Unlike Venezuela, Iran is a geo-strategic pivot for superpowers like Russia and China, and regional powers like Turkey and Israel. The regime's fate hangs on their moves

When Russia sought assistance from China, North Korea and Iran amid its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, some Western officials expressed concern about the formation of a new axis against Western countries. But none of these countries came to Iran's aid ...

While evading new US sanctions on Iran, adjusting to changes in Syria and expanding military footprint with key Arab partners especially Egypt, China closes 2025 with gains in the Middle East but confronts new challenges with UAE-Saudi rupture in Yemen and Sudan.

Chinese independent refineries have been the major buyers of cheap Iranian crude. China's crude imports from Malaysia increased significantly to levels exceeding Malaysia's production. Such trades are likely to continue as usual despite Trump's recent ...

Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. I'm RFE/RL correspondent Kian Sharifi. In this edition, I'm looking into how Iran, perhaps naively, is relying on China and Russia to ...

Two police officials were attacked in separate incidents in Iran as demonstrations over soaring commodity prices continue to gather pace. However, the latest protests have not reached the scale of tho

Why Is Myanmar’s Military Bothering to Hold an Election? The Diplomat author Mercy Kuo regularly engages subject-matter experts, policy practitioners, and strategic thinkers across the globe for their diverse insights into U.S. Asia policy. This ...

In the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean, a U.S. Special Operations team boarded a cargo ship last month, seizing Chinese-made components bound for Iran's missile program. This high-seas interdiction underscores Washington's pivot to direct action amid Tehran's rapid rearmament following a devastating June 2025 Israeli-American air campaign that crippled much of its offensive arsenal.