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United States and E3 Sanction Iran Air
On Sept. 10, 2024, the United States, Britain, France, and Germany announced new sanctions on Iran after accusing it of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia for the first time. The “supply of Iranian missiles enables Russia to use more of its arsenal for targets that are further from the…
New Negotiations? Iran Comments
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has often issued important signals about Iran’s willingness to deal with the world’s major powers, including the United States, on nuclear issues. On Aug. 27, 2024, he told Pezeshkian’s cabinet that there was “no barrier” to engaging with Iran’s “enemy,” a term…
Pezeshkian Cabinet: Profiles
Iran’s parliament approved all 19 cabinet nominees submitted by President Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist who won the snap presidential election in July 2024. His cabinet was more diverse than the previous cabinet of President Ebrahim Raisi, the hardliner who died in a helicopter crash in May 2024.…
U.S. Charges Man linked to Iran for Murder Plot
On Aug. 6, 2024, the Department of Justice announced charges against Asif Merchant — a 46-year-old Pakistani national with ties to Iran — for plotting the assassination of a politician or U.S. officials. Merchant had spent time in Iran before traveling from Pakistan to New York in approximately…
Microsoft: Iran Trying to Influence U.S. Election
Groups linked to Iran’s government have stepped up efforts to interfere in the 2024 U.S. election, according to a Microsoft report released on Aug. 9, 2024. They have spread disinformation and polarizing messages using covert news sites and social media. The goal appeared to be to sow chaos and…
U.S. Intelligence on Iran’s Nuclear Advances
Iran has conducted research that “better position it to produce a nuclear device, if it chooses to do so,” the Office of the Director of National Intelligence warned in a July 2024 report. The assessment also noted an increase in statements by Iranian officials about the possibility of Tehran…
U.S. Charges Two Iranians and One Pakistani for Arms Smuggling
On Aug. 8, 2024, the United States announced charges against two Iranian nationals, brothers Shahab Mir’kazei and Yunus Mir’kazei, and one Pakistani national, Muhammad Pahlawan, for smuggling Iranian weapons. The two brothers allegedly worked for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Pahlawan captained a…
Tehran’s Three Pivotal Militia Allies
Iran has armed, trained and funded militias movements since the 1979 revolution. It fostered allies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and disparate Shiite militias in Iraq, from their early days. It also tapped into existing groups with overlapping goals, including Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad…
Hezbollah's Losses
Updated: August 26, 2024
Israeli airstrikes killed more than three dozen senior Hezbollah commanders in Lebanon—as well as almost 400 fighters—in the 10 months after the Gaza war erupted on Oct. 7, 2023. The commanders were largely from two units, according to the Alma Research and Education Center in Israel. Some 40…
Israeli Assassinations of Hamas Leaders
Updated: August 12, 2024
During the first 10 months of the Gaza war, Israel killed at least 10 senior Hamas military and political officials. The targeted assassinations included the daring operation that killed Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and an airstrike that killed chief military commander Mohammed Deif in a Palestinian…
Hezbollah’s Iranian Arms
Fostered by Iran, Hezbollah emerged after Israel’s 1982 invasion and amid the chaos of the Lebanese civil war. The Shiite movement evolved from a shadowy militia to become a political powerbroker and the world’s most heavily armed non-state actor four decades later. Tehran's role has been critical…
Haniyeh Assassination: U.S. & World Reaction
The Biden administration insisted that diplomacy was the only way to prevent escalation in the growing Middle East crisis after the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31. In an interview from Singapore, Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed that the United…
Haniyeh Assassination: Iran & Allies React
Updated: August 9, 2024
Iran and Hamas blamed Israel and pledged revenge for the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, the exiled political leader of Hamas. The Palestinian leader was visiting Tehran for the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian when he was killed. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that…
Haniyeh Assassination: The News
Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of the exiled wing of Hamas and its chief negotiator on issues of war and peace, was assassinated on July 31 during a visit to Tehran for the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian. He had also met just hours earlier with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali…
News Digest: Week of July 29
July 29International: U.S. officials accused Iran of heading a campaign to undermine former President Donald Trump’s candidacy in the November 2024 election. The election security update from the Office of the Director of Natonal Intelligence warned:Iran is continuing efforts to fuel distrust in U.…
U.S. Sanctions Suppliers of Iran’s Missile & Drone Programs
On July 30, 2024, the United States sanctioned five men and seven companies based in Iran, China and Hong Kong for helping subordinates of Iran’s defense ministry procure critical components for missiles and drones. “Today’s action exposes additional key front companies and trusted agents through…
Houthi Explainer: Military Arsenal
Iran has smuggled increasingly sophisticated weapons to the Houthis in Yemen since at least 2009. By 2015, the Qods Force, the external operations arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, were sending missile components for local assembly. The weapons – along with training and military advisors – helped…
Houthi Explainer: U.S. Sanctions
The United States has long struggled to deal with Iran’s network of allies and proxies short of military confrontation. Financial sanctions have been an important tool for disrupting illicit activities. Since 2014, the United States has sanctioned at least 13 Houthi officials and dozens of…
Houthi Explainer: Leaders and Goals
What are the Houthis' political views and goals?Since the 2000s, Houthi leaders have issued vague or contradictory statements about Yemen's political future as their religious movement evolved into an insurgency – and, as of 2015, the dominant political and military force in Sanna after ousting the…
Houthi Explainer: Conflict in the Red Sea
What have the Houthis attacked in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the Gaza war began in October 2023?During the first eight months of the conflict, the Houthis attacked U.S. Navy or commercial vessels more than 190 times, according to the Pentagon. Experts at The Washington Institute for Near…
Houthi Explainer: Ties to Iran
The Houthis are a political movement and militia that emerged out of a religious revival among Yemen’s Zaydi Shiites in the 1990s. They got their name from a powerful tribal clan led by the Houthi family. Since 2004, the Houthis have challenged the Yemeni central government, which has long been…
U.S. Sanctions Target Iran’s Chemical Weapons Research
The following is a press statement from State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller released on July 12, 2024.United States Imposes Sanctions Targeting Iran’s Chemical Weapons Research and DevelopmentThe Department of State is today imposing sanctions on Hakiman Shargh Research Company for its…
News Digest: Week of July 8
July 8International: In a letter to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian pledged to maintain Iran’s support for groups opposed to Israel. “I am certain that the resistance movements in the region will not allow this regime to continue its warmongering and criminal…
U.S. Intelligence: Iran Exploiting Gaza Protests
On July 9, 2024, the U.S. director of national intelligence revealed that Iran was trying to “stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions.” Avril Haines said that actors tied to Tehran were encouraging protests over the war in Gaza by posing as activists online and even…
Pezeshkian: Profile of President-elect
Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist politician and a cardiac surgeon, won Iran’s snap presidential election on July 5, 2024. He was born in 1954 to a religious family in the northwestern city of Mahabad in West Azerbaijan province. He graduated from Urmia Agricultural Technical High School in the…
Pezeshkian: Implications of Win
In a clear challenge to regime hardliners, Masoud Pezeshkian, a reformist and cardiac surgeon, won Iran’s snap presidential election on July 5. The elections were called after President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on May 19. The runoff had been considered a tight race, but Pezeshkian…
Pezeshkian: World Reaction
The following are reactions from world leaders to Masoud Pezeshkian's victory in the July 5 runoff for president. Russia and ChinaRussian President Vladimir Putin on July 6“I hope that your tenure as president will contribute to a reinforcement of constructive bilateral cooperation between our…
Pezeshkian: On the Issues
The following are statements by Masoud Pezeshkian during the seven presidential debates and immediately after his victory in the July 5 runoff. Masoud Pezeshkian On the Role of Government“When we ignore people's rights and do not want to listen to their voices, expecting them to come to the polls…
News Digest: Week of July 1
July 1International: Victims of the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas assault on Israel sued Iran, Syria, and North Korea for providing Hamas with funds, weapons, and training used in the unprecedented attack. The lawsuit was filed in a federal court in New York on behalf of over 125 victims and their relatives,…
Final Debates: Iran's 2024 Presidential Election
In the final debates of Iran’s snap presidential election, the two front runners engaged in often feisty arguments about the way forward for the Islamic Republic. The two debates were held on July 1 and 2; each lasted more than two hours. The following are excerpts from the two debates, the first…