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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…
Iran Protest Anthem Wins Grammy
On Feb. 5, 2023, First Lady Jill Biden announced that Shervin Hajipour, a popular 25-year-old Iranian singer, had won the inaugural Grammy Award for Best Song for Social Change. The lyrics of “Baraye”—“For…” or “Because of…” in Persian—were pulled from phrases used in Twitter posts about Mahsa…
Khamenei at Coming-of-Age Ceremony for Girls
On February 3, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei participated in a coming-of-age ceremony—known as taklif—for hundreds of schoolgirls. “You are now young girls with responsibilities, and you can have an influence on your family, in your school environment, and when you are playing with your…
U.S. Sanctions Iranian Drone Maker Executives
On February 3, the United States sanctioned eight executives of Paravar Pars Company, which manufactures suicide drones for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IRGC exported hundreds of the Shahed-series drones to Russia for use against Ukraine. Russia launched the drones against both…
News Digest: Week of January 30
January 30
International: A drone strike targeted Iran-backed militants in Syria near the Iraqi border. “A commander in an Iran-backed group and two of his companions, all of them non-Syrian, were killed this morning after renewed drone strikes,” reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.…
Raisi on the Anniversary of the Revolution
On January 31, President Ebrahim Raisi marked the “10 Days of Dawn” commemorating the 1979 revolution by warning that foreign powers were plotting to overthrow the theocracy on its 44th anniversary. In a speech at the mausoleum of revolutionary leader Imam Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, he claimed, “…
Khamenei: Iran's Economy a "Decade Behind"
On January 30, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei admitted that Iran’s economy was “a decade behind” because of sanctions, fluctuations in oil prices, and poor government management. Rapid growth is “absolutely crucial in order to solve the tangible problems associated with people’s livelihood…
Report: Corruption Perceptions in Iran
Iran had one of the highest rates of corruption in the world, according to the annual Transparency International report released in January 2023. The Islamic Republic ranked 147th out of 180 governments evaluated. Iran received a score of 25 on a sale of 100. (In contrast, the United States scored…
Congress Supports Iranian Protesters
On January 25, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bipartisan resolution expressing support for Iranian protesters and condemning the government crackdown. The resolution commended the people demonstrating in “more than 133 cities and 130 universities in Iran, where women are…
U.S. Charges Three Men in Iranian Murder Plot
On January 27, the United States indicted three men for plotting to assassinate Masih Alinejad, a Brooklyn-based activist critical of the Iranian government. The men, members of an eastern European criminal organization, were working for people based in Iran. The plot reflected Iran’s determination…