Iran Update, November 21, 2025
Iranian defense officials examined aircraft and air defense assets at the 2025 Dubai Airshow from November 17 to 21. Iranian Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Minister Brigadier General Aziz Nasir Zadeh and Intelligence Protection Organization Head Brigadier General Rahim Yaghoubi led an Iranian delegation to the airshow in the United Arab Emirates.[29] The Iranian Defense and Armed Forces Logistics Ministry oversees the Iranian defense-industrial complex and manages Iranian arms sales and purchases.[30] Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS)-affiliated Defa Press reported that the trip is part of Iran’s “defense diplomacy” to strengthen regional engagement and explore new opportunities for cooperation. [31] The airshow featured drones, air defense systems, and aircraft, including Russian Su-57 fighter jets.[32] Iran did not display any military equipment in the airshow, which suggests that Nasir Zadeh was at the airshow to determine possible future Iranian defense purchases.[33]
The United States sanctioned over 50 entities, individuals, and vessels on November 20 for facilitating illicit Iranian oil exports that support Iran’s armed forces and proxies in the region.[34] The US State Department reported that Iran has relied on oil revenue to rebuild its military following the Israel-Iran War.[35] The United States sanctioned several entities linked to the AFGS-affiliated Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars Company (Sepehr Energy Jahan). The US Treasury previously sanctioned Sepehr Energy Jahan in 2023 for generating revenue for the Iranian Defense Ministry.[36] Sepehr Energy Jahan utilizes a network of front companies and shadow fleets to sell billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil annually.[37] The United States also sanctioned seven aircraft operated by Mahan Air.[38] The United States originally designated Mahan Air in October 2011 for ”providing financial, material, and technological support” to the IRGC Quds Force and supporting its efforts to supply weapons to members of the Axis of Resistance, including the former Bashar al Assad regime in Syria and Lebanese Hezbollah.[39] The United States also sanctioned seven vessels involved in Iran’s petroleum trade.[40] At least some of the vessels may have been involved in ship-to-ship transfers to obfuscate illicit Iranian oil exports, according to commercially available maritime data.
https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-november-21-2025/
Iran Update, November 24, 2025
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed a new commander of the Artesh Ground Forces amid the regime’s broader efforts to reshuffle senior military leadership after the Israel-Iran War. Khamenei appointed Brigadier General Ali Jahanshahi to command the Artesh Ground Forces on November 22.[27] The Artesh Ground Forces operates around 50 infantry, mechanized infantry, and armored brigades.[28] Jahanshahi previously commanded the 77th Samen Ol Aemeh Division of the Artesh Ground Forces in Mashhad, served as Artesh Ground Forces deputy coordinator, and acted as an ”evaluation” deputy for the Khatam ol Anbia Central Headquarters.[29] Jahanshahi is replacing former Ground Forces Commander Brigadier General Kioumars Heydari, whom Khamenei appointed as Khatam ol Anbia Central Headquarters deputy commander on November 24.[30] Iranian diaspora media, citing Iranian state media, reported that Jahanshahi’s appointment was part of expected leadership rotations and that the new appointment seeks to strengthen the Artesh Ground Forces operational structure.[31] Khamenei’s appointment of Jahanshahi comes amid regime efforts to reshuffle senior military leadership in the wake of the Israel-Iran War. The regime has made several recent changes as part of this effort, including appointing Brigadier General Hojatollah Ghoreishi as the IRGC Deputy Coordinator on October 27 and Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi as the new Armed Forces General Staff (AFGS) deputy chief on October 30.[32]
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Ground Forces Quds Operational Base announced on November 24 that it dismantled an Ansar al Furqan cell during a security operation in Sistan and Baluchistan Province.[33] Ansar al Furqan is a Salafi-Jihadi insurgent group active in southeastern Iran.[34] IRGC forces reportedly detained several members of the cell and seized two suicide vests during the ongoing “Martyrs of Security” operational exercise.[35] The IRGC began this operation in October 2024 after Jaish al Adl—a Baloch Salafi-Jihadi group that operates in southeastern Iran—killed ten Iranian Law Enforcement Command (LEC) officers in the province.[36] Ansar al Furqan claimed responsibility for attacking IRGC personnel near the Iran–Pakistan border in December 2023 and for attacking a LEC station in Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchistan Province in January 2024.[37]
https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-november-24-2025/