Despite improvements in bilateral relations, friendship between Moscow and Tehran has so far been limited. After the fourth summit of the Caspian states, held on September 29, 2014, Russian analysts are unanimous in their opinion that relations between Moscow and Tehran are experiencing a renaissance after the substantial cooling down during the last years of Dmitry Medvedev’s presidency.... Continue Reading
No immediate rapprochement is expected between the US and Iran. Hezbollah has been deeply involved in the urban fighting alongside the Syrian regime. As argued by analysts at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Hezbollah is suffering human losses which weakens its military wing and will lead to a downfall in the scale of its activities outside Syria... Continue Reading
No immediate rapprochement is expected between the US and Iran. Few policy makers in the United States conceal the fact that the Obama administration would like to use the intention of Iranian authorities — to normalize their relations with the West — to restore political ties between the two countries, which were cut over 30 years ago. Moreover, as argued by some... Continue Reading
Economic relations between Iran and its Asian partners might be limited, but are never completely cut. This is the last of a two part series. Read part one here. The extra-territorial nature of US sanctions, as well as the fact that these measures were supported by a large number of countries (such as the UAE, Canada, Australia, EU members and others), also have a negative influence on... Continue Reading
Economic relations between Iran and its Asian partners might be limited, but are never completely cut. This is the first of a two part series. There are no doubts that international economic sanctions imposed on Iran remain one of the main factors shaping Tehran’s dialogue with the rest of the world. Nevertheless, their influence on Iranian economic cooperation with leading Asian countries... Continue Reading
The international sanctions against Iran have been effective. However, they also made the Iranian elite more practical and cynical by teaching it how to survive under external economic pressure. This is the last of a two part series. Read part one. In spite of existing sanctions, Iran keeps on developing its petrochemical and gas industries. For instance, in February 2013, Tehran finally managed... Continue Reading
The international sanctions against Iran have been effective. However, they also made the Iranian elite more practical and cynical by teaching it how to survive under external economic pressure. This is the first of a two part series. International reports on the economic and political situation in Iran prepared by different respected analytical institutes and consultancies, state that sanctions... Continue Reading
The Russian scholar and independent analyst Dr. Nikolay Kozhanov shares his in-depth insight into the Russian approach towards the upcoming Moscow negotiations between P5+1 and Iran with Shirin Shafaie. Dr. Kozhanov was an attaché at the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Tehran from 2006 to 2009, where he worked on Iran's nuclear issue among other socio-economic and energy-related... Continue Reading
