NUFDI Launches IranWatch Podcast NUFDI has relaunched its podcast series! In the newly-rebranded IranWatch podcast’s first episode, listen to Senior Policy Analyst Andrew Ghalili and Senior Research Analyst Khosro Isfahani unpack the myth that the Islamic Republic’s enforcement of mandatory hijab...
Brief Notes Tehran Says U.S. ‘Copying’ of Shahed Drones is an ‘Admission’ of Tehran’s Military ‘Superiority’: Spokesperson and Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Abolfazl Shekarchi said that the “copying” of the Shahed-136 drone by “superpowers like the United States” serves as a “practical...
Brief Notes Tehran Claims Israel Hiding Impact of 12-Day War: Islamic Republic Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi asserted that the regime was transparent regarding damage it took during the 12-Day War, while alleging Israel blocked the disclosure of what he called “very, very heavy” losses...
Brief Notes IRGC Navy Conducts Long-Range Ballistic Missile Tests Amid Persian Gulf Island Tensions: In the second day of the IRGC Navy’s Persian Gulf exercise, extensive naval and missile drills were conducted, launching Qadr-110, Qadr-380, and “303” type ballistic missiles at practice targets in...
Brief Notes Tehran Derides Putin–Witkoff Talks as ‘Fruitless,’ Says Europe ‘Sidelined’: Islamic Republic media cast the December 2 meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. Envoy Steve Witkoff as “fruitless” and emblematic of a broader breakdown in Western unity, with outlets across...
Brief Notes Regime Outlets Use Arrest of Former EU Official to Mock Engagement With West: State-run outlets in Iran used reports of former EU foreign representative Federica Mogherini’s arrest in a European fraud probe to ridicule domestic figures who favor diplomatic engagement with the West. Some...
Brief Notes Tehran Reservoir Levels Continue to Fall: Satellite imagery reviewed by BBC Verify shows sharp drops in water levels across the reservoirs supplying Tehran, deepening fears of an impending water crisis. Authorities recently warned that rationing water may be unavoidable after the city’s...
NUFDI Releases Video Messages to Mark Bloody November Six years ago, the Islamic Republic, facing a quickly growing nationwide uprising, feared it was closer to collapse than it had ever been before. To silence the Iranian people’s calls for the end of the Islamic Republic, the regime shut down the...
Brief Notes Tehran Says Hezbollah ‘More Necessary for Lebanon Than Bread’: Ali Akbar Velayati, senior advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said that the Islamic Republic will continue backing Hezbollah, accusing Israel of violating the November 2024 ceasefire and saying Hezbollah is justified in...
19-Year-Old Iranian Activist Still Missing On November 13, security forces of the Islamic Republic abducted Bita Shafiei, a 19-year-old activist, from her family home, just three days after the arrest of her mother, Maryam Abbasi Nikoo. A video shared by Bita’s father after the raid shows extensive...