Reference
Glossary
Verification & evidence
Casualty figures
Counts of people killed, injured, or missing — always partial, always attributed.
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Claim review
A structured assessment of a specific claim: status, confidence, evidence, sources.
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Confidence rating
A summary judgement of how strong the evidence behind a claim is.
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Primary source
The originating document, image, or statement — not someone reporting on it.
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Source triangulation
Confirming a claim by checking it against multiple genuinely independent sources.
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Verification
Establishing whether a claim is supported by independent evidence.
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Intelligence & analysis
Attribution
Naming who did something — and being honest about how confident you are.
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Conflict intelligence
Structured analysis of what is happening in a conflict, who is doing it, and how reliable the information is.
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OSINT
Open-source intelligence — analysis built from public information rather than classified sources.
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Media & framing
Disinformation
False information distributed deliberately to deceive.
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Framing analysis
Comparing how different sources present the same underlying event.
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Loaded language
Vocabulary that smuggles a judgement into a description.
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Malinformation
True information stripped of context or amplified to harm.
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Misinformation
False information shared without intent to deceive.
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Official statement
An on-the-record assertion by a government, military, or organisation.
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Omission bias
Bias by what is left out, not what is said.
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Propaganda
Information distributed to advance a political or military goal, packaged to look like news or analysis.
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State media
Outlets owned, funded, or editorially controlled by a government.
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Diplomacy & peace
Backchannel diplomacy
Negotiation conducted away from public view, often via third parties.
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Ceasefire
An agreed pause in fighting. Not the same as peace.
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Humanitarian corridor
An agreed route or window through which civilians and aid can move safely.
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JCPOA
Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action — the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
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Mediation
Third-party facilitation of dialogue between parties in conflict.
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Sanctions
Economic and financial restrictions imposed on a state, group, or individual.
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Sanctions evasion
The practices by which sanctioned actors continue to trade.
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Military & operations
Civilian harm
Death, injury, displacement, or material damage to non-combatants.
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Deconfliction
Mechanisms used by hostile or adjacent militaries to avoid hitting each other by accident.
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Dual-use infrastructure
Infrastructure that serves both civilian and military purposes — power, telecoms, ports, fuel.
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Escalation ladder
The stylised set of rungs an analyst uses to describe how a conflict could intensify step by step.
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Maritime chokepoint
A narrow stretch of water through which a disproportionate share of global trade passes.
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Proportionality
A legal and ethical standard requiring military force to be calibrated to the threat.
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Proxy warfare
Conflict in which a major power supports a local actor that fights on its behalf.
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Rules of engagement
The conditions under which a military force is authorised to use violence.
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Strait of Hormuz
The world's most strategically important oil chokepoint, between Iran and Oman.
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Actors & organisations
Hezbollah
Lebanese Shia armed political movement, Iran-aligned, with significant regional capability.
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Houthis
Yemeni armed political movement currently controlling much of north Yemen.
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IAEA
International Atomic Energy Agency — UN nuclear-monitoring body.
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IRGC
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — Iran's parallel military force.
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