Iran’s New Defense Minister Is a Missile Man, Not a Military Man
Mehrdad Akhlaghi was appointed defense minister in October 2026 by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. He is an unusual choice, as, unlike most of his predecessors, he does not come from a uniformed military background. And his appointment comes arguably at the most sensitive time in the history of the Islamic Republic.
Washington says it doesn’t know who runs Iran. Tehran insists its leadership is united. MEI Senior Fellow Alex Vatanka joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to sort out where the truth lies. They look at the small circle of political and military figures now steering the war effort in Tehran: who they are, how they make decisions, and how unified they really are. They also discuss the current state of US-Iran negotiations, the role of the upcoming midterm elections in the United States, and how the Islamic Republic is preparing for a potential renewal of conflict afterward.
Crude oil is flowing out of the Gulf again, but the market is no better prepared for another disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. It has assembled a temporary system for managing one. Crude exports from the Gulf, excluding Iran, returned to pre-war levels in September, while total Gulf shipments reached 15.5 million barrels a day, more than 80% of the pre-conflict volume.
Iran Tasks Basij to Expand the War on Information and Smother Social Media
Iran’s Deputy Attorney General Abdolsamad Khoramabadi has announced that his office has tasked the Basij organization to take a leading role in cracking down on the country’s cyberspace.
I.R.G.C. Continues to Incite Houthi Attacks against Saudi Arabia
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) media outlets continue to justify and encourage attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels against Saudi Arabia. I.R.G.C.-affiliated Fars News Agency, for example, ran a number of news stories and commentaries today glorifying the Houthis’ latest attacks against Saudi military targets, including a recent attack targeting a Saudi warship and a scud missile that the Houthis claimed hit a military base near the Saudi capital.
Iran's Regime Intensifies Crackdown on Innocent Iranians Traveling Home from West
An Iranian scientist who worked for a Belgian university has been threatened with the death penalty in Iran, the Amnesty International reported on February 7. Dr. Ahmadreza Djalali, a resident of Sweden and a professor at a Belgian university, has been detained in Iran since last April.
Khamenei’s Insincere “Clemency” ahead of Revolution Day
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has agreed to pardon or commute the sentences of 631 Iranian convicts, the Iranian media reports. The “clemency” was suggested by Iran’s Judiciary Chief Ayatollah Sadegh Amoli Larijani on the occasion of a Shiite religious event and ahead of the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 revolution. The convicts were mostly from Iran’s revolutionary courts, the Judiciary Organization of the Armed Forces and the State Discretionary Punishment Organization.
Afghan Official Says Iran Is Fueling Sectarian Tension in Western Provinces
The BBC Persian reports that Iran has significantly expanded its ideological, cultural and economic sphere of influence in Afghanistan’s western province of Nimroz and is inflaming sectarian tension in the province.
Harsh I.R.G.C. Attack on Turkey in Midst of Syria Talks
Mohsen Rezaei, a top commander in the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.), has waged an exceptionally tough attack on Turkey and accused Ankara to be the minion of the United States in Washington’s “dangerous game in the Middle East.”
Iran Hardliners Urge Escalation in Houthi Attacks on Saudi Arabia
Hardline Iranian media are enthusiastically speculating that the conflict in Yemen will soon enter a more dangerous phase with the intensification in the use of missiles by the Yemeni rebels.
Uranium Shipments from Russia to Iran May Further Alarm Washington
A senior official of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) has confirmed the shipment of five kilograms of 20 percent enriched uranium from Russia to the Iranian province of Esfahan.
Senior Iranian Official Threatens to Attack Israel, U.S. Bases in Mideast
A senior member of Iran’s parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission and former Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) official has warned that if Washington “makes any mistake,” Iran will attack Israel and U.S. military bases across the Middle East. “The Fifth Fleet of the U.S.
On February 5, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, said that “certain countries are worried about the weakening of terrorist groups in Syria.” Shamkhani made the remarks after his meeting with visiting Russian president’s Special Envoy for Syrian Affairs, Alexander Lavrentiev. Shamkhani and Lavrentiev praised the latest Syrian peace talks held in Astana and which were brokered by Russia, Turkey and Iran.
Generals from the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) have been busy in the last few days issuing threats against the United States and her regional allies such as Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. One such commander has been Esmail Kowsari.
Tehran Provokes Washington with Military Drill, Subversive Actions in Iraq
As the Trump administration is attempting to push back against Iran’s controversial ballistic missile program and the country’s support for regional terrorist and sectarian groups, the Islamic Republic appears to be only escalating its provocative actions against the U.S. and its regional allies.
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