SCFR Online – Note: Articles from Western think tanks confirm that, contrary to Western assumptions, the war has failed to cause Iran’s economy to collapse, and this situation has led Washington to seek a pathway for exiting the quagmire.
SCFR Online – Opinion: At a time when regional security equations have reached a sensitive stage under the influence of Iran’s strategic confrontation with the United States and the Zionist regime, the question of the nature of Tehran’s defensive power has gained greater significance than ever before. While Washington and Tel Aviv rely on their technological superiority, the Islamic Republic of Iran has presented a model of deterrence that extends beyond the material calculations of the world’s classical militaries. This power, rooted in the connection between “the field” and “the people,” has not only altered the balance of power in recent conflicts but has also disrupted adversaries’ calculations when confronting Iran’s strategic depth.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The recent mobilization by certain members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council toward more active participation in NATO security arrangements should not be interpreted as a sudden shift or fundamental transformation in these countries’ foreign policies.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The competition in recent years between the United States and China encompasses various geographical regions—including the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, the Arctic and Antarctic, and Africa—as well as multiple domains such as economics and technology. Within this context, a strategic competition has also emerged in the Persian Gulf region across economic, technological, and military spheres.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Strait of Hormuz has transformed from an energy corridor into a geopolitical instrument, and the West’s reluctant acknowledgment of Iran’s capacity to disrupt it has consolidated Tehran’s deterrence.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The dominant discourse in the field of European energy security over the past two decades has revolved around diversification of supply sources and the gradual reduction of dependence on fossil fuels. This narrative, which gained particular momentum after the Ukraine gas crisis in 2006 and its intensification in 2014 and 2022, was based on the assumption that Europe could free itself from the geopolitical vulnerabilities arising from dependence on specific suppliers through investment in renewable energy, imports of liquefied natural gas from diversified sources, and the establishment of new infrastructure. However, a closer analysis of energy trade data and the structure of the global oil and gas supply chain presents a different picture. Europe has not only failed to meaningfully reduce its dependence on the Persian Gulf, but in some sectors — particularly in liquefied natural gas imports — this dependence has deepened. This reality, which is often overlooked in public discourse, raises fundamental questions about the sustainability of Europe’s energy security strategies and their impact on regional power equations.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The growing divide between Europe and the United States is no longer merely a tactical disagreement, but rather a sign of strategic divergence and the redefinition of interests in a multipolar world.
SCFR Online – Opinion: In modern warfare, it has always been assumed that the more expensive, and advanced the weapon—particularly from well-known companies—the more certain the victory will be. However, developments on the northern front of occupied Palestine in recent months have challenged this long-held belief. Here, the Zionist regime’s military, despite possessing the most advanced defense systems such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow, as well as fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, Merkava tanks, and other modern equipment found in few countries worldwide, has effectively been rendered helpless against Hezbollah Lebanon’s few-hundred-dollar drones. Benjamin Netanyahu’s bitter admission regarding the inability to counter this threat, and his order to allocate an unlimited budget to find a solution, underscores the reality that the era of pure superiority through expensive technologies has come to an end.
SCFR Online – Note: Articles from Western think tanks confirm that, contrary to Western assumptions, the war has failed to cause Iran’s economy to collapse, and this situation has led Washington to seek a pathway for exiting the quagmire.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An American affairs expert stated that in recent weeks, U.S. policy toward Venezuela has undergone a distinct redefinition, shifting toward hard power tools. According to media reports, during Donald Trump’s presidency, the White House reviewed options for military operations “against drug cartels”. It even introduced a deadly attack on a suspected boat leaving Venezuelan waters as the beginning of a new phase of its campaign. This approach has been reinforced by the deployment of significant military assets to the Caribbean periphery, including cruisers equipped with cruise missiles and attack submarines, as well as the stationing of F-35 fighter jets in Puerto Rico. It is complemented by labeling Nicolás Maduro a “narcoterrorist” and doubling the bounty for his capture.
Although Trump, when asked about “regime change,” said, “We’re not discussing that,” by linking Venezuela to the anti-drug mission, he has effectively redefined the “maximum pressure” strategy within a security-military framework. At the regional level, the resurgence of the old concept of “gunboat diplomacy” in America’s backyard sends a deterrent message to Caracas and its allies on one hand, while increasing the risk of sliding into proxy and attritional conflicts on the other. At the structural level, the merging of U.S. domestic considerations, including the “crackdown on drug trafficking” agenda, with geopolitical calculations to control energy resources and routes of influence, indicates that the Venezuela issue is not merely a criminal-security matter but rather a reflection of great power competition and a test of the resilience of the Latin American regional order—an order that, with each crisis escalation, simultaneously creates opportunities and threats for both extra-regional and regional actors.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Recently, Zionist regime’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in an interview with the German newspaper “Die Welt” stressed that the time is ripe for the implementation of “Plan B” against Iran.
Hamid Khoshayand – Expert on regional affairs
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 – Signing of the 25-year document on Iran-China strategic cooperation is still the most important political and economic event of the day. At the end of the 2016 visit of President of China to Iran, who had also an important meeting with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, a joint 20-point statement was issued emphasizing promotion of relations to “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.
Hamid Khoshayand – Analyst of international affairs
SCFR Online – Note: Articles from Western think tanks confirm that, contrary to Western assumptions, the war has failed to cause Iran’s economy to collapse, and this situation has led Washington to seek a pathway for exiting the quagmire.
SCFR Online – Opinion: At a time when regional security equations have reached a sensitive stage under the influence of Iran’s strategic confrontation with the United States and the Zionist regime, the question of the nature of Tehran’s defensive power has gained greater significance than ever before. While Washington and Tel Aviv rely on their technological superiority, the Islamic Republic of Iran has presented a model of deterrence that extends beyond the material calculations of the world’s classical militaries. This power, rooted in the connection between “the field” and “the people,” has not only altered the balance of power in recent conflicts but has also disrupted adversaries’ calculations when confronting Iran’s strategic depth.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The recent mobilization by certain members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council toward more active participation in NATO security arrangements should not be interpreted as a sudden shift or fundamental transformation in these countries’ foreign policies.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The competition in recent years between the United States and China encompasses various geographical regions—including the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, the Arctic and Antarctic, and Africa—as well as multiple domains such as economics and technology. Within this context, a strategic competition has also emerged in the Persian Gulf region across economic, technological, and military spheres.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Strait of Hormuz has transformed from an energy corridor into a geopolitical instrument, and the West’s reluctant acknowledgment of Iran’s capacity to disrupt it has consolidated Tehran’s deterrence.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The dominant discourse in the field of European energy security over the past two decades has revolved around diversification of supply sources and the gradual reduction of dependence on fossil fuels. This narrative, which gained particular momentum after the Ukraine gas crisis in 2006 and its intensification in 2014 and 2022, was based on the assumption that Europe could free itself from the geopolitical vulnerabilities arising from dependence on specific suppliers through investment in renewable energy, imports of liquefied natural gas from diversified sources, and the establishment of new infrastructure. However, a closer analysis of energy trade data and the structure of the global oil and gas supply chain presents a different picture. Europe has not only failed to meaningfully reduce its dependence on the Persian Gulf, but in some sectors — particularly in liquefied natural gas imports — this dependence has deepened. This reality, which is often overlooked in public discourse, raises fundamental questions about the sustainability of Europe’s energy security strategies and their impact on regional power equations.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The growing divide between Europe and the United States is no longer merely a tactical disagreement, but rather a sign of strategic divergence and the redefinition of interests in a multipolar world.
SCFR Online – Opinion: In modern warfare, it has always been assumed that the more expensive, and advanced the weapon—particularly from well-known companies—the more certain the victory will be. However, developments on the northern front of occupied Palestine in recent months have challenged this long-held belief. Here, the Zionist regime’s military, despite possessing the most advanced defense systems such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow, as well as fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, Merkava tanks, and other modern equipment found in few countries worldwide, has effectively been rendered helpless against Hezbollah Lebanon’s few-hundred-dollar drones. Benjamin Netanyahu’s bitter admission regarding the inability to counter this threat, and his order to allocate an unlimited budget to find a solution, underscores the reality that the era of pure superiority through expensive technologies has come to an end.
SCFR Online – Note: Articles from Western think tanks confirm that, contrary to Western assumptions, the war has failed to cause Iran’s economy to collapse, and this situation has led Washington to seek a pathway for exiting the quagmire.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An American affairs expert stated that in recent weeks, U.S. policy toward Venezuela has undergone a distinct redefinition, shifting toward hard power tools. According to media reports, during Donald Trump’s presidency, the White House reviewed options for military operations “against drug cartels”. It even introduced a deadly attack on a suspected boat leaving Venezuelan waters as the beginning of a new phase of its campaign. This approach has been reinforced by the deployment of significant military assets to the Caribbean periphery, including cruisers equipped with cruise missiles and attack submarines, as well as the stationing of F-35 fighter jets in Puerto Rico. It is complemented by labeling Nicolás Maduro a “narcoterrorist” and doubling the bounty for his capture.
Although Trump, when asked about “regime change,” said, “We’re not discussing that,” by linking Venezuela to the anti-drug mission, he has effectively redefined the “maximum pressure” strategy within a security-military framework. At the regional level, the resurgence of the old concept of “gunboat diplomacy” in America’s backyard sends a deterrent message to Caracas and its allies on one hand, while increasing the risk of sliding into proxy and attritional conflicts on the other. At the structural level, the merging of U.S. domestic considerations, including the “crackdown on drug trafficking” agenda, with geopolitical calculations to control energy resources and routes of influence, indicates that the Venezuela issue is not merely a criminal-security matter but rather a reflection of great power competition and a test of the resilience of the Latin American regional order—an order that, with each crisis escalation, simultaneously creates opportunities and threats for both extra-regional and regional actors.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Recently, Zionist regime’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in an interview with the German newspaper “Die Welt” stressed that the time is ripe for the implementation of “Plan B” against Iran.
Hamid Khoshayand – Expert on regional affairs
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 – Signing of the 25-year document on Iran-China strategic cooperation is still the most important political and economic event of the day. At the end of the 2016 visit of President of China to Iran, who had also an important meeting with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, a joint 20-point statement was issued emphasizing promotion of relations to “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.
Hamid Khoshayand – Analyst of international affairs
SCFR Online – Note: Articles from Western think tanks confirm that, contrary to Western assumptions, the war has failed to cause Iran’s economy to collapse, and this situation has led Washington to seek a pathway for exiting the quagmire.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An American affairs expert stated that in recent weeks, U.S. policy toward Venezuela has undergone a distinct redefinition, shifting toward hard power tools. According to media reports, during Donald Trump’s presidency, the White House reviewed options for military operations “against drug cartels”. It even introduced a deadly attack on a suspected boat leaving Venezuelan waters as the beginning of a new phase of its campaign. This approach has been reinforced by the deployment of significant military assets to the Caribbean periphery, including cruisers equipped with cruise missiles and attack submarines, as well as the stationing of F-35 fighter jets in Puerto Rico. It is complemented by labeling Nicolás Maduro a “narcoterrorist” and doubling the bounty for his capture.
Although Trump, when asked about “regime change,” said, “We’re not discussing that,” by linking Venezuela to the anti-drug mission, he has effectively redefined the “maximum pressure” strategy within a security-military framework. At the regional level, the resurgence of the old concept of “gunboat diplomacy” in America’s backyard sends a deterrent message to Caracas and its allies on one hand, while increasing the risk of sliding into proxy and attritional conflicts on the other. At the structural level, the merging of U.S. domestic considerations, including the “crackdown on drug trafficking” agenda, with geopolitical calculations to control energy resources and routes of influence, indicates that the Venezuela issue is not merely a criminal-security matter but rather a reflection of great power competition and a test of the resilience of the Latin American regional order—an order that, with each crisis escalation, simultaneously creates opportunities and threats for both extra-regional and regional actors.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Recently, Zionist regime’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in an interview with the German newspaper “Die Welt” stressed that the time is ripe for the implementation of “Plan B” against Iran.
Hamid Khoshayand – Expert on regional affairs
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 – Signing of the 25-year document on Iran-China strategic cooperation is still the most important political and economic event of the day. At the end of the 2016 visit of President of China to Iran, who had also an important meeting with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, a joint 20-point statement was issued emphasizing promotion of relations to “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.
Hamid Khoshayand – Analyst of international affairs
SCFR Online – Note: Articles from Western think tanks confirm that, contrary to Western assumptions, the war has failed to cause Iran’s economy to collapse, and this situation has led Washington to seek a pathway for exiting the quagmire.
SCFR Online – Opinion: At a time when regional security equations have reached a sensitive stage under the influence of Iran’s strategic confrontation with the United States and the Zionist regime, the question of the nature of Tehran’s defensive power has gained greater significance than ever before. While Washington and Tel Aviv rely on their technological superiority, the Islamic Republic of Iran has presented a model of deterrence that extends beyond the material calculations of the world’s classical militaries. This power, rooted in the connection between “the field” and “the people,” has not only altered the balance of power in recent conflicts but has also disrupted adversaries’ calculations when confronting Iran’s strategic depth.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The recent mobilization by certain members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council toward more active participation in NATO security arrangements should not be interpreted as a sudden shift or fundamental transformation in these countries’ foreign policies.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The competition in recent years between the United States and China encompasses various geographical regions—including the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, the Arctic and Antarctic, and Africa—as well as multiple domains such as economics and technology. Within this context, a strategic competition has also emerged in the Persian Gulf region across economic, technological, and military spheres.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Strait of Hormuz has transformed from an energy corridor into a geopolitical instrument, and the West’s reluctant acknowledgment of Iran’s capacity to disrupt it has consolidated Tehran’s deterrence.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The dominant discourse in the field of European energy security over the past two decades has revolved around diversification of supply sources and the gradual reduction of dependence on fossil fuels. This narrative, which gained particular momentum after the Ukraine gas crisis in 2006 and its intensification in 2014 and 2022, was based on the assumption that Europe could free itself from the geopolitical vulnerabilities arising from dependence on specific suppliers through investment in renewable energy, imports of liquefied natural gas from diversified sources, and the establishment of new infrastructure. However, a closer analysis of energy trade data and the structure of the global oil and gas supply chain presents a different picture. Europe has not only failed to meaningfully reduce its dependence on the Persian Gulf, but in some sectors — particularly in liquefied natural gas imports — this dependence has deepened. This reality, which is often overlooked in public discourse, raises fundamental questions about the sustainability of Europe’s energy security strategies and their impact on regional power equations.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The growing divide between Europe and the United States is no longer merely a tactical disagreement, but rather a sign of strategic divergence and the redefinition of interests in a multipolar world.
SCFR Online – Opinion: In modern warfare, it has always been assumed that the more expensive, and advanced the weapon—particularly from well-known companies—the more certain the victory will be. However, developments on the northern front of occupied Palestine in recent months have challenged this long-held belief. Here, the Zionist regime’s military, despite possessing the most advanced defense systems such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow, as well as fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, Merkava tanks, and other modern equipment found in few countries worldwide, has effectively been rendered helpless against Hezbollah Lebanon’s few-hundred-dollar drones. Benjamin Netanyahu’s bitter admission regarding the inability to counter this threat, and his order to allocate an unlimited budget to find a solution, underscores the reality that the era of pure superiority through expensive technologies has come to an end.
SCFR Online – Note: Articles from Western think tanks confirm that, contrary to Western assumptions, the war has failed to cause Iran’s economy to collapse, and this situation has led Washington to seek a pathway for exiting the quagmire.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An American affairs expert stated that in recent weeks, U.S. policy toward Venezuela has undergone a distinct redefinition, shifting toward hard power tools. According to media reports, during Donald Trump’s presidency, the White House reviewed options for military operations “against drug cartels”. It even introduced a deadly attack on a suspected boat leaving Venezuelan waters as the beginning of a new phase of its campaign. This approach has been reinforced by the deployment of significant military assets to the Caribbean periphery, including cruisers equipped with cruise missiles and attack submarines, as well as the stationing of F-35 fighter jets in Puerto Rico. It is complemented by labeling Nicolás Maduro a “narcoterrorist” and doubling the bounty for his capture.
Although Trump, when asked about “regime change,” said, “We’re not discussing that,” by linking Venezuela to the anti-drug mission, he has effectively redefined the “maximum pressure” strategy within a security-military framework. At the regional level, the resurgence of the old concept of “gunboat diplomacy” in America’s backyard sends a deterrent message to Caracas and its allies on one hand, while increasing the risk of sliding into proxy and attritional conflicts on the other. At the structural level, the merging of U.S. domestic considerations, including the “crackdown on drug trafficking” agenda, with geopolitical calculations to control energy resources and routes of influence, indicates that the Venezuela issue is not merely a criminal-security matter but rather a reflection of great power competition and a test of the resilience of the Latin American regional order—an order that, with each crisis escalation, simultaneously creates opportunities and threats for both extra-regional and regional actors.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Recently, Zionist regime’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in an interview with the German newspaper “Die Welt” stressed that the time is ripe for the implementation of “Plan B” against Iran.
Hamid Khoshayand – Expert on regional affairs
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 – Signing of the 25-year document on Iran-China strategic cooperation is still the most important political and economic event of the day. At the end of the 2016 visit of President of China to Iran, who had also an important meeting with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, a joint 20-point statement was issued emphasizing promotion of relations to “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.
Hamid Khoshayand – Analyst of international affairs
SCFR Online – Note: Articles from Western think tanks confirm that, contrary to Western assumptions, the war has failed to cause Iran’s economy to collapse, and this situation has led Washington to seek a pathway for exiting the quagmire.
SCFR Online – Opinion: At a time when regional security equations have reached a sensitive stage under the influence of Iran’s strategic confrontation with the United States and the Zionist regime, the question of the nature of Tehran’s defensive power has gained greater significance than ever before. While Washington and Tel Aviv rely on their technological superiority, the Islamic Republic of Iran has presented a model of deterrence that extends beyond the material calculations of the world’s classical militaries. This power, rooted in the connection between “the field” and “the people,” has not only altered the balance of power in recent conflicts but has also disrupted adversaries’ calculations when confronting Iran’s strategic depth.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The recent mobilization by certain members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council toward more active participation in NATO security arrangements should not be interpreted as a sudden shift or fundamental transformation in these countries’ foreign policies.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The competition in recent years between the United States and China encompasses various geographical regions—including the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, the Arctic and Antarctic, and Africa—as well as multiple domains such as economics and technology. Within this context, a strategic competition has also emerged in the Persian Gulf region across economic, technological, and military spheres.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Strait of Hormuz has transformed from an energy corridor into a geopolitical instrument, and the West’s reluctant acknowledgment of Iran’s capacity to disrupt it has consolidated Tehran’s deterrence.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The dominant discourse in the field of European energy security over the past two decades has revolved around diversification of supply sources and the gradual reduction of dependence on fossil fuels. This narrative, which gained particular momentum after the Ukraine gas crisis in 2006 and its intensification in 2014 and 2022, was based on the assumption that Europe could free itself from the geopolitical vulnerabilities arising from dependence on specific suppliers through investment in renewable energy, imports of liquefied natural gas from diversified sources, and the establishment of new infrastructure. However, a closer analysis of energy trade data and the structure of the global oil and gas supply chain presents a different picture. Europe has not only failed to meaningfully reduce its dependence on the Persian Gulf, but in some sectors — particularly in liquefied natural gas imports — this dependence has deepened. This reality, which is often overlooked in public discourse, raises fundamental questions about the sustainability of Europe’s energy security strategies and their impact on regional power equations.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The growing divide between Europe and the United States is no longer merely a tactical disagreement, but rather a sign of strategic divergence and the redefinition of interests in a multipolar world.
SCFR Online – Opinion: In modern warfare, it has always been assumed that the more expensive, and advanced the weapon—particularly from well-known companies—the more certain the victory will be. However, developments on the northern front of occupied Palestine in recent months have challenged this long-held belief. Here, the Zionist regime’s military, despite possessing the most advanced defense systems such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow, as well as fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, Merkava tanks, and other modern equipment found in few countries worldwide, has effectively been rendered helpless against Hezbollah Lebanon’s few-hundred-dollar drones. Benjamin Netanyahu’s bitter admission regarding the inability to counter this threat, and his order to allocate an unlimited budget to find a solution, underscores the reality that the era of pure superiority through expensive technologies has come to an end.
SCFR Online – Note: Articles from Western think tanks confirm that, contrary to Western assumptions, the war has failed to cause Iran’s economy to collapse, and this situation has led Washington to seek a pathway for exiting the quagmire.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An American affairs expert stated that in recent weeks, U.S. policy toward Venezuela has undergone a distinct redefinition, shifting toward hard power tools. According to media reports, during Donald Trump’s presidency, the White House reviewed options for military operations “against drug cartels”. It even introduced a deadly attack on a suspected boat leaving Venezuelan waters as the beginning of a new phase of its campaign. This approach has been reinforced by the deployment of significant military assets to the Caribbean periphery, including cruisers equipped with cruise missiles and attack submarines, as well as the stationing of F-35 fighter jets in Puerto Rico. It is complemented by labeling Nicolás Maduro a “narcoterrorist” and doubling the bounty for his capture.
Although Trump, when asked about “regime change,” said, “We’re not discussing that,” by linking Venezuela to the anti-drug mission, he has effectively redefined the “maximum pressure” strategy within a security-military framework. At the regional level, the resurgence of the old concept of “gunboat diplomacy” in America’s backyard sends a deterrent message to Caracas and its allies on one hand, while increasing the risk of sliding into proxy and attritional conflicts on the other. At the structural level, the merging of U.S. domestic considerations, including the “crackdown on drug trafficking” agenda, with geopolitical calculations to control energy resources and routes of influence, indicates that the Venezuela issue is not merely a criminal-security matter but rather a reflection of great power competition and a test of the resilience of the Latin American regional order—an order that, with each crisis escalation, simultaneously creates opportunities and threats for both extra-regional and regional actors.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Recently, Zionist regime’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in an interview with the German newspaper “Die Welt” stressed that the time is ripe for the implementation of “Plan B” against Iran.
Hamid Khoshayand – Expert on regional affairs
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 – Signing of the 25-year document on Iran-China strategic cooperation is still the most important political and economic event of the day. At the end of the 2016 visit of President of China to Iran, who had also an important meeting with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, a joint 20-point statement was issued emphasizing promotion of relations to “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.
Hamid Khoshayand – Analyst of international affairs
SCFR Online – Note: Articles from Western think tanks confirm that, contrary to Western assumptions, the war has failed to cause Iran’s economy to collapse, and this situation has led Washington to seek a pathway for exiting the quagmire.
SCFR Online – Opinion: At a time when regional security equations have reached a sensitive stage under the influence of Iran’s strategic confrontation with the United States and the Zionist regime, the question of the nature of Tehran’s defensive power has gained greater significance than ever before. While Washington and Tel Aviv rely on their technological superiority, the Islamic Republic of Iran has presented a model of deterrence that extends beyond the material calculations of the world’s classical militaries. This power, rooted in the connection between “the field” and “the people,” has not only altered the balance of power in recent conflicts but has also disrupted adversaries’ calculations when confronting Iran’s strategic depth.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The recent mobilization by certain members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council toward more active participation in NATO security arrangements should not be interpreted as a sudden shift or fundamental transformation in these countries’ foreign policies.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The competition in recent years between the United States and China encompasses various geographical regions—including the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, the Arctic and Antarctic, and Africa—as well as multiple domains such as economics and technology. Within this context, a strategic competition has also emerged in the Persian Gulf region across economic, technological, and military spheres.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Strait of Hormuz has transformed from an energy corridor into a geopolitical instrument, and the West’s reluctant acknowledgment of Iran’s capacity to disrupt it has consolidated Tehran’s deterrence.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The dominant discourse in the field of European energy security over the past two decades has revolved around diversification of supply sources and the gradual reduction of dependence on fossil fuels. This narrative, which gained particular momentum after the Ukraine gas crisis in 2006 and its intensification in 2014 and 2022, was based on the assumption that Europe could free itself from the geopolitical vulnerabilities arising from dependence on specific suppliers through investment in renewable energy, imports of liquefied natural gas from diversified sources, and the establishment of new infrastructure. However, a closer analysis of energy trade data and the structure of the global oil and gas supply chain presents a different picture. Europe has not only failed to meaningfully reduce its dependence on the Persian Gulf, but in some sectors — particularly in liquefied natural gas imports — this dependence has deepened. This reality, which is often overlooked in public discourse, raises fundamental questions about the sustainability of Europe’s energy security strategies and their impact on regional power equations.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The growing divide between Europe and the United States is no longer merely a tactical disagreement, but rather a sign of strategic divergence and the redefinition of interests in a multipolar world.
SCFR Online – Opinion: In modern warfare, it has always been assumed that the more expensive, and advanced the weapon—particularly from well-known companies—the more certain the victory will be. However, developments on the northern front of occupied Palestine in recent months have challenged this long-held belief. Here, the Zionist regime’s military, despite possessing the most advanced defense systems such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow, as well as fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, Merkava tanks, and other modern equipment found in few countries worldwide, has effectively been rendered helpless against Hezbollah Lebanon’s few-hundred-dollar drones. Benjamin Netanyahu’s bitter admission regarding the inability to counter this threat, and his order to allocate an unlimited budget to find a solution, underscores the reality that the era of pure superiority through expensive technologies has come to an end.
SCFR Online – Note: Articles from Western think tanks confirm that, contrary to Western assumptions, the war has failed to cause Iran’s economy to collapse, and this situation has led Washington to seek a pathway for exiting the quagmire.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An American affairs expert stated that in recent weeks, U.S. policy toward Venezuela has undergone a distinct redefinition, shifting toward hard power tools. According to media reports, during Donald Trump’s presidency, the White House reviewed options for military operations “against drug cartels”. It even introduced a deadly attack on a suspected boat leaving Venezuelan waters as the beginning of a new phase of its campaign. This approach has been reinforced by the deployment of significant military assets to the Caribbean periphery, including cruisers equipped with cruise missiles and attack submarines, as well as the stationing of F-35 fighter jets in Puerto Rico. It is complemented by labeling Nicolás Maduro a “narcoterrorist” and doubling the bounty for his capture.
Although Trump, when asked about “regime change,” said, “We’re not discussing that,” by linking Venezuela to the anti-drug mission, he has effectively redefined the “maximum pressure” strategy within a security-military framework. At the regional level, the resurgence of the old concept of “gunboat diplomacy” in America’s backyard sends a deterrent message to Caracas and its allies on one hand, while increasing the risk of sliding into proxy and attritional conflicts on the other. At the structural level, the merging of U.S. domestic considerations, including the “crackdown on drug trafficking” agenda, with geopolitical calculations to control energy resources and routes of influence, indicates that the Venezuela issue is not merely a criminal-security matter but rather a reflection of great power competition and a test of the resilience of the Latin American regional order—an order that, with each crisis escalation, simultaneously creates opportunities and threats for both extra-regional and regional actors.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Recently, Zionist regime’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in an interview with the German newspaper “Die Welt” stressed that the time is ripe for the implementation of “Plan B” against Iran.
Hamid Khoshayand – Expert on regional affairs
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 – Signing of the 25-year document on Iran-China strategic cooperation is still the most important political and economic event of the day. At the end of the 2016 visit of President of China to Iran, who had also an important meeting with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, a joint 20-point statement was issued emphasizing promotion of relations to “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.
Hamid Khoshayand – Analyst of international affairs
SCFR Online – Note: Articles from Western think tanks confirm that, contrary to Western assumptions, the war has failed to cause Iran’s economy to collapse, and this situation has led Washington to seek a pathway for exiting the quagmire.
SCFR Online – Opinion: At a time when regional security equations have reached a sensitive stage under the influence of Iran’s strategic confrontation with the United States and the Zionist regime, the question of the nature of Tehran’s defensive power has gained greater significance than ever before. While Washington and Tel Aviv rely on their technological superiority, the Islamic Republic of Iran has presented a model of deterrence that extends beyond the material calculations of the world’s classical militaries. This power, rooted in the connection between “the field” and “the people,” has not only altered the balance of power in recent conflicts but has also disrupted adversaries’ calculations when confronting Iran’s strategic depth.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The recent mobilization by certain members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council toward more active participation in NATO security arrangements should not be interpreted as a sudden shift or fundamental transformation in these countries’ foreign policies.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The competition in recent years between the United States and China encompasses various geographical regions—including the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, the Arctic and Antarctic, and Africa—as well as multiple domains such as economics and technology. Within this context, a strategic competition has also emerged in the Persian Gulf region across economic, technological, and military spheres.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Strait of Hormuz has transformed from an energy corridor into a geopolitical instrument, and the West’s reluctant acknowledgment of Iran’s capacity to disrupt it has consolidated Tehran’s deterrence.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The dominant discourse in the field of European energy security over the past two decades has revolved around diversification of supply sources and the gradual reduction of dependence on fossil fuels. This narrative, which gained particular momentum after the Ukraine gas crisis in 2006 and its intensification in 2014 and 2022, was based on the assumption that Europe could free itself from the geopolitical vulnerabilities arising from dependence on specific suppliers through investment in renewable energy, imports of liquefied natural gas from diversified sources, and the establishment of new infrastructure. However, a closer analysis of energy trade data and the structure of the global oil and gas supply chain presents a different picture. Europe has not only failed to meaningfully reduce its dependence on the Persian Gulf, but in some sectors — particularly in liquefied natural gas imports — this dependence has deepened. This reality, which is often overlooked in public discourse, raises fundamental questions about the sustainability of Europe’s energy security strategies and their impact on regional power equations.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The growing divide between Europe and the United States is no longer merely a tactical disagreement, but rather a sign of strategic divergence and the redefinition of interests in a multipolar world.
SCFR Online – Opinion: In modern warfare, it has always been assumed that the more expensive, and advanced the weapon—particularly from well-known companies—the more certain the victory will be. However, developments on the northern front of occupied Palestine in recent months have challenged this long-held belief. Here, the Zionist regime’s military, despite possessing the most advanced defense systems such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow, as well as fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, Merkava tanks, and other modern equipment found in few countries worldwide, has effectively been rendered helpless against Hezbollah Lebanon’s few-hundred-dollar drones. Benjamin Netanyahu’s bitter admission regarding the inability to counter this threat, and his order to allocate an unlimited budget to find a solution, underscores the reality that the era of pure superiority through expensive technologies has come to an end.
SCFR Online – Note: Articles from Western think tanks confirm that, contrary to Western assumptions, the war has failed to cause Iran’s economy to collapse, and this situation has led Washington to seek a pathway for exiting the quagmire.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An American affairs expert stated that in recent weeks, U.S. policy toward Venezuela has undergone a distinct redefinition, shifting toward hard power tools. According to media reports, during Donald Trump’s presidency, the White House reviewed options for military operations “against drug cartels”. It even introduced a deadly attack on a suspected boat leaving Venezuelan waters as the beginning of a new phase of its campaign. This approach has been reinforced by the deployment of significant military assets to the Caribbean periphery, including cruisers equipped with cruise missiles and attack submarines, as well as the stationing of F-35 fighter jets in Puerto Rico. It is complemented by labeling Nicolás Maduro a “narcoterrorist” and doubling the bounty for his capture.
Although Trump, when asked about “regime change,” said, “We’re not discussing that,” by linking Venezuela to the anti-drug mission, he has effectively redefined the “maximum pressure” strategy within a security-military framework. At the regional level, the resurgence of the old concept of “gunboat diplomacy” in America’s backyard sends a deterrent message to Caracas and its allies on one hand, while increasing the risk of sliding into proxy and attritional conflicts on the other. At the structural level, the merging of U.S. domestic considerations, including the “crackdown on drug trafficking” agenda, with geopolitical calculations to control energy resources and routes of influence, indicates that the Venezuela issue is not merely a criminal-security matter but rather a reflection of great power competition and a test of the resilience of the Latin American regional order—an order that, with each crisis escalation, simultaneously creates opportunities and threats for both extra-regional and regional actors.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Recently, Zionist regime’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in an interview with the German newspaper “Die Welt” stressed that the time is ripe for the implementation of “Plan B” against Iran.
Hamid Khoshayand – Expert on regional affairs
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 – Signing of the 25-year document on Iran-China strategic cooperation is still the most important political and economic event of the day. At the end of the 2016 visit of President of China to Iran, who had also an important meeting with the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, a joint 20-point statement was issued emphasizing promotion of relations to “Comprehensive Strategic Partnership”.
Hamid Khoshayand – Analyst of international affairs
SCFR Online – Note: Articles from Western think tanks confirm that, contrary to Western assumptions, the war has failed to cause Iran’s economy to collapse, and this situation has led Washington to seek a pathway for exiting the quagmire.
SCFR Online – Opinion: At a time when regional security equations have reached a sensitive stage under the influence of Iran’s strategic confrontation with the United States and the Zionist regime, the question of the nature of Tehran’s defensive power has gained greater significance than ever before. While Washington and Tel Aviv rely on their technological superiority, the Islamic Republic of Iran has presented a model of deterrence that extends beyond the material calculations of the world’s classical militaries. This power, rooted in the connection between “the field” and “the people,” has not only altered the balance of power in recent conflicts but has also disrupted adversaries’ calculations when confronting Iran’s strategic depth.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The recent mobilization by certain members of the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council toward more active participation in NATO security arrangements should not be interpreted as a sudden shift or fundamental transformation in these countries’ foreign policies.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The competition in recent years between the United States and China encompasses various geographical regions—including the Indo-Pacific, West Asia, the Arctic and Antarctic, and Africa—as well as multiple domains such as economics and technology. Within this context, a strategic competition has also emerged in the Persian Gulf region across economic, technological, and military spheres.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Strait of Hormuz has transformed from an energy corridor into a geopolitical instrument, and the West’s reluctant acknowledgment of Iran’s capacity to disrupt it has consolidated Tehran’s deterrence.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The dominant discourse in the field of European energy security over the past two decades has revolved around diversification of supply sources and the gradual reduction of dependence on fossil fuels. This narrative, which gained particular momentum after the Ukraine gas crisis in 2006 and its intensification in 2014 and 2022, was based on the assumption that Europe could free itself from the geopolitical vulnerabilities arising from dependence on specific suppliers through investment in renewable energy, imports of liquefied natural gas from diversified sources, and the establishment of new infrastructure. However, a closer analysis of energy trade data and the structure of the global oil and gas supply chain presents a different picture. Europe has not only failed to meaningfully reduce its dependence on the Persian Gulf, but in some sectors — particularly in liquefied natural gas imports — this dependence has deepened. This reality, which is often overlooked in public discourse, raises fundamental questions about the sustainability of Europe’s energy security strategies and their impact on regional power equations.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The growing divide between Europe and the United States is no longer merely a tactical disagreement, but rather a sign of strategic divergence and the redefinition of interests in a multipolar world.
SCFR Online – Opinion: In modern warfare, it has always been assumed that the more expensive, and advanced the weapon—particularly from well-known companies—the more certain the victory will be. However, developments on the northern front of occupied Palestine in recent months have challenged this long-held belief. Here, the Zionist regime’s military, despite possessing the most advanced defense systems such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow, as well as fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, Merkava tanks, and other modern equipment found in few countries worldwide, has effectively been rendered helpless against Hezbollah Lebanon’s few-hundred-dollar drones. Benjamin Netanyahu’s bitter admission regarding the inability to counter this threat, and his order to allocate an unlimited budget to find a solution, underscores the reality that the era of pure superiority through expensive technologies has come to an end.