Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian affirmed that “the three islands of Abu Musa, Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb in the Persian Gulf are inseparable parts of Iranian soil and eternally belong to this motherland. We have no qualms about the necessity of other parties respecting Iran’s territorial integrity”. His remarks came in response to a joint GCC-China statement that had expressed “support for all peaceful efforts, including the initiative and endeavours of the United Arab Emirates to reach a peaceful solution to the [sovereignty] issue of the three islands”.

Discussing sites subject to an IAEA safeguards investigation, the head of Iran’s atomic energy agency maintained that evidence of past nuclear activity did “not mean the place of discovery was a nuclear site or that it was an undeclared nuclear activity... They were not nuclear substances from our own manufacturing but perhaps traces from previous use in the country of origin”. 

The intelligence ministry announced the arrest of ten individuals it linked to the Mojahedin-e Khalq opposition group who allegedly “carried out terrorist attacks and numerous mortar attacks” in the course of anti-government protests.

The judiciary announced the execution of four individuals arrested in June and convicted on accusations of links to Israeli intelligence.

The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) began construction of a new nuclear power plant in south-west Iran. The head of the agency remarked that “the government is moving towards the production of low-cost energy and fuel; therefore, the development of nuclear power plants is on the agenda of this organisation”.

IAEA General Director Rafael Grossi remarked that “we don’t seem to be seeing eye-to-eye with Iran over their obligations to the IAEA… We need to put our relationship back on track”. He further noted that “Iran informed us they were tripling, not doubling, tripling their capacity to enrich uranium at 60 per cent, which is very close to military level, which is 90 per cent”, warning: “This is not banal. This is something that has consequences. It gives them an inventory of nuclear material for which it cannot be excluded ... that there might be another use. We need to go [to Iran]. We need to verify”.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei told Iraqi Prime Minister al-Sudani that efforts to undermine Iran’s security were “currently taking place in some areas of Iraq. The only solution is for the Iraqi central government to extend its authority to those areas as well”. He added: “If any party intends to disrupt the country’s security, we will stand up firmly in front of any party seeking to undermine Iraq’s security… Iraq’s security is Iran’s security, in the same way that Iran’s security also has an effect on the security of Iraq”. According to an Iraqi readout, the premier emphasised that “the government is committed to the Iraqi constitution, which prohibits making Iraq a launchpad for aggression against its neighbours”. The same day, President Raisi, during a joint press conference with al-Sudani, asserted: “The presence of outsiders does not bring security at all, but causes many problems for the region… Definitely, the withdrawal of the Americans from the region will lead to an increase in peace, stability and security”.

An Iranian news agency said it had been the subject of a “complex hacking and cyberattack operation”, adding: “cyberattacks against Fars news agency are carried out almost daily from different countries, including the occupied territories [Israel]”.

The UN Human Rights Council voted to launch a fact-finding mission investigating “alleged human rights violations in the Islamic Republic of Iran related to the protests that began on 16 September”. The U.S., which was among the 25 countries voting in favour (six were against, and fifteen abstained) emphasised: “It is also important that the international community work in partnership to ensure that Iran plays no role on UN or other international bodies charged with protecting and promoting human rights of women”. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson on 28 November declared the government would “not engage in any cooperation, whatsoever, with the political committee called the ‘fact-finding committee’”.

The IRGC announced that a colonel “serving as a military adviser in Syria, was martyred by the Zionist regime’s [ie, Israel’s] agents through a roadside bomb near Damascus”. It added that there would “undoubtedly” be a response.

In reaction to a 17 November IAEA censure resolution on Iran’s lack of safeguards cooperation with the agency, the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran announced that enrichment to 60 per cent had commenced at the bunkered Fordow enrichment facility, along with additional deployment of advanced centrifuges at both the Fordow and Natanz nuclear facilities.

The IRGC carried out missile and drone strikes against Kurdish opposition groups near Kikuk. The U.S. denounced the “repeated and brazen violations of Iraq’s territorial integrity” and urged “Iran to refrain from further threats and violence”. The same day, Iran’s ambassador to Iraq claimed that “some of our vital military centers have been attacked from the Iraqi Kurdistan region’s soil and we have informed the Iraqi side, both the authorities of the Iraqi Kurdistan region and the central government in Iraq, of this issue. We [provided them] with maps and documents”. Too, a senior IRGC commander emphasised that “the attack on the headquarters and bases of armed criminals and terrorist groups will continue until the threat is eliminated”.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi remarked that “at the current level of production of this enriched uranium, Iran has accumulated already enough material to have more than one [nuclear] device, if they chose to do that. But we don’t have any information that would indicate that Iran has a nuclear weapon program at the moment… We haven’t reached that point. But we need to work very hard so we don’t get there”.

The IRGC renewed missile and drone operations against Kurdish separatist groups in northern Iraq. The following day it stated that it had been bolstering its presence in north-western Iran “following the movements of villains and anti-Iran separatist terrorist groups… and the creation of villainy and insecurity in some areas”, while highlighting “the security of the region and the honorable and valiant people of the border provinces of the north west as our red line”. The Kurdistan Regional government condemned the attack in “the strongest terms… Iran’s repeated violations of the sovereignty of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq are inexcusable and a gross infringement of international law and neighbourly relations”. The U.S.-led counter-ISIS coalition denounced the strikes and emphasised: “These attacks place innocent civilians at risk. Such acts jeopardise the security and stability of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region”.

The IRGC reported the arrest of  a purported “terrorist team… trying to smuggle weapons and ammunition into the country”. 

With 26 votes in favour and two against, the IAEA Board of Governors adopted a U.S/E3 drafted resolution noting “profound concern” over the lack of progress in the IAEA’s safeguards probes, and deeming it “essential and urgent in order to ensure verification of the non-diversion of nuclear material that Iran act to fulfil its legal obligations without delay”. Iran’s IAEA envoy condemned the resolution as “a political, unconstructive and incorrect action”, insisting: “The political goals of the founders of this anti-Iranian resolution will not be realised, but its approval can affect the process of cooperation and constructive interactions between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the IAEA”.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told the Board of Governors that limited monitoring and verification in Iran “will have a significant impact on the Agency’s ability to recover and re-establish the necessary continuity of knowledge in the event of a full resumption of implementation by Iran of its nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA. Any future baseline for such JCPOA verification and monitoring activities would take a considerable time to establish and would have a degree of uncertainty. The longer the current situation persists the greater such uncertainty becomes”. Grossi also shared “serious concern that there has been no progress in clarifying and resolving the outstanding safeguards issues”, adding: “I hope that the planned technical meeting between the Agency and Iran takes place, but I want to stress that this meeting should be aimed at effectively clarifying and resolving those issues”. The head of Iran’s atomic agency the same day indicated that “for now no trip by the agency is on the agenda”, and, referring to a U.S./E3 draft censure resolution, asserted: “If they had goodwill and they want to continue negotiations, they would not have offered such a resolution”.

The U.S. 5^th Fleet revealed that on 8 November it interdicted a vessel “in the Gulf of Oman smuggling lethal aid, including a large quantity of explosive material, from Iran to Yemen”; the four Yemeni crewmembers were repatriated and the ship sunk. A U.S. commander maintained that the 70 tonnes of ammonium perchlorate found abroad “was a massive amount of explosive material, enough to fuel more than a dozen medium-range ballistic missiles depending on the size”. The U.S. statement also highlighted that “the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer of weapons to the Huthis violates UN Security Council Resolution 2216 and international law”. Iran maintained it had “not taken any action against the resolution, and is actively cooperating with the sanctions committee formed to oversee the arms embargo”.

The U.S. sanctioned “six senior employees of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the Iranian state-run media corporation that has broadcast hundreds of fo