Russia and Iran may sign a new strategic partnership agreement. This is expected to happen ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as President of the United States, according to Newsweek. According to the media outlet,

The treaty will "formalize the parties' commitment to close defense cooperation," Russia's foreign minister said in late October.

Hossein Shamkhani, whose father is a senior figure in Tehran, has emerged as a major player in the supply of Iranian arms to Russia, according to US officials and people familiar with his dealings.

The Pentagon is emphasizig the crucial role of Special Operations Forces (SOF) in preventing conflicts. The recent development comes as adversaries of the United States strengthen their alliances and influence operations across the globe.

A Russian delegation met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran on Monday, Iranian news agencies said, as the two countries prepared to sign a comprehensive cooperation agreement.

North Korean troops have now entered Russia’s war with Ukraine in a major way, and some have been killed, Western officials say.

The fall of Assad punctuates—again—what has been a very bad stretch for the Islamic Republic. As others have observed, the October 7th attack had unintended consequences, not only for Yahya Sinwar and Hamas but also for Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah,

Now that Iran is weakened, it’s time to turn our attention to Turkey. It will take more than the destruction of Hamas, the disarmament of Hezbollah, and the fall of the Assad dictatorship to put an end to the threat posed to the world by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

Acting decisively now can undermine Russia’s and Iran’s positions in the Middle East and strengthen U.S. and European influence in the region.

The fall of the Assad dynasty after 54 years in power, and the winding up of the Baath party, was a major setback for both Russia and Iran, which invested heavily in Bashar’s survival as he reeled from the local consequences of the Arab Spring.

Russia’s abandonment of the Assad regime to marshal more resources for the fight against Ukraine vividly illustrates that Putin is ready to sacrifice everything for total victory in the war. Although Putin tries to portray himself as a realist, he has become consumed with Ukraine, to the exclusion of almost all other foreign policy imperatives.

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