The Armenian Apostolic Church (AAC), one of the oldest Christian institutions, made Armenia the first nation to adopt Christianity as its state religion in 301 AD under St. Gregory the Illuminator and King Tiridates III. Over centuries of foreign domination and diaspora, it has served as the primary guardian of
Moscow’s Last Lever? The Armenian Church and Armenia’s Westward Shift Continue Reading >>
Introduction In January 2025, reports emerged that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had assured U.S. envoy Steven Witkoff that Tehran would not carry out 800 executions of protesters. According to multiple accounts, this assurance may have led President Donald Trump to halt a planned military strike against Iran. The episode
After the ceasefire that ended Israel’s 12-day war against Iran, Iranian officials were stunned by the sophistication of the Mossad’s operation and alarmed by the revelation of where the security breach had occurred. Despite mounting evidence of a high-level intelligence breach, some Iranian officials deflected blame by targeting a French
The Spy War Inside Iran Continue Reading >>
During and after the 12-day Iran–Israel war, Iranian propaganda levelled harsh accusations against Azerbaijan, directly blaming its northern neighbor for collaborating with Israel. Some Iranian political commentators including officials and persons affiliated with the IRGC threatened Baku and called for decisive action against Azerbaijan. As the war erupted at a
Iran’s Bluster Reveals its Fragility Continue Reading >>
On June 27th the FSB (Russian Federal Security Service) and police forces conducted simultaneous raids in Yekaterinburg, targeting dozens of ethnic Azerbaijanis. This city is one of the centers of the Azerbaijani diaspora in Russia, which numbers between 2 and 3 million people (not all of them are Azerbaijani citizens).
Moscow’s Weakness Behind the Crisis With Baku Continue Reading >>
Israel’s operation “Rising Lion” caught the Iranian regime by surprise, severely limiting its capacity to thwart the Israeli blitz and retaliate effectively. This surprise facilitated the smooth continuation of the Israeli attack and significantly diminished Iran’s strategic assets, including missiles and drones. Although Iran persisted in launching missiles at Israel,
Iran’s Hybrid War on the Caucasus Continue Reading >>
By Alex Grinberg and Hussain Ehsani Introduction Tajikistan, the only Persian-speaking republic amidst a sea of Turkic Central Asian states, has emerged as the latest arena in a quiet yet consequential contest. At the heart of this geopolitical struggle are two rival forces: on one side, Iran, aiming to reassert
