TOP STORIES
Nearly 13,000 Iranian companies are registered in Georgia—to only a handful of addresses—raising concerns that Tehran could be using the South Caucasus country to skirt international sanctions. The Iranian businesses listed in Georgia are involved in everything from construction and logistics to hospitality and even night clubs . . .
Trump Says Iran No Longer Respected After US Attacks | Iran International
US President Donald Trump said US attacks in June on three nuclear sites had left Tehran weakened to the point that it is no longer respected . . . “(Iran) was a very big, strong bully. And they used that power very strongly across the Middle East, and they really controlled it. But they don't control it anymore. They're not respected anymore at all,” Trump said . . . Trump said US airstrikes in June “bombed the hell out of” Iran’s nuclear facilities and “knocked out their nuclear potential,” leaving Tehran “fighting for survival."
Iran Held at Least 88 Public Executions Since 2011, Daily Says | Iran International
Iran has carried out at least 88 public executions between 2011 and 2023, according to a review published by the daily Shargh, which said the practice—often witnessed by crowds including children—has failed to reduce violent crime despite declining in recent years.
UANI IN THE NEWS
Several MPs have called for the UK to adopt a tougher stance on Iran at an event displaying an Iranian-made drone that has been supplied to Russian forces in Ukraine. The downed Shahed-136 attack drone, acquired from Ukraine by policy organisation United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), has been placed in Portcullis House on the parliamentary estate after being unveiled in a ceremony last Tuesday by figures including former security minister Tom Tugendhat, Foreign Minister of Poland Radek Sikorski, and former US Ambassador to the UN Mark D. Wallace. UANI’s director of IRGC research, and JC columnist, Kasra Aarabi, who helped organise displaying the drone in Parliament said was the first-ever public exhibition of an Iranian Shahed 136 drone in Europe.
Indian Navy Recovers Bodies from Burning LPG Tanker in Gulf of Aden | gCaptain
. . . Maritime security analysts have raised questions about the vessel’s operations. Martin Kelly, Head of Advisory at EOS Risk Group, stated that analysis indicates MT Falcon is part of what the United Against Nuclear Iran organization calls the “Ghost Armada,” which identifies illicit maritime trade involving Iran.
The source of the dispute is an exhibition organized in the British Parliament by the American activist organization United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI). During the presentation, which took place on Tuesday, the Shahed-136 drone was presented, which, according to the organizers, was used against Ukraine. The exhibition was intended to draw attention to Tehran's role in supporting Moscow’s military campaign.
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
How Iran Is Rebuilding Its Nuclear Program, Learning from Past Israeli Strikes | Jerusalem Post
The Mossad’s efforts to keep surveillance of Tehran’s nuclear facilities and, if necessary, act against them, may become more crucial than ever. Since the IAF struck Iran’s nuclear facility at Taleghan 2 last October, there have been at least four developments in construction at the site. . . . That [the Iranian regime] continued and even expanded construction at the site—not only after the October 2024 strikes, but also after the June strikes—suggests that the ayatollahs believe they have found a new formula to insulate from future Israeli attacks some facilities that are being built anew.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
One of Iran’s Biggest Banks Fails amid Push to Tighten Standards | Bloomberg
Ayandeh Bank, one of Iran’s largest commercial lenders, has been dissolved in a state take-over that’s exposed major failings in a globally isolated sector dogged by bad debts and weak regulation. Central Bank of Iran Governor Mohammad-Reza Farzin announced the official closing of Ayandeh Bank in a statement, adding that the lender’s customers, employees and branches will be absorbed by the state-owned Bank Melli as of Saturday. . . . “Despite all the efforts made, this bank could not be placed on the path of reforms as desired by the central bank,” Farzin said, referring to Ayandeh as a “symbol of the inefficiency and imbalances” that have come to define Iran’s banking system over the past 20 years.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry Will Combat Sanctions, Top Envoy Says | Iran International
Iran’s foreign minister said on Thursday that his ministry aims to soften and counter the effects of UN sanctions reinstated on Iran last month which are expected to deepen economic pain. . . . President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday acknowledged the country’s dire situation, saying: “Japan, South Korea and Turkey have no oil, yet they are better off than Iran. We have oil and gas, and we are hungry.”
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Iran Executes Six People, Including Four Afghans, in Two Prisons | IranWire
Iran executed six people, including four Afghan nationals, in two separate prisons, according to a human rights organization.
Iran has sentenced a former researcher of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), identified as Amirreza Jalilian, to 10 years in prison after convicting him of spying for the UK, his wife told Iran International. Jalilian, who held a senior scientific role in the nuclear medicines field and had previously worked for the IAEA for about nine years, was arrested in August 2024. His wife, Saeedeh Varesteh, said that he was convicted without access to a lawyer of his choosing and denied family contact for months.
Security Forces Steal Gold and Shoot Villagers at Iranian Mine | IranWire
Ebrahim Jafarian’s eyes had been closed for four days when he finally opened them on Wednesday in the intensive care unit of Imam Reza Hospital in Tabriz. The 54-year-old farmer’s kidneys, stomach, and intestines were riddled with dozens of pellets from a Sunday evening raid by security forces—an attack that highlights a deepening crisis at Iran’s gold mines. Just down the hall, doctors debated whether to remove Javad Dehghan’s right eye. . . . The two men were among four villagers shot by special forces on October 19, after residents of Andirgan village staged a peaceful protest.
Two Brothers Face Ongoing Abuse in Iranian Prison After Arrest During Protests | IranWire
Two brothers imprisoned since March 2023 for participating in protests are being subjected to continuous psychological abuse by prison authorities, sources told IranWire. Mohammad Khodakarami, 33, and Mehdi Khodakarami, 43, have been held at Parsilon Prison in Khorramabad since their arrest for taking part in demonstrations in Tehran. They were previously detained at Evin Prison before being transferred to Khorramabad.
Brother of Slain Protester Summoned for Third Interrogation in a Month | IranWire
Islamic Republic authorities summoned the brother of a man killed during Iran’s 2022-23 Woman, Life, Freedom protests to the Intelligence Ministry in Sanandaj, Iranian Kurdistan, for interrogation. Voria Fatehi, whose brother Ramin Fatehi was killed during the 2022 demonstrations, was questioned for the third time in the past month, sources told IranWire. The sources said interrogators in previous sessions threatened Fatehi over his efforts to seek justice and his contacts with the media.
Iran Overturns Death Sentence for Protestor Arrested During 2019 Crackdown | IranWire
Iran's Supreme Court has overturned a death sentence for a man arrested during the deadly crackdowns on nationwide fuel price protests in 2019 and ordered a retrial, his lawyer said. Fereshteh Tabanian, the lawyer, said on X that the court accepted a retrial request for Abbas Daris. The case will now be sent to a court of equal standing for reconsideration. . . . Authorities charged Abbas Daris with “waging war against God, disturbing public order and participating in the murder” of Reza Sayadi, a member of Iran's special police force.
Two Iranian Dissidents Face Deportation Risk from Kazakhstan | IranWire
Two Iranian dissidents are being held at a Kazakhstan airport under police supervision, facing the imminent threat of forced return to Iran, where human rights advocates say their lives would be in danger. Mohammad Reza Elmi, 25, and Omid Qazvini, 37, have spent several days confined to a small room at the airport without access to lawyers or international organizations. Both men say police have told them they must purchase tickets back to Iran. The cases highlight growing concerns about the treatment of Iranian dissidents transiting through Turkey and Central Asia as they attempt to reach Europe.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Iran warns against fresh attacks on its country, after the UN nuclear watchdog chief said he fears a possible “renewed use of force” if attempts at diplomacy with Tehran fail. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi says it was not clear whether IAEA chief Rafael Grossi’s remarks were meant “out of concern or as a threat.” “But those who issue such threats must understand that repeating a failed experience will only lead to another failure,” he adds in a video published by the foreign ministry.
Is Iran Trying to Reignite Its Ring of Fire Around Israel? | Yossi Mansharof in Israel Hayom
With the Gaza war over, Iran is tallying two turbulent years that pulled it into a wider circle of fighting and fire, contrary to the restraint Tehran had sought to maintain before the war. In the wake of the shock delivered by Israel in the June Israel-Iran war, known as “Operation Rising Lion” in Israel, and the heavy blow to its proxy network, it appears Iran is taking steps to rebuild its deterrence and is signaling an intent to renew its “ring of fire” around Israel.
CYBERSECURITY MATTERS
Hybrid War is Rewriting Global Security | European Consortium for Political Research’s The Loop
The Iran-Israel confrontation revealed how war today is not fought only on battlefields. It unfolds across servers, screens, and minds. As rockets fall, cyberattacks strike hospitals, fuel systems, and digital infrastructure. Disinformation destabilises public trust. Hybrid conflict is here — coordinated, multi-domain, and aimed at democratic cohesion. Iranian-linked groups like Cyber Av3ngers launched digital operations precisely timed alongside physical escalations. Israeli-affiliated actors such as Predatory Sparrow responded in kind, targeting Iranian ports, fuel systems, and financial infrastructure.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
‘America Is Gone’: Tehran Hardliners Rally Behind Khamenei, Reject US Talks | Iran International
Hardliners in Tehran have grown more vocal in their opposition to renewed diplomacy with Washington following Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s defiant speech this week. “The United States is in no position to determine what countries should or should not possess nuclear capabilities,” Khamenei said, adding that Iran’s missiles “remain ready to be used again if necessary.”
Iran Security Chief Likens Trump to Hitler as Tehran Mood Darkens | Iran International
Iran's security chief Ali Larijani on Thursday launched into a withering critique of Donald Trump, likening the US President to Hitler and tarring him as a “mere businessman” whose Gaza peace summit Tehran gladly missed.
RUSSIA, BELARUS, & IRAN
Iran Reaches Out to Key Russia Ally Belarus amid Rising Global Sanctions | Jerusalem Post
Iran’s state media said on Thursday that Iran and Belarus “expressed readiness to formulate a road map for future cooperation and to accelerate the implementation of joint projects.” Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said his country was looking to expand defense and industrial ties with Belarus, which is a key ally of Russia.
ISRAEL & IRAN
Iran Doxxes, Threatens Journalists in Israel amid Spy Hunt | Yedioth Ahronoth
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has published a report targeting Israeli journalists and commentators of Iranian descent, issuing explicit threats and releasing images of their residences in what Israeli officials view as an alarming escalation in Tehran’s psychological warfare campaign. Among the individuals named are Bebek Yitzhaki, a journalist with the Persian-language opposition outlet Iran International; Meir Javedanfar, a Tel Aviv-based analyst; Menashe Amir, a longtime Persian-language commentator; and Kamal Panahi, a spokesperson for the IDF in Persian. The Iranian report accuses them of cooperating with “an international terror network” and states, “You are now on the Islamic Republic’s target list.” One of the threats reads: “You are surely aware that the Shin Bet has already foiled several plots against your home and office. This is our final warning. Cease your cooperation with the terror network and you will be removed from our list. The choice is yours.”