Khosrow Alikordi's suspicious death, US deports 55 Iranians—and more
The Iranist for the week of December 13, 2025
Greetings from the Middle East! 🐪 This is a more concise newsletter and a day late due to travel.
THE هفت/SEVEN THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK:
۱/1 IDF claims Iran restarted ballistic missile production
Meanwhile, the United States intercepted a Chinese cargo shipment en route to Iran that reportedly contained components potentially useful for Iran’s conventional weapons (Wall Street Journal).
۲/2 At-risk human rights lawyer dies suspiciously
On December 12, during a seventh-day memorial service for lawyer Khosrow Alikordi in the northeastern city of Mashhad, Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi, rights activist Sepide Qoliyan, and others were violently arrested by security forces (The Guardian/AP). Amongst the sixteen arrested were Davoud Alikordi and Ahmad Alikordi, members of Alikordi’s family (Hengaw). The crowd chanted popular anti-regime slogans, and even calls of “King Reza Pahlavi”—an apparent reference to the former crown prince—as well as “This is the final struggle, Pahlavi will return,” and “Long live the Shah.” (X)
More than eighty Iranian lawyers have signed a public statement demanding full transparency regarding Alikordi’s death (CHRI). Meanwhile, Kamal Jafari Yazdi, a civil activist and a client of Alikordi, has not been heard from since being summoned to the Intelligence Ministry on December 10 (IranWire).
۳/3 Tehran’s first rainfall in months, but it’s not enough
۴/4 Fifty-five Iranians returning to Iran after US deportation
۵/5 Child bride spared execution after blood money payment
Since January, there have been 1,728 executions in Iran (X).
۶/6 Marathon organizers arrested over women running without hijab
۷/7 Iran and Egypt complain about World Cup ‘Pride’ match
OTHER اخبار/NEWS THAT MADE HEADLINES:
Human Rights
۰ Fourteen executions in Iran reported on December 10 (HRANA)
۰ Supreme Court overturns death sentence for Varisheh Moradi (IranWire)
۰ Iran: Weaponizing justice system to persecute Baha’is (Human Rights Watch)
۰ Authorities arrest at least 19 Kurdish citizens in western provinces (IranWire)
۰ Reza Khandan: A year in prison for supporting women’s rights (Ms. Magazine)
۰ Poet held without charge for over 110 days (IranWire)
۰ Iranian–American dual national Afarin Mohajer released from Evin Prison (HRANA)
Domestic Issues
۰ Iran water crisis: Iconic dam at lowest level in 60 years (IranWire)
۰ Iran turns to water imports as crisis deepens (RFERL)
۰ Iran raises gasoline prices for the first time since deadly 2019 protests (AP)
۰ Striker faces uncertain World Cup future over mandatory military service in the IRGC (IranWire)
۰ Second Iranian ever to win Math’s Nobel Prize overcame impossible odds (IranWire)
۰ Iran faces worsening drug shortage as currency crisis disrupts supply chain (IranWire)
۰ Two Kurdish Kolbars die in avalanche on Iran–Turkey border (IranWire)
Foreign Policy + Security
۰ Iran says new US national security strategy serves Israel (Iran International)
۰ Iran aims to fire 2,000 missiles at once in future conflict, Israel warns (Euro News)
۰ New poll finds 60% of Americans approved of Trump’s Iran attack (Iran International)
۰ Iran nuclear threat ‘far from resolved,’ says Former National Security Chief (i24 News)
۰ Ex-Israeli air force chief says Iran standoff must end in talks or invasion (Iran International)
۰ Iran admits false claim that Israeli F-35 jets were shot down in 12-day conflict (EuroNews)
۰ Iran ‘paid heavy price’ for supporting proxies, Palestinians, ex-FM Zarif says at Doha Forum (Jerusalem Post)
۰ GCC condemns Iranian ‘fallacies’ about sovereignty of three occupied islands (The National)
۰ They killed my source (The Atlantic)
۰ Iran’s foreign minister faces mounting criticism amid diplomatic isolation (IranWire)
۰ Iran’s Guards warn US vessels during drill in Gulf (AFP)
۰ Iran holds drills in Gulf, firing ballistic, cruise missiles at simulated targets (Reuters)
۰ Iran appeals to UN over ‘tightening restrictions’ on its diplomats in New York (Reuters)
۰ ‘It’s all over’: how Iran abandoned Assad to his fate days before fall (AFP)
۰ Iran hosts trilateral meeting with China and Saudi Arabia (Iran International)
۰ Three IRGC members killed near Iran-Pakistan border (Al-Monitor)
۰ Khamenei suggests US moves on Venezuela aim at oil, land grab (Iran International)
Iran Deal + Sanctions
۰ From crisis to stalemate: Tehran settles into post-war diplomatic freeze (Iran International)
۰ Unilateral US measures are ‘crimes against humanity,’ says Tehran (Tehran Times)
۰ Tanker seized by US off Venezuela was part of Iranian shadow fleet (RFERL)
Arts + Culture
۰ The star who represents Iran’s golden age—and its future (The Atlantic)