Tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan have opened the door for exploitation and competition between regional powers, particularly Turkey and Israel, Iran’s key rivals in the region. Even though the populations of both countries are predominantly Shia Muslim| The Soufan Center
A United States-Iran proxy conflict inside Iraq appears to be escalating, approaching levels last seen in 2019 during the height of the implementation of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” strategy against Iran| The Soufan Center
In late October, according to the United States Defense Department, a “complex, coordinated, and deliberate attack” was conducted against a U.S. base at Al Tanf in eastern Syria| The Soufan Center
On January 28, an armed drone struck a building in the Iranian city of Isfahan, a site that is reportedly part of Iran’s defense production infrastructure. Despite social media videos of the strike exploding on the facility, Iran's defense ministry stated that one of the three small attacking drones| The Soufan Center
Israeli media have indirectly confirmed that Israel was responsible for an April 11 explosion that disabled the power supply to Iran’s main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz| The Soufan Center
In late October, Iran’s new government formally agreed to return to talks on a restoration of the 2015 multilateral Iran nuclear deal. The new round that will begin on November 29 follows several months of uncertainty about whether the talks would continue| The Soufan Center
Iran’s role in the October 7 attack on Israel by Hamas, a close ally of Tehran, continues to be contested, but there is no dispute that Iran set the stage for the Hamas attack by arming, training, and advising the group over several decades.| The Soufan Center
As negotiators for the United States and Iran report progress in indirect talks in Vienna aimed at a full restoration of the 2015 multilateral Iran nuclear agreement, countries in the region appear to be repositioning themselves| The Soufan Center
As a consequence of early November national elections, and after five elections in less than four years, Israel appears set to have the first stable government in several years. The elections have produced an unlikely comeback for Binyamin Netanyahu, who has been Prime Minister of Israel| The Soufan Center
In the year since the October 7 Hamas attack, Israel and Iran have moved beyond their decade-long “shadow war” of tit-for-tat intelligence operations against each other’s interests to direct conflict bordering on sustained, all-out war. As a consequence, Iranian and Israeli leaders are each searching for “escalation dominance” against the other. Israel’s Prime Minister Binyamin […]| The Soufan Center