TOP STORIES
Surging Chinese Imports of Indonesia Oil Point to Rebranded Iranian Crude, Traders Say | Reuters
China is importing unusually large quantities of crude oil from Indonesia, a trend traders say is a way to mask shipments of sanctioned Iranian crude trans-shipped in waters off Malaysia amid greater scrutiny of cargoes originating from Malaysia. Declaring Iranian oil as Malaysian has long been a tactic of traders selling to China, the largest buyer of the U.S.-sanctioned crude, market participants say.
Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, called for direct confrontation with Israel on Sunday after Hezbollah said a senior commander and four other members were killed in an Israeli strike near Beirut.
Israel carried out an airstrike on a southern Beirut suburb on Sunday, saying it killed Hezbollah’s chief of staff Haytham Ali Tabtabai and warning the Iran-backed militant group not to rearm and rebuild a year after their latest war. . . . Tabtabai had led Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Unit. Israel's military said he “commanded most of Hezbollah's units and worked hard to restore them to readiness for war with Israel.”
UANI IN THE NEWS
Why Venezuela Matters to Iran | UANI Policy Director Jason M. Brodsky in The Spectator
President Trump and his administration are taking aim at the administration of [Venezuelan President] Nicolas Maduro, over his alleged role in the drug trade which presents a national security threat to the United States. It’s clear that if the US succeeds in destabilising and displacing President Maduro’s regime, it would be a blow to the region’s drug traffickers. What is less known is that it would also hit Iran. Venezuela has long served as a launchpad for Iranian operations to establish a foothold in South America. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), its Quds Force, and Iran’s Intelligence Ministry have all had a presence in Venezuela.
Iran Asks Saudi Arabia to Urge America to Restart Nuclear Talks | Jewish News Syndicate
Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, posted on social media that “all the letters in the world will not change the fact that the maximum the Iranian regime is willing to offer does not meet the minimum the U.S. is willing to accept.” He added that “especially with Iran weakened, it’s a fantasy to expect the U.S. to soften its demands.”
Iran Oil Trade to China Booming Despite Sanctions | TradeWinds
Iran continues to move its US-sanctioned oil with impunity despite a high-profile crackdown on ship-to-ship (STS) transfers off Malaysia, according to United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI).
The influential campaign group added 23 new vessels to its “ghost armada” list on Monday, taking the total to 170 vessels that are said to be involved in Iranian exports. . . . Charlie Brown, of UANI, said that the Iranian oil trade to China had proved resilient in the face of US sanctions against Iran. “We need to do more to than just to add ships to sanctions lists,” he said.
US Destroyer Blocks Sanctioned Shadow Tanker’s Route to Venezuela | Maritime Executive
It appears the Trump administration is further tightening its pressure on Venezuela, using one of the destroyers deployed to the Caribbean to spook a sanctioned shadow tanker from approaching Venezuela. Using tracking data, Bloomberg reports the sanctioned tanker Seahorse has attempted to approach Venezuela three times, and each time the U.S. destroyer USS Stockdale has “positioned itself in the path” of the tanker. . . . The Seahorse is typical of the sanctioned shadow fleet, with Bloomberg reporting it has been used for transporting a lighter fuel distillate, naphtha, from Russian refineries to Venezuela. In the past, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) has also reported that the vessel was being used in the Iran to Venezuela trade, with both Russia and Iran supporting Venezuela’s need for distillate products to maintain its oil operations.
The tanker Seahorse was involved in the export of Russian oil and petroleum products during the G7 and EU embargo and the price ceiling mechanism. It repeatedly called at ports in occupied Crimea—Kamysh-Burun in June 2025, and Kerch and Kamysh-Burun in July 2025, according to Ukrainian intelligence. . . . According to United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), the tanker had previously been used to transport Iranian oil. The tanker is included on UANI's list of vessels linked to the Iran-Venezuela oil trade (the Maduro-Khamenei Oil Alliance).
NUCLEAR DIPLOMACY & NUCLEAR PROGRAM
Iran Says New Framework Needed to Access Bombed Nuclear Sites | Agence France-Presse
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said a new approach should be taken for the monitoring of the country's nuclear sites attacked in a recent war with Israel. . . . He added that Iran was also receiving threats of attacks from the United States should anyone got close to those facilities.
Iran Says President’s Letter to Saudi Crown Prince Not About US Mediation | Iran International
Iran on Sunday denied that President Masoud Pezeshkian’s letter to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was aimed at securing Saudi mediation with Washington, calling it a standard bilateral note tied to Hajj coordination. “The issue of a mediator is not on the table,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said at a weekly briefing.
Khamenei Authorized Pezeshkian’s Letter to Trump, Former Lawmaker Says | Iran International
President Masoud Pezeshkian sent a letter via Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to President Donald Trump, with the permission of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, offering to revive nuclear talks, a former Iranian lawmaker said after Tehran denied seeking Riyadh’s mediation. Mostafa Kavakebian, a former member of the Iranian parliament, told the Tehran-based Asr Iran news website on Sunday that bin Salman carried Pezeshkian’s message during his recent trip to Washington and meeting with Trump on November 18.
Iran Parliament Speaker Says Vance Sought Talks amid June War | Iran International
Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Friday that by the sixth day of a 12-day conflict with Israel, US vice president JD Vance was seeking talks to end the war.
SANCTIONS, BUSINESS RISKS, & OTHER ECONOMIC NEWS
The US announced fresh sanctions on Thursday, designating more vessels linked to Iranian LPG network, a Greek shipowner, and dozens of other entities, individuals, and vessels . . .
US Expands Sanctions on Iran’s Energy Trade Snaring Wide Array of Companies | Maritime Executive
The United States expanded its sanctions against Iran’s energy trade with coordinated actions by both the State Department and the Treasury. The efforts continue to increase the reach beyond Iranian operations to target the front companies and enablers of the energy trade, as well as tankers being used for the shipments.
Iran’s Central Bank Ordered to Slash Four Zeros from National Currency | Iran International
Iran began implementing a long-delayed plan to drop four zeros from its battered currency after President Masoud Pezeshkian instructed the Central Bank on Saturday to begin two years of preparations. . . . Critics argue that without wider reforms the move is mainly cosmetic, citing Argentina, Zimbabwe, Romania and the former Yugoslavia, where redenominations did little to restrain prices.
HOSTAGES
Family Says Iran Detains US Citizen over Son’s Activism | Radio Farda
A US-Iranian dual citizen has been detained in Iran and is facing multiple security-related charges, according to her son, who says authorities are using his mother to pressure him. Germany-based political activist Reza Zarrabi told RFE/RL's Radio Farda on November 19 that his 70-year-old mother, Afarin Mohajer, was arrested on September 29 at Imam Khomeini International Airport as she was leaving the country after a visit. He said intelligence officers with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) detained Mohajer, who is being kept in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. Mohajer, who resides in Los Angeles, has an inoperable brain tumor and has been told by “a doctor before going to prison that she does not have long to live,” Zarrabi said. . . . Zarrabi introduces himself as “director of the Overthrow Council,” an opposition group that seeks to topple the Islamic republic. Little is know[n] of the group, one of many based abroad that have called for a mass uprising against Iran's leadership.
Richard Ratcliffe: ‘Nazanin’s Come Back with Her Trauma, and I’ve Had Mine Too’ | Independent
“People think you’re free now you’ve come home,” says Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe. “It is complicated. It’s not an easy thing. I was away for a very long time. My child was not even two when I left her. She was nearly eight when I came back.” . . . It has been three years since she was released from an Iranian jail, where she was held as a prisoner for six years on invented allegations of espionage and kept in solitary confinement for months, while her husband Richard and daughter Gabriella waited for her to come home. Since her release in March 2022, Nazanin, 46, has settled back into family life in the north London suburb of West Hampstead. But only now is she ready to share the full traumatic tale of what happened to her in Iran and what has happened since returning home . . .
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Death of Political Prisoner Exposes Islamic Republic’s Abuse, US Says | Iran International
The US State Department called the death of political prisoner Farzad Khoshboresh an example of Islamic Republic abuses, saying that the establishment is suppressing dissent with violence instead of addressing public needs. “Officials in Iran said Farzad Khoshboresh’s health deteriorated in detention and that he died after being transferred to a hospital,” the department wrote Saturday on its Persian-language page on X. “But the bruises and signs of torture on his body tell a different story, one that Iranians know all too well: the story of someone who dared to speak out and paid a heavy price,” it added.
16-Year-Old Bride Killed by Husband Days After Marriage in Iran | IranWire
A 16-year-old girl was beaten to death by her husband just days after their wedding in northwestern Iran . . . Maryam Taghavi was killed on November 16 by Yaqoub Jafari following an argument over a marriage loan.
Iranian Forces Detain Sunni Arab Activist After Friday Prayers in Ahvaz | IranWire
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence forces violently detained a prominent Sunni Arab activist after Friday prayers in Ahvaz, according to local reports. Abdulaziz Na’ami, 35, was stopped and arrested in the Molashieh neighborhood on November 21 while returning from prayers.
Prominent Academic Body Urges Iran to Halt Crackdown on Scholars | Iran International
The Association of Iranian Studies Committee on Academic Freedom on Friday urged top Tehran’s officials to drop charges against five independent scholars, calling it a politically motivated move.
No Taste, No Memory: Rape Drugs Are Quietly on the Rise in Iran | Iran International
Storefronts around Tehran’s Grand Bazaar still sell herbal extracts and cheap vitamins, but behind them a quieter trade thrives: fast-acting sedatives that can leave people conscious yet defenseless and often unable to remember what happened. Rape drugs are widely available in the market according to research by Iran International into online and plain view sales in the Islamic theocracy, where lack of official enforcement or public awareness campaigns mean the sordid practice continues with few impediments.
Iranian Matchmaking Site Enables Child Marriage, Daily Says | Iran International
An investigation by the reformist daily Shargh found that a licensed Iranian matchmaking platform lets parents sign up children as young as 13 for marriage, with no age filters or meaningful safeguards in place. . . . Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has repeatedly promoted policies encouraging higher birth rates and earlier marriages, with a target population of 150 million by 2050. In line with these priorities, parliament passed the Rejuvenation of the Population and Protection of the Family law in 2021, imposing penalties for actions deemed to oppose childbearing or delay marriage, effectively placing demographic goals above safeguards for children.
Growing Number of Iranian Women Imprisoned over Financial Debt | IranWire
Most women in Iranian prisons are incarcerated for financial debts, unpaid guarantees, or unintentional crimes, according to a report published by the newspaper Arman-e-Emrooz. The report, citing official statistics, documents what it describes as the “feminization of poverty in Iran” and highlights the rising number of women imprisoned for financial reasons.
Iranian Football Player Suspended After Video of Private Gathering Went Viral | IranWire
Iranian football club Esteghlal temporarily suspended player Armin Sohrabian after a video showing him at a private gathering circulated on social media. The club barred Sohrabian from training on Sunday and demanded an explanation following the video’s publication on Saturday, ISNA news agency reported.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
Iran Warns of Attempts to Target Supreme Leader Khamenei | Agence France-Presse
Iran's intelligence ministry has warned of attempts by foreign adversaries, including the United States and Israel, to target supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and destabilise the Islamic republic. The country's ISNA news agency reported on Saturday that intelligence minister Esmail Khatib cautioned “the enemy seeks to target the supreme leader, sometimes with assassination attempts, sometimes with hostile attacks.”
Iran Blasts Israel's ‘Cowardly’ Killing of Hezbollah Military Chief | Times of Israel
Iran slams Israel over its killing of the Hezbollah military chief, a day after the commander of the Iran-backed terror group was targeted with a strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. “The Iranian Foreign Ministry strongly condemns the cowardly assassination of the great commander of the Lebanese Islamic Resistance, the martyr Haytham Ali Tabatabai,” the Iranian foreign ministry says in a statement.
Iran’s Army Appoints New Ground Forces Commander | Iran International
Brigadier General Ali Jahanshahi has been appointed commander of Iran’s Army Ground Forces, replacing Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari, who held the post for more than seven years, Iranian media reported on Saturday. Jahanshahi previously served as deputy coordinator of the Army Ground Forces, commander of the 77th Thamen al-Aemeh Division, and deputy for assessment at the central Khatam al-Anbia Headquarters. The reshuffle, while not officially highlighted by the military, continues a pattern of quiet personnel adjustments across Iran’s armed forces after the war in June.
Trump Says Beating Iran Paved Way for New Middle East | Iran International
US President Donald Trump on Friday said that the United States deprived Iran of its nuclear capabilities with airstrikes in June, setting the stage for a transformed region. “There’s never been a time like this in the Middle East. You have peace in the Middle East now” . . . “You have Iran, which has been beaten very badly, and their nuclear capability taken away, and they want to make a deal, and we probably will make a deal with Iran. But you have peace for the first time in the Middle East, you have real peace.”
CYBERSECURITY MATTERS
A group of Iranian hackers has leaked the details of 10 senior Israeli defense industry workers online, offering a $10,000 reward for information on their location, the Ynet news site reports. “This is not just a declaration—this is a warning that will echo in every hallway you walk down, every home you feel safe, every secret you keep, a statement by the group says. “You built your empire on fear and force; now you will feel the weight of terror descending upon you,” the group threatens.
IRANIAN INTERNAL DEVELOPMENTS
The Commander’s Daughter: How a Viral Photo Exposed Iran’s Elite Hypocrisy | IranWire
The LinkedIn profile appeared unremarkable at first glance. A psychologist in an Australian coastal town, smiling without a headscarf, described her counseling practice and posted feminist commentary about work–life balance. But when social media users identified the woman as Hanieh Safavi, the youngest daughter of one of Iran’s most hardline military commanders, the image detonated across Persian-language networks. Within hours, her profile vanished. The damage, however, was done. . . . For decades, [Major General Yahya] Rahim Safavi has championed the Islamic Republic’s most repressive policies, including mandatory hijab laws that have seen thousands of Iranian women arrested, beaten, and imprisoned. Now his own daughter lives openly in the West, her head uncovered, running a private psychology practice 12,847 kilometers from Tehran’s morality police.
Bloodied by Israel, Iran Turns to Ancient Persia for Strength | Times of London
Crowds gathered in Revolution Square, waiting for the black curtains to fall. Unveiled women, dressed in jeans and crop tops, held hands with boyfriends alongside others dressed in the all-enveloping chador. . . . Some came for the music, not history, provided by some of Iran’s top pop stars. “These are our favourite singers,” Mohammed Amin, 38, a businessman, said. “But we are not naive. We know the authorities are only staging events like this to distract us and alleviate the pressure from the people.”
ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS
Fire Threatens Iran’s Ancient Forest, a World Heritage Site | New York Times
A wildfire burning for more than a week in drought-stricken Iran has razed portions of the ancient Hyrcanian Forests, a UNESCO World Heritage site home to many endangered species. On Sunday, Turkey sent aircraft at Iran’s request to help battle the blaze in one of the world’s oldest forests, according to Iranian state media. The local authorities said they had managed to contain most of the fire, which they have been battling in the country’s north.
Public Criticism Mounts over Iran Government’s Forest Fire Response | Iran International
A fire that has been burning for almost three weeks in northern Iran’s UNESCO-listed forests has triggered growing criticism of officials for what many describe as indifference, incompetence and a failure to prioritize an escalating environmental disaster.
Iran’s Deepening Water Crisis Nears Critical Levels in Major Cities | Iran International
Iran’s worsening drought has pushed water supplies in several provinces to critical levels, with officials in Tehran, Mashhad and Kerman warning that some reservoirs are close to the point where routine distribution may no longer be possible.
Iran’s Capital Tehran is Nearly Out of Water. The Crisis Has Deep Roots. | Washington Post
A staggering water shortage this year is throwing Iran’s future livability into question, with dozens of dams close to empty, residents of Tehran facing the possibility of running out of water within weeks and the president even floating the idea of evacuating the capital, though it is unclear where those millions of people would go.
Iran Turns to Heavy Mazut Fuel Despite Worsening Air Pollution | Iran International
Iran has started burning mazut, a heavy fuel oil, at several power plants despite worsening air pollution, Fars News reported on Sunday, signalling a renewed reliance on high-sulphur feedstock as winter demand rises and smog intensifies.
US Says Iran’s Theocracy Has Taken Air Out of People’s Lungs | Iran International
The US State Department on Saturday blamed Iran’s government for tens of thousands of pollution-related deaths last year, calling it another burden on Iranian citizens already facing water shortages, economic collapse and arbitrary arrests. “The Iranian regime not only represses its own people, it has also taken the air out of their lungs,” the State Department said in a post on its Persian-language X account. . . . “For citizens already struggling with water shortages, economic collapse and the constant fear of arbitrary arrest, air pollution adds yet another deadly threat to their lives,” the State Department said. “This is the price of the failure of those who are supposed to protect their own people.”
MISCELLANEOUS
Christian Converts Are Among the Iranians Being Sent Home from US | BBC
One Monday in mid-October, after a year in US immigration detention, officers arrived unannounced at Majid's cell in Texas. They told him simply to “pack up”—that he was being moved—even though an immigration judge had already granted him protection from removal five months ago. Shackled at the wrists, waist and ankles, he was driven through the night to a military airfield in Louisiana. Majid—not his real name—had fled Iran for the US in October 2024, after repeated detentions and alleged torture, first because of his involvement in the Mahsa Amini protests, and later because of his conversion to Christianity. When US officials forced him to board a plane carrying more than 150 deportees heading to Managua, Nicaragua, he remembers being the only non–Latin American on the plane. Hours later, the flight landed and officials handcuffed him, denied his request for asylum and directed him onto an itinerary routing him through Venezuela and Turkey toward Iran—a journey he understood as a forced return. Majid later was able to go into hiding in Istanbul, terrified of what awaited him back in Iran.