On September 29, rumors began circulating on social media that a helicopter carrying leaders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Yemen-based Houthis crashed in southwestern Iran. The crash reportedly killed several high-ranking IRGC members and Houthi leaders, including the head of coordination for the Houthis, Mohammed Abdul-Salam, and Houthi commander Abdul Malik
The Iranian attack against Israel on October 1 did not take place in a void. It was strongly connected to the significant Israeli military success against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the failure of Iranian proxies to force Israel to stop the war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. To better understand the origins of this
Since Hamas’s horrific October 7, 2023, assault on Israel, Iran has supported the group by orchestrating attacks on the Jewish state from Iran’s other Resistance Axis allies—Hezbollah in Lebanon, Shia militias in Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen. The attacks against Israel during the past year represent the latest stage in Iran’s long-running war of
On August 21, after days of deliberation, Iran’s parliament approved President Masoud Pezeshkian’s “national accord” cabinet. Notably, the conservative-dominated parliament did not reject any of Pezeshkian’s proposed nineteen ministers, a decision that defied expectations—making it the first cabinet to pass with flying colors since 2001. While touted by some as an attempt at an all-inclusive
For the past few weeks, the Middle East has been shaking at the fear of an all-out Iranian-Israeli confrontation. Ever since July 31, when Israel allegedly killed Hamas’s political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, on Iranian soil, Tehran has promised to retaliate harshly. An important calculation that might give Iran pause is its Arab neighbors and what
Last February, Reuters reported that Iran had exported about four hundred Fateh-110 ballistic missiles to Russia—a more lethal weapons system than the slow-moving armed drones that Tehran has been shipping to Moscow for use in its war against Ukraine. On August 9, though, Reuters reported that unnamed “European intelligence sources” said that “no transfer had
Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah spoke for the second time in seven days on August 6, commemorating one week since the assassination of the group’s military commander Fuad Shukr by Israel on July 30. Uncharacteristically calm, Nasrallah devoted much of his speech to covering the Lebanese group’s weaknesses exposed by the assassination and promising to avenge
The letter of support Iranian President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian sent to the secretary general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, on July 8 was seen by Israelis as a reinforcement of their already strong conviction that the reformist president’s election will not result in any change in the Islamic Republic. Responding to Nasrallah’s congratulatory message, Pezeshkian pledged continued
President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian declared during his campaign that he intends to work to lift US sanctions on Iran. It is clear that the removal of sanctions on critical sectors of the Iranian economy, such as the energy sector, requires a new agreement with the West regarding the country’s nuclear program. But Pezeshkian wasn’t the only
On June 15, Sweden released convicted war criminal Hamid Noury and repatriated him to Iran in exchange for the freedom of European diplomat Johan Floderus and a second Swedish citizen, Saeed Azizi, both of whom were arrested in Iran on bogus “national security” charges. In 2022, a Stockholm court sentenced Noury, an Iranian official, to