Iran

Iran’s Defeat In The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War – Part I: Geopolitical And Economic Ramifications

The second Nagorno-Karabakh war (September-November 2020) in the southern Caucasus ended with Azerbaijan’s victory over Armenia, which had held the Nagorno-Karabakh area since the first war between the two countries (1991-94). Azerbaijan’s victory in the war has important geopolitical and economic ramifications for the southern Caucasus region and for the …

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Iran’s new brigade infiltrates tribes in east Syria

Iran is working on controlling and infiltrating the Syrian community by supporting local leaders affiliated with it, forming tribal councils and appointing new sheikhs from small clans and families to spread Shiism in its areas of control in east Syria. Since the beginning of 2021, Iran has begun working on …

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Iran warns Israel over rising threats to nuclear program

Iranian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Majid Takht Ravanchi warned of Israel’s growing threats against his country’s nuclear programme, reiterating that the threats should be condemned as a violation of international laws. In a letter submitted to the current president of the Security Council on Wednesday, Ravanchi …

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Iranian, Turkish FMs Discuss Situation In Afghanistan

The foreign ministers of Iran and Turkey talked about collective efforts to ensure stability and fight against terrorism in Afghanistan, as Tehran is going to host a ministerial meeting of the Afghan neighbors next week. In a telephone conversation on Thursday, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and his Turkish counterpart …

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Iran tests drones amid simmering tensions with Azerbaijan

The exercise was held at a time of intensifying hostile rhetoric between Tehran and Baku, as Russia continues its cautious position in between. The air force of the Iranian army launched a major drill on Oct. 21 involving several bases nationwide, the latest in a series of muscle-flexing gestures by …

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Bennett meets Putin in Sochi to discuss Iran, Syria

The meeting in Sochi between Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Russian President Vladimir Putin covered a large range of strategic and economic issues, focusing on Israeli concerns over Iranian military entrenchment in Syria and the Iran nuclear talks. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met today, Oct. 22, in Sochi with Russian …

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Discordance in the Iran Threat Network in Iraq: Militia Competition and Rivalry

Abstract: Iran-backed militias have been scrambling to recover after the loss of their patriarchs Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis on January 3, 2020. Attempts to preserve a top-down, Iran-directed system of command have met resistance, both from independent-minded upstarts like Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq and the fragmenting powerbases within Kata’ib …

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Turkey’s spy bust escalates rivalry with Iran

The reported capture of Iranian spies in Turkey comes as the latest sign of the rivalry heating up between Ankara and Tehran, as bilateral tensions over Iraq and Syria have been steadily expanding to the Caucasus since last year’s war between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Turkey extended strong military support to …

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The Taliban Takeover of Kabul and Implications for the India-Iran-Afghanistan-Uzbekistan Transit Corridor

The port of Chabahar—located on the Makran coast of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Province, near to the Gulf of Oman and at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz—is the only Iranian port with direct access to the Indian Ocean. Thanks to its strategic position and links to north-south transit …

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Bombers, Fighter Planes and Drones: Iran Launches Countrywide Air Force Drill

Iran launched a countrywide air force drill on Thursday, involving bombers, fighter planes and surveillance drones, as well as weapons that use laser-guided missiles. A report on state television said that all of Iran’s military air bases – reported to be 12 – are participating in the exercise. The drill …

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