Russian influence

This handout photo made available by the Iranian Army Office on April 17, 2025 shows Iran's Armed Forces Chief of Staff Major-General Mohammed Bagheri (L) receiving Saudi Arabia's Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman (C) in Tehran on April 17, 2025.

Saudi defense chief meets Khamenei in historic Iran visit: What to know

Prince Khalid’s visit marks a further step in Iran and Saudi Arabia’s political reconciliation, but it comes at a tense time in the region, with the second round of US-Iran nuclear negotiations just two days away.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the Kremlin in Moscow, on April 17, 2025.

Qatar and Russia to up investment by $2B as emir visits Moscow

Cooperation between Qatar and Russia on energy matters is growing, as Doha seeks to mediate between the Kremlin and Ukraine over the war.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (L) and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov walk together after their meeting to give a joint press conference at the foreign ministry headquarters in Tehran on February 25, 2025. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

IAEA chief in Tehran as Iran FM returns to Russia with Khamenei letter

A flurry of meetings are taking place in Iran, Russia and the US ahead of the second round of nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran on Saturday.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi pose for a photo before their meeting in Tehran on November 14, 2024. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

IAEA’s Grossi to visit Tehran ahead of second round of US-Iran nuclear talks

The IAEA chief’s visit comes just days after nuclear talks between the US and Iran and less than a week after a senior Iranian official threatened to halt compliance with the nuclear watchdog.

Latest News

Top US senator: No F-35 jets for Turkey until Russia's S-400 missiles 'gone'

A column of Russian missile S-400 Triumf systems drives on Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow, on May 9, 2024.

As Iran set to receive Trump's letter, China to host talks on nuclear program

TOPSHOT - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks to the press, in front of the portrait of slain Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, after meeting with Syrian officials at the Iranian embassy in Damascus on October 5, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP) (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran, China, Russia hold joint naval drill despite Trump threats: What we know

Iranian soldiers take part in the National Persian Gulf Day in the Strait of Hormuz, on April 30, 2019.

Analysis

Wary of Turkey and Iran, Israel tightens ties with Russia: What to know

Two giant election banners showing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shaking hands with US President Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin and a caption reading "Netanyahu, in another league," Tel Aviv, July 28, 2019.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian (C).

How significant is Aras corridor for Iran, Azerbaijan to gain Black Sea foothold?

A railway agreement in October between Iran and Azerbaijan has given a major boost to the potential of establishing the Aras corridor, offering Tehran a potential inroad into the Black Sea.

Rahim Rahimov

By Rahim Rahimov

In Baku, reporting on Middle East-Caucasus ties

BERLIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 17: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the media as he stands in front of a flag of the European Union before talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Chancellery on November 17, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. Erdogan is on a one-day visit to meet with German leaders that is taking place following his recent vocal support of Hamas and his labelling of Israel as a "terror state", which is complicating his relation with Germany. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

As it stalls Sweden's NATO bid, Turkey is under scrutiny over Hamas, Russia ties

Police Officers stand in front of the Hofburg Palace, the venue of the 8th OPEC International Seminar, in Vienna, Austria, on July 5, 2023.

Breaking | Last Updated: November 30, 2023, 3:51 pm

Brazil to join OPEC+ as Saudi-led bloc agrees to oil cuts

Saudi Arabia, which leads the alliance of oil producers, has been instituting voluntary production cuts in an effort to keep prices up.

A Mil Mi-28 Night Hunter military helicopter takes part in a military aviation competition in Russia's Krasnodar region on March 28, 2019.

Why Iran's military aircraft deal with Russia is significant leap for both

Tehran receives the equipment as it continues to boost a military alliance with Moscow that has come under the international spotlight and scrutiny since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the parliament.

Turkey’s parliament to debate Sweden’s NATO bid as Erdogan eyes Biden invite

The move, which comes as Turkish President Erdogan seeks a meeting with the US president, signals potential progress on the pending Turkish bid to buy new F-16 jets from the American side.

A man poses with a flag of Wagner group.

Analysis

How Russia's Redut PMC forced rival Wagner to withdraw from Syria

Almost all of Wagner's mercenaries have already left Syria on planes departing from the Khmeimim air base, and the remaining few dozen are handing over weapons to the military and processing documents.

Anton Mardasov

By Anton Mardasov

The 142-meter luxury yacht Nord, reportedly owned by Russian tycoon Alexei Mordashov, arrives in the far eastern city of Vladivostok on March 31, 2022.

UK sanctions UAE network accused of helping Russia make gold profits

The new sanctions announced by the UK Foreign Ministry target 29 individuals and companies operating in and supporting Russia’s gold, oil and strategic sectors.

United Arab Emirates

A woman walks along a building whose facade is covered with Stars of David painted during the night, in the Alesia district of Paris, France, Oct. 31, 2023.

France investigates suspected Russian role in Star of David graffiti in Paris

French police are investigating whether Stars of David spray-painted on Parisian buildings in late October were directed by Russian actors.

This photograph shows Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya) vans parked at the airport in Makhachkala on October 30, 2023. Russian police on October 30, 2023 said they had arrested 60 people suspected of storming an airport in the Muslim-majority Caucasus republic of Dagestan, seeking to attack Jewish passengers coming from Israel. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel-Russia ties unravel as Putin calls meeting over Dagestan mob incident

After a Hamas delegation visited Moscow and the anti-Israeli incident in Dagestan, the crisis between Israel and Russia is out in the open.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the 'world's largest warship,' is seen at anchor in Faliro Bay, Athens, Greece, as part of its summer deployment, on July 28, 2023 (Photo by Nikos Libertas / SOOC / SOOC via AFP) (Photo by NIKOS LIBERTAS/SOOC/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

In Israel-Hamas war, Russia's leverage erodes, outflanked by US naval power

Against the background of the possible entry of pro-Iranian forces into the Israeli-Gaza conflict, Moscow lacks even symbolic means of deterrence.

Anton Mardasov

By Anton Mardasov

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President of the European Council Charles Michel, and Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev.

Citing Turkey’s absence, Azerbaijan skips EU-sponsored talks with Armenia in Spain

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev skipped peace talks between the two countries after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan backed out due to illness.

Members of Wagner group inspect a car in a street of Rostov-on-Don, on June 24, 2023. President Vladimir Putin on June 24, 2023 said an armed mutiny by Wagner mercenaries was a "stab in the back" and that the group's chief Yevgeny Prigozhin had betrayed Russia, as he vowed to punish the dissidents. Prigozhin said his fighters control key military sites in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Wagner fractures in Syria, Libya amid conflict with Russia's Defense Ministry

A month after Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin's death in a plane crash, Russian authorities are attempting to assert control over the parallel military structure.

Anton Mardasov

By Anton Mardasov