By AIC Senior Research Fellow Andrew Lumsden

On June 12, 2023, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi embarked on a five-day tour of three Latin American countries, the first visit of an Iranian leader to the region since 2016. In addition to praising Latin American countries for their commitment to “independence, freedom, and justice,” Raisi signed 35 agreements with his counterparts in Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and signaled an intention to begin a new era of cooperation. 

This visit has helped to reignite discussions about the nature and extent of Iran’s relationships and activities in Latin America. Furthermore, it raises questions about ramifications for the United States, a nemesis of Tehran and a power that has for centuries been wary of foreign influences in the Americas.

This Media Guide will explore some of the key political and economic relationships Iran has built in Latin America over the past two decades, its motives, and how the United States has reacted.

By AIC Research Associate Tristan Gutbezahl

The last year and a half has augured a revolutionary shift in Russian-Iranian relations. Moscow’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 isolated it from the West, resulting in an increased reliance on relations with other sanctioned countries like Iran.  Though Russia and Iran had previously collaborated in Syria, the war in Ukraine has transformed the previously informal partnership into a serious strategic alliance. Official Russian foreign policy documents have explicitly called for “full-scale and trustful cooperation” with its erstwhile historical rival. Indeed, since the invasion, Iran has emerged as Russia’s indispensable partner, providing crucial military support while exploring new avenues of economic and political cooperation in the face of stifling Western sanctions. Though the burgeoning Russo-Iranian alliance poses an undeniable challenge to US interests in Eurasia and beyond, significant fault lines still inhibit the two countries from developing a comprehensive alliance, let alone a full-blown defense bloc like NATO. 

This media guide will investigate Iranian military, political, and economic cooperation with Russia while examining the enduring competition and grievances that inhibit the alliance’s potential.

By AIC Senior Research Fellow Andrew Lumsden

In a move that made headlines around the world and triggered new debate on the future of the global geopolitical order, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic relations, broken since 2016. The deal, brokered by China, has underscored Beijing’s growing influence in the Middle East and highlighted China’s apparently deepening relationship with Iran. In 2022, AIC discussed Iran and China’s ‘Comprehensive Strategic Agreement (CSP),’ which was signed the previous year but had only then formally come into force. 

This Media Guide will explore how Sino-Iranian relations have changed in the year since the CSP and what the past year may suggest about the scope and durability of the new Sino-Iranian alliance. 

By AIC Senior Research Fellow Andrew Lumsden

In December 2022, Qatar made history as the first Arab and Muslim-majority country to host the FIFA World Cup international football tournament, a milestone which highlighted the tiny Persian Gulf emirate’s meteoric rise to global prominence. 

Though only roughly the size of the U.S. state of Connecticut, Qatar holds the world’s third largest reserves of natural gas, and is tied with the United States as the largest exporter of the fuel, made all the more valuable as the ongoing conflict in Ukraine drives European countries to seek alternatives to Russian gas. Qatar’s resource wealth has put it, per capita, among the top twenty wealthiest countries in the world, topping economic powers such as the United Kingdom, Japan and Germany. 

By AIC Senior Research Fellow Andrew Lumsden

As world attention remains fixed on the ongoing war in Ukraine, a lesser-known conflict flared up in the Caucasus on September 12, 2022. Armed clashes broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia, post-Soviet states with territorial disputes dating back to the late 1980s. The fighting is estimated to have resulted in at least 175 deaths, and comes on the heels of a 6-week war between the two sides in 2020, which killed more than 6,500 people. 

Iran shares a border and a long history with both warring parties and this Media Guide will explore the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, Tehran’s relations with each side and how it has been involved in the conflict over the decades.

By AIC Senior Research Fellow Andrew Lumsden

As he campaigns to reclaim the premiership he held for over a decade, Israeli Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu has made his country’s cold war with Iran a key part of the campaign. Netanyahu criticizes the United States for engaging in diplomacy with Iran, and his rival, Prime Minister Yair Lapid, for allegedly not committing to unilateral military action against Iran. Under the current government, Netanyahu said, Iran’s rulers can “sleep well at night.”

The conflict between Iran and Israel may not be longstanding, nor rooted in centuries-old religious schisms as is that between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Nonetheless, it has proved to be yet another driver of bloodshed and instability in an already troubled region, with little sign of abatement.

This Media Guide will explore the conflict between Iran and Israel, its origins, impacts and what it could mean for the future of the Middle East.

By AIC Senior Research Fellow Andrew Lumsden

On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he terms a “special military operation” against Ukraine, ostensibly to “demilitarise and denazify” the country whose government he alleges is controlled by “far-right nationalists and neo-Nazis.”

Western countries have largely been united and vociferous in their condemnation of the Russian invasion, imposing extensive economic sanctions against Moscow. Some non-Western countries, such as Japan, Taiwan and Singapore have also applied sanctions.

Perhaps predictably however, reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine has differed in countries like Iran, which have strained relations with the West. This Media Guide will explore Iran’s responses to the invasion of Ukraine, its pre-war relations with the two main combatants and how the conflict may affect Iran directly.

By AIC Senior Research Fellow Andrew Lumsden

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian marked his first visit to China as Foreign Minister on January 14 2022 with an announcement that a 25-year ‘Comprehensive Strategic Agreement’ (CSP) between Tehran and Beijing, signed in 2021, would now come into effect. On January 16, Iran announced that its government ministers were in talks with their Chinese counterparts to begin drawing up contracts.

The CSP has been met with celebration among Iran’s leadership, controversy among the Iranian public and concern in the West. This Media Guide will explore the Iran/China CSP, what each side hopes to gain from the deal, reactions and possible ramifications for Iran.

By AIC Senior Research Fellow Andrew Lumsden

On August 5, 2021, Ebrahim Raisi was formally sworn in as Iran’s eighth President, succeeding two-term moderate leader Hassan Rouhani, putting conservatives in control of all levels of Iranian government for the first time in eight years.

Western analysts have long been concerned that this political earthquake could mean the end for the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA or ‘Iran Nuclear Deal’), a pact between Iran, the United States and five other global powers which relieved some economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for strict limits on Tehran’s uranium enrichment program. The U.S., under former President Donald Trump, a JCPOA opponent, withdrew from the deal and re-imposed economic sanctions in 2018. Iran has since suspended compliance with the JCPOA’s regulations.

By Research Associate Lauren Elmore

Iran is an extremely earthquake-prone country. These natural disasters have caused the country tragic loss of life and hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure damage. Over time, the Iranian government has implemented some mitigation efforts to limit damage, however, these efforts have not been sufficient, and regulations remain unenforced due to economic turbulence.

What causes earthquakes, and how are they classified?

Earth’s outer shell, the crust, is divided into major “plates”, or large, often irregularly shaped segments of the lithosphere. Underneath the crust is the mantle. This is a heated layer of the earth, with temperatures ranging from 1,000 ºC to 3,700 ºC. Because of these high temperatures, the underside of the earth’s crust, or the plates, are warmed, resulting in them becoming malleable and movable. This movement is often referred to as the plate tectonic theory. During movement, the edges of the plates can hit or slide against one another, which is responsible for the creation of many geographical features such as mountains and oceanic trenches. Unfortunately, despite the wondrous geographic landmarks that have emerged across earth due to the shifting of tectonic plates, destruction may follow.

By Research Associate Connor Bulgrin

How can one of the most energy-rich nations in the world be plagued with rolling blackouts? This paradoxical situation has fuelled discontent across Iran during the summer of 2021, and many explanations have been provided to explain the electricity shortage. Indeed, increased consumption, the climate crisis, government corruption, neglect of industry, and American sanctions all contribute to Iran’s electricity crisis. In this Media Guide, we will explain these causes and the unrest they have produced.