Richard Nephew is Senior Research Scholar at Columbia University at the Center on Global Energy Policy and an Adjunct Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He served as Deputy Special Envoy for Iran during the Biden administration and on the National Security Council and State Department during the Obama administration.

After Assad's regime was toppled in Syria, Iran and Russia seem to have suffered the biggest setback. Moscow and Tehran see West coming closer to Syria, which used to be closely intricated with their geopolitical aspirations.

Israel is closely following contacts between senior Iranian and Russian officials, and fears that in exchange for Iran's extensive assistance to Russia's war effort in Ukraine, Moscow will provide Iran with the technology to turn the enriched uranium into a nuclear warhead.

The treaty will "formalize the parties' commitment to close defense cooperation," Russia's foreign minister said in late October.

Reduced oil supply from Iran and Russia due to U.S. sanctions and pressure from OPEC+ is causing a surge in prices for Middle Eastern crudes.

The Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Iranian and Russian entities accused of trying to interfere with the 2024 U.S. elections.

The United States on Tuesday imposed sanctions on entities in Iran and Russia, accusing them of attempting to interfere in the 2024 U.S. election.

With the onset of the Arab Spring, the Syrian people revolted in large numbers, demanding better governance and the opportunity to live in a free

Within the first 100 days, reopening the U.S. consulate in Kabul and initiating direct bilateral aid agreements could stabilize the region, protect American interests and project renewed American global leadership.

The case of the prominent Italian journalist detained in Iran is a test for Italy’s government as it gets caught up in Iran’s shadow war with the U.S.