SOURCE INVENTORY: US-Iran Nuclear Brinkmanship Crisis

Collection Date: 2026-02-12 Collector: intelligence-collector

OFFICIAL SOURCES (Rating: A)

White House Fact Sheet: President Trump Addresses Threats by Government of Iran -- Official US policy positions on Iran
US Treasury: Sanctions on Iranian Regime Officials -- Sanctions designations for protest crackdown
DOJ Epstein Library -- Released documents
CENTCOM statements on drone shoot-down and naval incidents (Feb 3, 2026)
Pentagon confirmation of USS George H.W. Bush deployment (Feb 12, 2026)
Trump social media posts (Feb 11) on Netanyahu meeting outcome

PressTV: Iran's missile program will never be on negotiating table - Shamkhani -- Official Iranian position on missiles
PressTV: Larijani's top security official arrives in Oman -- Larijani Oman visit
PressTV: Larijani to visit Oman amid next round preparations -- Negotiations status
IRNA statements by Shamkhani, Eslami, Araghchi (various Feb 2026)
Iranian government death toll announcement (Jan 21, 2026): 3,117

Oman MFA statement on talks: "focused on creating appropriate conditions for the resumption of diplomatic and technical negotiations"

Four Iranian officials briefing on Khamenei being told "fear is no longer a deterrent" (Feb 2)
Iran-US talks venue shift reporting

Maxar Technologies: Satellite images of Fordow (June 19-20, 2025) showing truck movements
ISIS (Institute for Science and International Security): Satellite analysis of all three struck sites (Nov 2025)
CBC: Analysis of satellite imagery showing Iran recovery attempts

Source Category	Count	Avg Reliability	Key Strengths	Key Limitations
Official US	6+	A	Direct policy positions, confirmed actions	Spin/framing for domestic audience
Official Iranian	5+	A (for positions)	Only source for Iranian negotiating stance	Heavy propaganda; likely concealing nuclear status
Wire services	3+	B+	Fast, factual	Limited analysis depth
US quality press	15+	B+	Deep sourcing (esp. Axios on WH), analysis	Western frame; limited Iran ground access
Regional press	12+	B	Regional context; multiple perspectives	Each outlet has known editorial leanings
Think tanks	20+	B	Expert analysis, satellite imagery, technical depth	Publication lag; institutional biases
Defense specialists	8+	B+	Technical military detail	Pro-military frame
Human rights orgs	4+	B (documentation)	On-ground documentation	Activist framing; verification challenges under blackout
Chinese/Russian media	7+	B (official positions)	View of great power dynamics	State-controlled editorial line
OSINT/satellite	3+	B+	Verifiable physical evidence	Interpretation requires expertise

No direct IAEA reporting from inside Iran since June 2025: Critical verification gap
No independent journalism from inside Iran: Internet blackout severely limits ground truth
Limited access to actual negotiation substance: Both sides controlling narrative
No leaked documents from either negotiating team: Unusual opacity
Limited Gulf state perspective on record: Saudi, UAE, Qatari officials mostly working behind scenes
No Russian or Chinese on-record diplomatic sources on current talks: Only state media framing
Congressional hearings on Iran not yet held: Witkoff has not testified despite Schumer demand