Iran

Syria

Turkey

Russia

Military & Security

Politics

On Nov. 11-12, representatives from Russia, Turkey, Iran, Syria and the United Nations, among others, attended the 22nd meeting of the Astana Format held in Astana, Anadolu Agency reported on Nov. 12.

Russia, Iran, Turkey: Guarantor Countries Remain Committed to the Astana Format for Syria

United States

Israel

Iran reportedly postponed its retaliation against Israel's Oct. 26 strike to open negotiations with incoming U.S. President Donald Trump after it received a warning through Baghdad, Sky News Arabia reported on Nov. 13, citing Iranian sources.

Iran, Israel: Tehran Reportedly Postpones Retaliation on Israel, Floats Olive Branch to Trump on Talks

U.S.-Iran Relations

Iran reportedly plans to conduct its "strong and complex" response to Israel's Oct. 26 attack on Iran after the Nov. 5 U.S. presidential election to avoid election interference, The Wall Street Journal reported on Nov. 3, citing Iranian and Arab officials.

Iran, Israel: Iran Reportedly To Attack Israel After U.S. Presidential Election

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Equatorial Guinea

Gabon

Nigeria

Venezuela

Algeria

Iraq

Kuwait

Libya

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Economics

Energy

Saudi Arabia, Russia, the United Arab Emirates and other OPEC+ participants will delay the start of their planned unwinding of 2.2 million barrels per day in voluntary oil production cuts from Dec. 1 to the end of December, OPEC announced in a Nov. 3 press release. 

OPEC+: Unwinding of Voluntary Production Cuts Delayed by One Month

Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces announced it had conducted a ground raid into Syria's Daraa province "in recent months," where it captured an Iranian-linked operative named Ali Soleiman al-Assi, NBC reported on Nov. 3.

MENA: Israel Captures Iranian and Hezbollah Operatives in Syria, Lebanon

Iran is reportedly planning to launch a "major" retaliatory attack against Israel from Iraq possibly ahead of the Nov. 5 U.S. general election, Axios reported on Oct. 31, citing Israeli intelligence sources.

Israel, Iran, Iraq: Iran Reportedly Planning to Attack Israel From Iraq

Iran will carry out a "definitive and painful" response to Israel's Oct. 26 attack on Iran that retaliated against Iran's previous Oct. 1 attack on Israel, CNN reported on Oct. 30, citing a "high-ranking source." 

Iran: Tehran Aims To Carry Out 'Painful' Response to Israel's Attack Before U.S. Election

Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said Tehran proposed a 200% increase in defense spending in the 2025 budget, Reuters reported on Oct. 29.

Iran: Government Plans To Boost Defense Spending by 200%

Assessments

Bangladesh

India

Pakistan

Sri Lanka

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump (R) and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) arrive for a joint press conference at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, on Feb. 25, 2020.

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

While U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will maintain many of the outgoing Biden administration's overarching policies toward South Asia, bilateral relationships will grow increasingly transactional.

What Trump's Second Term Means for South Asia

Snapshots

The Iranian capital of Tehran. An Israeli attack on a previously undisclosed active Iranian nuclear weapons research facility demonstrates that Iran is trying to reduce the timeline to develop nuclear weapons.

The Israeli attack on a previously undisclosed active Iranian nuclear weapons research facility demonstrates that Iran is trying to reduce the timeline to develop nuclear weapons.

Israel's October Strike on an Iranian Nuclear Facility Indicates More Strikes Ahead

Palestinian Territories

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan speaks to journalists in Riyadh before the first meeting of Saudi Arabia's new global alliance to push for Palestinian statehood on Oct. 30, 2024. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Protracted regional conflicts risk undermining the kingdom's efforts to diversify its oil-reliant economy, normalize ties with Israel, and balance between Iran and its opponents. 

Saudi Arabia's Regional Strategy, Part 1: Balancing Between Iran and Its Rivals

Columns

On Geopolitics

An Israeli police officer stands near the remains of an Iranian missile on Oct. 2, 2024, near the Dead Sea, Israel. 

In gauging how the conflict will evolve, much will depend on the level of Trump's support for Israel and hostility toward Iran.

How the Israel-Iran Conflict May Play Out With a Trump Presidency

A billboard congratulating Donald Trump on his win in the U.S. presidential election is seen in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Nov. 7, 2024.

Global Elections

The return of a more like-minded U.S. president will embolden far-right members of Israel's government to advance their domestic and foreign agendas.

Israel's Far-Right Welcomes Trump's Return to the White House

Mexico

China

Ukraine

Former U.S. President Donald Trump arrives to speak during an election event in the early hours of Nov. 6, 2024.

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S.-China Relations

Trump will place more tariffs on U.S. trade partners and reduce support for Ukraine, but he will largely maintain Biden's approach to the U.S. tech rivalry with China and the Middle East conflict.

Trump's Win Will Ripple Across the World

Qatar

Moldova

The first day of early voting in the Nov. 5 U.S. election Oct. 21, 2024, in Stamford, Connecticut. U.S. voters will select a new president, 435 representatives, 34 senators, and any number of state and municipal officials Nov. 5.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: America Votes, Qatar's Constitutional Referendum

A general view of Tehran after several explosions amid an Israeli attack were heard there Oct. 26, 2024.

Israel's long-awaited response to Iran's Oct. 1 strike proves restrained, limiting the risk of all-out war.

Israel's Measured Attack on Iran Calibrated to Avoid a Response

Media

Graphics

Members of the Kurdish peshmerga security forces queue at a polling station to vote ahead of the Oct. 20 parliamentary election in Arbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region, on Oct. 18, 2024. 

Following belated parliamentary elections in Iraqi Kurdistan, explore the most prominent Kurdish groups in the Middle East.

Iraqi Kurdistan's Parliamentary Elections Highlight Two Major Kurdish Groups in the Middle East

On Security

Americas

Europe

A photo taken on June 24, 2024, shows the aftermath of a fire at a manufacturing facility in Berlin, Germany, that was allegedly linked to Russia.

Cyber

Intelligence agencies are increasingly using third parties to do their dirty work abroad, raising the risk of miscalculations with potentially violent consequences.

The Saboteur's Dilemma: The Risk of Using Proxies for Espionage

Ethiopia

Kenya

South Africa

Brazil

Egypt

Indonesia

Vehicles pass by a banner thanking outgoing Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and congratulating President-elect Prabowo Subianto and Vice President-elect Gibran Rakabuming Raka ahead of their Oct. 20 inauguration in Jakarta, Indonesia, on Oct. 17, 2024.

The Weekly Rundown: An Impeachment Case in Kenya, an Inauguration in Indonesia

Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepts rockets fired from southern Lebanon on Sept. 27, 2024, over the Upper Galilee region in northern Israel. The Security Cabinet of Israel has yet to decide exactly how to retaliate against Iran for its Oct. 1 missile barrage against the country, but Israel clearly is seeking U.S. approval for an operation that might yet pull the U.S. back into active defense.

The Weekly Rundown: A Shanghai Cooperation Organization Meeting, Chinese Financial Support Measures

Iran sits at the crossroads of the Islamic world. Linking the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central and South Asia, Iran has struggled to balance the benefits and risks of its geographic position.    Iran's core is located in the western Zagros mountain range. From this secure geography, the beginnings of the Persian Empire spread throughout Iran's mountainous topography securing the Alborz, the southern Zagros and much of the Iranian plateau.    Iran's primary geographic challenge has been to secure itself from the many external threats on its borders. Arabs, Mongols and Turks all conquered ancient Persia at various times, prompting Persia to expand its territorial control whenever possible to establish a buffer to protect its core.    At its height, the Persian Empire stretched from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Hindu Kush mountains, bridging modern-day Europe and Asia. Echoes of this former empire can be seen even today, with Iran's support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, the al Assad regime in Damascus and the Shiite-led government in Iraq.    Iran has also struggled to unite and control the various language and ethnic groups located within its core territories, a process impeded by the country's difficult terrain. Modern-day Tehran is aided by its large hydrocarbon reserves; Iran boasts the fourth-largest oil reserves and largest natural gas reserves in the world. The 20th century saw British, Russian and American interests competing not only to control Iran's strategic geographic location, but its significant energy reserves as well.    This modern-day reliance on energy revenues has resulted in Iran's focus on securing the Strait of Hormuz and expanding control over the Persian Gulf to secure its core territories from the threat of outside invasion.

SITUATION REPORTS

Russia, Iran, Turkey: Guarantor Countries Remain Committed to the Astana Format for Syria

Iran, Israel: Tehran Reportedly Postpones Retaliation on Israel, Floats Olive Branch to Trump on Talks

Iran, Israel: Iran Reportedly To Attack Israel After U.S. Presidential Election

OPEC+: Unwinding of Voluntary Production Cuts Delayed by One Month

MENA: Israel Captures Iranian and Hezbollah Operatives in Syria, Lebanon

Israel, Iran, Iraq: Iran Reportedly Planning to Attack Israel From Iraq

Iran: Tehran Aims To Carry Out 'Painful' Response to Israel's Attack Before U.S. Election

Iran: Government Plans To Boost Defense Spending by 200%

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