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It is not just through trade and financial controls that the United States and its allies are gradually encircling Iran in an effort to throttle the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions. And the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) states are playing a larger role in this process than seemed likely earlier this decade, when Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdelaziz led a move towards rapprochement with Tehran. Thus, according to GSN’s contacts in the

Despite an increasingly sophisticated military infrastructure, a fatal crash and a number of technical faults at a recent air show have undermined President Ahmadinejad’s threats of retaliation if the US or Israel were to strike

In a move to increase pressure on Tehran, the British government has followed US moves by banning all UK-based companies from entering into or continuing any transactions or business relationships with Bank Mellat,

Everyone from ‘Great Satan’ America to Al-Qaeda has been blamed for a suicide bombing that targeted senior IRGC commanders in Sistan va Baluchistan. The incident points to deepening confrontation in sensitive, often ethnically distinct border regions such as Khuzestan province, where Tehran has rejected all challenges to its authority

The latest bloodbath in Saada, causing tens of thousands of civilians to flee, has made international news. The roots of the crisis, and the continuing confrontation in the south, present a complex challenge to Ali Abdullah Saleh

With persistent rumours about the Supreme Leader’s health, key figures are jostling for power as they await the succession that many expect sooner rather than later. Meanwhile, with growing influence, the Rahbar’s son Mojtaba Khamenei waits in the wings

The Iranian succession process can be rather complex, particularly in the absence of a reigning rahbar (supreme leader) with the personal authority to nominate a successor. Upon a rahbar's death or removal, the deliberations and decisions lie solely

Alarm bells have sounded over reports that Saudi Arabia is preparing to sign an unprecedented $2bn arms deal with Russia. Saudi defence procurement is usually the domain of the United States, Britain and France – leading observers to speculate that a geopolitical shift is under way. This might also involve shifting attitudes towards Iran, with Riyadh offering Moscow juicy contracts if it cools relations with Tehran.

The first term of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad restored hardline conservative nationalism to centre stage. The president's continuing nuclear programme, ignoring Saudi demands for a nuclear-free Gulf, could only deepen anxieties. Riyadh's concern has been heightened by the ruthlessness with which

The Majlis has approved 18 of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s 21 nominations to government posts, many of whom are hardliners loyal to the president and with backgrounds in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The composition of the new government further fuels suspicion that the IRGC is seizing power in the Islamic Republic. It has become more prominent since it backed Ahmadinejad in June’s disputed presidential election, subsequently clamping down on dissenters and opposition.

First Persia Equity Fund, a Cayman Islands-based subsidiary of the state-controlled Bank Melli Iran, has been blacklisted by the US Treasury Department’s office of foreign assets control. As part of further US sanctions

The Majlis (Parliament) has approved the appointment of Massoud Mirkazemi as oil minister. Mirkazemi, the former commerce minister who enjoys close links with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has been criticised for his lack of knowledge and experience of the oil industry. His running of the department, which is engulfed in crisis, will be crucial during the new parliamentary term, particularly if further sanctions are imposed on the oil industry over the country’s nuclear programme.

A cargo ship that vanished en route from Finland to Algeria on 24 July was carrying arms to Iran and was being tracked by the Israeli security service Mossad, according to sources in Russia and Israel quoted in UK newspaper The Sunday Times.

The Sultan’s decision to visit Iran during President Ahmadinejad’s inauguration shows that Oman remains a significant player in the region, able to balance strong relations with the West with an open approach to Tehran. And the purchase of 24 Eurofighter Typhoons shows it has a tougher mindset, too.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s inauguration marked an inauspicious beginning of his second term in office, as political divisions within the ruling elite continued to deepen, to the extent that forming a new cabinet could prove difficult for the embattled head of government. Until 12 June apparently the master of his political arena, Ahmadinejad now seems unable to do anything right – as was underlined last month when he caused outrage among conservative ranks by appointing Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie as first vice president, a nepotistic move which further diminished his already damaged authority.