Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei rejected the possibility of nuclear negotiations with the United States on March 12, marking the third such instance in recent weeks.[31] Khamenei accused the United States of trying to deceive and weaken Iran.[32] Khamenei asserted that Iran cannot secure sanctions relief through talks in response to unspecified domestic calls for engagement with the United States. That Khamenei has reiterated this rejection of negotiations frequently in recent weeks may indicate that he is specifically responding to pro-negotiations elements in the regime. His comments come as senior UAE official Anwar Gargash delivered a message from US President Donald Trump to Iran on March 12.[33] The message called for negotiations, according to Trump.[34]
The Iranian defense minister paid an official visit to Belarus, highlighting the burgeoning strategic relationship between the two countries. Iranian Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasir Zadeh met with Belarusian Defense Minister Lieutenant General Victor Khrenin in Minsk on March 12.[35] Nasir Zadeh lauded Tehran-Minsk cooperation against “unilateralism” and signed a defense memorandum of understanding. This memorandum likely related to defense industrial cooperation, given that is one of the primary responsibilities of the Iranian defense ministry.[36] This visit follows other recent meetings between senior Iranian and Belarusian officials held multiple in late 2024.[37] These meetings come as Iran and Belarus signed a strategic cooperation agreement and Iran began working to build a military drone factory in Belarus in order to support the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[38]
Iran, Russia, and China concluded the trilateral “Maritime Security Belt 2025” exercise in the Indian Ocean on March 12.[57] Iranian Artesh Navy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy vessels participated in a parade along the Russian and Chinese vessels. Iranian, Russian, and Chinese special operations forces practiced recapturing a hijacked vessel during the exercise.[58]
The Iranian rial depreciated from 923,300 rials to one US dollar on March 11 to 926,800 rials to one US dollar on March 12.[59]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-march-12-2025
Iran Update, March 13, 2025
The United Kingdom (UK) threatened to impose snapback sanctions on Iran during a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting about the Iranian nuclear program on March 12.[53] A senior British official stated that the UK is ready to take “any diplomatic measure...including the use of snapback sanctions” to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) snapback mechanism allows JCPOA signatories to reimpose UNSC sanctions on Iran in the event of “significant non-performance by Iran of JCPOA commitments.”[54] An unspecified Iranian deputy foreign affairs minister will meet with his Russian and Chinese counterparts in Beijing on March 14 to discuss the Iranian “nuclear issue.”[55] Iran may send Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht Ravanchi, who serves as the chief Iranian nuclear negotiator. The meeting will likely cover the UNSC meeting as Russia and China are both members of the UNSC and attended the meeting on March 13. Russia and China are also both JCPOA signatories.
UK-based outlet The Telegraph reported on March 13 that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ordered the removal of Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif due to Zarif’s opposition to deepening Russo-Iranian relations.[56] Zarif reportedly opposed Iranian military support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Zarif’s dismissal highlights Khamenei’s commitment to further developing Iran’s strategic relationship with Russia. The Iranian government previously shut down a major reformist outlet in 2023 for criticizing the government’s efforts to increase cooperation with Russia and China.[57]
The United States sanctioned Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad on March 13 as part of the US “maximum pressure” campaign.[58] The United States also sanctioned 17 shipping companies and 13 vessels for facilitating Iranian oil exports to China “worth billions of dollars.”[59]
Iran increased gold imports by 300 percent between January 2024 and 2025, according to an al Jazeera report.[60] Iranian reformist media reported on March 11 that “millions” of Iranians seek to buy gold.[61] The increased effort to obtain gold could indicate public distrust in the strength of the Iranian currency. The Iranian rial has depreciated to record-low exchange rates in recent months, reaching 923,050 rials to one US dollar on March 13.[62][63]
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/iran-update-march-13-2025