Geopolitics in Transcaucasia have been influenced by several regional developments, ultimately having an impact on the trilateral Iranian-Azerbaijani-Turkish relations within the context of energy transport to the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan. With its vast oil and gas resources in the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan has no problem supplying the oil and …
Read More »Iran’s water crisis and angry protests
Water scarcity is a growing problem in Iran that has arisen for a variety of reasons, ranging from climate change to poor governance. In recent years, the problem of water scarcity has reached a critical stage in parts of Iran, and there have been numerous reports of growing tensions, clashes and …
Read More »Is Russia a Reliable Partner for Iran?
Russia does not want Iran to develop any relations with the West that could put distance between the two countries, or, crucially, allow Iran to export oil and gas to Europe in competition with Moscow. In the areas surrounding the Caspian Sea, it is assumed that Russia will continue to …
Read More »Iranian-Azerbaijani Relations Under the New Raisi Administration
Despite a rapprochement of sorts in 2019 (see EDM, March 20, 2019), Iran’s relations with the Republic of Azerbaijan faced new strains and challenges during the final year of Hassan Rouhani’s presidency (set to end on August 3, 2021), especially following the outbreak of the Second Karabakh War in late September …
Read More »How Will Ebrahim Raisi Deal With China?
To gain the most from the 25-year cooperation agreement, Raisi should pursue a conciliatory foreign policy, and the presidency should provide the conditions for the presence of all foreign companies in Iran, giving Chinese firms rivals from Europe and elsewhere in Asia. With the victory of Ibrahim Raisi in the …
Read More »Iran faces its driest summer in fifty years
Iran is on the fast track to severe water scarcity. This semi-arid country, which has stressed the role of agriculture in assuring its economic independence, faces an onslaught of threats to its water supply, including climate change, population growth, mass migration, political instability, and resource mismanagement. Tehran, the capital and largest …
Read More »Iran’s policy towards the Taliban after US withdrawal of troops
Biden‘s decision to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan, as well as NATO’s decision to withdraw its troops from the country and capture most of Afghanistan’s cities by the Taliban, has made the future of Iran-Afghanistan relations a major issue in Iranian foreign policy. Such regional security and balance of power …
Read More »A long story since 2001: US energy diplomacy
So far, all U.S. administrations’ energy policies had strong ties with energy-producing countries; however, this time, Joe Biden is expected to introduce some significant changes Despite the various interpretations of preceding theories regarding international relations, there are commonalities and relations among them. At the end of the Cold War, economic …
Read More »The future of nuclear talks after the election of Ebrahim Raisi as the new president of Iran
With the election of Ebrahim Raisi as the new Iranian president and the start of the Vienna talks between Tehran and Washington, a new balance of power is expected to be seen in the context of a possible new deal. In recent months, with the start of the Vienna talks between Iran …
Read More »A Relationship in Flux: Can Turkey and Saudi Arabia Stabilize Relations?
Any new agreement between Iran and the United States could bring Iran’s rivals in the region closer together. It is obvious that Turkey and Saudi Arabia must solve the existing problems within the framework of their national interests to play a more active role in the region in the post-COVID …
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