TOP STORIES
Iran Has Resumed Large-Scale Ballistic Missile Production, IDF Warns Knesset | Yedioth Ahronoth
Iran has resumed large-scale production of ballistic missiles roughly six months after its 12-day conflict with Israel, a senior IDF representative told lawmakers . . .
Iran’s Currency Sinks to a New Record Low | Reuters
Iran’s currency slipped to the lowest level in its history on Monday, nearing 1,250,000 rial to the U.S. dollar on the open rate market, various outlets including the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. The Iranian rial stood around 55,000 to the U.S. dollar in 2018, when U.S. sanctions were reimposed by the first Trump administration to force Tehran to the negotiating table by limiting its oil exports and access to foreign currency.
Iran Objects to ‘Pride Match’ Branding of World Cup Soccer Game Against Egypt | Agence France-Presse
Iran’s soccer chief said Tuesday that Tehran objected to the “irrational” branding of its World Cup match against Egypt, which local organizers in the US have suggested will be held in support of the LGBTQ community. . . . Egypt’s Football Association has voiced similar objections, according to Egyptian local media outlets citing unnamed sources. . . . On Tuesday, Taj said some Iranian players might face visa problems over their service in the Iranian military, which includes the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC)—designated a “terrorist organization” by the US in 2019.
PROTESTS AND HUMAN RIGHTS
Rights Groups Call for Probe After Iranian Lawyer’s ‘Suspicious’ Death | Radio Farda
Prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has called for a UN fact-finding committee to investigate the death of Khosrow Alikordi, an attorney known for representing political prisoners and activists. Alikordi, a former political prisoner and outspoken critic of the Islamic republic, was found dead in his office on December 5 in the northeastern city of Mashhad. He was 46.
Iranian Athlete Sentenced to Death Moved to Solitary Cell, Raising Execution Fears | IranWire
Prison officials have transferred a political prisoner sentenced to death to solitary confinement at Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, raising concerns that his execution may be imminent. Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, a boxing champion, was moved to an isolation cell following the Supreme Court’s final confirmation of his death sentence, the Human Rights Activists News Agency reported.
Imprisoned Iranian Christian Convert Faces Risk of Paralysis After Surgery | IranWire
A Christian convert serving a 10-year prison sentence in Iran's Evin Prison faces permanent paralysis following complications from spinal surgery. Aida Najafloo’s condition has severely deteriorated after the procedure, which was required after a fall from her bed, IranWire sources said. The surgical site developed a severe infection after prison authorities returned her to Evin Prison following the operation at Shohada-ye Tajrish Hospital. Najafloo’s physician has warned that substandard prison conditions pose a direct risk of spinal cord damage for someone in her condition. The imprisoned woman suffers from chronic health issues, including osteoporosis and lupus, and lacks adequate access to specialized medical care while in prison.
Iranian Jews Told to Unfollow Israeli Pages or Face Prosecution | IranWire
An official representative of Iran’s Jewish community asked members to unfollow all Israeli-related social media pages and delete past interactions to avoid “judicial or security consequences,” according to a document obtained by IranWire. . . . The request comes amid increased media and political pressure on Iran’s Jewish community in recent months over their use of religious symbols and rituals.
Iran Summons Jewish MP over Constituents’ Social Media Activity | Iran International
Homayoun Sameh Yah Najafabadi, the Jewish representative in Iran's parliament, said on Monday that he had been summoned by security agencies over Jewish users’ likes and comments on Israeli content. “Unfortunately, in the past two weeks, I was summoned to these agencies because some fellow Jews posted comments and liked false content, causing misunderstandings among the country's intelligence agencies,” Najafabadi said in an open letter published on his Telegram channel. Najafabadi called on members of the Jewish community in Iran to refrain from leaving comments or likes on social media that might cause suspicion.
Iran Judiciary Targets Environmentalist over Missile Comments | Iran International
Iran’s judiciary says it has filed a case against a veteran ecologist and former adviser to the Department of Environment, after he said the government could fix Iran’s high-pollution mazut fuel with the cost of developing ten missiles. Iranian media on Monday described the charges against Esmail Kahrom as relating to making “false statements” and actions “against national security.” Prosecutors also opened a case against the editor-in-chief of the Jamaran news site, which published Kahrom’s interview.
Iran Among the World’s Biggest Jailers of Journalists, Press Watchdog Says | Iran International
Iran was among the world’s top jailers of journalists this year, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in its annual report published on Tuesday, behind China, Russia and Myanmar. . . . 21 journalists are currently imprisoned in Iran, it added, and one remains missing.
From Washington, the London-based Persian-language network is expanding its footprint—connecting Iranians inside the country with global policymakers and challenging Tehran through independent, anti-regime reporting.
U.S. Deports Second Planeload of Iranians, Officials Say | New York Times
The Trump administration deported a planeload of Iranian citizens on a chartered plane on Sunday, according to two Iranian officials familiar with the details, in just the second time the United States has ever done so. The plane—carrying about 50 Iranian citizens, as well as deportees from Arab countries and Russia—departed from an airport in Mesa, Ariz., and will make stops in Egypt and Kuwait, said the two Iranian officials, who asked for anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
MILITARY/INTELLIGENCE MATTERS & PROXY WARS
They Killed My Source | Shane Harris in the Atlantic
A man claiming to be an Iranian intelligence officer promised me he would reveal his country’s secrets. Then he disappeared.
CYBERSECURITY MATTERS
Iran used cyber weapons to try to attack every citizen in Israel multiple times during the 12-day June war, Israel National Cyber Directorate (INCD) chief Yossi Karadi said . . . Karadi explained that there were 1,200 social engineering hacking operations, each targeting thousands of Israelis. The INCD chief revealed that during the June war, Tehran hacked into parking and other road cameras to “track the movements of Israeli VIPs, with the aim of building operations to target and harm them.” Further, Karadi said that when the Islamic Republic struck Weizmann University with a ballistic missile during the June war, it had taken control of a street camera watching the building just before the missile struck. SYRIA & IRAN
One Year After Assad’s Fall: Iran’s Strategic Collapse in Syria | Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty
The fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 dealt a major blow to Iran, depriving it of a key Mediterranean base and supply route to Hezbollah. Iran spent up to $50 billion supporting Assad and deployed fighters, but experts say it has little chance of regaining influence in Syria. Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has left the door open to future ties with Iran, but only if Tehran stops interfering and fueling sectarian tensions.
ISRAEL & IRAN
Teen Admits to Security Offenses, Being Recruited by Iranian Handler, in Plea Deal | Jerusalem Post
A 16-year-old from the Shfela region [in Israel] admitted on Wednesday to being in contact with an Iranian agent and transmitting information to the enemy after months of online communication, which began shortly after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas War.
State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman warns that Israel is unprepared to tackle foreign interference in its elections, in particular the upcoming election in 2026, and says such interference could undermine public confidence in the elections themselves and their results. Englman referred in particular to the increasing cyber threat from Iran and the multiple incidents in which Iran has recruited Israelis as agents to carry out spying missions inside the country, and called on the government to take action to address the problem.
CHINA, GULF STATES & IRAN
Iran Hosts Trilateral Meeting with China and Saudi Arabia | Iran International
Iran, China and Saudi Arabia held a trilateral meeting in Tehran on Tuesday, the third since their 2023 normalization agreement brokered in Beijing, state media reported. . . . The meeting reviewed progress in implementing the Beijing accord, which restored diplomatic relations between Tehran and Riyadh after a seven-year rift and set out commitments to reopen embassies and expand political and economic ties.
AFGHANISTAN & IRAN
Gul Hassan, the Taliban’s ambassador in Moscow, said Iran’s Chabahar port is becoming a key route for Afghanistan’s foreign trade, with daily commercial flows through the port increasing. Speaking at the Third International North–South Transport Corridor Forum in Russia, he said the Taliban is “working actively” with Iran and India on the Chabahar route.
ENVIRONMENTAL CRISIS
Air Pollution Sends 170,000 Iranians to Hospitals in a Week—Health Official | Iran International
Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi said more than 170,000 people have gone to emergency wards since the start of December because of heart and respiratory problems caused by air pollution, describing the situation as a “serious and widespread public health crisis.” . . . Raisi said the Health Ministry estimates the annual health cost of pollution at about $17 billion, and that more than 59,000 people died last year from diseases linked to poor air quality.