Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) head Mohammad Eslami said that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) must "clarify its position" on the June 2025 U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities before Iran will allow the IAEA to inspect the bombed sites. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi earlier said that the Agency had inspected all of the 13 declared nuclear facilities that were not damaged in the strikes, but that it has had no access to the facilities in Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan that were the main targets of the attack.
News Briefs
January 23, 2026
-- Reuters
January 14, 2026
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force commander Majid Mousavi told Iranian state media that Iran has increased its missile stockpile since its war with Israel in June 2025. Mousavi claimed that damage to production facilities from the war had been repaired and that the Aerospace Force's production output "in various areas" was now higher than it was before June 2025.
-- Reuters
January 13, 2026
Iran sold USD $4 billion worth of weapons to Russia since 2021, including $2.7 billion worth of missiles, according to a Western security official who spoke to Bloomberg News. According to the official, Iran supplied Russia with hundreds of Fath-360 short-range ballistic missiles under a contract concluded in late 2021. In early 2023, Iran signed another contract worth USD $1.75 billion to supply Russia with Shahed-136 suicide drones and help it establish domestic production of the Geran-2, a Russian version of the drone. Iran also provided Russia with approximately 200 air defense missiles, according to the Bloomberg News report.
-- Kyiv Post
December 22, 2025
Iran held missile drills in Tehran, Isfahan, and Mashhad, according to state media reporting. The Telegram, a state-sponsored news channel, and Nournews, a semi-official outlet, published videos of what appeared to be missile launches. Later, state media denied that missiles were tested, instead claiming the circulated images were of "high-altitude aircraft." Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to brief U.S. President Donald Trump that any expansion to Iran's ballistic missile arsenal posed a threat that may require swift action.
-- Reuters
December 16, 2025
A joint investigation by the Washington Post and PBS Frontline found increased construction activity at Pickaxe Mountain, a deep underground site near Iran's Natanz nuclear facility, following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran's nuclear infrastructure in June. Two tunnel entrances had been fortified and there was evidence of continuing tunneling activity. Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, confirmed that Iran was still using the site. Iranian officials have said that Pickaxe Mountain is intended for centrifuge manufacturing, though analysts say the site could be used for uranium enrichment or storage of enriched uranium.
-- PBS News
December 13, 2025
Iranian authorities seized a foreign tanker in the Gulf of Oman and detained 18 crewmembers, according to Iranian media. The detained crew included nationals of Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka.
-- Reuters
December 12, 2025
U.S. special operations forces boarded a ship in the Indian Ocean in November and seized dual-use items bound from China to Iran. According to U.S. officials, the seized items had applications in conventional weapons and were being delivered to companies that procure goods for Iran's missile program. The cargo was destroyed after being seized.
-- Wall Street Journal
December 8, 2025
A senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) official told members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Iran has resumed large-scale production of ballistic missiles. The official said Iran is prioritizing reconstruction of its ballistic missile arsenal. Unnamed Western diplomats claimed in November that Iran had begun to manufacture missiles using older production methods in the absence of planetary mixers, key pieces of production equipment that Israel had destroyed in its strike.
-- Ynet News
December 5, 2025
Standard Chartered bank settled a £1.5bn lawsuit brought by its investors in U.K. court. The plaintiffs argued that Standard Chartered's past breaches of sanctions on Iran were more widespread than the bank had acknowledged. In 2019, Standard Chartered had settled charges brought by U.S. and U.K. authorities related to sanctions violations. The financial terms of the current settlement have not been disclosed.
-- Financial Times
December 5, 2025
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy carried out an exercise in the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. During the exercise, the IRGC Navy launched Qadr 110, Qadr 380, and Qadr 360 cruise missiles and "303"-type ballistic missiles at simulated targets.
-- Reuters