s aerospace unit, as saying the test was successful. He said it marked the first time Iran used a solid-fuel rocket rather than a liquid-fuel one. He said Iran will produce lighter rocket engines in further space projects. Satellite carriers usually use liquid fuel but solid-fuel rockets can be adapted for mobile launchers that can be driven anywhere on a major road or rail system. Pure solid-fuel rockets are mostly associated with ballistic missile systems. (Times of Israel)

01-09-2022
Anti-Americanism

Iran imposed sanctions on over 50 U.S. officials amid public statements threatening their lives.

Amid public statements threatening U.S. officials, Iran imposed sanctions on over 50 U.S. officials. Iranian officials have made explicit their interest in killing one of the people involved in the U.S. strike that killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Gen. Qassem Soleimani. In public remarks, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made this concern apparent in saying that “should Iran attack any of our nationals, including any of the 52 people named yesterday, it will face severe consequences.” The Office of the Supreme Leader has also showcased a propaganda video depicting the assassination of former President Trump in Mar-a-Lago. Iranian media has likewise produced videos simulating an attack on Washington, D.C. (The Washington Examiner)

01-05-2022
Syria Conflict

A number of rocket attacks associated with Iran-backed militias were reported against locations housing US advisers in Iraq and Syria.

A number of rocket attacks associated with Iran-backed militias were reported against locations housing US advisers in Iraq and Syria amid an uptick in attacks on the US-led coalition in the region after the second anniversary of the US assassination of Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani. An unidentified UAV was intercepted by air defenses near the Ain al-Assad base where members of the US-led coalition are housed. Earlier on in the same evening, five rockets were launched towards Ain al-Assad. The rockets fell short of the base, according to the coalition. (The Jerusalem Post)

01-03-2022
Syria Conflict

The Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls northern Yemen hijacked a United Arab Emirates-flagged cargo vessel which it said was engaged in "hostile acts" but which the Saudis said was carrying hospital equipment.

The Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls northern Yemen hijacked a United Arab Emirates-flagged cargo vessel which it said was engaged in "hostile acts" but which the Saudis said was carrying hospital equipment. The ship was heading to the Saudi port of Jizan, just north of Yemen, from the Yemeni Red Sea Island of Socotra when it was attacked just before midnight on Sunday, Saudi state news agency SPA reported, quoting coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Malki. The cargo ship was hijacked off the western Yemeni port of Hodeidah, the coalition said. The Houthis' military spokesman, Yahya Sarea, confirmed seizure of the vessel which he said was carrying military equipment and engaged in "hostile acts targeting the security and stability of the Yemeni people.” (Reuters)

01-03-2022
Anti-Americanism

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi vowed revenge for the US assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani two years ago unless former US President Donald Trump was put on trial.

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi vowed revenge for the US assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani two years ago unless former US President Donald Trump was put on trial. “If Trump and [former secretary of state Mike] Pompeo are not tried in a fair court of law for the criminal act of assassinating General Soleimani, Muslims will take their martyr’s revenge,” Raisi said, according to state news agency IRNA. Iran’s permanent representative to the United Nations also called on the UN Security Council to hold the US and Israel responsible for assassinating Soleimani. (Alarabiya News)

12-30-2021
Military

Iran announced a rocket launch carrying three research devices amid nuclear talks with world powers.

Iran announced Thursday a rocket launch carrying three research devices amid nuclear talks with world powers, although it was unclear if any reached orbit. Ahmed Hosseini, a defense ministry spokesman, said the ‘Simorgh’ satellite-carrier rocket had set the three devices at 470 kilometers (290 miles) altitude. Iran, which has one of the widest missile programs in the Middle East, has suffered several failed satellite launches in recent years due to technical issues. Israel and the United States have said it contravenes United Nations Security Council resolution 2231, which in endorsing the JCPOA banned Iran from “any activity related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.” Washington left the JCPOA in 2018, imposing ‘maximum pressure sanctions’ on Iran. (Iran International)

12-29-2021
Syria Conflict

Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah is deploying air defense systems in Syria, where it would be able to defend against Israeli airstrikes there as well as in Lebanon.

Hezbollah is reportedly deploying air defense systems in Syria, where it would be able to defend against Israeli airstrikes there as well as in Lebanon. According to the Alma Research Center, the group is deploying the systems to the Qalmoun Mountains region northwest of Damascus, which borders Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, home to Hezbollah’s logistical and operational rear base. The group is believed to have the SA8 low-altitude, short-range tactical surface-to-air missile system, SA17, and SA22 man-portable air defense missile systems in its arsenal in order to defend against Israeli airstrikes. (The Jerusalem Post)

12-23-2021
Syria Conflict

U.S. 5th Fleet ships seized approximately 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles and 226,600 rounds of ammunition from a stateless fishing vessel that the U.S. military had assessed originated in Iran.

U.S. 5th Fleet ships seized approximately 1,400 AK-47 assault rifles and 226,600 rounds of ammunition from a stateless fishing vessel during a flag verification boarding in accordance with customary international law in the North Arabian Sea, Dec. 20. U.S. Navy patrol coastal ships USS Tempest (PC 2) and USS Typhoon (PC 5) found the weapons during a search conducted by embarked U.S. Coast Guard personnel. The illicit weapons and ammunition were later transported to guided-missile destroyer USS O’Kane (DDG 77) where they await final disposition. The stateless vessel was assessed to have originated in Iran and transited international waters along a route historically used to traffic weapons unlawfully to the Houthis in Yemen. The direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of weapons to the Houthis violates U.N. Security Council Resolutions and U.S. sanctions. (US CENTCOM)

12-02-2021
Terrorism

Colombian intelligence foiled an Iranian plot to assassinate Israeli businessmen and U.S. diplomats in Colombia.

Colombian intelligence foiled an Iranian plot to assassinate Israeli businessmen and U.S. diplomats in Colombia. An Iranian national—allegedly a member of Iran’s Quds Force—recruited two prison inmates with whom he was sharing a cell in Dubai sometime between 2017 and 2021. After being released, they traveled to Colombia, surveilled their targets, and contacted local hitmen to carry out the assassination. A Colombian newspaper noted that Colombian authorities had arrested and expelled two Hezbollah operatives – possibly the same individuals recruited in Dubai. (Real Clear Defense)

12-01-2021
Nuclear Program

Iran has begun the process of enriching uranium with a cluster of 166 advanced IR-6 centrifuges at its Fordo plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

Iran has begun the process of enriching uranium with advanced centrifuges at its Fordo plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Wednesday, in what would be a further violation of the multilateral nuclear accord that world powers are rushing to salvage. The UN’s nuclear watchdog reported that Tehran started the process of enriching uranium at Fordo, 135 kilometers from Tehran, to up to 20 percent purity with a cluster of 166 advanced IR-6 machines. Until now, Iran had been enriching uranium at Fordo, but mainly with less-advanced IR-1 machines, the report said, adding that Western negotiators fear that Tehran is seeking to create facts on the ground as talks in Vienna restart. (Times of Israel)

11-28-2021
Terrorism

An Iranian man, Mohammed Saeid Golabi, was arrested in Kenya on suspicion of planning terror attacks against local and Israeli interests.

An Iranian man, Mohammed Saeid Golabi, was arrested in Kenya on suspicion of planning terror attacks against local and Israeli interests, according to an exclusive report in the daily Kenyan newspaper The Star. Kenyan police had monitored the activities of Golabi and his local associates, and were convinced of his links to terror activities, multiple Kenyan police sources told The Star. “We have profiled him and his contacts over time,” said a senior officer at Kenya’s anti-terrorism police unit. “We have enough reason to believe that he has been working with those terror groups.” (The Jerusalem Post)

11-22-2021
Terrorism

Bahrain security forces arrested a number of suspects, and confiscated weapons and explosives ahead of a planned attack, the interior ministry said. The ministry believed that the terrorists had links with Iranian groups.

Bahrain security forces have arrested a number of suspects, and confiscated weapons and explosives ahead of a planned attack, the interior ministry said. The ministry did not say how many people were arrested or specify their nationalities. “Terrorists (were) arrested for plotting terrorist operations against security and civil peace,” the interior ministry wrote on Twitter on Monday. It described them as “linked with terrorist groups in Iran.” Bahrain, host to the United States Navy’s Fifth Fleet and other international naval operations, has often accused Shia Muslim Iran of seeking to destabilize the Sunni-ruled kingdom, which has a Shia majority population. Iran has denied such allegations. (Aljazeera)

11-16-2021
Military

An Iranian navy helicopter flew dangerously close to a San Diego-based warship in the Gulf of Oman, circling it three times.

The Pentagon reported Monday that an Iranian navy helicopter flew dangerously close to a San Diego-based warship in the Gulf of Oman, circling it three times. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the helicopter came with 75 feet of the amphibious assault ship USS Essex, but the incident ended without accident or any impact on U.S. naval operations. “It’s dangerous because it could lead to miscalculations,” Kirby said of the incident. (Times of San Diego)

11-08-2021
Syria Conflict

A drone attack that targeted the Iraqi prime minister was carried out by at least one Iran-backed militia, Iraqi security officials and militia sources said.

A drone attack that targeted the Iraqi prime minister on Sunday was carried out by at least one Iran-backed militia, Iraqi security officials and militia sources said, weeks after pro-Iran groups were routed in elections they say were rigged. Some reports suggest while Iran may not have directly ordered the attack, it likely had foreknowledge of the operation. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi escaped unhurt when three drones carrying explosives were launched at his residence in Baghdad. Several of his bodyguards were injured. Iraqi officials and analysts said the attack was meant as a message from militias that they are willing to resort to violence if excluded from the formation of a government, or if their grip on large areas of the state apparatus is challenged. (Reuters)

11-07-2021
Terrorism

Five people were arrested in African countries over suspicions that they were planning on carrying out attacks against Israeli tourists or businesspeople on behalf of Iran.

Five people have been arrested in African countries over suspicions that they were planning on carrying out attacks against Israeli tourists or businesspeople on behalf of Iran, an Israeli television network reports. The five, who had been in Senegal, Tanzania, and Ghana, were recruited by Iran’s Quds Force expeditionary arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, according to the report from Channel 12 news, which did not attribute the information to a source. The five were arrested in the African countries by local intelligence, who were working off information obtained from “Western” spies, the channel said. (Times of Israel)

11-05-2021
Syria Conflict

At least 125 people were injured in Baghdad, according to Iraq’s Health Ministry, as supporters of Iran-backed armed groups gathered outside the fortified Green Zone complex to demand a recount of the country’s parliamentary elections.

At least 125 people were injured Friday in Baghdad, according to Iraq’s Health Ministry, as supporters of Iran-backed armed groups gathered outside the fortified Green Zone complex to demand a recount of the country’s parliamentary elections. The broad contours of Iraq’s Oct. 10 election results are not in doubt, but they were a surprise: As Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr’s party emerged as the biggest winner, his expected main challenger — a powerful coalition of Iran-aligned groups — won more of the votes but saw its seats more than halved. While the discrepancy appeared to have resulted from superior electoral strategy on the part of Sadr’s party, supporters of the coalition’s militia network had camped outside Baghdad’s Green Zone for several weeks, spending their shifts inside tents on the sidewalk or sitting out under banners that denounce Iraq’s election as fraudulent. (Washington Post)

11-05-2021
Nuclear Program

Iran’s atomic agency said that its stockpile of 20% enriched uranium has reached over 210 kilograms (463 pounds), the latest defiant move ahead of upcoming nuclear talks with the West.

Iran’s atomic agency said Friday that its stockpile of 20% enriched uranium has reached over 210 kilograms (463 pounds), the latest defiant move ahead of upcoming nuclear talks with the West. The figure, attributed to agency spokesman Behrouz Kamalvan, was carried in a report by the semi-official Tasnim and Fars news agencies. Under the historic 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and the World Powers, Iran was not meant to enrich uranium above 3.67 percent. Enriched uranium above 90 percent can be used for nuclear weapons. (Associated Press)

11-04-2021
Anti-Americanism

Thousands of Iranians gathered on Tehran streets for the anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy, chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” and burning American and Israeli flags.

Thousands of Iranians gathered on Tehran streets Thursday for the anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy, chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” and burning American and Israeli flags. The embassy takeover triggered a 444-day hostage crisis and break in diplomatic relations that continues to this day. The government-organized commemoration, long a venue for voicing anti-Western sentiment, typically draws angry crowds each year. Last year, authorities canceled the event due to the still-raging coronavirus pandemic but on Thursday, state TV said that 800 cities across Iran staged demonstrations. Protesters hoisted an effigy of President Joe Biden wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the Star of David, drops of red paint dripping from its mouth. It wasn’t clear whether the demonstrators were trying to make a point or were simply recycling old props from their 2019 parade, but the figure’s mop of orange hair resembled that of the effigy of former President Donald Trump used at the rally two years ago. (Associated Press)

11-04-2021
Nuclear Program

Iran will not back down "in any way" in defending its interests, President Ebrahim Raisi said on Thursday, a day after all sides announced the resumption of nuclear talks between Tehran and major powers on Nov 29.

Iran will not back down "in any way" in defending its interests, President Ebrahim Raisi said on Thursday, a day after all sides announced the resumption of nuclear talks between Tehran and major powers on Nov 29. Washington said it hoped the talks would see Iran willing to negotiate in good faith on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal, while Iran's top nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani said the talks would cover the removal of "unlawful and inhumane sanctions". The negotiations that started in April have been on hold since the election of hardline cleric Raisi in June. (Reuters)

11-04-2021
Syria Conflict

Iran seized a Vietnamese-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman last month and still holds the vessel, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press, revealing the latest provocation in Mideast waters.

Iran seized a Vietnamese-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman last month and still holds the vessel, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press, revealing the latest provocation in Mideast waters as tensions escalate between Iran and the United States over Tehran’s nuclear program. Iran’s powerful paramilitary Revolutionary Guard troops on Oct. 24 took control of the MV Southys, a vessel that analysts suspect of trying to transfer sanctioned Iranian crude oil to Asia, at gunpoint. U.S. forces had monitored the seizure, but ultimately didn’t take action as the vessel sailed into Iranian waters. Iran celebrated its capture of the vessel in dramatic footage aired on state television, the day before the 42nd anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. (Fox News)

11-03-2021
Syria Conflict

Iran-backed militias go on a “killing spree” in al-Muqdadiya, a Sunni-majority town.

After an "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) attack October 26 on al-Rashad neighborhood in al-Muqdadiya district of Diyala province left 15 dead, armed men allegedly linked to Iran-backed militias, including Asaib Ahl al-Haq, went on a revenge killing spree in neighboring Sunni-majority towns. At least three children were among the dead, and several homes were set on fire in the villages of Nahr al-Imam and al-Ameriya, security sources said. In an October 31 statement to the United Nations Human Rights Council and Security Council, the Al-Rafidain International Centre for Justice and Human Rights called for a quick and impartial investigation into the killings. It namely blamed Asaib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazaali and Badr Organization head Hadi al-Ameri for the "sectarian crimes" in Diyala, and urged to hold all those responsible accountable. (Diyaruna)

11-03-2021
Human Rights

A self-described hacking group calling itself Edalat-e Ali (Ali’s Justice) has leaked confidential documents to RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that appear to reveal the plight of prisoners at Evin prison, Iran’s most notorious facility.

A self-described hacking group calling itself Edalat-e Ali (Ali’s Justice) has leaked confidential documents to RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that appear to reveal the plight of prisoners at Evin prison, Iran’s most notorious facility. According to the prison documents, hunger strikes by prisoners and the publication of open letters by inmates is considered “criminal” behavior. In one document, a former official at Evin prison called for the punishment of inmates who refused to eat or released letters, statements, and audio files from prison. “In such cases, prisoners [accused] of violations should be held in isolation, their welfare [including private and public meetings] should be limited, and we should look into their demands,” the document says. (RFE/RL)

11-02-2021
Nuclear Program

The head of the U.N. atomic watchdog has compared his agency’s efforts to monitor Iran’s nuclear program to flying through dense clouds, warning that the situation can’t continue for much longer.

The head of the U.N. atomic watchdog has compared his agency’s efforts to monitor Iran’s nuclear program to flying through dense clouds, warning that the situation can’t continue for much longer. The International Atomic Energy Agency has been unable to access surveillance footage of Iranian nuclear sites, or online enrichment monitors and electronic seals since February. Physical inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities have also been problematic even as Tehran has continued to develop new centrifuges and enrich uranium up to purity levels closer to what’s required for an atomic weapon. Western nations fear Iran could be developing the skills and know-how to build an atomic bomb, though Tehran denies any such ambitions. (Associated Press)

11-02-2021
Terrorism

Hours after leaking the personal details of users of an LGBTQ dating app, Iran-affiliated hacker group Black Shadow continued to wreak havoc as it released private information on nearly 300,000 Israelis receiving medical treatment at the Mor Institute.

Hours after leaking the personal details of users of an LGBTQ dating app, Iran-affiliated hacker group Black Shadow continued to wreak havoc Tuesday night as it released private information on nearly 300,000 Israelis receiving medical treatment at the Mor Institute, including patient requests and test results. Patients' credit card information does not appear to have been leaked at this time. Black Shadow also published information on some 30,000 registered users of 103FM Radio's website and nearly 500,000 customers of Locker Ambin Ltd. As was the case in the Atraf leak, the hackers shared the information via an Excel file shared with a new group they created on Telegram. The hackers also provided links allowing others to download information obtained from the Atraf app. The messaging app was forced to take action on the matter after being ordered to do so by the State Attorney's Office. (Israel Hayom)

10-31-2021
Syria Conflict

A Houthi ballistic missile attack on a mosque and a religious school killed and injured 29 civilians, including women and children, in the Yemeni province of Marib, the country's information minister said in a statement on Twitter.

A Houthi ballistic missile attack on a mosque and a religious school killed and injured 29 civilians, including women and children, in the Yemeni province of Marib, the country's information minister said in a statement on Twitter on Monday. Two ballistic missiles were used in the attack late on Sunday, Marib governor's office said in a statement. There was no immediate claim of responsibility by the Iranian-backed Houthis. (Reuters)

10-25-2021
Extremism

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that the Arab nations who have improved ties with Israel have “sinned” and must reverse course.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that the Arab nations who have improved ties with Israel have “sinned” and must reverse course. Four nations – the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan – agreed to normalize ties in 2020, as the “Abraham Accords” led to Israel’s first treaties with Arab nations since reaching an agreement with Jordan in 1994. Jordan and Egypt were the only Arab nations to have existing diplomatic ties with Israel before the 2020 agreements. “Some governments have unfortunately made big errors and have sinned in normalizing [their relations] with the usurping and oppressive Zionist regime,” Khamenei said. “It is an act against Islamic unity, they must return from this path and make up for this big mistake.” (Jerusalem Post)

10-25-2021
Syria Conflict

Iran has begun deploying advanced anti-aircraft missile batteries to the region, including in Syria where Israeli jets routinely carry out airstrikes, in an attempt to challenge Israel Air Force jets.

Iran has begun deploying advanced anti-aircraft missile batteries to the region, including in Syria where Israeli jets routinely carry out airstrikes, in an attempt to challenge Israel Air Force jets. Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria in an attempt to thwart Iranian entrenchment and the smuggling of advanced weapons to Hezbollah in Syria and Lebanon, according to foreign reports, and in countries like Iraq and even further as part of its war-between-wars campaign against Iran. Over the past year, while Israeli strikes have intensified in Syria, the response time by Syrian air-defense batteries has become quicker. This has lead to the IAF changing how it acts during such operations, including by having larger formation during operations so that more targets can be struck at once instead of having jets return to the same target. (Jerusalem Post)

10-25-2021
Nuclear Program

Iran is expanding its enrichment of uranium beyond the highly enriched threshold of 20% purity at a Natanz plant where it is already enriching to 60%, but the new activity does not involve keeping the product, the U.N nuclear watchdog said.

Iran is expanding its enrichment of uranium beyond the highly enriched threshold of 20% purity at a Natanz plant where it is already enriching to 60%, but the new activity does not involve keeping the product, the U.N nuclear watchdog said on Monday. The move is likely to help Iran refine its knowledge of the enrichment process - something Western powers generally condemn because it is irreversible - but since this time the product is not being collected it will not immediately accelerate Iran's production of uranium enriched to close to weapons-grade. It has, however, prompted the International Atomic Energy Agency to "increase the frequency and intensity of its safeguards activities" at the above-ground Pilot Fuel Enrichment Plant (PFEP) at Natanz, the IAEA said in a report seen by Reuters. As of around 90% uranium is considered weapons-grade. (Reuters)

10-25-2021
Politics

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed the hardliner Peyman Jebelli as the new CEO of the country’s largest media organization, known as the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB).

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Peyman Jebelli late last month as the new CEO of the country’s largest media organization, known as the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB). Jebelli, a 55-year-old communications graduate, hails from the Islamic Stability Front, the most unyielding faction of Iran's influential hardline camp. Now with Jebelli appointed to the position, the IRGC and Khamenei's office appear to have dodged the headache. A man from their very own tribe could be implementing the agenda flawlessly to allow for a tighter IRGC grip on power. Even within the already conservative organization, under his directives, purges are being carried out against staff members who are seen as strangers to the new hardline and “revolutionary” agenda. (Al Monitor)

10-25-2021
Syria Conflict

U.S. officials say they believe Iran was behind the drone attack last week at the military outpost in southern Syria where American troops are based.

U.S. officials say they believe Iran was behind the drone attack last week at the military outpost in southern Syria where American troops are based. Officials said Monday the U.S. believes that Iran resourced and encouraged the attack, but that the drones were not launched from Iran. They were Iranian drones, and Iran appears to have facilitated their use, officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details that have not been made public. Officials said they believe the attacks involved as many as five drones laden with explosive charges, and that they hit both the U.S. side of al-Tanf garrison and the side where Syrian opposition forces stay. (Associated Press)

10-25-2021
Human Rights

Iran executed over 250 people, including at least four child offenders, in 2020 and so far this year has carried out 230 executions that included nine women and one child who was executed in secret.

Iran executed over 250 people, including at least four child offenders, in 2020 and so far this year has carried out 230 executions that included nine women and one child who was executed in secret, the U.N. independent investigator on human rights in Iran said Monday. Javaid Rehman told the U.N. General Assembly’s human rights committee that Iran continues to implement the death penalty “at an alarming rate” and said “the absence of official statistics and lack of transparency around executions means that this practice escapes scrutiny resulting in serious abuses preventing accountability.” According to Amnesty International, Iran was the top executioner in the Middle East last year, accounting for more than half the region’s 493 executions, followed by Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Amnesty’s annual figures exclude China, where executions believed to number in the thousands are classified as a state secret, and omit executions from some countries marred by conflict like Syria. (Associated Press)

10-23-2021
Nuclear Program

The head of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog says his monitoring program in Iran is no longer “intact” after Tehran refused requests to repair cameras at a key facility.

The head of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog says his monitoring program in Iran is no longer “intact” after Tehran refused requests to repair cameras at a key facility, creating the possibility the world will never be “able to reconstruct the picture” of what the Iranians have been doing. In an interview with NBC News, International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi says he’s been unable to establish the type of direct communication with Iran’s government that he had before a new hardline government run by President Ebrahim Raisi was elected in June. “I have never spoken to the new foreign minister,” Grossi says. “I hope to be able to have the opportunity to meet with him soon because it’s very important … so when there is a problem, when there is misunderstanding, when there is a disagreement, we can talk about it. I used to have it before, and I would assume it that I would be the normal thing.” Grossi spoke during a visit to Washington as the fate of the Iran nuclear deal hangs in the balance, with world powers urgently urging Iran to return to negotiations to restore the deal and the U.S. saying time is running out. (NBC News)

10-22-2021
Human Rights

Despite widespread opposition in Iran, lawmakers are working to approve a plan that would severely tighten the government’s control over the Internet.

Despite widespread opposition in Iran, lawmakers are working to approve a plan that would severely tighten the government’s control over the Internet. The plan, titled “Protection of users’ rights in cyberspace and organizing social media,” has been discussed for almost a year in the parliament, supported by hardline lawmakers but widely criticized in Iranian society. On July 28, lawmakers entrusted the next decision on the bill to the parliament’s special cultural commission. Parliament tasked a special committee to review it on September 6. If that commission approves it, the parliament can set a time for its temporary implementation, and there will no need to approve it again in a public session. (Al-Monitor)

10-12-2021
Military

Iran kicked off a massive, two-day air defense drill in the country’s sprawling central desert, state TV reported, the latest show of force by the Islamic Republic.

Iran on Tuesday kicked off a massive, two-day air defense drill in the country’s sprawling central desert, state TV reported, the latest show of force by the Islamic Republic. The report said both the army and the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard were taking part in the annual maneuvers dubbed “Velayat.” It said elite air force and air defense units as well as the Guard’s airspace division would participate. Iran regularly holds such drills and says they assess the troops’ combat readiness and demonstrate the nation’s military capabilities. (Associated Press)

10-12-2021
Human Rights

Iran is preparing to execute a man convicted of a crime that took place when he was still a child under international law.

Iran is preparing to execute a man convicted of a crime that took place when he was still a child under international law. He was sentenced to death followed an unfair trial marred by confessions obtained through torture, according to a human rights group. Arman Abdolali has been moved to solitary confinement in Raja’i Shahr prison in Karaj, on the outskirts of Tehran, in preparation for his execution on Wednesday, Amnesty International said. (The National)

10-11-2021
Terrorism

Microsoft released evidence showing Iranian-linked hackers targeting and at times compromising systems of U.S. and Israeli defense technology companies.

Microsoft on Monday released evidence showing Iranian-linked hackers targeting and at times compromising systems of U.S. and Israeli defense technology companies.  In a blog post, Microsoft’s Threat Intelligence Center and Digital Security Unit assessed that a new cyber “activity cluster” linked to Iran had targeted hundreds of Microsoft Office 365 accounts beginning in July tied to groups including U.S. and Israeli defense companies, Persian Gulf entry ports, and global maritime transportation companies. Microsoft also observed targeting by the Iranian-linked hackers of defense companies that work with U.S., European Union and Israeli government partners on producing technology such as drones, satellites and emergency response communications systems. (The Hill)

10-10-2021
Nuclear Program

Iran has produced more than 120 kilogrammes (265 pounds) of 20 percent enriched uranium, according to its nuclear chief, a considerable increase compared with the global nuclear watchdog’s latest report.

Iran has produced more than 120 kilogrammes (265 pounds) of 20 percent enriched uranium, according to its nuclear chief, a considerable increase compared with the global nuclear watchdog’s latest report. In an interview broadcast on state television late on Saturday, Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) head Mohammad Eslami said it has more than complied with a December parliament law that demanded production of 120 kilogrammes of 20 percent enriched uranium in one year. “We have surpassed the 120-kilogramme figure and in this regard, we’re ahead of schedule,” he said. (Al-Jazeera)

10-08-2021
Terrorism

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah thanked Iran for standing by the Lebanese paramilitary group.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah thanked Iran late Thursday for standing by the Lebanese paramilitary group. “The Islamic Republic proved that it is the sincere and loyal ally who doesn’t abandon its friends despite the hard conditions,” said Nasrallah, the Hezbollah-affiliated Al Manar TV reported Friday. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian is in Lebanon for an official visit. On Thursday, he met Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati as well as President Michael Aoun and parliament speaker Nabih Berri. (Al-Monitor)

10-07-2021
Military

Iran’s state TV reported that speedboats belonging to the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard have intercepted a United States vessel in the Persian Gulf.

Iran’s state TV reported on Thursday that speedboats belonging to the country’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard have intercepted a United States vessel in the Persian Gulf. A US Navy spokesman said that he was not aware of any such encounter at sea over the past few days. The region remains on edge over Iran’s escalating nuclear program. Talks in Vienna to revive Tehran’s now-tattered 2015 accord with world powers have stalled since June, with no date set for their resumption. Thursday’s Iranian report aired footage that the TV station said was filmed from one of the Guard speedboats. It shows a vessel with the US flag and several personnel on board as the speedboat appears to be chasing it. (Associated Press)

10-06-2021
Terrorism

A newly discovered hacking group with alleged ties to the Iranian government has waged a yearslong campaign to steal information from aerospace and telecommunications companies.

A newly discovered hacking group with alleged ties to the Iranian government has waged a yearslong campaign to steal information from aerospace and telecommunications companies in the Middle East, the U.S., Europe and Russia, according to cybersecurity researchers. The hacking group, dubbed MalKamak by the researchers, disguised its activities by using the U.S.-based file storage service Dropbox Inc. as the “command and control” server from which it orchestrated hacking operations, according to a report published by Cybereason Inc. on Wednesday. The use of Dropbox helped conceal the hackers’ activity, making it look like the network traffic from compromised computers was associated with legitimate uploads and downloads from the Dropbox website, Cybereason found. While the group has carried out a targeted spying operation since 2018, Cybereason said it only recently discovered it after identifying the group’s involvement in a hack on a Middle Eastern company. (Bloomberg)

10-04-2021
Terrorism

Israel accused Iran of orchestrating an attempted attack against Israelis in Cyprus after police on the Mediterranean island said an armed individual had been arrested.

Israel accused Iran on Monday of orchestrating an attempted attack against Israelis in Cyprus after police on the Mediterranean island said an armed individual had been arrested. Iran swiftly denied the accusation. "This was a terrorist incident directed by Iran against Israeli businesspeople living in Cyprus," Matan Sidi, spokesman for Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, said in a statement. Asked to comment, the embassy of Iran in the Cypriot capital Nicosia said in an emailed statement: "This regime is always making such a baseless allegation against the Islamic Republic of Iran," referring to Israel. (Reuters)

09-30-2021
Military

Iran said it will start military exercises in its northwest on Friday after moving forces near to the border with Azerbaijan, a deployment that angered the Azeri president and thrust Tehran’s rivalry with Israel to the fore.

Iran said it will start military exercises in its northwest on Friday after moving forces near to the border with Azerbaijan, a deployment that angered the Azeri president and thrust Tehran’s rivalry with Israel to the fore. The drills will involve armored units, drones and attack helicopters, and test electronic radar systems, the semi-official Fars news agency reported, citing a statement by Army Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari. Heydari didn’t specify where in Iran’s northwestern region -- which borders Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey and Iraq -- the maneuvers will be held. But Azerbaijan’s leader Ilham Aliyev has expressed concern over Tehran massing military assets near his country’s frontier for the first time since the fall of the Soviet Union. (Bloomberg

09-28-2021
Nuclear Program

Iran rejected a U.S. call to grant U.N. inspectors access to a nuclear site, saying Washington was not qualified to demand inspections without condemning a sabotage attack on the facility, Iranian state media reported.

Iran on Tuesday rejected a U.S. call to grant U.N. inspectors access to a nuclear site, saying Washington was not qualified to demand inspections without condemning a sabotage attack on the facility, Iranian state media reported. "Countries that did not condemn terrorist acts against Iran's nuclear site are not qualified to comment on inspections there," Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said during a visit to Moscow, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA. The United States said on Monday that Iran must stop denying the U.N. nuclear watchdog access to a workshop making centrifuge parts as agreed two weeks ago or face diplomatic retaliation at the agency's Board of Governors meeting. (Reuters)

09-27-2021
Syria Conflict

An unmanned aerial vehicle that appeared at a weapons exhibition held earlier this year by the rebels ruling much of Yemen bears a resemblance to the kamikaze drone believed to have been used later in an attack against an oil tanker off the coast of Oman.

An unmanned aerial vehicle that appeared at a weapons exhibition held earlier this year by the rebels ruling much of Yemen bears a striking resemblance to the kamikaze drone believed to have been used later in a deadly attack against an oil tanker off the coast of Oman, experts told Newsweek. The system used in that operation and others like it have been linked by U.S. officials and other analysts to Iran, but experts also noted the near impossibility of drawing a direct link to any single source. Mercer Street, a Liberia-flagged vessel operating on behalf of a company owned by an Israeli businessman, was hit by two back-to-back explosions in July while sailing through the Gulf of Oman. The latter blast killed the ship's captain, a Romanian national, along with its security officer, a citizen of the United Kingdom. (Newsweek)

09-26-2021
Nuclear Program

The U.N. nuclear watchdog said Iran had failed to fully honour the terms of a deal struck two weeks ago to allow the watchdog's inspectors to service monitoring equipment in the country.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Sunday Iran had failed to fully honour the terms of a deal struck two weeks ago to allow the watchdog's inspectors to service monitoring equipment in the country. "The (IAEA) Director General (Rafael Grossi) stresses that Iran's decision not to allow agency access to the TESA Karaj centrifuge component manufacturing workshop is contrary to the agreed terms of the joint statement issued on 12 September," the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a statement. The Sept. 12 agreement, reached on the eve of a meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation Board of Governors, meant Western powers chose not to seek a resolution criticising Iran at that meeting since the equipment's memory cards would be replaced just as they were due to fill up. (Reuters)

09-23-2021
Extremism

Iran’s foreign minister said his nation’s "willpower is dedicated" to the elimination of Zionism at this week’s United Nations anti-racism conference.

Iran’s foreign minister said his nation’s "willpower is dedicated" to the elimination of Zionism at this week’s United Nations anti-racism conference. With the United States and 33 other nations boycotting a UN anti-racism conference due to its history of anti-Semitism, Iran’s new foreign minister invoked the destruction of the Jewish state, perhaps giving the countries who boycotted the conference more reason to have stayed away, observers say.  The event, known as Durban IV, had the theme of "Reparations, racial justice and equality for people of African descent." Wednesday’s event was to commemorate and adopt a statement 20 years after the first meeting in Durban, South Africa. While the original purpose of the event was combating racism, critics say it has been hijacked by an anti-Israel agenda that turned it into an anti-Semitic hate fest leading the U.S. and Israel to walk out of the first conference. (Fox News)

09-23-2021
Human Rights

Iran’s judiciary confirmed the death of Shahin Naseri, known for his horrifying account of torture against executed wrestler and political prisoner Navid Afkari, in its custody.

Iran’s judiciary confirmed the death of Shahin Naseri in its custody. Naseri was known for his horrifying account of torture against executed wrestler and political prisoner Navid Afkari. On Thursday, two days after Naseri’s death was reported by activists, the head of Iran’s Prisons Organization issued a “special directive” for a probe into the case. In a separate statement circulated on Iranian media, authorities at Tehran’s Greater Prison announced that Naseri had died “45 minutes” after being transferred to the jail’s medical center. With no further details on the exact circumstances surrounding the victim’s death, the statement said a full explanation was pending the completion of forensic examinations. However, according to accounts by other inmates at the same jail, the day before his death Naseri had been summoned by intelligence interrogators and taken to solitary confinement. “He was neither suicidal nor suffering from any medical condition,” the prisoners were quoted as saying by the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights Organization. (Al-Monitor)

09-22-2021
Syria Conflict

Iran’s demands for US forces to withdraw from a critical air base in Iraqi Kurdistan coupled with threats to expand operations against “American and Zionist mercenaries” are sending jitters across the Kurdish enclave.

Iran’s demands for US forces to withdraw from a critical air base in Iraqi Kurdistan coupled with threats to expand operations against “American and Zionist mercenaries” are sending jitters across the Kurdish enclave, with many asking how far Tehran will go and what, if anything, the United States will do to stop it. Mohammed Bagheri, senior commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, appeared to be emboldened by America’s controversial withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling it “a defeat and an embarrassment worse than Vietnam.” In comments to Iran TV on Sunday, Bagheri said, “Iraq and its northern [Kurdish] region should not allow America and the Zionist regime and armed counter-revolutionary groups to have training bases, TV and radio stations, camps [and] military training, then attack our border regions and assassinate our officers.” (