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 forced confessions of Iranian, dual national and international detainees in Iran”. The State Department asserted that “IRIB acts not as an objective media outlet but rather as a key tool in the Iranian government’s mass suppression and censorship campaign… The U.S. is steadfast in our commitment to supporting the Iranian people protesting nationwide and demanding accountability for their government”. Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson condemned the sanctions, countering: “Allowing terrorist networks and media outlets to make mischief against the Iranian nation and sanctioning IRIB and Press TV to block Iran’s views from being conveyed to the world is the continuation of the American administration’s blatant violation of the Iranian nation’s rights”.

The IRGC targeted what it described as bases of “terrorist separatist groups” in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region using drones and missiles, citing “continued inaction and some evident oversights, which were sometimes intentional, by officials of the northern Iraqi [Kurdistan] region in dealing with the activities of counterrevolutionary and anti-Iran terrorist and separatist groups that have carved out a safe haven in the region to hatch plots and conduct attacks against the Iranian nation”. Multiple casualties were reported. The Iraqi foreign ministry denounced the attack “in strong and repeated terms” and its minister emphasised to his Iranian counterpart “the importance of dialogue as a way to stop this unjustified hostile escalation, describing the continuation of these unilateral actions as dangerous”. The U.S.-led counter-ISIS coalition denounced the Iranian strikes “as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty”.

Iran’s intelligence minister blamed the U.S., UK, Israel and Saudi Arabia for the anti-government protests in the country, while warning Riyadh: “Any instability in Iran can be contagious to the countries of the region. Faraway countries are the destabilisers of the region... Iran has so far adopted strategic patience with pure rationality, but it does not give any guarantee for the continuation of this strategic patience in case of the continuation of hostilities. Undoubtedly, if Iran decides to reciprocate and punish these countries, the glass castles will collapse and these states will not see stability”.

Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian remarked that on “the fuss made by some western countries that Iran has provided Russia with missiles and drones to help it in the Ukraine war, claims about the missile part is completely wrong and the drone part is correct”, adding that the UAV transfer preceded the Ukraine war. U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley reacted to Amirabdollahian’s statement by saying: “Iran didn’t give a limited number of drones before the war. They transferred dozens just this summer and have military personnel in occupied Ukraine helping Russia use them against Ukrainian civilians. Confronted with evidence, they need a new policy, not a new story”.

The IRCG reported the successful testing of a solid fuel satellite carrier, dubbed Qaem 100. A U.S. diplomatic spokesperson said “such actions are unhelpful and destablising… the U.S. remains concerned with Iran’s continued development of space launch vehicles (SLVs), which pose a significant proliferation concern… [and] defy United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2231”. “[The U.S.] continues to use a variety of non-proliferation tools, including sanctions, to counter the further advancement of Iran’s ballistic missile program and its ability to proliferate missiles and related technology to others”, the spokesperson added.

President Biden remarked that “we’re gonna free Iran. They’re gonna free themselves pretty soon”. President Raisi countered that “Iran was freed 43 years ago, and it is determined not to be captured by you… The U.S. knows that Iran is progressing, and that is why they seek to isolate Iran, but all of their plots against our country have failed”. A White House spokesperson asserted that Biden “was expressing, again, our solidarity” with anti-government protesters, adding: “we’re going to continue to look for ways to hold the regime accountable for the way that they’re threatening their own people”.

On the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. embassy in Tehran, the IRGC’s commander contended that “the enemies are well aware that we will definitely respond to their interventionist and mischievous behaviour; but now, we cannot say where and how this will take place”. Iran’s army also issued a statement claiming that “the White House rulers, in cooperation with their regional allies like the Zionist [ie, Israel] and Saudi regimes, have launched a hybrid war, with a focus on the warfare of perception, using their media empire against the Iranian nation, not least the youth”. Marking the anniversary, the State Department asserted: “We remain committed to securing the release of all wrongfully detained U.S. citizens” in Iran.

Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian spoke with EU High Representative Josep Borrell, conveying what he described as “Iran’s absolute readiness to conclude [nuclear] negotiations as soon as possible”, and adding: “The U.S. must stop double-dealing. Genuine will is needed. We remain fully committed to secure rights of our people”. He also repeated Iranian denials of military support for Russia in Ukraine as “fabricated and unsubstantiated”, while dismissing Western criticism of the government’s crackdown against protesters as “hypocritical”. Borrell said he had “stressed that Europe stands united in condemning Iran’s crack down on ongoing protest… [and] reiterated urgent need for Iran’s credible cooperation with the IAEA towards tangible outcomes” on safeguard issues.

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei insisted that “the events that took place these past few weeks [ie, nationwide anti-government protests] were not merely street riots. They were detailed plots. The enemy initiated hybrid warfare. The enemy, namely the U.S., the Zionist regime [ie, Israel], some insidious and malicious European powers and some groups, came to the scene with all of their capabilities”. He also reiterated that Iran’s retaliation for the killing by the U.S. in 2020 of former IRGC Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani would “happen at the right time, at the right place”.

Iran’s foreign ministry announced sanctions against fourteen U.S. individuals and entities on the basis of “interfering in the Islamic Republic's internal affairs and provoking riots”; the list included the CIA and several senior military commanders.

Iran’s intelligence ministry and IRGC intelligence issued a joint statement claiming: “Intelligence evidence shows that the CIA had devised an extensive plan with the cooperation of allied spy services and reactionary proxies before the start of the unrest to initiate a nationwide chaos with the aim of committing crimes against the great Iranian nation and the country’s territorial integrity as well as paving the ground for increasing foreign pressures”.

Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian told his Ukrainian counterpart that “we have good relations with Russia and have had defence cooperation in the past, but our policy toward the war in Ukraine is to respect the territorial integrity of [both] countries, not to send weapons to the warring parties, and [calling for] an end to the war and displacement of people”. The Ukrainian minister said had “demanded Iran to immediately cease the flow of weapons to Russia used to kill civilians and destroy critical infrastructure in Ukraine”.

Referring to Iran’s nuclear activity, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi remarked that “I see every day through my inspectors how this problem is getting more and more relevant, and I'm choosing a word which is neutral. It’s an even more relevant problem every day”. He further emphasised: “I will never do anything in the verification area under political pretences or for political reasons. The IAEA has to do what it has to do… I’ve said it to my Iranian counterparts many times when they request that we look elsewhere”.

Iranian security officials reported what was described as a terrorist attack against a shrine in Shiraz, killing fifteen and injuring dozens; ISIS made a claim of responsibility. The IRGC reported foiling a bomb attack in Shiraz the same day.

At the UN Security Council, the U.S. representative contended that “Russia and Iran teamed up to violate Resolution 2231. Iran, in violation of Resolution 2231, provided Russia with drones to wreak havoc and inflict destruction on Ukrainian civilians. Russia, in violation of Resolution 2231, procured them… There is no doubt that the transfer occurred without approval by the Council, and thus in violation of Resolution 2231”. During the same session, Iran’s envoy reiterated that “Iran has never provided the parties with weapons for use in the Ukraine conflict”.

Iran’s judiciary announced the arrest of ten individuals it accused of spying for Israel in north-western Iran.

The Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) confirmed a cyberattack against a subsidiary company, adding: “The content in users’ emails contains technical messages and routine and daily exchanges of emails… The purpose of such illegal attempts, which is a desperate move, is to draw public attention and a part of a psychological operation”.

The U.S. military denied claims by a senior Iranian commander regarding the seizure of two naval drones. 

The Financial Action Task Force retained Iran’s classification as a high-risk jurisdiction subject to a call for action.