United States

Venezuela

Iran

China

Czech Republic

Spain

Russia

Military & Security

Politics

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello announced that the government arrested three U.S. citizens, two Spaniards and a Czech national for their alleged participation in a conspiracy to destabilize the administration, El Pais reported on Sept. 14. 

Venezuela: Alleged Anti-Government Plot Portends Crackdown on Opposition

Iraq

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian concluded his first trip abroad since taking office in July with a trip to Iraq, which took place from Sept. 11-13 and included visits to Baghdad, Iraqi Kurdistan and Basra, Rudaw reported Sept. 13.

Iran: President Pezeshkian Finishes First Foreign Visit to Iraq

Israel

Syria

Israeli forces reportedly carried out a ground raid on an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC)-related facility in Masyaf in central Syria on Sept. 8, according to Times of Israel on Sept. 12. 

Israel, Syria: Israeli Ground Troops Used in Raid on IRGC Site

Germany

France

United Kingdom

France, Germany and the United Kingdom -- the so-called E3 grouping of signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal -- issued a joint statement on Sept. 10 criticizing Iran's transfer of short-range ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine.

Europe: France, Germany and the U.K. Sanction Iran Over Missile Transfers to Russia

Europe

Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

U.S.-Iran Relations

After months of EU and U.S. warnings, Iran sent Russia short-range ballistic missiles for use in the Ukraine war, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sept. 6, citing U.S. and European officials.

Iran: Tehran Sends Russia Ballistic Missiles for Use in Ukraine

Equatorial Guinea

Gabon

Nigeria

Republic of the Congo

Algeria

Kuwait

Libya

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Economics

Energy

Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and other oil producers participating in OPEC+'s voluntary 2.2 million barrel per day production cut agreed to delay the cut's phase out from Oct. 1 to Dec. 1, OPEC+ said in a press release published on its website on Sept. 5.

Global: OPEC+ Delays Voluntary Production Cut Phase Out by Two Months

Brazil

OPEC+ may delay a planned 180,000 barrel per day increase in oil production in October, Reuters reported on Sept. 4, citing three OPEC+ sources.

Global: OPEC+ Weighs Delaying Production Increase

Pakistan

Iran has given Pakistan a final warning to complete its portion of a cross-border gas pipeline, threatening international arbitration and potentially billions in fines if the project remains unfinished, Nikkei Asia reported on Sept. 2.

Pakistan, Iran: Iran Issues  'Final Notice' to Pakistan Over Unfinished Gas Pipeline

Assessments

Lebanon

Palestinian Territories

Remains of exploded pagers on Sept. 18 in southern Beirut. Israel's attacks on Hezbollah's communications likely signal a steady shift toward a more intense Lebanon campaign,

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Israel's attacks on Hezbollah's communications likely signal a steady shift toward a more intense Lebanon campaign. 

Israel's Electronics Sabotage Signals a More Intense Military Campaign in Lebanon

A digital illustration shows a binary code overlaying the Iranian flag.

Cyber

In the second part of this series, we explore Iran's attempts to steal information, silence critics, and disrupt Western critical infrastructure and organizations via damaging cyberattacks and espionage campaigns.

Iran's Escalating Cyber Strategy Against the West, Part 2

In the first of this two-part series, we explore Iran's attempts to sway the upcoming U.S. presidential election and heighten anti-Israel sentiments via online influence campaigns and cyberattacks.

Iran's Escalating Cyber Strategy Against the West, Part 1

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Tamim on April 15 in Washington. Although a U.S. troop drawdown from Iraq is unlikely to lead to a resurgence in the Islamic State or to have significant economic impacts, tensions between Iraqi nationalists and Iranian-backed pro-Tehran Shiites could cause violence in the event of growing Iranian influence.

Although a U.S. troop drawdown from Iraq is unlikely to lead to a resurgence in the Islamic State or to have significant economic impacts, tensions between Iraqi nationalists and Iranian-backed pro-Tehran Shiites could cause violence in the event of growing Iranian influence.

Security in Iraq After a U.S. Withdrawal

Yemen

People watch a televised speech of Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Hasan Nasrallah commemorating the seventh-century killing of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Imam Hussein, in Beirut, Lebanon, on July 17, 2024.

Despite their unified vision, groups within the Iranian-led Axis of Resistance are unlikely to sacrifice their strategic imperatives for one another, leaving them vulnerable to Israeli attacks.

Assessing the Strategic Imperatives of the Iranian-Led 'Axis of Resistance'

Jordan

An Aug. 29 Israeli military operation in Tulkarm in the northern West Bank. In the coming months, wide-scale Israeli military operations and expanding settlements in the West Bank will further weaken the Palestinian Authority and put the territory at greater risk of uprising.

In the coming months, wide-scale Israeli military operations and expanding settlements in the West Bank will further weaken the Palestinian Authority and put the territory at greater risk of uprising. 

Will Israel Face a Third Intifada in the West Bank?

An Israeli air force Samson C-130J Super Hercules cargo plane flies over the Israeli coastal city of Netanya toward northern Israel on Aug. 25, 2024, after Israel launched airstrikes targeting Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.

Israel's recent preemptive strike on Hezbollah reflects an increasing willingness to strike Iran's regional proxies -- and potentially even Iran itself -- to interdict their impending attacks, raising the risk of a larger regional war.

As It Awaits Iran's Retaliation, Israel Mulls More Preemptive Strikes

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian (C) greets parliament members after giving an address during a session to approve his new Cabinet appointments in Tehran on Aug. 21, 2024.

Social Issues

Pezeshkian's new Cabinet reveals his forthcoming focus on economic reform, the result of which will affect the prospects of future social reform and the succession process for Iran's next supreme leader.

Iran's Pezeshkian Prioritizes Economic Platform in Olive Branch to Conservatives

Angola

Botswana

Comoros

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Lesotho

Madagascar

Malawi

Mauritius

Mozambique

Namibia

Seychelles

South Africa

Eswatini

Tanzania

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Egypt

Qatar

Vietnam

Yael Braun-Pivet, a French lawmaker for the ruling Renaissance party, delivers a speech after being reelected as National Assembly president following the third round of voting on July 18, 2024.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: France Resumes Political Horse-Trading, Blinken Returns to Middle East

Bangladesh

Nicolas Maduro on Aug. 7, 2024, in Caracas, Venezuela. The presidents of Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Gustavo Petro and Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, respectively, are considering a call with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Aug. 12 in a bid to promote negotiations with the opposition to cool the risk of further violent unrest.

The Weekly Rundown: Awaiting Iranian Retaliation, Bangladesh's New Government

Media

Graphics

Israel's Iron Dome air defense system intercepts rockets fired from southern Lebanon on Aug. 4, 2024, in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel. Israel remains on high alert for potential responses from Iran and Hezbollah following the assassination of Hamas' political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Israel remains on high alert for potential responses from Iran and Hezbollah following the assassination of Hamas' political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Israel on High Alert for Potential Responses From Iran and Hezbollah

Australia

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris listens as President Joe Biden speaks during a Women's History Month reception in the White House on March 18, 2024.

The Weekly Rundown: Escalation in the Middle East, Kamala Harris' VP Pick

Iran sits at the crossroads of the Islamic world. Linking the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central and South Asia, Iran has struggled to balance the benefits and risks of its geographic position.    Iran's core is located in the western Zagros mountain range. From this secure geography, the beginnings of the Persian Empire spread throughout Iran's mountainous topography securing the Alborz, the southern Zagros and much of the Iranian plateau.    Iran's primary geographic challenge has been to secure itself from the many external threats on its borders. Arabs, Mongols and Turks all conquered ancient Persia at various times, prompting Persia to expand its territorial control whenever possible to establish a buffer to protect its core.    At its height, the Persian Empire stretched from the Eastern Mediterranean to the Hindu Kush mountains, bridging modern-day Europe and Asia. Echoes of this former empire can be seen even today, with Iran's support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, the al Assad regime in Damascus and the Shiite-led government in Iraq.    Iran has also struggled to unite and control the various language and ethnic groups located within its core territories, a process impeded by the country's difficult terrain. Modern-day Tehran is aided by its large hydrocarbon reserves; Iran boasts the fourth-largest oil reserves and largest natural gas reserves in the world. The 20th century saw British, Russian and American interests competing not only to control Iran's strategic geographic location, but its significant energy reserves as well.    This modern-day reliance on energy revenues has resulted in Iran's focus on securing the Strait of Hormuz and expanding control over the Persian Gulf to secure its core territories from the threat of outside invasion.

SITUATION REPORTS

Venezuela: Alleged Anti-Government Plot Portends Crackdown on Opposition

Iran: President Pezeshkian Finishes First Foreign Visit to Iraq

Israel, Syria: Israeli Ground Troops Used in Raid on IRGC Site

Europe: France, Germany and the U.K. Sanction Iran Over Missile Transfers to Russia

Iran: Tehran Sends Russia Ballistic Missiles for Use in Ukraine

Global: OPEC+ Delays Voluntary Production Cut Phase Out by Two Months

Global: OPEC+ Weighs Delaying Production Increase

Pakistan, Iran: Iran Issues 'Final Notice' to Pakistan Over Unfinished Gas Pipeline

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