New Articles
U.S. Sanctions Firms Supplying Drone Parts
On March 9, the United States sanctioned five companies and one woman based in China for supporting Iran’s efforts to procure drone components. The network was linked to Iran Aircraft Manufacturing Industrial Company (HESA), which produced Shahed-136 suicide drones. The unmanned aerial vehicles (…
U.S. Sanctions “Shadow Banking” Network
On March 9, the United States sanctioned 39 companies for providing Iranian oil firms access to the international financial system. The network, which moved billions of dollars for the Islamic Republic, was based in Iran, Hong Kong, Singapore, Pakistan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the…
Iran’s Dissident Sunni Leader
In 2023, Molavi Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi, a leading Sunni cleric in Sistan and Baluchistan, gained national attention after calling for a new constitution and an end to theocratic rule. His fiery sermons led thousands of ethnic Baluch to demand an end to the brutal government crackdown against…
Mass Poisoning of Schoolgirls in Iran
Updated: April 4, 2023
Between November 2022 and March 2023, up to 7,000 schoolgirls were poisoned at dozens of schools in at least 28 of Iran’s 31 provinces, according to human rights groups and government officials. Hundreds were hospitalized with symptoms that included respiratory distress, numbness in limbs, heart…
Iran (Again) Promises Access to IAEA Inspectors
After years of stonewalling, Iran pledged on March 4, 2023 to cooperate with a U.N. probe into traces of uranium at three undeclared sites that date back to a covert program before 2003. Tehran also promised to reinstall monitoring equipment, including cameras, that had been removed from nuclear…
Sanctions on Iran for Abuse of Girls and Women
To mark International Women’s Day on March 8, the United States, Britain, the European Union, and Australia imposed sanctions on more than a dozen Iranian government and security officials, business leaders, companies, and government institutions for human rights abuses of women and girls. The…
U.S. on the Girls and Women of Iran
Senior U.S. officials have been increasingly critical of the Iranian government for the brutal treatment of girls and women – including murder, rape, torture, and mass arrests – since the death of Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16, 2022 ignited nationwide protests. “The regime is brutally repressing the…
U.S. Locked in "Existential Struggle" with Iran
On March 8, the U.S. intelligence community warned that Iran is an escalating threat to the United States and its allies because of its advances in both conventional and unconventional capabilities, including cyber technology, ballistic and cruise missiles, arsenal of drones and nuclear potential.…
News Digest: Week of March 6
Updated: March 7, 2023
March 6
Domestic: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described the poisoning of schoolgirls “a huge, unforgivable crime.” He demanded that the perpetrators, when caught, face the death penalty. The new crisis followed nationwide protests over personal freedoms, soaring inflation as the value of…
U.S. Sanctions Oil Exporters and Shippers
On March 2, the United States sanctioned six companies for selling or shipping Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products. Petrochemicals, derived from oil and natural gas, are essential to manufacturing paints, plastics, solar panels, medicine, and mobile phones that facilitate modern life. The…
News Digest: Week of February 27
February 26
Economic: Iran’s currency fell to a record 600,000 rials for one U.S. dollar. The rial traded at 32,000 to the dollar in 2015, when Iran signed the JCPOA. Inflation had also reached more than 50 percent in January 2023.
Domestic: A health official said that girls’ schools across Iran…
Timeline: Iran-Russia Collaboration on Drones
Updated: August 10, 2023
In August 2022, Iran’s supply of lethal drones to Russia sparked international interest and alarm. By December, Iran had reportedly supplied more than 1,700 drones capable of suicide bombings, surveillance and intelligence, and combat, according to Ukrainian military intelligence. By early 2023,…
Overview: Iran’s Drone Fleet
When did Iran start building a drone fleet?
Iran’s interest in drones and uninhabited vehicles really goes back to the Iran-Iraq war in the mid-1980s. The Iranians have been in the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) business for several decades. The first generation of the Ababil that was used during…
Explainer: American Parts in Iranian Drones
The majority of components in Iran’s drones—including microchips and GPS modules—were made in the United States, which is supporting Ukraine. The components, used for functions ranging from navigation to data processing, have been traced to two Iranian suicide drones—the Shahed-131 and Shahed-136—…
U.S. Officials on Iran's Drones
In 2023, U.S. officials expressed increasing concern about Iran’s drone capabilities as a threat to global security as well as allies in the Middle East. Pentagon, State Department, White House, and intelligence officials cited Iran’s export of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to Russia, which began…
E.U. Sanctions Iran for Providing Drones to Russia
On February 25, the European Union sanctioned seven Iranian weapons manufacturers and four men in Iran for supplying drones to Russia, which were used to attack government and civilian targets in Ukraine. The list included the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force and six defense…
Iran’s Deepening Strategic Alliance with Russia
Updated: April 25, 2023
Since mid-2022, Iran has become Russia’s top military backer, according to John Kirby of the National Security Council. Iran’s decision to aid Russia in the war on Ukraine reflected the expanding strategic alliance with Moscow. Since August, Iran has provided Russia with hundreds of drones,…
E.U. and Britain Sanction Iran for Rights Abuses
On February 20, the European Union and Britain separately imposed punitive sanctions on dozens of Iranian government and security officials for serious human rights violations, particularly during the protests that broke out in September 2022. The European Union, a group of 27 nations that included…
Explainer: Tactics of Iranian Intelligence
Kenneth Katzman, a former CIA analyst and lead Iran specialist at the Congressional Research Service, is now a senior advisor at the Soufan Group.
What does Iran want from its intelligence agencies? What are their primary objectives?
Minister of Intelligence and Security KhatibThe primary…
U.S. and GCC Joint Stance on Iran
On February 16, the United States and the six countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) condemned Iran for its disruptive behavior in the region and committed to expand defense cooperation to deter Tehran. Further “interoperability” is necessary to “constrain Iran’s ability to conduct…
Iran Deepens Ties with China
Amid rising tensions with Western powers, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to strengthen security and economic cooperation. During Raisi’s three-day visit to Beijing, the two countries signed 20 agreements—including on trade, transportation, information…
News Digest: Week of February 13
February 13
Human Rights: Reza Khandan, husband of influential rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, was ordered to Evin Prison within 30 days to serve at least five years of a six-year sentence from 2019. He was reportedly charged with “gathering and collusion against national security”; “propaganda…
Iran in 2023: Congressional Actions
Updated: July 5, 2023
By July 2023, members of Congress had introduced more than a dozen bills and resolutions related to Iran. They spanned a wide range of issues, including the government’s human rights violations and nuclear advances. Some of the legislation recommended the enforcement or expansion of U.S. economic…
Iraqi Minister on U.S., Iran
During a visit to Washington, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein acknowledged that Iran had influence with political parties, even though the government led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Sudani was willing to tell its Iranian counterparts that some of Tehran’s actions were “unacceptable.” Iran…
Iran’s Revolution at 44: Officials on Anniversary
Iran’s leaders marked the 44th anniversary of the 1979 revolution by defiantly blaming adversaries, including the United States, for nationwide protests that erupted in September 2022 after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died in detention. “The enemy’s goal is to force the revolution and the government of…
U.S. Sanctions Oil Producers and Shippers
On February 9, the United States sanctioned nine companies based in Iran, Singapore, and Malaysia that produced, sold, and shipped Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals. Petrochemicals, derived from oil and natural gas, are essential to manufacturing paints, plastics, solar panels, medicine, and…
News Digest: Week of February 6
Updated: February 10, 2023
February 5
Human Rights: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pardoned or reduced the sentences of tens of thousands of prisoners, including some protesters, to mark the 44th anniversary of the Islamic revolution. But the pardons were heavily conditioned on good behavior, a formal apology, and a…
Schism Among Iran’s Clerics Over Protests
After five months of protests, a visible schism emerged among Iran’s senior ayatollahs over the death sentences handed down to protesters charged with “corruption on earth” and “enmity toward God.” The numbers of clerics daring to challenge the system were small in a country with tens of thousands…
Supreme Leader Issues Thousands of Pardons
Updated: March 14, 2023
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pardoned or reduced the sentences of tens of thousands of prisoners, including some protesters, to mark the 44th anniversary of the Islamic revolution. But the pardons were heavily conditioned on good behavior, a formal apology, and a pledge not to engage in…
Iran Imprisons Couple for Dancing in Viral Video
In late January 2023, Iran’s judiciary sentenced both Astiyazh Haghighi and Amir Mohammad Ahmadi, a young couple in their early 20s, to five years in prison for posting a video dancing publicly. Haghighi was not wearing the mandatory hijab or headscarf in the video shot at the iconic Azadi (Freedom…