Iran

Non-state actors and the phantom of asymmetry
Non-state actors and the phantom of asymmetry
The sunny days of free-riding are receding. In some form or another, most countries have leeched off American power for the last three decades. The preponderance of US military…
An Iranian trap in Yemen
An Iranian trap in Yemen
The death of three US soldiers in a drone attack conducted by Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq on Tower 22, a US military base in Jordan adjacent to the Iraq-Syria-Jordan…
The war in Gaza has not destroyed normalisation … for now
The war in Gaza has not destroyed normalisation … for now
Arab governments who have diplomatic relations with Israel, such as Egypt and Jordan, are under increasing pressure from their populations to sever ties amid a growing outcry over…
History repeats: A new (old) economic corridor emerges
History repeats: A new (old) economic corridor emerges
The newly announced India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) seeks to reimagine the natural connectivity of eras past. Historic trading links between the Indian…
Israel and Saudi Arabia: Finally, a New Middle East?
Israel and Saudi Arabia: Finally, a New Middle East?
A diplomatic deal normalising relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia – a breakthrough that would have been inconceivable several years ago – is suddenly a plausible prospect. …
Iran’s lithium lode: A potential strategic game-changer
Iran’s lithium lode: A potential strategic game-changer
Iran’s recent unearthing of a vast lithium deposit – potentially the world’s second largest – has sent shockwaves through the global lithium competition landscape. Amid the…
Reviving hope in Iran: Why the “Woman Life Freedom” movement lives on
Reviving hope in Iran: Why the “Woman Life Freedom” movement lives on
We don’t hear much anymore in Australia about what is happening on the ground in Iran, but the Woman Life Freedom movement is very much alive. Some calls this movement an…
Even under sanctions, Iran is expanding a network of friends
Even under sanctions, Iran is expanding a network of friends
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Secretary-General Zhang Ming in March to discuss Iran’s formal membership of the grouping, with its…
China to the rescue, with peace plans for Saudi, Iran, Russia, Ukraine and Afghanistan – up to a point
China to the rescue, with peace plans for Saudi, Iran, Russia, Ukraine and Afghanistan – up to a point
In another sign of its increasingly prolific international diplomacy, China last month released an 11-point position paper on the “Afghan Issue”. China’s Afghan démarche came just…
China trumpets the Saudi-Iran deal, yet much credit goes to Pakistan 
China trumpets the Saudi-Iran deal, yet much credit goes to Pakistan 
China’s brokering of a Saudi Arabia-Iran peace deal was presented earlier this month as a diplomatic blockbuster, a sign of the country’s growing influence in the oil-rich Middle…