Glossary

A Zaydi Shia political and military movement from northern Yemen, backed by Iran, that has controlled the capital Sanaa since 2014.

The strategic strait between Yemen and the Horn of Africa that links the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.

An armed unit the IRGC formed from Afghan migrants living in Iran and deployed in the Syrian war.

A London-based Persian-language TV channel and news site founded in 2017, critical of the Iranian government, which Tehran calls a "terrorist" group.

The agreement reached in Vienna on July 14, 2015, between Iran and six world powers, limiting Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.

Iran's electronic credit (food coupon) system that lets households buy staple foods.

A Tehran daily founded in 1943, whose head has been appointed by the Supreme Leader since 1979 and which is described as Iran's most hardline paper.

The highest office of state under Iran's constitution. The Supreme Leader, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, is chosen by the Assembly of Experts.

The two main political camps of the Islamic Republic. Principlists defend the revolution's principles; reformists advocate political opening.

The IRGC unit responsible for operations abroad and for relations with allied armed groups in the region.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a military, political and economic force founded after the 1979 revolution that answers directly to the Supreme Leader.

A provision tied to the 2015 nuclear deal that automatically restores UN sanctions on Iran. It was triggered in September 2025.

The strait linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, through which about a quarter of the world's seaborne oil trade passes.

Two Iranian news agencies known for their closeness to the IRGC, founded in 2003 (Fars) and 2012 (Tasnim).

The rial is Iran's official currency. The toman is the unit used in everyday life, equal to 10 rials.