SOURCE INVENTORY: Iran Political-Economic Dynamics 2026

Collection Date: 2026-02-22 Collector: intelligence-collector

SOURCE SUMMARY

DETAILED SOURCE LIST

Official Sources (Rating A)

1. White House Fact Sheets (February 2025, February 2026)

   • Maximum Pressure on Iran
   • February 2026 Iran EO
   • Rating: A1 | Direct US policy documentation

2. US Department of Treasury

   • Shadow Fleet Sanctions
   • IRGC/IRISL Designations
   • Rating: A1 | Authoritative sanctions data

3. US Department of State

   • Shadow Fleet Combating
   • Rating: A1 | Official enforcement actions

4. IAEA Reports

   • GOV/2025/24 (May 2025)
   • GOV/2025/50 (September 2025)
   • Rating: A1 | Gold standard for nuclear verification data

5. UN Meetings Coverage

   • Security Council on Iran Nuclear
   • Rating: A1 | Official multilateral proceedings

6. IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2025)

   • Iran GDP Data
   • Rating: A1 | Standard economic data source

7. World Bank

   • Islamic Republic of Iran
   • Poverty Brief April 2025
   • Rating: A1 | Authoritative economic/poverty data

8. Congressional Research Service

   • Iran Nuclear Weapons Production
   • Israel-Iran Conflict, U.S. Strikes
   • US Sanctions on Iran
   • Rating: A1 | Non-partisan congressional analysis

Wire Services & Major News (Rating A-B)

9. Al Jazeera

   • Russia-Iran Treaty Signing
   • Iran-US Oman Talks
   • IRGC Leadership
   • New Military Leaders
   • IAEA Inspections Demand
   • Trump Threats
   • Rating: B1 | Reliable regional coverage; strong on Middle East

10. CNN

    • Salami, Bagheri, Shamkhani Killed
    • Intel Assessment US Strikes
    • Oman Talks Explained
    • Iran Internet Blackout
    • Rating: B1 | Good Washington/intelligence sourcing

11. NPR

    • Khamenei Successors
    • Reza Pahlavi Profile
    • Women Defy Crackdown
    • Security Forces Clash Protesters
    • Iran Starlink
    • Rating: B1 | Balanced, well-sourced

12. Washington Post

    • Iranian Women Flout Hijab
    • What's New About Protests
    • Iran-US Nuclear Talks Oman
    • Rating: B1 | Strong investigative and analytical depth

13. Axios

    • US-Iran Talks Resumed
    • Rating: B2 | Good Washington insider sourcing

Quality Press & Regional Media (Rating B)

14. Britannica

    • Israel-Iran Conflict (2025)
    • 2026 Iranian Protests
    • Pezeshkian Biography
    • Iran Nuclear Deal Negotiations
    • Rating: B1 | Comprehensive reference; updated regularly

15. Iran International

    • Inflation/GDP
    • Economy Contracts
    • IRGC Leadership Gaps
    • Executions Doubled
    • Pezeshkian Exit Calls
    • Student Walkouts
    • Rating: B2 | Extensive Iran coverage; Saudi-funded, note potential bias

16. Times of Israel

    • Khamenei Successors Bunker
    • Successor Search
    • Rating: B2 | Israeli perspective; good intelligence sourcing; note national interest framing

17. RFE/RL (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty)

    • Pezeshkian Profile
    • Zarif Resignation
    • Assad Fall Iran
    • Proxy Network Activated
    • Rating: B1 | US-funded but editorially independent; strong on Iranian internal dynamics

18. Jerusalem Post

    • Tehran Replaces Military
    • Rating: B2 | Israeli perspective

Think Tanks & Research Organizations (Rating B-C)

19. Stimson Center

    • Khamenei's Eclipse
    • Iran Oil Export Resilience
    • Pezeshkian Anniversary
    • Iran's Uncertain Transition
    • Scenarios for Iran's Future
    • Rating: B2 | Strong analytical depth; limited field access

20. Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

    • Russia-Iran Treaty Limits
    • What Kind of Future for Iran
    • Shadow War to Open Conflict
    • JCPOA Obituary
    • Rating: B1 | Premier analysis; strong sourcing

21. RAND Corporation

    • Israel-Iran Detente Won't Last
    • Israel-Iran Conflict Q&A
    • Rating: B1 | Rigorous methodology; DoD-adjacent perspective

22. Brookings Institution

    • China Positioning as Iran Teeters
    • Path Forward on Iran Proxies
    • Many Crises of Iranian Youth
    • Rating: B1 | Strong policy analysis

23. Middle East Institute (MEI)

    • One Year of Pezeshkian: Scapegoat-in-Waiting
    • Post-Khamenei Assembly of Experts
    • Crisis Cabinet
    • Rating: B2 | Strong Middle East expertise

24. Clingendael Institute

    • Military-Bonyad Complex
    • Iran Economy Precipice
    • Snapback Sanctions
    • Rating: B2 | Dutch think tank; strong on economic analysis

25. ISPI (Italian Institute for International Political Studies)

    • Saudi-UAE on Iran
    • Rating: B2 | European analytical perspective

26. INSS (Israel National Security Studies)

    • Iran Nuclear Deadlock
    • Saudi-Iranian Relations
    • Saudi-UAE Rivalry
    • Rating: B2 | Israeli security establishment perspective; note national interest framing

27. FPRI (Foreign Policy Research Institute)

    • Air/Missile Defenses June 2025 War
    • Rating: B2 | Military-technical analysis

28. Washington Institute for Near East Policy

    • Iran Oil Exports Vulnerable
    • Iranian Counterculture Gen Z
    • Pezeshkian Cabinet Stagnation
    • Rating: B2 | Strong Iran expertise; note pro-Israel orientation

29. Atlantic Council

    • Reformists on the Ropes
    • Rating: B2 | Transatlantic policy perspective

30. Council on Foreign Relations

    • Iran Nuclear Damage Assessment
    • Iran Regime Negotiating Stance
    • Iran Protests Impact
    • Rating: B1 | Premier US foreign policy analysis

Specialist/Academic Sources (Rating B-C)

31. Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS)

    • May 2025 IAEA Report Analysis
    • Post-Attack Assessment
    • Iran Threat Geiger Counter
    • Breakout Timelines
    • Rating: B1 | Gold standard for nuclear program technical analysis

32. Arms Control Association

    • Israel and US Strike Nuclear Program
    • IAEA Resolution on Iran
    • Iran Status
    • Rating: B1 | Non-partisan arms control expertise

33. FDD Long War Journal

    • Iraq Militias Attack US Forces
    • Proxies Threaten Retaliation
    • Kataib Hezbollah Threats
    • Rating: B2 | Strong on militant/proxy tracking; note hawkish institutional perspective

34. IranWire

    • Khatam al-Anbiya
    • Bonyad Taavon Sepah
    • Zarif Forced Resignation
    • Starlink Shutdown
    • Rating: B2 | Exile-run investigative journalism on Iran

35. Iran Open Data Center

    • IRGC Budget Nearly Twice Army
    • Military Budget Soars 35%
    • Military Budget Quarter of Finances
    • Rating: B2 | Valuable quantitative data; methodology transparent

36. Janes Defence

    • IRGC Financial Empire
    • Rating: B1 | Premier defense intelligence; subscription source

37. ACLED

    • Twelve Days Inside Iran-Israel War
    • Rating: B1 | Rigorous conflict data methodology

38. IranWatch

    • Nuclear Timetable
    • Bonyad Taavon Sepah
    • Bonyad Mostazafan
    • Rating: B2 | Comprehensive entity tracking

Human Rights Organizations (Rating B)

39. Amnesty International

    • Iran Protests
    • Rating: A1-B1 | Rigorous methodology; field verified where possible

40. Human Rights Watch

    • Renewed Cycle of Protest Bloodshed
    • Human Rights Spirals Into Crisis
    • Execution Spree
    • Rating: B1 | Methodical documentation

41. HRANA (Human Rights Activists News Agency)

    • Documented 18,759 cases, 7,015 confirmed deaths (as of Feb 5, 2026)
    • Rating: B2 | Most systematic case-by-case documentation; US-based

42. Center for Human Rights in Iran

    • Hijab Resistance Tactics
    • Political Prisoners at Risk
    • Crackdown Intensifies
    • Rating: B2 | Strong documentation

43. RSF (Reporters Without Borders)

    • Crackdown Surge Arrests
    • Iran Country Page
    • Media Blackout
    • Rating: B1 | Authoritative on press freedom

44. CPJ (Committee to Protect Journalists)

    • Iran Arrests Journalists
    • Rating: B1 | Authoritative on journalist safety

Opposition/Diaspora Sources (Rating C-D)

45. NCRI (National Council of Resistance of Iran)

    • 2200+ Executions in 2025
    • Pezeshkian Cabinet
    • Rating: C3 | Known opposition organization (MEK-linked); provides useful data but requires cross-referencing. Execution figures broadly consistent with other sources.

46. GAMAAN (Group for Analyzing and Measuring Attitudes in Iran)

    • Political Preferences 2024
    • Rating: C2 | Online survey methodology; potential sampling bias but provides rare quantitative data on Iranian public opinion

47. CISSM/University of Maryland

    • Iranian Public Opinion Pezeshkian
    • Rating: B2 | Academic methodology; more rigorous polling

Reference Sources

48. Wikipedia (multiple articles)

    • 2025-2026 Iranian protests; Iran-Israel war; US strikes on nuclear sites; IRGC economic activities; Nuclear program of Iran; Iranian economic crisis; Government of Pezeshkian; Assembly of Experts; JCPOA; Bonyad entities
    • Rating: B3 for aggregation | Useful for timeline reconstruction and cross-referencing; citations verified against primary sources

49. UK House of Commons Library

    • Iran Impacts June 2025 Strikes
    • Iran Challenges 2026
    • Iran Nuclear Programme Status
    • Rating: B1 | Non-partisan parliamentary research

50. Israel Alma Center

    • Iran Situation Assessment February 2026
    • Rating: C2 | Israeli security perspective; useful for military assessment but note national interest framing

51. Chatham House

    • Iran Internet Shutdown Digital Isolation
    • Assad Fall Damage to Axis
    • Rating: B1 | Premier UK think tank

52. UANI (United Against Nuclear Iran)

    • Tanker Tracker November 2025
    • Next Supreme Leader
    • Rating: B2 | Systematic tanker tracking methodology; advocacy organization

53. Migration Policy Institute

    • Iran Brain Drain
    • Rating: B1 | Non-partisan migration research

SOURCE GAPS AND LIMITATIONS

1. No Iranian government primary sources consulted (IRNA, Press TV, Tasnim) -- would provide official regime narrative; important for understanding messaging but known to be state-controlled
2. Limited Farsi-language source access -- most analysis based on English-language reporting and translations
3. No direct field reporting -- all information is secondary; no first-hand verification of events in Iran
4. Death toll estimates unreliable -- range from 7,000 to 36,500 for January 2026 events; internet blackout prevents independent verification
5. IRGC economic data outdated -- most precise figures (GDP share, revenue) from 2012-2016; current figures are estimates
6. Nuclear program status uncertain -- IAEA access suspended; damage assessment from strikes still debated; stockpile location unknown
7. Khamenei health information -- exclusively from opposition/Western intelligence sources; no independent medical verification
8. Chinese official perspective absent -- limited Chinese-language sources consulted on 25-year agreement implementation
9. Russian perspective limited -- treaty analysis available but actual military cooperation details classified