Executive Summary: The first anniversary of the war in Gaza has revealed the near-total disappearance of Russia’s influence in the Middle East, as it has not been able to partner with those averse to US positions. Moscow hopes to exploit the shift in international attention... MORE

Executive Summary: In late May, Mossad attributed two attacks against the Israeli embassy in Stockholm to Iranian-backed criminal networks active in the country. The individuals at the core of these networks are Rawa “The Kurdish Fox” Majid and Ismael “The Strawberry” Abdo. The decision by... MORE

Executive Summary: The Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute has always been about both Karabakh and regional transit routes, which now center on Zangezur. Addressing this problem is far more difficult than Karabakh because it directly involves not just Baku and Yerevan but all outside powers—including Russia, Iran, Türkiye,... MORE

Executive Summary: Russia and Iran’s strategic partnership has strengthened steadily since the beginning of Moscow’s war against Ukraine and has progressed as tensions in the Middle East are rising, largely due to the war in Gaza. The Kremlin’s growing reliance on an uninterrupted flow of... MORE

Executive Summary: As Russia suffers under Western sanctions, Kremlin propagandists have turned their attention to Iran and advocated studying the Iranian experience of living under sanctions including Iranian scientific innovation and economic development. Russian officials have sung the praises of the Iranian leadership since the... MORE

Executive Summary: Armenia is increasingly turning to India for military support, making significant purchases of Indian-made weapon systems, including the Akash-1S air defense system, as part of a $2 billion defense partnership signed in 2020. Armenia’s pivot toward India marks a shift away from its... MORE

Executive Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Azerbaijan reinforced Russia’s ongoing efforts to maintain influence in the South Caucasus, where increased cooperation on food security, labor, and oil production were announced. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s comments on the Zangezur Corridor ignited tensions with... MORE

Executive Summary: Iran and Turkmenistan are rapidly expanding transit routes, enabling Tehran to expand its trade with Russia in support of Moscow’s effort to circumvent Western sanctions and boost its economic links with other Central Asian countries. This route is increasingly important to Russia because... MORE

Executive Summary: The July 31 assassination of Hamas’s head, Ismail Haniyeh, after the inauguration of Iran’s new president in Tehran was a significant victory for Israel, signaling that Jerusalem could eliminate any leader of the Islamic Republic at will. This appears to reflect a deeper... MORE

Executive Summary: Pressure on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to deliver a peace agreement with Azerbaijan before the 2026 parliamentary elections is mounting, driven by questions surrounding the longevity of Armenian economic growth. Pashinyan’s efforts to advance negotiations have seen both progress and setbacks. Unresolved... MORE