Regional: Caspian, Asian relations, Bahrain HR

Tehran looks east: Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif signed the Treaty of Amity and Co-operation in Southeast Asia (TAC) on the sidelines of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Singapore on 2 August. The TAC is designed to promote political relations between its signatories and does not hold any economic significance; even so, Iranian ambassador to Singapore Javad Ansari said the treaty would enable the Islamic Republic to expand economic ties with Asean member states in the face of the new sanctions being imposed by the United States.