When Russia sought assistance from China, North Korea and Iran amid its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, some Western officials expressed concern about the formation of a new axis against Western countries. But none of these countries came to Iran's aid ...

Unlike Venezuela, Iran is a geo-strategic pivot for superpowers like Russia and China, and regional powers like Turkey and Israel. The regime's fate hangs on their moves

Iran reels from the collapse of its regional allies and a bruising war with Israel and America, sparking fierce internal debate over nationalism, nuclear ambitions, and the country’s uncertain future as its leadership faces mounting pressure.

Two days on from Donald Trump’s extraordinary capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, the dust has barely begun to settle.

South Africa will host the multinational naval exercise Will for Peace 2026 in early January, when Chinese, Russian, and Iranian naval vessels will arrive on

China has rattled Tehran by again backing the United Arab Emirates’s claim over three Persian Gulf islands controlled by Iran.

Iran is ramping oil production back to record 2024 levels of around 4.3 million barrels per day, despite U.S. and Israeli airstrikes and ongoing sanctions. Russia is leading new development efforts in key shared oilfields like Changuleh, Cheshmeh-Khosh ...

The latest season of this ‘Iranian Spring’ began on 28 December 2025, when highly influential merchants of Tehran’s Grand Bazaar revolted against the Iranian rial’s crash, hyperinflation, and a proposed 2026 budget featuring a 62 per cent tax hike.

“Sahand 2025” marks a major milestone in Tehran’s integration into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization – and in its pursuit of greater international recognition. Iran recently hosted militaries from China, India, Russia, and six other countries ...

One country outside the Middle East that's closely following the war between Israel and Iran, and any possible ceasefire, is China. That's because China is the largest importer of Iranian oil, and Beijing is a close political partner of Tehran. "China has ...

Welcome back to The Farda Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that tracks the key issues in Iran and explains why they matter. I'm RFE/RL correspondent Kian Sharifi. In this edition, I'm looking into how Iran, perhaps naively, is relying on China and Russia to ...

Iran and China are among those who have denounced the US abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and called for his immediate release. US special forces seized Maduro from the capital, Caracas, early on Saturday, while American fighter jets bombed key military installations and bases across the country.