Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
While representing a major symbolic step, finalizing Iranian membership in the Shanghai Pact is not a panacea for the country’s current political, economic, and security challenges.
Iraq-based Iranian Kurdish insurgents are becoming the epicenter of a coordinated Iran-led campaign to force the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) to toe its security policy.
Iranian women’s decades-long struggle for freedom of choice could lead to positive change and might present a unique opportunity to achieve long-awaited reforms.
A Saudi-Emirati-Israeli military alliance is unlikely and runs counter to the Gulf states’ security interests and diplomatic efforts with Iran.
For Iran, the rupture in Western-Russian relations over the Ukraine crisis may mean an opportunity to boost its standing in Eurasia.
In light of Iran and Qatar’s recent electricity grid connection, Iran should seek to expand its energy diplomacy and utilize its electricity sector to strengthen economic cooperation and regional security in the Middle East.
The UAE is revisiting its foreign policy goals with the aim of boosting its global trade partnerships and ensuring its security and political stability, by replacing robust military intervention and proxy politics with dialogue and diplomacy.
While diversionary conflict is necessary in some cases to maintain stability in the face of domestic upheaval, in Iran’s case, a “diversionary peace” is a more likely solution.
The recent agreement between Iran and China promotes a strategic partnership that goes beyond economic objectives as China continues to focus on achieving its geopolitical interests in the Middle East, Eurasia, and the Indian Ocean.
For years Raisi has been considered one of the three most promising candidates to succeed Khamenei. As president, Raisi is in prime position to succeed Khamenei.
The fruitless protracted blockade of Qatar not only failed to reform Doha’s “destabilizing behaviors,” but also strengthened Iranian-Qatari relations for the foreseeable future.
GCC countries are caught up in Chinese-U.S. competition over tech infrastructure. A failure to appease both powers risks endangering critical relationships.
Iran’s economic crisis remains heavily connected to its enmity with the United States. The best tool for economic diversification and sustainable development is an end to the four decades of animosity between Tehran and Washington.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi is likely heading toward a confrontation with the Iran-backed paramilitaries, which could threaten his fledgling coalition.
Despite economic obstacles facing the two countries, Turkey and Iran strive to cement economic relations and maintain their multifaceted relations.
Following the Riyadh Agreement, Iran’s approach to conflict resolution in Yemen takes a multilateral form.
Water scarcity in Iran threatens not just its agricultural self-sufficiency but may also strain its energy exports in the long term, two sectors it hopes to rely on to weather new economic sanctions.
Impending sanctions on Iran will make Turkey’s energy imports more expensive and contribute to the devaluation of the lira.
Its economic future in question, Tehran is looking to maintain and increase its influence in Iraq by investing in schemes and projects linked with loyal paramilitary forces.
Four experts examine the causes of Iran’s protests and what implications they may have for Iran’s regional ambitions, domestic political rivalries, and future for human rights.