SPECIAL REPORT: RUSSIA IN THE MIDDLE EAST
On February 24th, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. To many, this was a shocking development and unthinkable escalation that marked a heated beginning to a second Cold War. However, to others in the Middle East, the trajectory of events in eastern Europe was less surprising in light of Russia’s deep involvement in several ongoing regional conflicts. Read about the wars that fuel Putin’s ambitions in Part 1 of our latest Wire Special Series on Russia and the Middle East.
SPECIAL REPORT: THE CRESCENT AND THE STAR
IRAN ANNOUNCES WAR GAMES WITH RUSSIA, CHINA AMIDST BRUTAL CRACKDOWN ON PUBLIC UPRISING
Iranian ships during a naval drill earlier this year. (Credit: Iranian MoD via Press TV)
A commander in the Iranian Navy has announced a series of naval war games in cooperation with Russia and China, to begin in the Indian Ocean this month. The joint exercises are intended to further expand in the radical regime's military posture in the Middle East, signaling Russia and China's willingness to defend their interests in Iran in the event of a conflict with Israel, the US or the Gulf states. Iran has previously threatened to use its navy in an operation to shut down the Strait of Hormuz, through which over 30% of the world's oil exports are shipped each day.
The announcement of the Iranian-Russian-Chinese war games came as the Tehran government finds itself embroiled in the worst outbreak of public unrest in the 40 year history of the Islamic Republic, with thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets across the country and a brutal crackdown by regime-aligned militias, resulting in the deaths of at least 180 protesters to date.
Sources:
https://www.foxnews.com/world/iran-russia-china-war-games
https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-iran-china-joi…/30301201.html
https://www.nytimes.com/…/middlee…/iran-protests-deaths.html
https://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-protests-point-to-fu…/