November 18
International: Canada’s former justice minister Irwin Cotler said that Iran had attempted to assassinate him in late October. Cotler, a long-time critic of Iran’s government, said that Canadian intelligence provided him with a security detail after they flagged him as a potential high profile target in October 2023.
November 20
International: The U.N. General Assembly’s Third Committee passed a resolution condemning the lack of due process in criminal proceedings, alarming increase of the imposition of the death penalty specifically against minors, and widespread arbitrary arrests and efforts to silence human rights defenders in Iran. The resolution was approved with 77 in favor, 28 against, and with 66 abstentions.
International: U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi denied claims by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Israeli forces hit a nuclear facility in the strike on Iran on October 26. Grossi said that the IAEA had no information confirming the presence of nuclear materials at Iran’s Parchin site.
November 21
Economy: The number of loss-making state-owned companies in Iran rose significantly under Ebrahim Raisi’s presidency from August 2021 to May 2024. The Supreme Audit Court of Iran reported that financial mismanagement escalated and losses surpassed previous projections by large margins, as 134 companies experienced a total of some $5 billion in losses. The Government Trading Corporation of Iran and the Targeted Subsidies Organization shouldered a large chunk of the losses.
November 22
International: The Pentagon said that U.S. forces were attacked on 206 occasions in the Middle East since Oct. 18, 2023, including 125 times in Syria, 79 times in Iraq, and two times in Jordan.
November 23
Diplomatic: Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh met with Venezuelan cabinet ministers in Caracas to discuss bilateral ties at a meeting of the Joint Economic Cooperation Commission.