Brief Notes

Supreme Leader’s Restrictions on U.S. Talks Remain Unchanged: A senior official in the Office of the Supreme Leader, Mehdi Fazaeli, today said that restrictions on talks with the U.S. introduced by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei have remained unchanged. He added, “Negotiations with the United States are not absolutely forbidden, but are only allowed if they are conditional, closely controlled, and in line with the system’s higher interests.” Multiple IRGC Plots Thwarted in Canada: Canada's domestic intelligence agency today announced that, in the last year, it has thwarted multiple lethal plots directed by the Islamic Republic against individuals in the country. Dan Rogers, the director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, in a rare speech today, said, “In particularly alarming cases over the last year, we've had to reprioritize our operations to counter the actions of Iranian intelligence services and their proxies who have targeted individuals they perceive as threats to their regime. In more than one case, this involved detecting, investigating, and disrupting potentially lethal threats against individuals in Canada.” Requesting Assistance From the Taliban: Deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi met Taliban envoy Fazal Mohammad Haqqani in Tehran to push for the release of water from Afghanistan’s Salma Dam, citing urgent needs in Mashhad and worsening drought conditions nationwide. Gharibabadi emphasized that Mashhad, which hosts many Afghan nationals, faces acute shortages and requires access to water via the Iran–Turkmenistan Friendship Dam. The meeting follows Tehran’s repeated calls for Kabul to honor water-sharing agreements, as rainfall and reservoir levels in Iran have reached record lows, prompting warnings of possible evacuations in the capital. British Hostages Start Hunger Strike: A British couple jailed in Iran after being falsely accused of espionage have started a hunger strike in a “cry for help,” according to their son. In a seven-and-a-half minute phone call the son was permitted with his mother on Tuesday, she told him, “not eating is the only power I’ve got.” Craig and Lindsay Foreman were on an around-the-world motorbike trip when they were arrested by regime forces in January. Regime Acknowledges Deepening Social Crisis: First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said today that the recent self-immolation of a young man, Ahmad Baledi, in Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, and the recent suicide of a journalist signal a deeper social crisis. Aref described the incidents as “serious messages to society and the establishment” and urged discussion of the pressures driving these acts. The remarks follow public outrage over Baledi’s self-immolation after municipal agents attempted to confiscate his father’s food stall, which led to the resignation of Ahvaz’s mayor. Other incidents, including the attempted self-immolation of a firefighter over unpaid wages, highlight ongoing discontent with the Islamic Republic’s management of Iran. Foreign Ministry Rejects G7 Statement as ‘Hypocritical’: The Islamic Republic’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the final statement of the G7 ministerial meeting in Canada, accusing the bloc of backing “illegal” and “hypocritical” U.S. and European efforts to reinstate sanctions against Tehran. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei called the G7’s call for Tehran to cooperate with the IAEA “interventionist,” noting the statement failed to condemn the “joint crime” of the U.S. and Israel in striking the Islamic Republic’s nuclear facilities. Baghaei rejected Tehran’s supplying of arms to Russia, urging the G7 to “acknowledge and correct their flawed policies.” Two Arrested in Tehran After Raising Pre-1979 Flag: Two individuals were arrested yesterday after displaying the pre-1979 national lion-and-sun flag in the Tehran Metro while wearing Artesh (the conventional Iranian Army, as opposed to the IRGC) uniforms. State media claimed the men had “no affiliation” with the Islamic Republic’s armed forces, calling their act a “misuse of military uniforms.”

Tehran Hails Iraq Election as ‘Victory for the Resistance’

Islamic Republic state media have celebrated the results of Iraq’s November 11 parliamentary election as a victory for Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani and his allies. Daily newspapers portrayed Sudani’s lead as a popular endorsement of Shia-led governance and a rejection of U.S. influence, with hardline papers calling the result “a vote for the Resistance.” The term “Resistance” refers to the network of pro-Tehran groups across the region, including militias and political parties in Iraq. Regime-affiliated papers framed the outcome as a “realignment of Shia power” and “the failure of the American project in Iraq.” Officials also publicly congratulated Iraq on the elections. Ali Akbar Velayati, international affairs advisor to the Supreme Leader, described the elections as a “symbol of the political and social maturity of the Iraqi nation” and emphasized that they sent “a clear message to the enemies of the Iraqi nation that no foreign power can interfere in determining the fate of this great and important country.”

On the Radar

Islamic Republic Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammad bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani held talks today, discussing Gaza and rising Afghanistan–Pakistan border tensions. Both ministers also discussed the U.S. peace proposal for Gaza.
A Baku court has sentenced Abulfaz Saricanov to 10 years in prison for plotting the 2023 attempted assassination of Azerbaijani MP Fazil Mustafa. Saricanov is the son of Azar Saricanov, who received a life sentence in August for organizing the same attack. The 2023 shooting, which Azerbaijani media linked to the Islamic Republic, occurred during a low point in Baku–Tehran relations, though ties have since improved.
Foreign Minister Araghchi has urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council to hold the United States accountable for its “direct involvement” in Israeli attacks during the 12-Day War. In his letter, Araghchi cited U.S. President Donald Trump’s November 6 comment that he was “very much in charge” of Israel’s June 13 strikes as evidence of Washington’s responsibility, and demanded reparations for material and moral damages. Additionally, Araghchi told reporters that “currently there is no possibility” for resuming talks with Washington.