United States

Iran

Israel

Russia

Energy

Military & Security

Politics

Alexey Likhachev, chief of Russia's Rosatom nuclear company, said a strike on Iran's Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant could cause a "regional-scale catastrophe," noting that Rosatom had lost contact with Iran's nuclear authorities, Interfax reported on March 3.

Russia, Iran: Rosatom Warns of Nuclear Risk Near Bushehr Plant

Palestinian Territories

Economics

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Israel said it would reopen Rafah's Kerem Shalom border crossing between Gaza and Egypt after initially closing it on Feb. 28 over the outbreak of the Iran conflict, AFP reported on March 3.

Israel, Gaza: Israel To Reopen Rafah Border Crossing

Middle East and North Africa

Kuwait

Saudi Arabia

U.S.-Iran Relations

Iran attacked the U.S. embassies in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, resulting in their closures and calls for nonessential U.S. personnel to evacuate from the region, The New York Times reported March 3. 

MENA: Iran Attacks Diplomatic, Military, Commercial Targets in Gulf; Threatens Strait of Hormuz

Brig. Gen. Sardar Ebrahim Jabbari, a high-ranking official in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and an adviser to the IRGC's commander-in-chief, announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, semi-official Iranian outlet Tasnim News reported on March 2. 

Iran: IRGC Official Claims Iran Will Set Fire to Any Vessel Transiting Strait of Hormuz

Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Russian and Ukrainian officials said the next round of U.S.-mediated peace talks, previously expected March 5-6 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, have not been canceled despite ongoing U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, Bloomberg reported on March 2.

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Says Peace Talks To Proceed Despite Iran Escalation

Afghanistan

Pakistan

Afghanistan-Pakistan cross-border clashes continued on March 1 as the Taliban in the capital, Kabul, reported firing at Pakistani jets that purportedly attempted to target Bagram Air Base, though consequent damage and casualties remain unclear, Reuters reported the same day.

Afghanistan, Pakistan: Afghanistan-Pakistan Clashes Persist as Conflict Erupts in Neighboring Iran

China

North Korea

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on March 1 that the United States' "blatant killing of a sovereign leader" in Iran and attempts at regime change were unacceptable, according to Xinhua, but Beijing has yet to threaten retaliation.

China, North Korea: Nations React Calmly to U.S. Strikes on Iran

Qatar

United Arab Emirates

On March 1, following the assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Guardian Council member Alireza Arafi was appointed to Iran's Leadership Council, alongside President Masoud Pezeshkian and Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, to exercise the Supreme Leader's powers until a permanent successor is chosen, Al Jazeera reported the same day. 

Iran: Transitional Council Appointed To Lead Country Following Khamenei Assassination

Assessments

Iraq

Lebanon

People attend a gathering honoring Iran's former Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on March 1, 2026, at Ashura Square in southern Beirut, Lebanon. 

The Iran war has thrown a wrench in Iraq's and Lebanon's political stalemates, likely further prolonging government formation and delaying elections.

Political Stalemates in Iraq and Lebanon Deepen Amid Regional Instability

Media

Podcasts

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is gone, and the U.S. and Israel-Iran war is widening. Here's what you need to know to navigate the immediate aftermath of the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran.

RANE Red Alert: What To Watch Following the U.S.-Israeli Attacks on Iran

Smoke plumes billow following Israel's bombardment of Beirut's southern suburbs on March 2, 2026. 

Israel is set to escalate its campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, despite the Lebanese government's accelerated efforts to disarm the militant group.

Lebanon Joins the Region's Growing Conflict After Hezbollah Strikes Israel

Cargo ships and tankers are seen in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Fujairah, the United Arab Emirates, on Feb. 25, 2026. 

Although most of the Middle East's crucial oil and gas assets have so far been spared, a prolonged conflict would raise the risk of material supply disruptions and price shocks, particularly for LNG markets.

How Will the Iran War Impact the World's Oil and Gas Supplies?

Europe

A woman holds a photo of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as Iranians protest against attacks on Iran by Israel and the United States on Feb. 28, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. 

Global Trade

Depending on the duration of maritime disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, the escalating conflict is set to subject European economies to significant energy market volatility.

European Economic Growth Likely To Suffer From Impact of U.S. and Israel-Iran War

Bahrain

Oman

The Crown Plaza on March 1 showing damage from an Iranian military strike in Manama, Bahrain. Iran's attacks will push the Gulf Arab states more toward security alignment with the United States, and threaten their status as a secure investment destination.

Iran's attacks will push the Gulf Arab states more toward security alignment with the United States, and threaten their status as a secure investment destination.

The Implications of Iran's Attacks on the Gulf

Snapshots

People in Tehran look to the skies from a rooftop amid reports of widespread U.S. and Israeli attacks in Iran on Feb. 28, 2026.

The U.S. and Israel are pushing for regime change in Iran, though their attacks are most likely to yield an even more hostile government, as Iran has likely enacted mechanisms to ensure political continuity. 

What To Watch For Inside Iran Amid U.S. and Israeli Strikes

Canada

Australia

Japan

Germany

India

The Tehran skyline on Dec. 30, 2025. On March 2, U.S. and Iranian negotiators will meet in Vienna, Austria, to begin technical talks on a nuclear deal.

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

The Weekly Rundown: The Conflict in the Middle East, Merz meets Trump 

Yemen

A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion Feb. 28 in Tehran. The joint U.S.-Israel military operations on Feb. 28 against Iran have already escalated into a broader regional confrontation.

The military operations have already escalated into a broader regional confrontation and mark the onset of a sustained, multitheater conflict, but are unlikely on their own to trigger near-term regime collapse in Tehran.

A New U.S. and Israeli Attack on Iran Triggers a Regional Confrontation

Armenia

Azerbaijan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (left) shakes hands with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace on Feb. 19, 2026, in Washington, D.C.

Yerevan and Baku's efforts to finalize a peace treaty and realign toward the West will be tested by Russian influence operations ahead of Armenian elections and Iran's competing geopolitical interests.

To Escape Russia's Orbit, Armenia and Azerbaijan Turn to Each Other -- and the West

Columns

On Geopolitics

Somalia

Sudan

Egypt

Libya

Syria

Turkey

A dark earth map of the Middle East with glowing details of cities and human population density areas.

Two blocs are emerging in the Middle East: one focused on preserving existing states and institutions, and the other on creating new ones.

Preservation vs. Fragmentation: Two Paths Toward a New Order in the Middle East

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press Feb. 2 in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump will deliver the annual State of the Union address to Congress on Feb. 24.

U.S.-China Relations

The Weekly Rundown: Trump Threatens Iran, Pledges To Reimpose Tariffs on Different Grounds

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: Rosatom Warns of Nuclear Risk Near Bushehr Plant

Israel, Gaza: Israel To Reopen Rafah Border Crossing

MENA: Iran Attacks Diplomatic, Military, Commercial Targets in Gulf; Threatens Strait of Hormuz

Iran: IRGC Official Claims Iran Will Set Fire to Any Vessel Transiting Strait of Hormuz

Russia, Ukraine: Kremlin Says Peace Talks To Proceed Despite Iran Escalation

Afghanistan, Pakistan: Afghanistan-Pakistan Clashes Persist as Conflict Erupts in Neighboring Iran

China, North Korea: Nations React Calmly to U.S. Strikes on Iran

Iran: Transitional Council Appointed To Lead Country Following Khamenei Assassination

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