SCFR Online – Opinion: Developments in the South Caucasus and Central Asia indicate that transit competition has become an arena for a new staging of influence among Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The upcoming Palestinian elections, after nearly two decades of hiatus, could affect the arrangement of political forces, the legitimacy of institutions, and the future path of Palestinian governance.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The direct war of the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran, disruption of nuclear inspections, and intensification of great power competition have taken the non-proliferation crisis beyond the issue of Iran’s nuclear program.
SCFR Online – Opinion: In the Iran–U.S. equation, China pursues a cautious balance between its energy and transit interests with Tehran and considerations related to sanctions and competition with Washington.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The simultaneity of pressure on the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb has turned the geography of energy and shipping into a new arena for the emergence of new risks, costs, and leverage.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Makkah Pact, signed on August 7, 2026, between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, is more than an answer to geopolitical vacuums; in practice, it faces a “deterrence dilemma” and “differing threat perception.” While this pact symbolizes a transition toward regional self-reliance, its first field tests and the complexities of relations with regional actors will determine its real meaning.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The reason for Washington’s reluctance to enter directly into war with Ansarullah is military and economic limitations, electoral considerations, and concern about the expansion of the crisis at two energy chokepoints.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Ansarullah’s recent lightning-fast operation and surprise advances on Yemen’s western coast have rapidly transformed the equations of the war in that country and developments in West Asia, and have challenged the calculations of Saudi Arabia, the United States, the West, and the Israeli regime.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: Explaining Russia’s approach to Afghanistan at the Moscow meeting on Afghanistan and reviewing its final statement, the former Iranian diplomat stressed the common goals of Iran and Russia regarding Afghanistan and the need for continuous consultations between Russia and Iran.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An expert of Middle East issues says US marines and military forces have relocated from the northern and western provinces of Iraq to al-Hasakah in Syria, adding that such measures indicate a new scenario is transpiring to create crisis in the Kurdish regions of Syria.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An Afghan researcher and journalist says the international community should change its politico-social priorities in Afghanistan to economic priorities and help the continuity of the country’s structure and prevents to total collapse of the social-economic system and emergence of civil war.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: On October 14, a group of Lebanese people, invited by the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Amal movement, gathered in front of the Lebanese Ministry of Justice, between Ain al-Rummaneh and Tayouneh areas, to protest the political process of investigation into the Beirut bombing, especially the performance of the judge investigating the incident, Mr. Tariq Bitar. The demonstrators were shot by the assailants affiliated to the Lebanese Forces led by Samir Geagea, “one of the parties to the Lebanese civil war and one of the present allies in the Western-Arab axis,” was witnessed which led to the killing and wounding of many protesters.
Hossein Ajorloo – expert on Middle East affairs
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Concerning the recent tensions between Russia and NATO which took place followed by the expel of eight diplomats of Russian Representation in Brussels, an expert on the European affairs said:” The U.S. and Eastern European countries have always been and are still seeking for a pretext to heat up the cold war with Russia. Therefore, expelling the Russian diplomats from European capitals and recently Brussels is interpreted within the escalated tension level kept with Russia and not to marginalize the issue of relations with Russia in the European Union.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of Caucasus issues says it is necessary to maintain the balance of power in the south Caucasus region, adding that if with the disruption of the balance of power in the region, issues proceed in a competitive manner among the actors, every cognitive error and miscalculation may cause great tensions in the region and even lead to a military confrontation.
Strategic Council Online- Opinion: The result of the Iraqi parliamentary election drew the attention of observers and political circles because it has changed the political arrangement of the Parliament of the country.
Siamak Kakaei, Expert on Iraq affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: There are several behind-the-scene targets of the recent suicide operations in Afghanistan; but the main objective is definitely to pit Shiites and Sunnis in the country against one another.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A university professor, saying that if the Taliban do not fulfill their commitments, they should not expect other players to cooperate in different fields, stressed: At the Moscow meeting, efforts should be made to move the negotiations in a direction where the United States and the Taliban undertake commitments that are difficult to be ignored.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having stated that Taliban tries to proceed with their international legitimacy through the regional powers, an analyst on Afghanistan affairs said:” they try to set up a government in Afghanistan regardless of the interests of ethnical- political groups and in the meantime, to obtain the regional powers’ support.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Developments in the South Caucasus and Central Asia indicate that transit competition has become an arena for a new staging of influence among Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The upcoming Palestinian elections, after nearly two decades of hiatus, could affect the arrangement of political forces, the legitimacy of institutions, and the future path of Palestinian governance.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The direct war of the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran, disruption of nuclear inspections, and intensification of great power competition have taken the non-proliferation crisis beyond the issue of Iran’s nuclear program.
SCFR Online – Opinion: In the Iran–U.S. equation, China pursues a cautious balance between its energy and transit interests with Tehran and considerations related to sanctions and competition with Washington.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The simultaneity of pressure on the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb has turned the geography of energy and shipping into a new arena for the emergence of new risks, costs, and leverage.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Makkah Pact, signed on August 7, 2026, between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, is more than an answer to geopolitical vacuums; in practice, it faces a “deterrence dilemma” and “differing threat perception.” While this pact symbolizes a transition toward regional self-reliance, its first field tests and the complexities of relations with regional actors will determine its real meaning.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The reason for Washington’s reluctance to enter directly into war with Ansarullah is military and economic limitations, electoral considerations, and concern about the expansion of the crisis at two energy chokepoints.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Ansarullah’s recent lightning-fast operation and surprise advances on Yemen’s western coast have rapidly transformed the equations of the war in that country and developments in West Asia, and have challenged the calculations of Saudi Arabia, the United States, the West, and the Israeli regime.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: Explaining Russia’s approach to Afghanistan at the Moscow meeting on Afghanistan and reviewing its final statement, the former Iranian diplomat stressed the common goals of Iran and Russia regarding Afghanistan and the need for continuous consultations between Russia and Iran.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An expert of Middle East issues says US marines and military forces have relocated from the northern and western provinces of Iraq to al-Hasakah in Syria, adding that such measures indicate a new scenario is transpiring to create crisis in the Kurdish regions of Syria.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An Afghan researcher and journalist says the international community should change its politico-social priorities in Afghanistan to economic priorities and help the continuity of the country’s structure and prevents to total collapse of the social-economic system and emergence of civil war.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: On October 14, a group of Lebanese people, invited by the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Amal movement, gathered in front of the Lebanese Ministry of Justice, between Ain al-Rummaneh and Tayouneh areas, to protest the political process of investigation into the Beirut bombing, especially the performance of the judge investigating the incident, Mr. Tariq Bitar. The demonstrators were shot by the assailants affiliated to the Lebanese Forces led by Samir Geagea, “one of the parties to the Lebanese civil war and one of the present allies in the Western-Arab axis,” was witnessed which led to the killing and wounding of many protesters.
Hossein Ajorloo – expert on Middle East affairs
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Concerning the recent tensions between Russia and NATO which took place followed by the expel of eight diplomats of Russian Representation in Brussels, an expert on the European affairs said:” The U.S. and Eastern European countries have always been and are still seeking for a pretext to heat up the cold war with Russia. Therefore, expelling the Russian diplomats from European capitals and recently Brussels is interpreted within the escalated tension level kept with Russia and not to marginalize the issue of relations with Russia in the European Union.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of Caucasus issues says it is necessary to maintain the balance of power in the south Caucasus region, adding that if with the disruption of the balance of power in the region, issues proceed in a competitive manner among the actors, every cognitive error and miscalculation may cause great tensions in the region and even lead to a military confrontation.
Strategic Council Online- Opinion: The result of the Iraqi parliamentary election drew the attention of observers and political circles because it has changed the political arrangement of the Parliament of the country.
Siamak Kakaei, Expert on Iraq affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: There are several behind-the-scene targets of the recent suicide operations in Afghanistan; but the main objective is definitely to pit Shiites and Sunnis in the country against one another.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A university professor, saying that if the Taliban do not fulfill their commitments, they should not expect other players to cooperate in different fields, stressed: At the Moscow meeting, efforts should be made to move the negotiations in a direction where the United States and the Taliban undertake commitments that are difficult to be ignored.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having stated that Taliban tries to proceed with their international legitimacy through the regional powers, an analyst on Afghanistan affairs said:” they try to set up a government in Afghanistan regardless of the interests of ethnical- political groups and in the meantime, to obtain the regional powers’ support.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: Explaining Russia’s approach to Afghanistan at the Moscow meeting on Afghanistan and reviewing its final statement, the former Iranian diplomat stressed the common goals of Iran and Russia regarding Afghanistan and the need for continuous consultations between Russia and Iran.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An expert of Middle East issues says US marines and military forces have relocated from the northern and western provinces of Iraq to al-Hasakah in Syria, adding that such measures indicate a new scenario is transpiring to create crisis in the Kurdish regions of Syria.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An Afghan researcher and journalist says the international community should change its politico-social priorities in Afghanistan to economic priorities and help the continuity of the country’s structure and prevents to total collapse of the social-economic system and emergence of civil war.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: On October 14, a group of Lebanese people, invited by the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Amal movement, gathered in front of the Lebanese Ministry of Justice, between Ain al-Rummaneh and Tayouneh areas, to protest the political process of investigation into the Beirut bombing, especially the performance of the judge investigating the incident, Mr. Tariq Bitar. The demonstrators were shot by the assailants affiliated to the Lebanese Forces led by Samir Geagea, “one of the parties to the Lebanese civil war and one of the present allies in the Western-Arab axis,” was witnessed which led to the killing and wounding of many protesters.
Hossein Ajorloo – expert on Middle East affairs
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Concerning the recent tensions between Russia and NATO which took place followed by the expel of eight diplomats of Russian Representation in Brussels, an expert on the European affairs said:” The U.S. and Eastern European countries have always been and are still seeking for a pretext to heat up the cold war with Russia. Therefore, expelling the Russian diplomats from European capitals and recently Brussels is interpreted within the escalated tension level kept with Russia and not to marginalize the issue of relations with Russia in the European Union.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of Caucasus issues says it is necessary to maintain the balance of power in the south Caucasus region, adding that if with the disruption of the balance of power in the region, issues proceed in a competitive manner among the actors, every cognitive error and miscalculation may cause great tensions in the region and even lead to a military confrontation.
Strategic Council Online- Opinion: The result of the Iraqi parliamentary election drew the attention of observers and political circles because it has changed the political arrangement of the Parliament of the country.
Siamak Kakaei, Expert on Iraq affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: There are several behind-the-scene targets of the recent suicide operations in Afghanistan; but the main objective is definitely to pit Shiites and Sunnis in the country against one another.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A university professor, saying that if the Taliban do not fulfill their commitments, they should not expect other players to cooperate in different fields, stressed: At the Moscow meeting, efforts should be made to move the negotiations in a direction where the United States and the Taliban undertake commitments that are difficult to be ignored.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having stated that Taliban tries to proceed with their international legitimacy through the regional powers, an analyst on Afghanistan affairs said:” they try to set up a government in Afghanistan regardless of the interests of ethnical- political groups and in the meantime, to obtain the regional powers’ support.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Developments in the South Caucasus and Central Asia indicate that transit competition has become an arena for a new staging of influence among Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The upcoming Palestinian elections, after nearly two decades of hiatus, could affect the arrangement of political forces, the legitimacy of institutions, and the future path of Palestinian governance.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The direct war of the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran, disruption of nuclear inspections, and intensification of great power competition have taken the non-proliferation crisis beyond the issue of Iran’s nuclear program.
SCFR Online – Opinion: In the Iran–U.S. equation, China pursues a cautious balance between its energy and transit interests with Tehran and considerations related to sanctions and competition with Washington.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The simultaneity of pressure on the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb has turned the geography of energy and shipping into a new arena for the emergence of new risks, costs, and leverage.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Makkah Pact, signed on August 7, 2026, between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, is more than an answer to geopolitical vacuums; in practice, it faces a “deterrence dilemma” and “differing threat perception.” While this pact symbolizes a transition toward regional self-reliance, its first field tests and the complexities of relations with regional actors will determine its real meaning.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The reason for Washington’s reluctance to enter directly into war with Ansarullah is military and economic limitations, electoral considerations, and concern about the expansion of the crisis at two energy chokepoints.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Ansarullah’s recent lightning-fast operation and surprise advances on Yemen’s western coast have rapidly transformed the equations of the war in that country and developments in West Asia, and have challenged the calculations of Saudi Arabia, the United States, the West, and the Israeli regime.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: Explaining Russia’s approach to Afghanistan at the Moscow meeting on Afghanistan and reviewing its final statement, the former Iranian diplomat stressed the common goals of Iran and Russia regarding Afghanistan and the need for continuous consultations between Russia and Iran.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An expert of Middle East issues says US marines and military forces have relocated from the northern and western provinces of Iraq to al-Hasakah in Syria, adding that such measures indicate a new scenario is transpiring to create crisis in the Kurdish regions of Syria.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An Afghan researcher and journalist says the international community should change its politico-social priorities in Afghanistan to economic priorities and help the continuity of the country’s structure and prevents to total collapse of the social-economic system and emergence of civil war.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: On October 14, a group of Lebanese people, invited by the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Amal movement, gathered in front of the Lebanese Ministry of Justice, between Ain al-Rummaneh and Tayouneh areas, to protest the political process of investigation into the Beirut bombing, especially the performance of the judge investigating the incident, Mr. Tariq Bitar. The demonstrators were shot by the assailants affiliated to the Lebanese Forces led by Samir Geagea, “one of the parties to the Lebanese civil war and one of the present allies in the Western-Arab axis,” was witnessed which led to the killing and wounding of many protesters.
Hossein Ajorloo – expert on Middle East affairs
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Concerning the recent tensions between Russia and NATO which took place followed by the expel of eight diplomats of Russian Representation in Brussels, an expert on the European affairs said:” The U.S. and Eastern European countries have always been and are still seeking for a pretext to heat up the cold war with Russia. Therefore, expelling the Russian diplomats from European capitals and recently Brussels is interpreted within the escalated tension level kept with Russia and not to marginalize the issue of relations with Russia in the European Union.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of Caucasus issues says it is necessary to maintain the balance of power in the south Caucasus region, adding that if with the disruption of the balance of power in the region, issues proceed in a competitive manner among the actors, every cognitive error and miscalculation may cause great tensions in the region and even lead to a military confrontation.
Strategic Council Online- Opinion: The result of the Iraqi parliamentary election drew the attention of observers and political circles because it has changed the political arrangement of the Parliament of the country.
Siamak Kakaei, Expert on Iraq affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: There are several behind-the-scene targets of the recent suicide operations in Afghanistan; but the main objective is definitely to pit Shiites and Sunnis in the country against one another.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A university professor, saying that if the Taliban do not fulfill their commitments, they should not expect other players to cooperate in different fields, stressed: At the Moscow meeting, efforts should be made to move the negotiations in a direction where the United States and the Taliban undertake commitments that are difficult to be ignored.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having stated that Taliban tries to proceed with their international legitimacy through the regional powers, an analyst on Afghanistan affairs said:” they try to set up a government in Afghanistan regardless of the interests of ethnical- political groups and in the meantime, to obtain the regional powers’ support.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Developments in the South Caucasus and Central Asia indicate that transit competition has become an arena for a new staging of influence among Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The upcoming Palestinian elections, after nearly two decades of hiatus, could affect the arrangement of political forces, the legitimacy of institutions, and the future path of Palestinian governance.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The direct war of the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran, disruption of nuclear inspections, and intensification of great power competition have taken the non-proliferation crisis beyond the issue of Iran’s nuclear program.
SCFR Online – Opinion: In the Iran–U.S. equation, China pursues a cautious balance between its energy and transit interests with Tehran and considerations related to sanctions and competition with Washington.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The simultaneity of pressure on the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb has turned the geography of energy and shipping into a new arena for the emergence of new risks, costs, and leverage.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Makkah Pact, signed on August 7, 2026, between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, is more than an answer to geopolitical vacuums; in practice, it faces a “deterrence dilemma” and “differing threat perception.” While this pact symbolizes a transition toward regional self-reliance, its first field tests and the complexities of relations with regional actors will determine its real meaning.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The reason for Washington’s reluctance to enter directly into war with Ansarullah is military and economic limitations, electoral considerations, and concern about the expansion of the crisis at two energy chokepoints.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Ansarullah’s recent lightning-fast operation and surprise advances on Yemen’s western coast have rapidly transformed the equations of the war in that country and developments in West Asia, and have challenged the calculations of Saudi Arabia, the United States, the West, and the Israeli regime.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: Explaining Russia’s approach to Afghanistan at the Moscow meeting on Afghanistan and reviewing its final statement, the former Iranian diplomat stressed the common goals of Iran and Russia regarding Afghanistan and the need for continuous consultations between Russia and Iran.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An expert of Middle East issues says US marines and military forces have relocated from the northern and western provinces of Iraq to al-Hasakah in Syria, adding that such measures indicate a new scenario is transpiring to create crisis in the Kurdish regions of Syria.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An Afghan researcher and journalist says the international community should change its politico-social priorities in Afghanistan to economic priorities and help the continuity of the country’s structure and prevents to total collapse of the social-economic system and emergence of civil war.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: On October 14, a group of Lebanese people, invited by the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Amal movement, gathered in front of the Lebanese Ministry of Justice, between Ain al-Rummaneh and Tayouneh areas, to protest the political process of investigation into the Beirut bombing, especially the performance of the judge investigating the incident, Mr. Tariq Bitar. The demonstrators were shot by the assailants affiliated to the Lebanese Forces led by Samir Geagea, “one of the parties to the Lebanese civil war and one of the present allies in the Western-Arab axis,” was witnessed which led to the killing and wounding of many protesters.
Hossein Ajorloo – expert on Middle East affairs
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Concerning the recent tensions between Russia and NATO which took place followed by the expel of eight diplomats of Russian Representation in Brussels, an expert on the European affairs said:” The U.S. and Eastern European countries have always been and are still seeking for a pretext to heat up the cold war with Russia. Therefore, expelling the Russian diplomats from European capitals and recently Brussels is interpreted within the escalated tension level kept with Russia and not to marginalize the issue of relations with Russia in the European Union.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of Caucasus issues says it is necessary to maintain the balance of power in the south Caucasus region, adding that if with the disruption of the balance of power in the region, issues proceed in a competitive manner among the actors, every cognitive error and miscalculation may cause great tensions in the region and even lead to a military confrontation.
Strategic Council Online- Opinion: The result of the Iraqi parliamentary election drew the attention of observers and political circles because it has changed the political arrangement of the Parliament of the country.
Siamak Kakaei, Expert on Iraq affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: There are several behind-the-scene targets of the recent suicide operations in Afghanistan; but the main objective is definitely to pit Shiites and Sunnis in the country against one another.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A university professor, saying that if the Taliban do not fulfill their commitments, they should not expect other players to cooperate in different fields, stressed: At the Moscow meeting, efforts should be made to move the negotiations in a direction where the United States and the Taliban undertake commitments that are difficult to be ignored.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having stated that Taliban tries to proceed with their international legitimacy through the regional powers, an analyst on Afghanistan affairs said:” they try to set up a government in Afghanistan regardless of the interests of ethnical- political groups and in the meantime, to obtain the regional powers’ support.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Developments in the South Caucasus and Central Asia indicate that transit competition has become an arena for a new staging of influence among Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The upcoming Palestinian elections, after nearly two decades of hiatus, could affect the arrangement of political forces, the legitimacy of institutions, and the future path of Palestinian governance.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The direct war of the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran, disruption of nuclear inspections, and intensification of great power competition have taken the non-proliferation crisis beyond the issue of Iran’s nuclear program.
SCFR Online – Opinion: In the Iran–U.S. equation, China pursues a cautious balance between its energy and transit interests with Tehran and considerations related to sanctions and competition with Washington.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The simultaneity of pressure on the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb has turned the geography of energy and shipping into a new arena for the emergence of new risks, costs, and leverage.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Makkah Pact, signed on August 7, 2026, between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, is more than an answer to geopolitical vacuums; in practice, it faces a “deterrence dilemma” and “differing threat perception.” While this pact symbolizes a transition toward regional self-reliance, its first field tests and the complexities of relations with regional actors will determine its real meaning.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The reason for Washington’s reluctance to enter directly into war with Ansarullah is military and economic limitations, electoral considerations, and concern about the expansion of the crisis at two energy chokepoints.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Ansarullah’s recent lightning-fast operation and surprise advances on Yemen’s western coast have rapidly transformed the equations of the war in that country and developments in West Asia, and have challenged the calculations of Saudi Arabia, the United States, the West, and the Israeli regime.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: Explaining Russia’s approach to Afghanistan at the Moscow meeting on Afghanistan and reviewing its final statement, the former Iranian diplomat stressed the common goals of Iran and Russia regarding Afghanistan and the need for continuous consultations between Russia and Iran.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An expert of Middle East issues says US marines and military forces have relocated from the northern and western provinces of Iraq to al-Hasakah in Syria, adding that such measures indicate a new scenario is transpiring to create crisis in the Kurdish regions of Syria.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An Afghan researcher and journalist says the international community should change its politico-social priorities in Afghanistan to economic priorities and help the continuity of the country’s structure and prevents to total collapse of the social-economic system and emergence of civil war.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: On October 14, a group of Lebanese people, invited by the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Amal movement, gathered in front of the Lebanese Ministry of Justice, between Ain al-Rummaneh and Tayouneh areas, to protest the political process of investigation into the Beirut bombing, especially the performance of the judge investigating the incident, Mr. Tariq Bitar. The demonstrators were shot by the assailants affiliated to the Lebanese Forces led by Samir Geagea, “one of the parties to the Lebanese civil war and one of the present allies in the Western-Arab axis,” was witnessed which led to the killing and wounding of many protesters.
Hossein Ajorloo – expert on Middle East affairs
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Concerning the recent tensions between Russia and NATO which took place followed by the expel of eight diplomats of Russian Representation in Brussels, an expert on the European affairs said:” The U.S. and Eastern European countries have always been and are still seeking for a pretext to heat up the cold war with Russia. Therefore, expelling the Russian diplomats from European capitals and recently Brussels is interpreted within the escalated tension level kept with Russia and not to marginalize the issue of relations with Russia in the European Union.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of Caucasus issues says it is necessary to maintain the balance of power in the south Caucasus region, adding that if with the disruption of the balance of power in the region, issues proceed in a competitive manner among the actors, every cognitive error and miscalculation may cause great tensions in the region and even lead to a military confrontation.
Strategic Council Online- Opinion: The result of the Iraqi parliamentary election drew the attention of observers and political circles because it has changed the political arrangement of the Parliament of the country.
Siamak Kakaei, Expert on Iraq affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: There are several behind-the-scene targets of the recent suicide operations in Afghanistan; but the main objective is definitely to pit Shiites and Sunnis in the country against one another.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A university professor, saying that if the Taliban do not fulfill their commitments, they should not expect other players to cooperate in different fields, stressed: At the Moscow meeting, efforts should be made to move the negotiations in a direction where the United States and the Taliban undertake commitments that are difficult to be ignored.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having stated that Taliban tries to proceed with their international legitimacy through the regional powers, an analyst on Afghanistan affairs said:” they try to set up a government in Afghanistan regardless of the interests of ethnical- political groups and in the meantime, to obtain the regional powers’ support.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Developments in the South Caucasus and Central Asia indicate that transit competition has become an arena for a new staging of influence among Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The upcoming Palestinian elections, after nearly two decades of hiatus, could affect the arrangement of political forces, the legitimacy of institutions, and the future path of Palestinian governance.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The direct war of the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran, disruption of nuclear inspections, and intensification of great power competition have taken the non-proliferation crisis beyond the issue of Iran’s nuclear program.
SCFR Online – Opinion: In the Iran–U.S. equation, China pursues a cautious balance between its energy and transit interests with Tehran and considerations related to sanctions and competition with Washington.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The simultaneity of pressure on the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb has turned the geography of energy and shipping into a new arena for the emergence of new risks, costs, and leverage.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Makkah Pact, signed on August 7, 2026, between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, is more than an answer to geopolitical vacuums; in practice, it faces a “deterrence dilemma” and “differing threat perception.” While this pact symbolizes a transition toward regional self-reliance, its first field tests and the complexities of relations with regional actors will determine its real meaning.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The reason for Washington’s reluctance to enter directly into war with Ansarullah is military and economic limitations, electoral considerations, and concern about the expansion of the crisis at two energy chokepoints.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Ansarullah’s recent lightning-fast operation and surprise advances on Yemen’s western coast have rapidly transformed the equations of the war in that country and developments in West Asia, and have challenged the calculations of Saudi Arabia, the United States, the West, and the Israeli regime.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: Explaining Russia’s approach to Afghanistan at the Moscow meeting on Afghanistan and reviewing its final statement, the former Iranian diplomat stressed the common goals of Iran and Russia regarding Afghanistan and the need for continuous consultations between Russia and Iran.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An expert of Middle East issues says US marines and military forces have relocated from the northern and western provinces of Iraq to al-Hasakah in Syria, adding that such measures indicate a new scenario is transpiring to create crisis in the Kurdish regions of Syria.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An Afghan researcher and journalist says the international community should change its politico-social priorities in Afghanistan to economic priorities and help the continuity of the country’s structure and prevents to total collapse of the social-economic system and emergence of civil war.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: On October 14, a group of Lebanese people, invited by the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Amal movement, gathered in front of the Lebanese Ministry of Justice, between Ain al-Rummaneh and Tayouneh areas, to protest the political process of investigation into the Beirut bombing, especially the performance of the judge investigating the incident, Mr. Tariq Bitar. The demonstrators were shot by the assailants affiliated to the Lebanese Forces led by Samir Geagea, “one of the parties to the Lebanese civil war and one of the present allies in the Western-Arab axis,” was witnessed which led to the killing and wounding of many protesters.
Hossein Ajorloo – expert on Middle East affairs
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Concerning the recent tensions between Russia and NATO which took place followed by the expel of eight diplomats of Russian Representation in Brussels, an expert on the European affairs said:” The U.S. and Eastern European countries have always been and are still seeking for a pretext to heat up the cold war with Russia. Therefore, expelling the Russian diplomats from European capitals and recently Brussels is interpreted within the escalated tension level kept with Russia and not to marginalize the issue of relations with Russia in the European Union.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of Caucasus issues says it is necessary to maintain the balance of power in the south Caucasus region, adding that if with the disruption of the balance of power in the region, issues proceed in a competitive manner among the actors, every cognitive error and miscalculation may cause great tensions in the region and even lead to a military confrontation.
Strategic Council Online- Opinion: The result of the Iraqi parliamentary election drew the attention of observers and political circles because it has changed the political arrangement of the Parliament of the country.
Siamak Kakaei, Expert on Iraq affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: There are several behind-the-scene targets of the recent suicide operations in Afghanistan; but the main objective is definitely to pit Shiites and Sunnis in the country against one another.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A university professor, saying that if the Taliban do not fulfill their commitments, they should not expect other players to cooperate in different fields, stressed: At the Moscow meeting, efforts should be made to move the negotiations in a direction where the United States and the Taliban undertake commitments that are difficult to be ignored.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having stated that Taliban tries to proceed with their international legitimacy through the regional powers, an analyst on Afghanistan affairs said:” they try to set up a government in Afghanistan regardless of the interests of ethnical- political groups and in the meantime, to obtain the regional powers’ support.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Developments in the South Caucasus and Central Asia indicate that transit competition has become an arena for a new staging of influence among Iran, Turkey, Russia, and China.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The upcoming Palestinian elections, after nearly two decades of hiatus, could affect the arrangement of political forces, the legitimacy of institutions, and the future path of Palestinian governance.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The direct war of the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran, disruption of nuclear inspections, and intensification of great power competition have taken the non-proliferation crisis beyond the issue of Iran’s nuclear program.
SCFR Online – Opinion: In the Iran–U.S. equation, China pursues a cautious balance between its energy and transit interests with Tehran and considerations related to sanctions and competition with Washington.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The simultaneity of pressure on the Strait of Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb has turned the geography of energy and shipping into a new arena for the emergence of new risks, costs, and leverage.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Makkah Pact, signed on August 7, 2026, between Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan, is more than an answer to geopolitical vacuums; in practice, it faces a “deterrence dilemma” and “differing threat perception.” While this pact symbolizes a transition toward regional self-reliance, its first field tests and the complexities of relations with regional actors will determine its real meaning.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The reason for Washington’s reluctance to enter directly into war with Ansarullah is military and economic limitations, electoral considerations, and concern about the expansion of the crisis at two energy chokepoints.
SCFR Online – Opinion: Ansarullah’s recent lightning-fast operation and surprise advances on Yemen’s western coast have rapidly transformed the equations of the war in that country and developments in West Asia, and have challenged the calculations of Saudi Arabia, the United States, the West, and the Israeli regime.