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.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The intensification of U.S. sanctions against Iran on the eve of the U.S. midterm elections indicates Washington’s inability to achieve its war objectives.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The competition between Washington and Beijing over chips and artificial intelligence, simultaneously with the shifting of technological balances, has taken on new economic and security dimensions.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit has created a new opportunity for Iran to transform its membership from a political achievement into economic and transit cooperation.
Strategic Council Online – Note: The Makkah Defense Pact can be seen as a sign of regional countries’ efforts to reduce security dependence on extra-regional powers and redefine the balance in West Asia.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Targeted economic sanctions by the European Union and the United States will impose costs on the Russian economy. But sanctions have not yet convinced Russia to change its policy toward Ukraine.
Pouria Nabipour – PhD in political science and international relations
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The stance of “neither support nor opposition of China” towards Russia’s war against Ukraine is due to the fact that the country, on the one hand, has some strong incentives for supporting Russia and Moscow’s victory in confronting the West and, on the other hand, is concerned about the negative consequences of Russian sanctions and their repetition.
Dr. Tahmoures Gholami – Expert on international affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An analyst of subcontinent affairs, saying that India and Russia have many common interests, the most important issue for Russia regarding India is to prevent the full absorption of that country by the United States, added: Concerned about China’s rapid progress, the Russians think that if they equip India militarily, there will be a balance of power between India and China that will benefit Russia.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of Caucasus issues says it is necessary to maintain the balance of power in the south Caucasus region, adding that if with the disruption of the balance of power in the region, issues proceed in a competitive manner among the actors, every cognitive error and miscalculation may cause great tensions in the region and even lead to a military confrontation.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having stated that Taliban tries to proceed with their international legitimacy through the regional powers, an analyst on Afghanistan affairs said:” they try to set up a government in Afghanistan regardless of the interests of ethnical- political groups and in the meantime, to obtain the regional powers’ support.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A university professor saying that Iran could be the third most influential country in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization after China and Russia, said: Iran’s membership in that organization alone is not enough for the achievement of Tehran’s goals and some factors must be taken into account and at the same time movements should be put on the agenda.
Strategic Council Online-Opinion: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has provided remarkable opportunities for political and economic cooperation among the Member States even though it was primarily formed with security and military objectives.
Barsam Mohammadi-International issues analyst
Strategic Council Online – Note: Russia believes that the 20-year presence of the United States and NATO in Afghanistan ended in disgrace and considers it not only a defeat, but also a catastrophe. The old problems such as terrorism, drug trafficking and the low standard of living of the people not only remained unresolved but the problems even intensified. Foreign forces failed to establish a stable political system after their withdrawal. With the Taliban coming to power, the political system will change again.
Mahmoud Fazeli – International affairs analyst
Strategic Council Online-Interview: A political activist of Afghanistan emphasized the significance of consultation and role-playing by countries neighboring Afghanistan and support for the establishment of an inclusive government and said, definitely, the emergence and real representation of a change in the Taliban approach would be the formation of a plural and inclusive government in Afghanistan and all relevant parties in that country should be present in that.
Strategic Council Online – A professor at the University of Tehran saying that the 2021 National Security Strategy document of Russia is seriously different from previous documents, listed the most important dimensions and clauses of that document, and said: What is important for Russia is the evolution of the international system that while it multiplies, it moves away from the west axis of the past, but at the same time, it creates a strong potential for insecurity, increases instability, intensifies radicalism, and complicates the threat environment for the world and for Russia.
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.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The intensification of U.S. sanctions against Iran on the eve of the U.S. midterm elections indicates Washington’s inability to achieve its war objectives.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The competition between Washington and Beijing over chips and artificial intelligence, simultaneously with the shifting of technological balances, has taken on new economic and security dimensions.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit has created a new opportunity for Iran to transform its membership from a political achievement into economic and transit cooperation.
Strategic Council Online – Note: The Makkah Defense Pact can be seen as a sign of regional countries’ efforts to reduce security dependence on extra-regional powers and redefine the balance in West Asia.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Targeted economic sanctions by the European Union and the United States will impose costs on the Russian economy. But sanctions have not yet convinced Russia to change its policy toward Ukraine.
Pouria Nabipour – PhD in political science and international relations
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The stance of “neither support nor opposition of China” towards Russia’s war against Ukraine is due to the fact that the country, on the one hand, has some strong incentives for supporting Russia and Moscow’s victory in confronting the West and, on the other hand, is concerned about the negative consequences of Russian sanctions and their repetition.
Dr. Tahmoures Gholami – Expert on international affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An analyst of subcontinent affairs, saying that India and Russia have many common interests, the most important issue for Russia regarding India is to prevent the full absorption of that country by the United States, added: Concerned about China’s rapid progress, the Russians think that if they equip India militarily, there will be a balance of power between India and China that will benefit Russia.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of Caucasus issues says it is necessary to maintain the balance of power in the south Caucasus region, adding that if with the disruption of the balance of power in the region, issues proceed in a competitive manner among the actors, every cognitive error and miscalculation may cause great tensions in the region and even lead to a military confrontation.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having stated that Taliban tries to proceed with their international legitimacy through the regional powers, an analyst on Afghanistan affairs said:” they try to set up a government in Afghanistan regardless of the interests of ethnical- political groups and in the meantime, to obtain the regional powers’ support.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A university professor saying that Iran could be the third most influential country in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization after China and Russia, said: Iran’s membership in that organization alone is not enough for the achievement of Tehran’s goals and some factors must be taken into account and at the same time movements should be put on the agenda.
Strategic Council Online-Opinion: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has provided remarkable opportunities for political and economic cooperation among the Member States even though it was primarily formed with security and military objectives.
Barsam Mohammadi-International issues analyst
Strategic Council Online – Note: Russia believes that the 20-year presence of the United States and NATO in Afghanistan ended in disgrace and considers it not only a defeat, but also a catastrophe. The old problems such as terrorism, drug trafficking and the low standard of living of the people not only remained unresolved but the problems even intensified. Foreign forces failed to establish a stable political system after their withdrawal. With the Taliban coming to power, the political system will change again.
Mahmoud Fazeli – International affairs analyst
Strategic Council Online-Interview: A political activist of Afghanistan emphasized the significance of consultation and role-playing by countries neighboring Afghanistan and support for the establishment of an inclusive government and said, definitely, the emergence and real representation of a change in the Taliban approach would be the formation of a plural and inclusive government in Afghanistan and all relevant parties in that country should be present in that.
Strategic Council Online – A professor at the University of Tehran saying that the 2021 National Security Strategy document of Russia is seriously different from previous documents, listed the most important dimensions and clauses of that document, and said: What is important for Russia is the evolution of the international system that while it multiplies, it moves away from the west axis of the past, but at the same time, it creates a strong potential for insecurity, increases instability, intensifies radicalism, and complicates the threat environment for the world and for Russia.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Targeted economic sanctions by the European Union and the United States will impose costs on the Russian economy. But sanctions have not yet convinced Russia to change its policy toward Ukraine.
Pouria Nabipour – PhD in political science and international relations
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The stance of “neither support nor opposition of China” towards Russia’s war against Ukraine is due to the fact that the country, on the one hand, has some strong incentives for supporting Russia and Moscow’s victory in confronting the West and, on the other hand, is concerned about the negative consequences of Russian sanctions and their repetition.
Dr. Tahmoures Gholami – Expert on international affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An analyst of subcontinent affairs, saying that India and Russia have many common interests, the most important issue for Russia regarding India is to prevent the full absorption of that country by the United States, added: Concerned about China’s rapid progress, the Russians think that if they equip India militarily, there will be a balance of power between India and China that will benefit Russia.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of Caucasus issues says it is necessary to maintain the balance of power in the south Caucasus region, adding that if with the disruption of the balance of power in the region, issues proceed in a competitive manner among the actors, every cognitive error and miscalculation may cause great tensions in the region and even lead to a military confrontation.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having stated that Taliban tries to proceed with their international legitimacy through the regional powers, an analyst on Afghanistan affairs said:” they try to set up a government in Afghanistan regardless of the interests of ethnical- political groups and in the meantime, to obtain the regional powers’ support.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A university professor saying that Iran could be the third most influential country in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization after China and Russia, said: Iran’s membership in that organization alone is not enough for the achievement of Tehran’s goals and some factors must be taken into account and at the same time movements should be put on the agenda.
Strategic Council Online-Opinion: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has provided remarkable opportunities for political and economic cooperation among the Member States even though it was primarily formed with security and military objectives.
Barsam Mohammadi-International issues analyst
Strategic Council Online – Note: Russia believes that the 20-year presence of the United States and NATO in Afghanistan ended in disgrace and considers it not only a defeat, but also a catastrophe. The old problems such as terrorism, drug trafficking and the low standard of living of the people not only remained unresolved but the problems even intensified. Foreign forces failed to establish a stable political system after their withdrawal. With the Taliban coming to power, the political system will change again.
Mahmoud Fazeli – International affairs analyst
Strategic Council Online-Interview: A political activist of Afghanistan emphasized the significance of consultation and role-playing by countries neighboring Afghanistan and support for the establishment of an inclusive government and said, definitely, the emergence and real representation of a change in the Taliban approach would be the formation of a plural and inclusive government in Afghanistan and all relevant parties in that country should be present in that.
Strategic Council Online – A professor at the University of Tehran saying that the 2021 National Security Strategy document of Russia is seriously different from previous documents, listed the most important dimensions and clauses of that document, and said: What is important for Russia is the evolution of the international system that while it multiplies, it moves away from the west axis of the past, but at the same time, it creates a strong potential for insecurity, increases instability, intensifies radicalism, and complicates the threat environment for the world and for Russia.
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.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The intensification of U.S. sanctions against Iran on the eve of the U.S. midterm elections indicates Washington’s inability to achieve its war objectives.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The competition between Washington and Beijing over chips and artificial intelligence, simultaneously with the shifting of technological balances, has taken on new economic and security dimensions.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit has created a new opportunity for Iran to transform its membership from a political achievement into economic and transit cooperation.
Strategic Council Online – Note: The Makkah Defense Pact can be seen as a sign of regional countries’ efforts to reduce security dependence on extra-regional powers and redefine the balance in West Asia.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Targeted economic sanctions by the European Union and the United States will impose costs on the Russian economy. But sanctions have not yet convinced Russia to change its policy toward Ukraine.
Pouria Nabipour – PhD in political science and international relations
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The stance of “neither support nor opposition of China” towards Russia’s war against Ukraine is due to the fact that the country, on the one hand, has some strong incentives for supporting Russia and Moscow’s victory in confronting the West and, on the other hand, is concerned about the negative consequences of Russian sanctions and their repetition.
Dr. Tahmoures Gholami – Expert on international affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An analyst of subcontinent affairs, saying that India and Russia have many common interests, the most important issue for Russia regarding India is to prevent the full absorption of that country by the United States, added: Concerned about China’s rapid progress, the Russians think that if they equip India militarily, there will be a balance of power between India and China that will benefit Russia.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of Caucasus issues says it is necessary to maintain the balance of power in the south Caucasus region, adding that if with the disruption of the balance of power in the region, issues proceed in a competitive manner among the actors, every cognitive error and miscalculation may cause great tensions in the region and even lead to a military confrontation.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having stated that Taliban tries to proceed with their international legitimacy through the regional powers, an analyst on Afghanistan affairs said:” they try to set up a government in Afghanistan regardless of the interests of ethnical- political groups and in the meantime, to obtain the regional powers’ support.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A university professor saying that Iran could be the third most influential country in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization after China and Russia, said: Iran’s membership in that organization alone is not enough for the achievement of Tehran’s goals and some factors must be taken into account and at the same time movements should be put on the agenda.
Strategic Council Online-Opinion: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has provided remarkable opportunities for political and economic cooperation among the Member States even though it was primarily formed with security and military objectives.
Barsam Mohammadi-International issues analyst
Strategic Council Online – Note: Russia believes that the 20-year presence of the United States and NATO in Afghanistan ended in disgrace and considers it not only a defeat, but also a catastrophe. The old problems such as terrorism, drug trafficking and the low standard of living of the people not only remained unresolved but the problems even intensified. Foreign forces failed to establish a stable political system after their withdrawal. With the Taliban coming to power, the political system will change again.
Mahmoud Fazeli – International affairs analyst
Strategic Council Online-Interview: A political activist of Afghanistan emphasized the significance of consultation and role-playing by countries neighboring Afghanistan and support for the establishment of an inclusive government and said, definitely, the emergence and real representation of a change in the Taliban approach would be the formation of a plural and inclusive government in Afghanistan and all relevant parties in that country should be present in that.
Strategic Council Online – A professor at the University of Tehran saying that the 2021 National Security Strategy document of Russia is seriously different from previous documents, listed the most important dimensions and clauses of that document, and said: What is important for Russia is the evolution of the international system that while it multiplies, it moves away from the west axis of the past, but at the same time, it creates a strong potential for insecurity, increases instability, intensifies radicalism, and complicates the threat environment for the world and for Russia.
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.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The intensification of U.S. sanctions against Iran on the eve of the U.S. midterm elections indicates Washington’s inability to achieve its war objectives.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The competition between Washington and Beijing over chips and artificial intelligence, simultaneously with the shifting of technological balances, has taken on new economic and security dimensions.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit has created a new opportunity for Iran to transform its membership from a political achievement into economic and transit cooperation.
Strategic Council Online – Note: The Makkah Defense Pact can be seen as a sign of regional countries’ efforts to reduce security dependence on extra-regional powers and redefine the balance in West Asia.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Targeted economic sanctions by the European Union and the United States will impose costs on the Russian economy. But sanctions have not yet convinced Russia to change its policy toward Ukraine.
Pouria Nabipour – PhD in political science and international relations
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The stance of “neither support nor opposition of China” towards Russia’s war against Ukraine is due to the fact that the country, on the one hand, has some strong incentives for supporting Russia and Moscow’s victory in confronting the West and, on the other hand, is concerned about the negative consequences of Russian sanctions and their repetition.
Dr. Tahmoures Gholami – Expert on international affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An analyst of subcontinent affairs, saying that India and Russia have many common interests, the most important issue for Russia regarding India is to prevent the full absorption of that country by the United States, added: Concerned about China’s rapid progress, the Russians think that if they equip India militarily, there will be a balance of power between India and China that will benefit Russia.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of Caucasus issues says it is necessary to maintain the balance of power in the south Caucasus region, adding that if with the disruption of the balance of power in the region, issues proceed in a competitive manner among the actors, every cognitive error and miscalculation may cause great tensions in the region and even lead to a military confrontation.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having stated that Taliban tries to proceed with their international legitimacy through the regional powers, an analyst on Afghanistan affairs said:” they try to set up a government in Afghanistan regardless of the interests of ethnical- political groups and in the meantime, to obtain the regional powers’ support.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A university professor saying that Iran could be the third most influential country in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization after China and Russia, said: Iran’s membership in that organization alone is not enough for the achievement of Tehran’s goals and some factors must be taken into account and at the same time movements should be put on the agenda.
Strategic Council Online-Opinion: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has provided remarkable opportunities for political and economic cooperation among the Member States even though it was primarily formed with security and military objectives.
Barsam Mohammadi-International issues analyst
Strategic Council Online – Note: Russia believes that the 20-year presence of the United States and NATO in Afghanistan ended in disgrace and considers it not only a defeat, but also a catastrophe. The old problems such as terrorism, drug trafficking and the low standard of living of the people not only remained unresolved but the problems even intensified. Foreign forces failed to establish a stable political system after their withdrawal. With the Taliban coming to power, the political system will change again.
Mahmoud Fazeli – International affairs analyst
Strategic Council Online-Interview: A political activist of Afghanistan emphasized the significance of consultation and role-playing by countries neighboring Afghanistan and support for the establishment of an inclusive government and said, definitely, the emergence and real representation of a change in the Taliban approach would be the formation of a plural and inclusive government in Afghanistan and all relevant parties in that country should be present in that.
Strategic Council Online – A professor at the University of Tehran saying that the 2021 National Security Strategy document of Russia is seriously different from previous documents, listed the most important dimensions and clauses of that document, and said: What is important for Russia is the evolution of the international system that while it multiplies, it moves away from the west axis of the past, but at the same time, it creates a strong potential for insecurity, increases instability, intensifies radicalism, and complicates the threat environment for the world and for Russia.
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.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The intensification of U.S. sanctions against Iran on the eve of the U.S. midterm elections indicates Washington’s inability to achieve its war objectives.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The competition between Washington and Beijing over chips and artificial intelligence, simultaneously with the shifting of technological balances, has taken on new economic and security dimensions.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit has created a new opportunity for Iran to transform its membership from a political achievement into economic and transit cooperation.
Strategic Council Online – Note: The Makkah Defense Pact can be seen as a sign of regional countries’ efforts to reduce security dependence on extra-regional powers and redefine the balance in West Asia.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Targeted economic sanctions by the European Union and the United States will impose costs on the Russian economy. But sanctions have not yet convinced Russia to change its policy toward Ukraine.
Pouria Nabipour – PhD in political science and international relations
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The stance of “neither support nor opposition of China” towards Russia’s war against Ukraine is due to the fact that the country, on the one hand, has some strong incentives for supporting Russia and Moscow’s victory in confronting the West and, on the other hand, is concerned about the negative consequences of Russian sanctions and their repetition.
Dr. Tahmoures Gholami – Expert on international affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An analyst of subcontinent affairs, saying that India and Russia have many common interests, the most important issue for Russia regarding India is to prevent the full absorption of that country by the United States, added: Concerned about China’s rapid progress, the Russians think that if they equip India militarily, there will be a balance of power between India and China that will benefit Russia.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of Caucasus issues says it is necessary to maintain the balance of power in the south Caucasus region, adding that if with the disruption of the balance of power in the region, issues proceed in a competitive manner among the actors, every cognitive error and miscalculation may cause great tensions in the region and even lead to a military confrontation.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having stated that Taliban tries to proceed with their international legitimacy through the regional powers, an analyst on Afghanistan affairs said:” they try to set up a government in Afghanistan regardless of the interests of ethnical- political groups and in the meantime, to obtain the regional powers’ support.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A university professor saying that Iran could be the third most influential country in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization after China and Russia, said: Iran’s membership in that organization alone is not enough for the achievement of Tehran’s goals and some factors must be taken into account and at the same time movements should be put on the agenda.
Strategic Council Online-Opinion: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has provided remarkable opportunities for political and economic cooperation among the Member States even though it was primarily formed with security and military objectives.
Barsam Mohammadi-International issues analyst
Strategic Council Online – Note: Russia believes that the 20-year presence of the United States and NATO in Afghanistan ended in disgrace and considers it not only a defeat, but also a catastrophe. The old problems such as terrorism, drug trafficking and the low standard of living of the people not only remained unresolved but the problems even intensified. Foreign forces failed to establish a stable political system after their withdrawal. With the Taliban coming to power, the political system will change again.
Mahmoud Fazeli – International affairs analyst
Strategic Council Online-Interview: A political activist of Afghanistan emphasized the significance of consultation and role-playing by countries neighboring Afghanistan and support for the establishment of an inclusive government and said, definitely, the emergence and real representation of a change in the Taliban approach would be the formation of a plural and inclusive government in Afghanistan and all relevant parties in that country should be present in that.
Strategic Council Online – A professor at the University of Tehran saying that the 2021 National Security Strategy document of Russia is seriously different from previous documents, listed the most important dimensions and clauses of that document, and said: What is important for Russia is the evolution of the international system that while it multiplies, it moves away from the west axis of the past, but at the same time, it creates a strong potential for insecurity, increases instability, intensifies radicalism, and complicates the threat environment for the world and for Russia.
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.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The intensification of U.S. sanctions against Iran on the eve of the U.S. midterm elections indicates Washington’s inability to achieve its war objectives.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The competition between Washington and Beijing over chips and artificial intelligence, simultaneously with the shifting of technological balances, has taken on new economic and security dimensions.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit has created a new opportunity for Iran to transform its membership from a political achievement into economic and transit cooperation.
Strategic Council Online – Note: The Makkah Defense Pact can be seen as a sign of regional countries’ efforts to reduce security dependence on extra-regional powers and redefine the balance in West Asia.
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: Targeted economic sanctions by the European Union and the United States will impose costs on the Russian economy. But sanctions have not yet convinced Russia to change its policy toward Ukraine.
Pouria Nabipour – PhD in political science and international relations
Strategic Council Online – Opinion: The stance of “neither support nor opposition of China” towards Russia’s war against Ukraine is due to the fact that the country, on the one hand, has some strong incentives for supporting Russia and Moscow’s victory in confronting the West and, on the other hand, is concerned about the negative consequences of Russian sanctions and their repetition.
Dr. Tahmoures Gholami – Expert on international affairs
Strategic Council Online – Interview: An analyst of subcontinent affairs, saying that India and Russia have many common interests, the most important issue for Russia regarding India is to prevent the full absorption of that country by the United States, added: Concerned about China’s rapid progress, the Russians think that if they equip India militarily, there will be a balance of power between India and China that will benefit Russia.
Strategic Council Online—Interview: An analyst of Caucasus issues says it is necessary to maintain the balance of power in the south Caucasus region, adding that if with the disruption of the balance of power in the region, issues proceed in a competitive manner among the actors, every cognitive error and miscalculation may cause great tensions in the region and even lead to a military confrontation.
Strategic Council Online- Interview: Having stated that Taliban tries to proceed with their international legitimacy through the regional powers, an analyst on Afghanistan affairs said:” they try to set up a government in Afghanistan regardless of the interests of ethnical- political groups and in the meantime, to obtain the regional powers’ support.
Strategic Council Online – Interview: A university professor saying that Iran could be the third most influential country in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization after China and Russia, said: Iran’s membership in that organization alone is not enough for the achievement of Tehran’s goals and some factors must be taken into account and at the same time movements should be put on the agenda.
Strategic Council Online-Opinion: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization has provided remarkable opportunities for political and economic cooperation among the Member States even though it was primarily formed with security and military objectives.
Barsam Mohammadi-International issues analyst
Strategic Council Online – Note: Russia believes that the 20-year presence of the United States and NATO in Afghanistan ended in disgrace and considers it not only a defeat, but also a catastrophe. The old problems such as terrorism, drug trafficking and the low standard of living of the people not only remained unresolved but the problems even intensified. Foreign forces failed to establish a stable political system after their withdrawal. With the Taliban coming to power, the political system will change again.
Mahmoud Fazeli – International affairs analyst
Strategic Council Online-Interview: A political activist of Afghanistan emphasized the significance of consultation and role-playing by countries neighboring Afghanistan and support for the establishment of an inclusive government and said, definitely, the emergence and real representation of a change in the Taliban approach would be the formation of a plural and inclusive government in Afghanistan and all relevant parties in that country should be present in that.
Strategic Council Online – A professor at the University of Tehran saying that the 2021 National Security Strategy document of Russia is seriously different from previous documents, listed the most important dimensions and clauses of that document, and said: What is important for Russia is the evolution of the international system that while it multiplies, it moves away from the west axis of the past, but at the same time, it creates a strong potential for insecurity, increases instability, intensifies radicalism, and complicates the threat environment for the world and for Russia.
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.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The intensification of U.S. sanctions against Iran on the eve of the U.S. midterm elections indicates Washington’s inability to achieve its war objectives.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The competition between Washington and Beijing over chips and artificial intelligence, simultaneously with the shifting of technological balances, has taken on new economic and security dimensions.
SCFR Online – Opinion: The Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit has created a new opportunity for Iran to transform its membership from a political achievement into economic and transit cooperation.
Strategic Council Online – Note: The Makkah Defense Pact can be seen as a sign of regional countries’ efforts to reduce security dependence on extra-regional powers and redefine the balance in West Asia.