January 22, 2020.  A reminder of what the Quds Force is all about.  Mohammad Hejazi led the IRGC forces in Lebanon and was responsible for working with Hezbollah to improve precision guidance.  See “New Quds Force deputy is Iran’s missile man in Lebanon,” Seth Frantzman, Jerusalem Post, January 22, 2020.

January 22, 2020.  When you search for stories over the past few years about Iran calling for talks or Iran officials calling for discussion with Saudi Arabia they are usually short articles.  Only rarely is the reporter able to get additional quotes or probe deeper for more publishable information.  The actual calls from Regime officials are almost always calls for talks but conditioned on terms such as “respect” or “mutual respect”, with additional information showing that the Regime has positions it will keep but they are calling on the other party to bend.  “Iran calls on Saudi Arabia to work together to resolve issues: IRNA,” Reuters, January 22, 2020.

January 22, 2020.  These types of claims, that Iran will never seek nuclear weapons, are so easy to see through.  If the reporter will simply ask, “So why is Iran now dropping its restrictions on enrichment and speeding ahead?  On what domestic projects are they going to use this nuclear material?  Where are those publicly available plans and infrastructure begun to use that material?”  There is none.  See “Rouhani says Iran will never seek nuclear weapons,” Rebecca Klar, The Hill, January 22, 2020.

“Perennial repression, mourning, and despair consume Iran,” Masoud Mostajabi, IranSource, Atlantic Council, January 22, 2020.

“Iran is asking for help to analyze the downed Ukraine Flight 752, but its refusal to hand over the black box means the full truth may never emerge,” Mitch Prothero, Business Insider, January 22, 2020.