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: A senior researcher at the Presidential Center for Strategic Studies saying that the Russians do not have a similar Iranian perception of the level of threat that would lead to fundamental geopolitical change in the Caucasus, noted: If the corridor sought by Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan is created by military action or threat, the balance of power in the region as a whole will change, and Russia will certainly suffer greatly.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having pointed out the recent statement issued by thirty countries including Iran, China, Russia, Palestine, Belarus, Pakistan, Egypt, Venezuela and Bolivia on condemning to resort the coercive unilateral measures such as sanctions against developing countries, an expert on the U.S. said:” It is obvious that when the U.S. pressurizes countries under the pretext of sanctions, those countries try to both minimize their dependence on the U.S. economy and maximize their capacities to boost their cooperation with other countries subjected to similar sanctions”.
Strategic Council Online: Dr. Kamal Kharazi said: The main duty of every sovereignty is to ensure the rights of its people, including their security, and this also applies to the incumbent sovereignty in Afghanistan. Countering terrorism and preventing crimes such as the massacre of innocent children and people in Shiite schools and mosques by the ISIS terrorist group is primarily the task of the current sovereignty to eliminate terrorists from the scene of Afghanistan, and of course, it is the natural right of the oppressed Shiites of Afghanistan to defend their rights.
Strategic Council Online-Opinion: The Zionist regime is still seeking to publicize the establishment or expansion of diplomatic relations with various Arab countries. Iraq is one important Arab country for which the Zionist officials are adopting a specific strategy and various tactics for normalization of relations and expansion of influence.
Hamid Khoshayand- Analyst of international issues
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of the Caucasus issues says any efforts to change international borders and geopolitics of the region are considered as redline for Iran, adding that “it is expected that the emphasis of the Azerbaijan Republic on the 3+3 model of cooperation will be beyond the policies applied by this country and we would witness measures which would indicate this country is interested in collective and regional political cooperation instead of reliance on the Zionist regime or foreign powers”.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on September 29 in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. Of course, the short duration of the meeting compared to the long meetings in the past has attracted the attention of analysts who have assessed the event as being related to the escalation of differences between the two sides on some issues. Erdogan and Putin have met 26 times in person since the war in November 2015, when a Russian fighter plane was shot down by Turkey. The last meeting of the leaders of the two countries was held on March 5, 2020 in Moscow.
Mahmoud Fazeli – International affairs analyst
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A former Iranian diplomat considered Islamabad’s support for the Taliban coming to power in Kabul as a threat to Pakistan’s future and said: The coming to power of the Taliban in Kabul stimulates ethnic sentiments for supporting the Pashtuns in the Pashtun-populated and tribal areas and this will become a great challenge for the government of that country.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: After the independence of Algeria in 1962, the issue of demarcation of common borders with Morocco caused a rift between the two countries.
Ahmad Bakhshi – Expert on Africa affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on Iraq affairs said: Supporters of the US presence in Iraq think that with the withdrawal of America conditions similar to those created in Afghanistan will emerge and armed groups or similar ones will gain power in Iraq; but there are major differences between Iraq and Afghanistan.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: Former head of the Logistics Headquarter of Afghanistan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that the Taliban is now only thinking of consolidating its international position; said: So far, there is no evidence of the efforts of the leaders of that group to create an inclusive government with the presence of all ethnic groups.
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: A senior researcher at the Presidential Center for Strategic Studies saying that the Russians do not have a similar Iranian perception of the level of threat that would lead to fundamental geopolitical change in the Caucasus, noted: If the corridor sought by Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan is created by military action or threat, the balance of power in the region as a whole will change, and Russia will certainly suffer greatly.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having pointed out the recent statement issued by thirty countries including Iran, China, Russia, Palestine, Belarus, Pakistan, Egypt, Venezuela and Bolivia on condemning to resort the coercive unilateral measures such as sanctions against developing countries, an expert on the U.S. said:” It is obvious that when the U.S. pressurizes countries under the pretext of sanctions, those countries try to both minimize their dependence on the U.S. economy and maximize their capacities to boost their cooperation with other countries subjected to similar sanctions”.
Strategic Council Online: Dr. Kamal Kharazi said: The main duty of every sovereignty is to ensure the rights of its people, including their security, and this also applies to the incumbent sovereignty in Afghanistan. Countering terrorism and preventing crimes such as the massacre of innocent children and people in Shiite schools and mosques by the ISIS terrorist group is primarily the task of the current sovereignty to eliminate terrorists from the scene of Afghanistan, and of course, it is the natural right of the oppressed Shiites of Afghanistan to defend their rights.
Strategic Council Online-Opinion: The Zionist regime is still seeking to publicize the establishment or expansion of diplomatic relations with various Arab countries. Iraq is one important Arab country for which the Zionist officials are adopting a specific strategy and various tactics for normalization of relations and expansion of influence.
Hamid Khoshayand- Analyst of international issues
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of the Caucasus issues says any efforts to change international borders and geopolitics of the region are considered as redline for Iran, adding that “it is expected that the emphasis of the Azerbaijan Republic on the 3+3 model of cooperation will be beyond the policies applied by this country and we would witness measures which would indicate this country is interested in collective and regional political cooperation instead of reliance on the Zionist regime or foreign powers”.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on September 29 in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. Of course, the short duration of the meeting compared to the long meetings in the past has attracted the attention of analysts who have assessed the event as being related to the escalation of differences between the two sides on some issues. Erdogan and Putin have met 26 times in person since the war in November 2015, when a Russian fighter plane was shot down by Turkey. The last meeting of the leaders of the two countries was held on March 5, 2020 in Moscow.
Mahmoud Fazeli – International affairs analyst
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A former Iranian diplomat considered Islamabad’s support for the Taliban coming to power in Kabul as a threat to Pakistan’s future and said: The coming to power of the Taliban in Kabul stimulates ethnic sentiments for supporting the Pashtuns in the Pashtun-populated and tribal areas and this will become a great challenge for the government of that country.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: After the independence of Algeria in 1962, the issue of demarcation of common borders with Morocco caused a rift between the two countries.
Ahmad Bakhshi – Expert on Africa affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on Iraq affairs said: Supporters of the US presence in Iraq think that with the withdrawal of America conditions similar to those created in Afghanistan will emerge and armed groups or similar ones will gain power in Iraq; but there are major differences between Iraq and Afghanistan.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: Former head of the Logistics Headquarter of Afghanistan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that the Taliban is now only thinking of consolidating its international position; said: So far, there is no evidence of the efforts of the leaders of that group to create an inclusive government with the presence of all ethnic groups.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A senior researcher at the Presidential Center for Strategic Studies saying that the Russians do not have a similar Iranian perception of the level of threat that would lead to fundamental geopolitical change in the Caucasus, noted: If the corridor sought by Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan is created by military action or threat, the balance of power in the region as a whole will change, and Russia will certainly suffer greatly.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having pointed out the recent statement issued by thirty countries including Iran, China, Russia, Palestine, Belarus, Pakistan, Egypt, Venezuela and Bolivia on condemning to resort the coercive unilateral measures such as sanctions against developing countries, an expert on the U.S. said:” It is obvious that when the U.S. pressurizes countries under the pretext of sanctions, those countries try to both minimize their dependence on the U.S. economy and maximize their capacities to boost their cooperation with other countries subjected to similar sanctions”.
Strategic Council Online: Dr. Kamal Kharazi said: The main duty of every sovereignty is to ensure the rights of its people, including their security, and this also applies to the incumbent sovereignty in Afghanistan. Countering terrorism and preventing crimes such as the massacre of innocent children and people in Shiite schools and mosques by the ISIS terrorist group is primarily the task of the current sovereignty to eliminate terrorists from the scene of Afghanistan, and of course, it is the natural right of the oppressed Shiites of Afghanistan to defend their rights.
Strategic Council Online-Opinion: The Zionist regime is still seeking to publicize the establishment or expansion of diplomatic relations with various Arab countries. Iraq is one important Arab country for which the Zionist officials are adopting a specific strategy and various tactics for normalization of relations and expansion of influence.
Hamid Khoshayand- Analyst of international issues
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of the Caucasus issues says any efforts to change international borders and geopolitics of the region are considered as redline for Iran, adding that “it is expected that the emphasis of the Azerbaijan Republic on the 3+3 model of cooperation will be beyond the policies applied by this country and we would witness measures which would indicate this country is interested in collective and regional political cooperation instead of reliance on the Zionist regime or foreign powers”.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on September 29 in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. Of course, the short duration of the meeting compared to the long meetings in the past has attracted the attention of analysts who have assessed the event as being related to the escalation of differences between the two sides on some issues. Erdogan and Putin have met 26 times in person since the war in November 2015, when a Russian fighter plane was shot down by Turkey. The last meeting of the leaders of the two countries was held on March 5, 2020 in Moscow.
Mahmoud Fazeli – International affairs analyst
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A former Iranian diplomat considered Islamabad’s support for the Taliban coming to power in Kabul as a threat to Pakistan’s future and said: The coming to power of the Taliban in Kabul stimulates ethnic sentiments for supporting the Pashtuns in the Pashtun-populated and tribal areas and this will become a great challenge for the government of that country.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: After the independence of Algeria in 1962, the issue of demarcation of common borders with Morocco caused a rift between the two countries.
Ahmad Bakhshi – Expert on Africa affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on Iraq affairs said: Supporters of the US presence in Iraq think that with the withdrawal of America conditions similar to those created in Afghanistan will emerge and armed groups or similar ones will gain power in Iraq; but there are major differences between Iraq and Afghanistan.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: Former head of the Logistics Headquarter of Afghanistan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that the Taliban is now only thinking of consolidating its international position; said: So far, there is no evidence of the efforts of the leaders of that group to create an inclusive government with the presence of all ethnic groups.
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: A senior researcher at the Presidential Center for Strategic Studies saying that the Russians do not have a similar Iranian perception of the level of threat that would lead to fundamental geopolitical change in the Caucasus, noted: If the corridor sought by Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan is created by military action or threat, the balance of power in the region as a whole will change, and Russia will certainly suffer greatly.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having pointed out the recent statement issued by thirty countries including Iran, China, Russia, Palestine, Belarus, Pakistan, Egypt, Venezuela and Bolivia on condemning to resort the coercive unilateral measures such as sanctions against developing countries, an expert on the U.S. said:” It is obvious that when the U.S. pressurizes countries under the pretext of sanctions, those countries try to both minimize their dependence on the U.S. economy and maximize their capacities to boost their cooperation with other countries subjected to similar sanctions”.
Strategic Council Online: Dr. Kamal Kharazi said: The main duty of every sovereignty is to ensure the rights of its people, including their security, and this also applies to the incumbent sovereignty in Afghanistan. Countering terrorism and preventing crimes such as the massacre of innocent children and people in Shiite schools and mosques by the ISIS terrorist group is primarily the task of the current sovereignty to eliminate terrorists from the scene of Afghanistan, and of course, it is the natural right of the oppressed Shiites of Afghanistan to defend their rights.
Strategic Council Online-Opinion: The Zionist regime is still seeking to publicize the establishment or expansion of diplomatic relations with various Arab countries. Iraq is one important Arab country for which the Zionist officials are adopting a specific strategy and various tactics for normalization of relations and expansion of influence.
Hamid Khoshayand- Analyst of international issues
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of the Caucasus issues says any efforts to change international borders and geopolitics of the region are considered as redline for Iran, adding that “it is expected that the emphasis of the Azerbaijan Republic on the 3+3 model of cooperation will be beyond the policies applied by this country and we would witness measures which would indicate this country is interested in collective and regional political cooperation instead of reliance on the Zionist regime or foreign powers”.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on September 29 in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. Of course, the short duration of the meeting compared to the long meetings in the past has attracted the attention of analysts who have assessed the event as being related to the escalation of differences between the two sides on some issues. Erdogan and Putin have met 26 times in person since the war in November 2015, when a Russian fighter plane was shot down by Turkey. The last meeting of the leaders of the two countries was held on March 5, 2020 in Moscow.
Mahmoud Fazeli – International affairs analyst
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A former Iranian diplomat considered Islamabad’s support for the Taliban coming to power in Kabul as a threat to Pakistan’s future and said: The coming to power of the Taliban in Kabul stimulates ethnic sentiments for supporting the Pashtuns in the Pashtun-populated and tribal areas and this will become a great challenge for the government of that country.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: After the independence of Algeria in 1962, the issue of demarcation of common borders with Morocco caused a rift between the two countries.
Ahmad Bakhshi – Expert on Africa affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on Iraq affairs said: Supporters of the US presence in Iraq think that with the withdrawal of America conditions similar to those created in Afghanistan will emerge and armed groups or similar ones will gain power in Iraq; but there are major differences between Iraq and Afghanistan.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: Former head of the Logistics Headquarter of Afghanistan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that the Taliban is now only thinking of consolidating its international position; said: So far, there is no evidence of the efforts of the leaders of that group to create an inclusive government with the presence of all ethnic groups.
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: A senior researcher at the Presidential Center for Strategic Studies saying that the Russians do not have a similar Iranian perception of the level of threat that would lead to fundamental geopolitical change in the Caucasus, noted: If the corridor sought by Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan is created by military action or threat, the balance of power in the region as a whole will change, and Russia will certainly suffer greatly.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having pointed out the recent statement issued by thirty countries including Iran, China, Russia, Palestine, Belarus, Pakistan, Egypt, Venezuela and Bolivia on condemning to resort the coercive unilateral measures such as sanctions against developing countries, an expert on the U.S. said:” It is obvious that when the U.S. pressurizes countries under the pretext of sanctions, those countries try to both minimize their dependence on the U.S. economy and maximize their capacities to boost their cooperation with other countries subjected to similar sanctions”.
Strategic Council Online: Dr. Kamal Kharazi said: The main duty of every sovereignty is to ensure the rights of its people, including their security, and this also applies to the incumbent sovereignty in Afghanistan. Countering terrorism and preventing crimes such as the massacre of innocent children and people in Shiite schools and mosques by the ISIS terrorist group is primarily the task of the current sovereignty to eliminate terrorists from the scene of Afghanistan, and of course, it is the natural right of the oppressed Shiites of Afghanistan to defend their rights.
Strategic Council Online-Opinion: The Zionist regime is still seeking to publicize the establishment or expansion of diplomatic relations with various Arab countries. Iraq is one important Arab country for which the Zionist officials are adopting a specific strategy and various tactics for normalization of relations and expansion of influence.
Hamid Khoshayand- Analyst of international issues
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of the Caucasus issues says any efforts to change international borders and geopolitics of the region are considered as redline for Iran, adding that “it is expected that the emphasis of the Azerbaijan Republic on the 3+3 model of cooperation will be beyond the policies applied by this country and we would witness measures which would indicate this country is interested in collective and regional political cooperation instead of reliance on the Zionist regime or foreign powers”.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on September 29 in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. Of course, the short duration of the meeting compared to the long meetings in the past has attracted the attention of analysts who have assessed the event as being related to the escalation of differences between the two sides on some issues. Erdogan and Putin have met 26 times in person since the war in November 2015, when a Russian fighter plane was shot down by Turkey. The last meeting of the leaders of the two countries was held on March 5, 2020 in Moscow.
Mahmoud Fazeli – International affairs analyst
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A former Iranian diplomat considered Islamabad’s support for the Taliban coming to power in Kabul as a threat to Pakistan’s future and said: The coming to power of the Taliban in Kabul stimulates ethnic sentiments for supporting the Pashtuns in the Pashtun-populated and tribal areas and this will become a great challenge for the government of that country.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: After the independence of Algeria in 1962, the issue of demarcation of common borders with Morocco caused a rift between the two countries.
Ahmad Bakhshi – Expert on Africa affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on Iraq affairs said: Supporters of the US presence in Iraq think that with the withdrawal of America conditions similar to those created in Afghanistan will emerge and armed groups or similar ones will gain power in Iraq; but there are major differences between Iraq and Afghanistan.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: Former head of the Logistics Headquarter of Afghanistan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that the Taliban is now only thinking of consolidating its international position; said: So far, there is no evidence of the efforts of the leaders of that group to create an inclusive government with the presence of all ethnic groups.
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: A senior researcher at the Presidential Center for Strategic Studies saying that the Russians do not have a similar Iranian perception of the level of threat that would lead to fundamental geopolitical change in the Caucasus, noted: If the corridor sought by Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan is created by military action or threat, the balance of power in the region as a whole will change, and Russia will certainly suffer greatly.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having pointed out the recent statement issued by thirty countries including Iran, China, Russia, Palestine, Belarus, Pakistan, Egypt, Venezuela and Bolivia on condemning to resort the coercive unilateral measures such as sanctions against developing countries, an expert on the U.S. said:” It is obvious that when the U.S. pressurizes countries under the pretext of sanctions, those countries try to both minimize their dependence on the U.S. economy and maximize their capacities to boost their cooperation with other countries subjected to similar sanctions”.
Strategic Council Online: Dr. Kamal Kharazi said: The main duty of every sovereignty is to ensure the rights of its people, including their security, and this also applies to the incumbent sovereignty in Afghanistan. Countering terrorism and preventing crimes such as the massacre of innocent children and people in Shiite schools and mosques by the ISIS terrorist group is primarily the task of the current sovereignty to eliminate terrorists from the scene of Afghanistan, and of course, it is the natural right of the oppressed Shiites of Afghanistan to defend their rights.
Strategic Council Online-Opinion: The Zionist regime is still seeking to publicize the establishment or expansion of diplomatic relations with various Arab countries. Iraq is one important Arab country for which the Zionist officials are adopting a specific strategy and various tactics for normalization of relations and expansion of influence.
Hamid Khoshayand- Analyst of international issues
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of the Caucasus issues says any efforts to change international borders and geopolitics of the region are considered as redline for Iran, adding that “it is expected that the emphasis of the Azerbaijan Republic on the 3+3 model of cooperation will be beyond the policies applied by this country and we would witness measures which would indicate this country is interested in collective and regional political cooperation instead of reliance on the Zionist regime or foreign powers”.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on September 29 in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. Of course, the short duration of the meeting compared to the long meetings in the past has attracted the attention of analysts who have assessed the event as being related to the escalation of differences between the two sides on some issues. Erdogan and Putin have met 26 times in person since the war in November 2015, when a Russian fighter plane was shot down by Turkey. The last meeting of the leaders of the two countries was held on March 5, 2020 in Moscow.
Mahmoud Fazeli – International affairs analyst
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A former Iranian diplomat considered Islamabad’s support for the Taliban coming to power in Kabul as a threat to Pakistan’s future and said: The coming to power of the Taliban in Kabul stimulates ethnic sentiments for supporting the Pashtuns in the Pashtun-populated and tribal areas and this will become a great challenge for the government of that country.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: After the independence of Algeria in 1962, the issue of demarcation of common borders with Morocco caused a rift between the two countries.
Ahmad Bakhshi – Expert on Africa affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on Iraq affairs said: Supporters of the US presence in Iraq think that with the withdrawal of America conditions similar to those created in Afghanistan will emerge and armed groups or similar ones will gain power in Iraq; but there are major differences between Iraq and Afghanistan.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: Former head of the Logistics Headquarter of Afghanistan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that the Taliban is now only thinking of consolidating its international position; said: So far, there is no evidence of the efforts of the leaders of that group to create an inclusive government with the presence of all ethnic groups.
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: A senior researcher at the Presidential Center for Strategic Studies saying that the Russians do not have a similar Iranian perception of the level of threat that would lead to fundamental geopolitical change in the Caucasus, noted: If the corridor sought by Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan is created by military action or threat, the balance of power in the region as a whole will change, and Russia will certainly suffer greatly.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having pointed out the recent statement issued by thirty countries including Iran, China, Russia, Palestine, Belarus, Pakistan, Egypt, Venezuela and Bolivia on condemning to resort the coercive unilateral measures such as sanctions against developing countries, an expert on the U.S. said:” It is obvious that when the U.S. pressurizes countries under the pretext of sanctions, those countries try to both minimize their dependence on the U.S. economy and maximize their capacities to boost their cooperation with other countries subjected to similar sanctions”.
Strategic Council Online: Dr. Kamal Kharazi said: The main duty of every sovereignty is to ensure the rights of its people, including their security, and this also applies to the incumbent sovereignty in Afghanistan. Countering terrorism and preventing crimes such as the massacre of innocent children and people in Shiite schools and mosques by the ISIS terrorist group is primarily the task of the current sovereignty to eliminate terrorists from the scene of Afghanistan, and of course, it is the natural right of the oppressed Shiites of Afghanistan to defend their rights.
Strategic Council Online-Opinion: The Zionist regime is still seeking to publicize the establishment or expansion of diplomatic relations with various Arab countries. Iraq is one important Arab country for which the Zionist officials are adopting a specific strategy and various tactics for normalization of relations and expansion of influence.
Hamid Khoshayand- Analyst of international issues
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of the Caucasus issues says any efforts to change international borders and geopolitics of the region are considered as redline for Iran, adding that “it is expected that the emphasis of the Azerbaijan Republic on the 3+3 model of cooperation will be beyond the policies applied by this country and we would witness measures which would indicate this country is interested in collective and regional political cooperation instead of reliance on the Zionist regime or foreign powers”.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin met on September 29 in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Russia. Of course, the short duration of the meeting compared to the long meetings in the past has attracted the attention of analysts who have assessed the event as being related to the escalation of differences between the two sides on some issues. Erdogan and Putin have met 26 times in person since the war in November 2015, when a Russian fighter plane was shot down by Turkey. The last meeting of the leaders of the two countries was held on March 5, 2020 in Moscow.
Mahmoud Fazeli – International affairs analyst
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A former Iranian diplomat considered Islamabad’s support for the Taliban coming to power in Kabul as a threat to Pakistan’s future and said: The coming to power of the Taliban in Kabul stimulates ethnic sentiments for supporting the Pashtuns in the Pashtun-populated and tribal areas and this will become a great challenge for the government of that country.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: After the independence of Algeria in 1962, the issue of demarcation of common borders with Morocco caused a rift between the two countries.
Ahmad Bakhshi – Expert on Africa affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An expert on Iraq affairs said: Supporters of the US presence in Iraq think that with the withdrawal of America conditions similar to those created in Afghanistan will emerge and armed groups or similar ones will gain power in Iraq; but there are major differences between Iraq and Afghanistan.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: Former head of the Logistics Headquarter of Afghanistan at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stating that the Taliban is now only thinking of consolidating its international position; said: So far, there is no evidence of the efforts of the leaders of that group to create an inclusive government with the presence of all ethnic groups.
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.