It would be wrong to view the restoration of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran as something that happened suddenly. Since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, ties between the two important Muslim neighbours have been strained. For the Saudi elite the Revolution was not only anti-monarchical but also a boost …
Read More »Why the Iranian public remains silent in the face of Israeli attacks
The silence from Iran is deafening. Judging by social media reactions and media reports from Iran, few, if any, members of the Iranian public seem to care that, since 2011, the Israeli air force has attacked Iranian and Iranian-affiliated positions in Syria on more than a thousand occasions. More surprisingly, …
Read More »Iran isn’t worried about the US attacking it, but Biden has other ways to cut a deal with Tehran
The trend lines in US-Iran relations today make for grim reading in Washington. Faced with unrelenting US pressure, Iran’s leaders are regularly meeting with Russian and Chinese officials and pledging unprecedented levels of cooperation. Iran’s nuclear program recently crossed a key threshold into production of weapons-grade uranium. American policymakers today …
Read More »Iran’s pirate weapons industry is cloning Western military hardware for Russia
Tehran has been counterfeiting foreign weapons for decades and is said to be receiving a bonanza from Ukraine In December 2011, a US RQ-170 Sentinel drone went missing in airspace close to the Iran-Afghanistan border. The Sentinel resurfaced on Iranian TV days later, where it was paraded as a “very …
Read More »Implications of Escalating U.S. Clashes with Iran-Backed Forces in Syria
The late March clashes between U.S. and Iran-backed militia forces in eastern Syria upended U.S. hopes that an Iran-Saudi rapprochement would usher in a period of regional stability and raised the potential for expanded U.S.-Iran hostilities.Iran’s alignment with Russia, and the willingness of the Arab Gulf states to engage with …
Read More »Iranian Drone Exports to the Balkans and Its Geopolitical Repercussions
Serbia: Iran’s Entry Point to the Balkans Iranian military activity in Europe’s neighborhood is not limited to supporting Russia’s war in Ukraine Transforming itself from a net arms importer into a burgeoning arms exporter, Tehran is engaged in opportunistic behavior across conflict zones, ranging from Ukraine to tense, fragile regions, …
Read More »Iran-Russia military relations take spotlight following FMs Moscow meeting
Despite international pressure, the two isolated states have been ramping up military ties with reported deliveries of Iranian drones in exchange for Russian Sukhoi warplanes. Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian was in Moscow on Wednesday for a visit he said covered military cooperation among a host of other bilateral and …
Read More »Iran Not Opposed to Deployment of EU Monitoring Mission Along Armenian-Azerbaijani Border
The Iranian ambassador to Armenia, Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri, announced on the sidelines of the “Armenia-Iran Relations in Context of Common Interests” forum, which was held on February 10, that “Iran does not oppose the deployment of a civilian EU [European Union] monitoring mission to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border” (PanArmenian.net, February 10). …
Read More »With Moscow’s Encouragement, Iran Moves More Deeply Into Russia Than Ever Before – Analysis
Not surprisingly, given Russia’s war against Ukraine, Iran’s decision to supply Moscow with drones and other military technology has attracted some of the most attention around the world (Cursorinfo.co.il, March 30). And equally unsurprising, given the long-term consequences of any change in east-west and north-south trade routes in the context …
Read More »Iran, Russia Finalizing Draft Agreement On Strategic Cooperation
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian unveiled plans to finalize the draft agreement on comprehensive and strategic cooperation with Russia within the next month. “Reviews on the long-term strategic cooperation agreement between the two countries have been finalized in Russia. Iran has also examined it. I hope that in less than …
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