IRANIAN GOVERNMENT & MILITARY
Supreme Leader (Rahbar)
Currently: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (since 1989)
POLITICAL
The highest political and religious authority in Iran. Controls the military, judiciary, and state media. Has final say on all major state decisions. Not elected by popular vote.
Khamenei has been Supreme Leader for 35+ years. He appoints the heads of the IRGC, judiciary, and state broadcasting.
IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps)
Persian: Sepah-e Pasdaran | Also: Revolutionary Guards, Pasdaran
MILITARY
Iran's elite military force, separate from the regular army. ~125,000 personnel. Controls missiles, drones, and special operations. Designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the US in 2019.
The IRGC answers directly to the Supreme Leader, not the President. They control significant portions of Iran's economy including construction, oil, and telecommunications.
IRGC Quds Force
Also: Qods Force, Jerusalem Force
MILITARY
The external operations branch of the IRGC. Conducts covert operations, supports proxy militias (Hezbollah, Hamas, Houthis), and projects Iranian power abroad. ~15,000 operatives.
Qassem Soleimani led the Quds Force until his assassination in January 2020. The force funnels over $1 billion annually to Hezbollah.
Basij
Full name: Basij Resistance Force
MILITARY
Paramilitary volunteer militia under IRGC control. Used for internal security, protest suppression, and enforcing Islamic codes. Millions of members including students and civil servants.
The Basij are typically deployed to violently suppress protests. They were heavily involved in crackdowns during the 2009 Green Movement and 2022 Mahsa Amini protests.
AEOI (Atomic Energy Organization of Iran)
NUCLEAR
Iran's civilian nuclear agency responsible for uranium enrichment, nuclear research, and operating facilities at Natanz, Fordow, and Isfahan.
The AEOI claims Iran's nuclear program is peaceful, but enrichment to 60% (near weapons-grade) has raised international alarm.
HEZBOLLAH & PROXIES
Hezbollah
Arabic: Hizb Allah ("Party of God") | Founded: 1982
ORGANIZATION
Lebanese Shia militant group and political party. Founded and funded by Iran. Designated a terrorist organization by US, EU, UK, and others. Has ~30,000 fighters and extensive rocket arsenal.
Hezbollah receives $700M-$1B+ annually from Iran. They fought Israel in 2006 and have been involved in Syrian civil war supporting Assad.
Sheikh Naim Qassem
Current Hezbollah Secretary General
ORGANIZATION
Current leader of Hezbollah. Previously served as Deputy Secretary General under Hassan Nasrallah.
Qassem assumed leadership after previous leadership losses. He continues Hezbollah's alignment with Iran's "Axis of Resistance."
Axis of Resistance
Arabic: Mihwar al-Muqawama
MILITARY
Iran-led coalition of allied governments and militias opposing US and Israeli influence. Includes: Syria (Assad), Hezbollah (Lebanon), Hamas (Gaza), Houthis (Yemen), and various Iraqi militias.
Iran uses this network to project power without direct confrontation. The December 2024 fall of Assad significantly weakened this axis.
Moqawama
Arabic: "Resistance"
ORGANIZATION
Term used by Hezbollah and Iran to describe their "resistance" movement against Israel and the US. Also the name of Hezbollah's main website (moqawama.org.lb).
The .org domain was seized by the US DOJ, but the .org.lb Lebanese domain remains active outside US jurisdiction.
NUCLEAR TERMS
Uranium Enrichment
NUCLEAR
Process of increasing concentration of U-235 isotope. Natural uranium is 0.7% U-235. Power reactors need 3-5%. Weapons-grade is 90%+. Iran has enriched to 60% - just one technical step from weapons-grade.
As of May 2025, Iran had 408kg of 60% enriched uranium - enough for multiple nuclear weapons if further enriched.
IAEA
International Atomic Energy Agency
NUCLEAR
UN nuclear watchdog based in Vienna. Monitors nuclear programs worldwide through inspections and surveillance. Reports to UN Security Council on compliance.
In June 2025, the IAEA found Iran non-compliant for the first time in 20 years, triggering military action.
Natanz & Fordow
NUCLEAR
Natanz: Iran's primary enrichment facility, above and below ground. Fordow: Deeply buried facility inside a mountain, nearly impervious to conventional bombs.
Both facilities were struck during the June 2025 Israel-Iran war. Fordow's centrifuges were rendered "no longer operational" per IAEA.
JCPOA (Iran Nuclear Deal)
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (2015)
NUCLEAR
2015 agreement limiting Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. US withdrew in 2018 under Trump. Iran subsequently exceeded all limits.
The "snapback" mechanism allows any original participant to restore all UN sanctions - triggered by E3 (France, Germany, UK) in August 2025.
SANCTIONS & FINANCE
OFAC
Office of Foreign Assets Control (US Treasury)
FINANCIAL
US Treasury office that administers economic sanctions. Maintains the SDN (Specially Designated Nationals) list of blocked persons and entities.
OFAC has designated hundreds of Iranian individuals, companies, and Hezbollah financiers. Sanctions make it illegal for US persons to do business with them.
Iranian Rial
FINANCIAL
Iran's currency. Has lost over 90% of its value since 2018 sanctions. As of late 2025, approximately 600,000+ rials = 1 USD (black market rate).
The rial's collapse in December 2025 triggered the ongoing economic protests, as citizens can no longer afford basic goods.
Hawala
FINANCIAL
Informal money transfer system used throughout Middle East. Allows moving funds without formal banking. Iran and Hezbollah use hawala networks to evade sanctions.
IRGC-QF uses exchange houses and hawala networks to transfer billions to Hezbollah, bypassing the SWIFT banking system.
Secondary Sanctions
FINANCIAL
US sanctions that punish foreign (non-US) companies and banks for doing business with Iran. Forces global companies to choose between Iranian market or US financial system.
Secondary sanctions have effectively isolated Iran from global banking and trade, as most international banks refuse to process Iran-related transactions.
CURRENT EVENTS
2025-2026 Economic Protests
POLITICAL
Ongoing nationwide protests that began December 28, 2025 triggered by currency collapse and economic hardship. Largest demonstrations since 2022 Mahsa Amini uprising.
Protests have spread to 22 of 31 provinces with 100+ locations affected. Security forces have used live ammunition, killing multiple protesters.
12-Day War (June 2025)
MILITARY
Brief but intense conflict between Israel/US and Iran in June 2025. Israeli strikes destroyed nuclear facilities; US bombed three additional sites. IRGC commander Salami killed.
Iran's regime claims they "forced the enemy to beg for ceasefire" but suffered significant military and nuclear infrastructure losses.
Mahsa Amini Protests (2022)
Also: Woman, Life, Freedom Movement
POLITICAL
Nationwide protests sparked by death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in morality police custody (September 2022). Hundreds killed in government crackdown.
The 2022 protests weakened the regime's legitimacy. Current 2025-2026 economic protests are compared to this movement in scale.
INFRASTRUCTURE & OSINT
ArvanCloud
AS205585 - Iranian CDN Provider
ORGANIZATION
Iran's primary Content Delivery Network. Hosts ALL major government websites including khamenei.ir, president.ir, mfa.gov.ir. Single point of failure for regime web infrastructure.
ArvanCloud uses IP range 185.143.232.0/22. Disrupting ArvanCloud would cripple Iranian government web presence.
Certificate Transparency (CT)
OSINT
Public logs of SSL/TLS certificates. Reveals subdomains that website operators may not want publicly known, including internal systems and admin portals.
CT logs exposed admin.english.khamenei.ir and r1.vpn.minister.local.mfa.gov.ir - internal systems not meant for public access.
Subdomain Enumeration
OSINT
OSINT technique to discover hidden subdomains of a target domain. Reveals internal systems, development environments, and administrative portals.
Enumeration of mfa.gov.ir revealed 182 embassy subdomains and exposed VPN endpoints with internal naming conventions.
EXIF Metadata
OSINT
Hidden data embedded in image files containing camera info, software used, timestamps, and sometimes GPS coordinates. Useful for attribution.
EXIF from Hezbollah media revealed Adobe Photoshop 7.0 (2002 - likely pirated) and timestamps in Beirut working hours.
RFC1918 Private IP Leak
OSINT
When internal IP addresses (10.x.x.x, 172.16-31.x.x, 192.168.x.x) are accidentally exposed in public DNS records, revealing internal network structure.
IRNA's kateb.irna.ir resolved to 10.30.41.85 - exposing their internal editorial network topology.