October 28
International: Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior advisor to the supreme leader, said that Iran was open to cooperation with Western countries that “respect Iran’s sovereignty and treat [Iran] as an equal.” He said that the Islamic Republic will reassess its foreign policy with various countries, including European states.
Domestic: Iran executed German-Iranian political scientist and dissident Jamshid Sharmahd for "corruption on earth," a vague charge often levied against critics of the theocracy. Tehran alleged that he played a role in the 2008 bombing of a mosque in Shiraz that killed 14 people. The United States, European countries and international human rights groups condemned the killing. Berlin warned that there will be “serious consequences.” Sharmahd also had U.S. residency.
October 29
Military: Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said that the military will raise its defense budget by some 200 percent as part of a budget proposal that was submitted to Parliament for approval.
October 30
International: Hezbollah announced that Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem will replace the late Hassan Nasrallah as the organization’s new leader. Qassem was on of Hezbollah’s founding members and had served as deputy secretary general for over 30 years. In a speech on October 30, Qassem said that Hezbollah will “continue the war against Israel.”
Domestic: Iran appointed the first ethnic Baluch governor, Mansour Bijar, in southeastern Sistan and Baluchistan province. The Baluch, a Sunni minority, have historically faced discrimination from the Persian-dominated central government. This appointment marked the first time a member of the Sunni Baluch ethnic group will hold the position, which is notable given the community’s Persian minority.
Military: General Ali Fadavi, the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards said that Iran will respond to the recent Israeli airstrike. “We have never left an aggression unanswered in 40 years. We are capable of destroying all that the Zionists possess with one operation,” he said. The head of the supreme leader’s office, Gholamhossein Mohammadi Golpayegani, said that Iran will deliver “a fierce, tooth-breaking response.”
November 1
International: The Israeli National Cyber Directorate detected an increase in phishing scams by an Iranian cyber espionage group APT42 that had targeted government officials, diplomats, think tanks, NGOs, and academic institutions.