TOP STORIES
More Oil Is Now Coming Out of the Persian Gulf Than Before the Iran War | Wall Street Journal
“Persian Gulf oil exports have surpassed prewar levels, as an improvised shipping system under U.S. protection is helping tankers move oil through one of Iran’s fiercest waves of attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Third US Aircraft Carrier, 10,000 Troops Head to Middle East | Iran International
“The United States is sending a third aircraft carrier and about 10,000 military personnel to the Middle East as President Donald Trump reportedly weighs renewed strikes on Iran, Fox News reported. The USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit are expected to arrive by the end of November, according to two US officials. The Roosevelt will join the USS George H.W. Bush, deployed in April, and the USS George Washington, which arrived in August to replace the USS Abraham Lincoln.”
Netanyahu Made Plans to Restart Iran Strikes Earlier This Month | Financial Times
“Benjamin Netanyahu is pushing to resume large-scale strikes against Iran and had instructed his military to plan for a major new offensive earlier this month, moves that risk plunging the region back into full-scale war. The Israeli military had prepared for a multi-day bombing campaign to take place on the weekend of October 10 that would have targeted civilian infrastructure such as electricity plants, as well as nuclear facilities and regime targets, according to three people familiar with the matter. The mission ultimately did not go ahead, with the people familiar citing President Donald Trump’s opposition to restarting the conflict before the US midterm elections on November 3.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
“. . . there’s mixed evidence about the extent to which Iran's efforts to exploit holes in the U.S. military's umbrella of protection for ships navigating the strait have led to a backsliding of oil exports. Data from the Kpler global trade intelligence firm showed just a dozen commodity-hauling vessels transiting the key chokepoint last weekend, down by about two-thirds from the prior weekend. Yet the picture appears better when it includes vessels operating without a transponder. According to the latest shipping update from the nonprofit United Against Nuclear Iran, U.S.-facilitated transits through the Strait of Hormuz averaged 27.67 vessels per day over the Oct. 15-17 period, down only slightly from the October average of 29.71 per day.”
MILITARY MATTERS & SHIPPING
Iran Guards Say Three Tankers Hit Mines Crossing Strait of Hormuz | Straits Times
“Iranian Revolutionary Guards said on Oct 20 that their naval mines halted three tankers attempting to travel the Strait of Hormuz via routes considered illegal by Tehran. ‘Two violating oil tankers were set ablaze and halted due to the explosion of mines planted by the brave sailors of the IRGC Navy at an illegal crossing point in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz,’ the Guards said, in a statement on their official Sepah News website. The Guards later said in a statement carried by state TV that a third oil tanker ‘exploded and caught fire after striking a naval mine south of the Strait of Hormuz.’”
“The death of a captain in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is leading to questions about rumors of increasing clashes between Iran and a Kurdish opposition group in the mountains on the Iran-Iraq border. The Rudaw media network reported on December 19 that the IRGC officer ‘was killed in the Qandil mountain range along the Iran-Iraq border on Saturday, according to a local news outlet affiliated with the IRGC, amid heightened tensions between Iranian forces and Kurdish opposition groups operating in the border region.’”
Rubio Accuses Iran of Using Nazi Submarine Tactics in Hormuz | IranWire
“US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused the Islamic Republic of employing tactics reminiscent of Nazi Germany’s submarine warfare during World War II by targeting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and endangering the lives of civilian sailors.”
DIPLOMACY
Iran Tells Us to Prove It Wants Peace by Lifting Blockade | Bloomberg
“Iran said the US must lift its naval blockade and show it’s serious about ending the war diplomatically, as a deadlock over talks and growing threats from both sides fuel fears of a return to outright conflict.”
Iran Tells Pakistan Army Chief No Talks with Washington Until Demands Are Met | Reuters
“Iran told Pakistan’s army chief on Tuesday that there would be no talks with Washington until Tehran’s demands were met, Iranian media reported, underscoring its hardening stance despite mediation efforts by key interlocutor Pakistan.”
Iran Tells Munir It Won’t Allow Any Enriched Nuclear Material to Leave Country | Iran International
“Iran will not let any of its enriched nuclear material leave the country, Supreme National Security Council Secretary Mohsen Rezaei said during a meeting with Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir in Tehran.”
Ghalibaf Rejects Change in Demands During Talks with Pakistan Army Chief | Iran International
“Iran has nothing new to tell the United States, which must fulfill Tehran's seven conditions presented in New York to regain its trust, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said during a meeting with Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir.”
TERRORISM & PROXY WARS
Two Men Re-Arrested on Suspicion of Aiding Iran over Raf Fairford Incident | Guardian
“Counter-terrorism police have re-arrested two men from central London accused of helping Iranian intelligence as part of the investigation into events at RAF Fairford last month. A 24-year-old UK national and a 25-year-old UK/Iranian national, both from Westminster, were detained on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service in breach of the 2023 National Security Act, police said.”
PROTESTS & HUMAN RIGHTS
AI Chatbots Face Disruptions and Loss of Direct Access for Iranian Users | IranWire
“Access to a number of artificial intelligence chatbots, including ChatGPT, Claude, and Grok, has been disrupted for users in Iran attempting to connect without virtual private networks (VPNs). . . . This is not the first time direct access to such services has been disrupted for Iranian users. In August 2026, ChatGPT and the music streaming service Spotify also became unavailable to users without a VPN, but connectivity was restored after a few days.”
PSYCHOLOGICAL OPERATIONS
How Russia and Iran Are Fanning the Flames in French Riots | Times of London
“Iran and Russia are among the states seeking to exacerbate and exploit riots in France as they work to weaken western democracies, researchers have said. However, President Macron is said to be unwilling to make the foreign interference public, at least as far as Iran is concerned. He is said to have prevented his foreign minister from disclosing an official report on the regime’s online disinformation campaigns for fear of upsetting Tehran.”
IRAQ & IRAN
Iraq Closes Sheeb Border Crossing with Iran to Review Security, Sources Say | Reuters
“Iraq has closed the busy Sheeb border crossing with Iran to review security and install detection equipment to stop the smuggling of prohibited materials, an Iraqi border official said on Wednesday. Sheeb would be closed to passengers, vehicles and commercial trucks until further notice, two other sources at the crossing said.”
CANADA & IRAN
Canada Orders Deportation of Toronto Man Who Helped Iran Evade Sanctions | Global News
“A former Tehran police lieutenant living in Toronto under a new name is being deported from Canada for his ‘important and critical role’ in a crime group that helped Iran evade sanctions. The Immigration and Refugee Board ruled that Amin Yousefijam was ‘crucial’ to the sanctions-dodging scheme, according to a copy of the 36-page decision released to Global News on Tuesday.”
MISCELLANEOUS
Barrack: Iran Is ‘Not an Evil Regime’ | Jewish News Syndicate
“U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria and Iraq Tom Barrack said on Tuesday that Iran is ‘not an evil regime,’ while describing its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as an adversary. Discussing Iran’s Shi’ite theocracy at the Global Security Forum in Doha, Qatar, Barrack said: ‘It’s not an evil regime. That has nothing to do with it. That’s a religious content and practice that we all respect.’ He added that the IRGC ‘has become an adversary’ and that its relationship with Israel ‘has been a problem.’ Barrack also made sweeping assertions about antisemitism while recalling his upbringing in a Lebanese immigrant family in a Jewish neighborhood. ‘There was no antisemitism in the U.S. It just didn’t exist,’ he said. ‘Very little antisemitism even in the region.’ He added: ‘Zionism and ’48 became another issue.’”