Yulia Sveshnikova: ‘I would not call the ties between Moscow and Riyadh cordial, neither Moscow’s relationship with Tehran’

Yulia Sveshnikova, research fellow at the National Research University “Higher School of Economics” and consultant at Russian Center for Political Studies (PIR Center), sat down with IRAS some days ago for an interview about different aspects of Iran-Russia bilateral and regional ties....

Rasoul Mousavi: ‘Turkey realized that the collapse of Syria would be at the expense of Turkish territorial integrity and national security’

Iran and Turkey share a long border, and relations between them have known ups and downs in the decades since the Islamic Revolution. Tension arose between the two countries before the rise to power of Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party, both because of Turkey’s membership in NATO ...

Anton Mardasov: ‘The deterioration of relations between Russia and the US is in the interests of Iran’

Anton Mardasov, a military affairs expert and journalist and head of Department of Middle Eastern Conflicts at the Moscow-based Institute for Innovative Development, sat down with IRAS for an interview about different aspects of Astana Talks and what role Iran, Russia and the US have played since ...

Sa'adollah Zarei: 'I personally do not worry that the agreement between the US and Russia is so strong that Iran will not have the capability to break it'

Sa'adollah Zarei, senior expert on Middle East affairs sat down with IRAS for an interview about the growing military-security ties between Iran and Russia in Syria and what role the US and other regional actors play in the scene. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.    ...

Hassan Beheshtipour: ‘Central Asia is not the top priority for Iran’

Iran has, for the past 25 years, sought to build its relations with Central Asia and has often cited its historical connection as a basis for developing relations. Perhaps, more pressing for the Islamic Republic, however, has been the desire to capitalize on relationships that do not have the historical ...

Bahram Amirahmadian: ‘Russia is a pragmatic state, and Iran at times plays an emotional attitude in the political game’

In an interview with International Institute of Khazar Sea Studies (IIKSS) (Farsi), Bahram Amirahmadian, an assistant professor at University of Tehran and the senior fellow at IRAS, discussed some deeper layers of Iran-Russia relations as well as clarify the obstacles for further cooperation. Tise ...

Jahangir Karami: 'Rouhani reelection has promoted Iran’s status, more than ever, in the eyes of world public opinion'

On May 20, 2017, Hassan Rouhani won a complete victory as Iran’s president for the second time. Being praised for successful Iranian Nuclear deal implementation and economic recovery during his first term, currently Rouhani has new challenges to meet and promises to accomplish. What main social ...

Mahmoud Shoori: ‘For Russians, it is important that they do not define themselves against Saudi Arabia’

Mahmoud Shoori, head of Eurasia Program at Center for Strategic Research (CSR) and senior fellow at IRAS sat down with IRAS for an interview about the growing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Qatar and What role Iran and Russia could take to settle down the tensions in the Persian Gulf. This interview ...

Ali Shamkhani: 'Iran-Russia-Syria-Iraq-Hezbollah co-op has changed political equations in the Syria Crisis'

Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, sat down with IRAS for an exclusive interview about Iran’s cooperating with Russia. This interview has been edited for clarity.     In the past two years and in particular after the sanction ...

Abouzar Ebrahimi Torkaman: 'The Iranian cultural presence and diplomacy can create a sort of moderation and balance in Central Asia'

Abouzar Ebrahimi Torkaman, Head of Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO), sat down with IRAS for an interview about Iran’s cultural diplomacy in Central Asia and Caucasus and the cultural ties forged in recent years. The following is a condensed version of the interview.   As ...

Mahmoud Shoori: ‘The US cannot offer anything worthy to the Russians to have them leave Syria’

Russia and the United States have traded barbs at an ill-tempered emergency session of the UN Security Council called by Moscow after the US army launched a barrage of cruise missiles against a Syrian government airbase. Syria's army said six people were killed in the early hours of Friday morning ...

Jahangir Karami: 'The Russians should not feel that Iran has no choice but to have relations with them'

Iran-Russia relations have reached an unprecedented peak, fueled by military cooperation in Syria, a shared vision of the global order, and mutual criticism of Western policy in the Middle East. Tehran is a useful ally to Moscow in a highly unstable region, but it is just one thread in Moscow’...

Hassan Beheshtipour: 'Neither Russia’s interests nor the American's will be secured by fighting each other in the Middle East'

Russian President Vladimir Putin views the US missile strikes on Syria as “aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law, and under a false pretext,” according to the Russian president’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov. “With this step Washington has struck ...

Mehdi Sanaei: ' I think relations between Iran and Russia have not been and will not be influenced by third parties'

The idea of a Russian-Iranian alliance makes sense to many for four main reasons. First, Russia and Iran have a shared interest in disrupting the U.S.-dominated post–Cold War order in the Middle East. Second, the Russians were seen as leaning towards Iran during the nuclear negotiations because ...

Elena Dunayeva: 'The anti-Russian sentiments are seen among some Iranian conservatives and hardliners'

  Elena Dunayeva, Senior researcher at Center for Middle and Near East Studies, Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, sat down some days ago with IRAS for an interview about social trends in Russia and her perception about Iranian's view on Russia. This interview ...

Rasoul Mousavi: ‘Afghanistan’s stability crisis is a domestic issue which must be overcome through a balance between different ethnic groups’

  Rasoul Mousavi, Iran's former ambassador to Tajikistan, Finland and Estonia, advisor to head of Center for International Research and Education, affiliated to Iran's foreign Ministry, and senior fellow at IRAS, sat down one week ago with IRAS for a comprehensive interview about different ...

Nozar Shafeei: 'What has brought Russia, China, Pakistan and Iran close to each other is the US- ISIS axis not Taliban'

  Nozar Shafeei, university professor and former member of national security and foreign policy committee in Iran's Parliament (Majlis), sat down one week ago with IRAS for an interview about the Afghanistan developments and Russia's initiative on Afghan's Peace process. This interview ...

Mohsen Pakaeen: 'Azerbaijan has realized the advantages of regional cooperation with Iran and Russia, and will follow the same path during the Trump presidency'

  H.E. Mr. Mohsen Pakaeen, Former Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Republic of Azerbaijan, sat down one week ago with IRAS for a lengthy interview about the Iran-Azerbaijan relations. This interview has been edited for clarity.     The Iranian-Azerbaijani relations ...

Esfandiar Omidbakhsh: 'If Iran's political relations with Russia had not been to the current level, there would never be discussions on FTA with the EEU'

  On 17 June 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin put forward a proposal to create a more extensive Eurasian partnership on the basis of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) that would involve China, India, Pakistan, Iran and a number of Community of Independent States (CIS) countries among others ...

Sergey Markedonov: ‘The current dynamics between Moscow and Ankara does not necessarily mean that the two will work together to form a new alliance’

  Few noticed when intense fighting broke out in early April 2016 in Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed enclave between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Some 50 people were killed over four days, as tanks, helicopters and artillery lit up a long-forgotten front. The revival of the conflict briefly attracted ...