diff --git a/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticAnalysis.dataflow.test.ts b/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticAnalysis.dataflow.test.ts
index 2e32b0fe3d..c8cda54bf8 100644
--- a/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticAnalysis.dataflow.test.ts
+++ b/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticAnalysis.dataflow.test.ts
@@ -547,6 +547,62 @@ describe("nonfinite static values", () => {
 });
 
 describe("binding write invalidation", () => {
+  it.each(["in", "of"])(
+    "retains prototype uncertainty for an empty template in for-%s",
+    (operator) => {
+      const ir = analyzeJavaScriptSemantics(`
+        String.prototype.extra = "possible inherited key";
+        let selected = "before";
+        for (selected ${operator} \`\`) {}
+        const observed = selected;
+      `);
+      expect(
+        topLevelBinding(ir, "selected").definitions.some(
+          ({ kind }) => kind === "assignment",
+        ),
+      ).toBe(true);
+      expect(topLevelBinding(ir, "observed").value.status).not.toBe("literal");
+    },
+  );
+
+  it.each(
+    [
+      { input: '"abc"', empty: false },
+      { input: "`abc`", empty: false },
+      { input: "`\\u0061`", empty: false },
+      { input: '""', empty: true },
+      { input: "``", empty: true },
+      { input: "`\\\n`", empty: true },
+    ].flatMap((literal) =>
+      ["in", "of"].flatMap((operator) =>
+        ["selected", "[selected]"].map((head) => ({
+          ...literal,
+          operator,
+          head,
+        })),
+      ),
+    ),
+  )(
+    "preserves writes for $head $operator $input (empty=$empty)",
+    ({ input, empty, operator, head }) => {
+      const ir = analyzeJavaScriptSemantics(`
+        let selected = "before";
+        for (${head} ${operator} ${input}) {}
+        const observed = selected;
+        export function result() { return observed; }
+      `);
+      expect(
+        topLevelBinding(ir, "selected").definitions.some(
+          ({ kind }) => kind === "assignment",
+        ),
+      ).toBe(!empty);
+      const value = topLevelBinding(ir, "observed").value;
+      if (empty) expect(value).toEqual({ status: "literal", value: "before" });
+      else expect(value).not.toEqual({ status: "literal", value: "before" });
+      expect(onlyCallable(ir, "result").returnSites[0]?.value).toEqual(value);
+    },
+  );
+
   it.each([
     ["let value = 1; value++; const observed = value;", "unknown"],
     ["let value = 1; --value; const observed = value;", "unknown"],
diff --git a/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticEvaluationOrder.ts b/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticEvaluationOrder.ts
index 9ddef42fae..62013fc95b 100644
--- a/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticEvaluationOrder.ts
+++ b/src/domain/javascript/javascriptSemanticEvaluationOrder.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ export const semanticIterationCardinality = (
   prototypeMayAffectEnumeration: boolean | undefined,
 ): JavaScriptSemanticIterationCardinality => {
   const iterable = unwrapJavaScriptExpression(loop.right).node;
+  const literal = readExactJavaScriptLiteral(iterable);
   if (t.isForOfStatement(loop)) {
     if (prototypeMayAffectEnumeration !== false) return "unknown";
     if (t.isArrayExpression(iterable)) {
@@ -31,8 +32,8 @@ export const semanticIterationCardinality = (
         return "nonempty";
       return "unknown";
     }
-    if (t.isStringLiteral(iterable))
-      return iterable.value.length === 0 ? "empty" : "nonempty";
+    if (literal.found && typeof literal.value === "string")
+      return literal.value.length === 0 ? "empty" : "nonempty";
     return "unknown";
   }
   if (t.isObjectExpression(iterable)) {
@@ -57,10 +58,14 @@ export const semanticIterationCardinality = (
       return "unknown";
     return prototypeMayAffectEnumeration === false ? "empty" : "unknown";
   }
-  if (t.isNullLiteral(iterable)) return "empty";
-  if (t.isStringLiteral(iterable) && iterable.value.length > 0)
+  if (literal.found && literal.value === null) return "empty";
+  if (
+    literal.found &&
+    typeof literal.value === "string" &&
+    literal.value.length > 0
+  )
     return "nonempty";
-  if (readExactJavaScriptLiteral(iterable).found)
+  if (literal.found)
     return prototypeMayAffectEnumeration === false ? "empty" : "unknown";
   return "unknown";
 };
diff --git a/tests/boundary/cli/javascriptIterationCardinality.test.ts b/tests/boundary/cli/javascriptIterationCardinality.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..72b9c8ab44
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/boundary/cli/javascriptIterationCardinality.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+import { writeFile } from "node:fs/promises";
+import { join } from "node:path";
+import { expect } from "vitest";
+import { z } from "zod";
+
+import { javascriptApplicationAnalysisResultSchema } from "../../../src/domain/javascript/javascriptApplicationAnalysis.js";
+import { createTestTempDirectory } from "../../fixtures/temporaryDirectory.js";
+import { cliTest } from "../../support/cli/cliFixture.js";
+
+cliTest(
+  "preserves template loop assignments in public semantic Evidence",
+  async ({ cli }) => {
+    const root = await createTestTempDirectory("rea-js-iteration-cardinality-");
+    await writeFile(
+      join(root, "main.js"),
+      `
+    export function template() { let selected = "before"; for ([selected] in \`abc\`) {} return selected; }
+    export function quoted() { let selected = "before"; for ([selected] in "abc") {} return selected; }
+    export function empty() { let selected = "before"; for ([selected] in \`\`) {} return selected; }
+    export function ordinaryTemplate() { let selected = "before"; for (selected in \`abc\`) {} return selected; }
+    for (const [templateKey] in \`abc\`) { void templateKey; }
+    for (const [quotedKey] in "abc") { void quotedKey; }
+  `,
+    );
+    const output = await cli.run({
+      arguments: ["analyze-javascript-application", root, "--json"],
+    });
+    expect(output.exitCode).toBe(0);
+    const envelope = z
+      .object({ normalized_result: javascriptApplicationAnalysisResultSchema })
+      .parse(output.json);
+    const result = envelope.normalized_result;
+    const shapeSchema = z.object({
+      semantic_role: z.literal("export-return-shapes"),
+      exported_name: z.string(),
+      static_return_shapes: z.array(
+        z.object({
+          fields: z.array(z.object({ state: z.string(), value: z.unknown() })),
+        }),
+      ),
+    });
+    const shapes = result.graph.nodes.flatMap(({ observations }) =>
+      observations.flatMap(({ properties }) => {
+        const parsed = shapeSchema.safeParse(properties);
+        return parsed.success ? [parsed.data] : [];
+      }),
+    );
+    for (const name of ["template", "quoted", "ordinaryTemplate"]) {
+      const shape = shapes.find(({ exported_name }) => exported_name === name);
+      expect(shape?.static_return_shapes[0]?.fields[0]).toMatchObject({
+        state: "unknown",
+        value: null,
+      });
+    }
+    expect(
+      shapes.find(({ exported_name }) => exported_name === "empty")
+        ?.static_return_shapes[0]?.fields[0],
+    ).toMatchObject({ state: "literal", value: "before" });
+    const graph = result.semantic_graph;
+    for (const label of ["templateKey", "quotedKey"]) {
+      const binding = graph.nodes.find(
+        (node) => node.kind === "binding" && node.label === label,
+      );
+      expect(binding).toBeDefined();
+      const assignment = graph.relations.find(
+        (relation) =>
+          relation.relation === "defines" &&
+          relation.target_node_id === binding?.node_id &&
+          graph.nodes.find((node) => node.node_id === relation.source_node_id)
+            ?.label === "assignment",
+      );
+      expect(assignment).toBeDefined();
+    }
+  },
+);