Brief Notes

Tehran to Continue Increasing Ballistic Missile Range: Senior IRGC officer and deputy commander of the Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters Mohammad Jafar Asadi said the Islamic Republic “will extend the range of its missiles to any point deemed necessary,” ignoring snapback measures which penalize any development of the regime’s ballistic missile program. Asadi claimed the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile capabilities forced Israel’s capitulation in the 12-Day War. Islamic Republic Campaign for FATF Black List Removal Continues: The Islamic Republic’s Expediency Council has “conditionally approved Iran’s accession to the CFT (Combating the Financing of Terrorism) convention.” The Expediency Council’s spokesman, Mohsen Dehnavi, told IRINN that “Wherever the CFT conflicts with the Islamic Republic’s internal legislation, domestic laws will take precedence.” The Islamic Republic had already joined two of the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) four recommended conventions prior to this decision. The approval is part of broader efforts by the Islamic Republic to be removed from the FATF “black list,” which lists only two other countries besides the regime in Iran: Myanmar and North Korea.

Tehran Blames Witkoff for Lack of Talks

At a meeting of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution in Tehran, President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned U.S. support for the implementation of snapback measures against the Islamic Republic. He called the U.S. policy “illegitimate and illogical.” Pezeshkian added, “This approach revealed that [the U.S.] has no will to resolve the issue through diplomacy and fair logic. By implementing snapback, they seek to intensify pressure on the Iranian people and stir up domestic discontent.” Fatemeh Mohajeri, a spokesperson for the Pezeshkian administration, claimed that Tehran “sent a proposal for negotiations in the presence of three European ministers, but the one who refused to come to the negotiating table was Mr. Witkoff.” She added, “Our defensive preparedness is at its peak, however, we sincerely hope that no violation of our territorial sovereignty will occur.” Meanwhile, the foreign ministries of the G7 nations issued a statement in support of the reimposition of the UN sanctions on the Islamic Republic and encouraged all other states to comply. The statement says, “Iran must fully cooperate with the IAEA without any further delay and fully implement its obligations under its NPT-required Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement. This includes allowing for IAEA inspections to resume in all its nuclear facilities and accounting for all of the nuclear material it holds, in particular its stockpile of highly enriched uranium for which no credible civilian justification exists.” Vassily Nebenzia, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, told reporters, “We do not recognize snapback as coming into force.” He added, “We'll be living in two parallel realities, because for some snapback happened, for us it didn't. That creates a problem. How will we get out of it? Let's see.”

Washington ‘Implementing Snapback,’ Unveils New Tranche of Sanctions

Today, the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 21 entities and 17 individuals tied to supplying the Islamic Republic with sensitive technology for missile and military aircraft production, including advanced surface-to-air systems and the illicit purchase of a U.S.-made helicopter. Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented on the new sanctions designations, saying “The United States is implementing snapback sanctions against the Iranian regime.” He added, “As @POTUS has made clear, we will deny Iran all paths to a nuclear weapon.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said of the sanctions tranche, “Under President Trump’s leadership, we will deny the regime weapons it would use to further its malign objectives.”

On the Radar

The United States has refused visas for Iran Football Federation chief Mehdi Taj, national team head coach Amir Ghalenoei, and seven other officials who were set to attend the FIFA 2026 World Cup draw ceremony. Islamic Republic state media has since reported that Taj, “who is also close to FIFA chief Gianni Infantino,” has raised the issue directly with Infantino.