Days after Iranian officials rejected calls to dissolve the PMF, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, arrived in Baghdad on August 11, 2025, for a three-day visit to sign a joint security memorandum.

“Israel’s” recent aggression against Iran has sent shockwaves through the country’s top security institutions, exposing vulnerabilities in a leadership whose cohesion has been steadily eroding.

Salim Ahmed Said, also known as Salem Omeid, is one man with two names who has been making headlines across Iraq since early July 2025 after the U.S. Treasury blacklisted him as an Iraqi businessman allegedly leading a “shadow fleet” smuggling Iranian oil.

Catherine Shakdam made headlines across Iranian media after former reformist presidential candidate Mostafa Kavakebian accused her of infiltrating the country’s sensitive institutions by engaging in sexual relationships with 120 high-ranking officials.

Twelve days after the Israeli war on Iran erupted, and following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement of a brokered agreement, both sides rushed to claim victory, prompting widespread debate over who truly came out on top.