Tag Archives: Iran

Turkish foreign minister warns of nuclear arms race if Iran gets the bomb

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned on February 9 that Ankara may pursue nuclear weapons if Iran acquires them, signaling a potential shift from rhetorical grievance to a conditional proliferation policy. While downplaying evidence of Iran’s weaponization and opposing US military strikes, Turkish officials continue to legitimize Tehran’s nuclear activities while framing Turkish nuclearization as a defensive necessity tied to regional “balance of power.”


Generation Jihad | The West’s greatest threat is still Al Qaeda

In its latest report on the state of global jihad, the UN reveals that Al Qaeda is expanding but doesn’t mention one critical fact: the jihadist group’s leader is based in Iran. Bill Roggio is joined by his FDD colleague Edmund Fitton-Brown—who previously oversaw the UN’s sanctions and monitoring team that produces these assessments—to unpack what the report gets right, what it misses, and why Al Qaeda—not the Islamic State—remains the most dangerous long-term jihadist threat facing the West.


Iranian regime escalates hostilities with US, hardens negotiating position

Iran has ramped up military provocations against US forces as nuclear negotiations loom, with regime officials sending mixed signals on uranium enrichment while refusing to discuss missile programs or terror proxies. Internal regime sources reveal the leadership’s growing fear that a US strike could trigger mass uprisings. Despite killing over 36,000 protesters, according to some estimates, scattered demonstrations continue across Iran, with one official saying that “the wall of fear has collapsed.”




Analysis: Hezbollah: We will not remain neutral if Islamic Republic endangered

Hezbollah has yet to deploy operatives to protect the Islamic Republic of Iran’s regime from ongoing protests. However, the group has stated that it will not remain neutral if the United States or Israel attack the Tehran regime and threaten its existence. Hezbollah also claims the current Iranian authorities actually enjoy widespread domestic support and that calls for regime change are being instigated by Washington and Jerusalem.


Kataib Hezbollah threatens US bases in the Middle East if US strikes Iran

Kataib Hezbollah, an Iraqi Shiite militia, warned the United States that if Washington launched a war with Iran, the group would attack American bases in the region. The threat comes amid rising tension between Washington and Tehran as the Islamic Republic continues a brutal crackdown on demonstrations that began nearly three weeks ago.


Kurdish opposition groups in Iran support protests, claim attacks on Tehran regime

Kurdish opposition groups in northwestern Iran have actively supported protests against the Iranian regime during the first two weeks of January. Amid the Iranian government’s crackdown, seven Kurdish parties have called for unity and supported a general strike. One group, the Kurdistan Freedom Party, has claimed several attacks on the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.


Generation Jihad | Mark Dubowitz: The regime clings to its ninth life

After military defeat abroad and at home, where the economy also has collapsed, the Islamic Republic is weaker than ever, and the Iranian people know it. The regime is facing a nationwide uprising unlike anything seen in decades, with Iranians across class, age, and ideology back in the streets. And they’re no longer asking for reform—they’re demanding an end to the Islamic Republic itself.

Meanwhile, President Trump warned that US military action is on the table if the regime slaughters protesters. As we record, a brutal crackdown is underway with reports of hundreds of Iranians killed and tens of thousands arrested. Is this the moment?



Terrorists attack Hanukkah lighting ceremony in Australia, kill at least 16

Two gunmen carried out an antisemitic terrorist attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, killing at least 16 people and wounding dozens before one attacker was killed and the other arrested. Australian authorities, who said one suspect was previously known to the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, are investigating possible foreign links as Israel separately examines whether Iran or its proxies played a role amid warnings about Iranian-backed threats to Jewish communities abroad.


Iranian Baluch separatist factions establish Popular Fighters Front coalition

Iranian Baluch separatist factions have formed a new coalition known as the Popular Fighters Front (JMM), presenting themselves as a unified movement against the Islamic Republic of Iran. The coalition’s manifesto outlines its constituent groups, including PADA Baluch, Harakat-e Nasr, Jaish al Adl, the Mohammad Rasulullah network, and independent fighters, and frames its mission as defending the “dignity, culture, and political identity” of the Baluch people while appealing to broader Iranian opposition forces. JMM has already claimed responsibility for a December 2025 attack in Zahedan that left four of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps personnel dead.


IDF reveals Hamas financial network operating in Turkey

The Israeli military and Shin Bet reported on a Hamas financial network operating in Turkey under direct Iranian supervision and moving hundreds of millions of dollars through Turkish-based money changers to fund terrorism. Three key operatives based in Turkey were identified as managing large-scale financial activity for Hamas. Israeli officials warned that any entity linked to this network will face consequences and criticized the concept of a NATO member enabling Iran-backed terror financing.


Analysis: Iran’s Al Mustafa University is a terror front

In 2020, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Al Mustafa International University, followed by Canada’s Foreign Ministry designating the organization in 2022. Ostensibly an international Islamic school, Al Mustafa is a front for Iranian terrorism and propaganda with a proven track record of involvement in terror plots, including a recent IRGC scheme to assassinate Israel’s ambassador to Mexico.


Report: Iran rebuilding its ballistic missile program

With the help of China, Tehran is importing a chemical precursor for its medium-range ballistic missiles despite recently imposed United Nations sanctions, CNN reported. The report assesses that Tehran “appears to be stepping up the rebuilding of its ballistic missile program” following the 12-day war with Israel in June.


Iranian-backed Iraqi militias in spotlight after Secretary of State Rubio’s call with Prime Minister Sudani

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al Sudani on October 21, discussing the “urgency in disarming Iran-backed militias that undermine Iraq’s sovereignty.” Sudani told the US to “avoid unilateral decisions in Iraq.” The call followed increased US sanctions on Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and individuals linked to them. Separately, Iraq’s National Security Advisor Qasim al Araji visited Iran and met with the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), while IRGC-Qods Force Commander Esmail Qaani visited Iraq to discuss upcoming elections with Shiite political parties.


Analysis: Iran threatens nuclear weaponization ambitions

Senior Iranian officials have openly hinted at Tehran’s shifting nuclear posture. A nuclear scientist confirmed Iran’s capacity to build nuclear weapons, while a military official reflected that Tehran should have pursued them in the 1990s—exposing how the regime’s rhetoric now edges closer to weaponization.



Generation Jihad | Two Years into Israel’s Long War

Two years after the Iran-backed, Hamas-led attack against Israel on October 7, 2023, Israel remains locked into a multi-front, defensive war against the Islamic Republic and its patrons — including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis. Bill Roggio and Joe Truzman look back at how 10/7 reshaped the region, what’s surprised them most, and why the conflict is far from over.


Israel and Syria close to a security agreement

On September 23, US Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack claimed that Syria and Israel “are close to striking a ‘de-escalation’ agreement in which Israel will stop its attacks while Syria will agree not to move any machinery or heavy equipment near the Israeli border.”



Israel strikes IRGC in Lebanon, reports Qods Force arrests in Syria

Israel killed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah member Wissam Saeed Jubai in southern Lebanon and struck Hezbollah compounds in the Beqaa Valley as reports indicate Tehran is seeking new financial channels to sustain Hezbollah after Assad’s collapse. The IDF separately revealed the arrests of Qods Force Unit 840 operatives in Syria, part of Jerusalem’s renewed efforts against Tehran’s proxies in the Levant.



Tehran threatens snapback retaliation, raises fears of war with Israel

Reacting to Europe’s decision to initiate snapback, the reimposition of pre-2015 UN sanctions, officials and state media in the Islamic Republic issued vague threats of retaliation. While some voices have acknowledged that snapback could pave the way for war, others are downplaying its impact in an effort to prevent public panic and preserve regime morale, a contrast that suggests Tehran is bracing for the possibility of escalation.




Israel intensifies outreach to Iranians as Tehran anticipates another war

As Tehran continues to ready for a potential conflict, Israel has ramped up direct appeals to the Iranian public, offering water technology, urging protests, and hinting at a regime collapse. The Israeli campaign has drawn sharp backlash from Iranian leaders, while both sides maintain a shadow war marked by likely sabotage and public military preparations.


Analysis: Armenia–Azerbaijan deal worries Iran

The August 8 agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan that was brokered in Washington created the US-managed “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” and granted Azerbaijan a link to its Nakhchivan exclave. While the deal preserves Iran’s overland access to Armenia and Europe, Tehran sees it as a strategic setback that could weaken its role in regional trade, bolster Turkish and Azerbaijani influence, and reduce its leverage with the West.



US, UK, EU allies condemn Iranian terror plots

Tehran’s aggressive global terrorism, intelligence, and repression operations are drawing sharper Western scrutiny. The US, the UK, and 12 allies condemned Tehran’s plots abroad, which it often outsources to criminal gangs. European states are investigating regime-linked mosques, while Iran passed a law to track expatriates under the guise of outreach.