Vatanka Reports
News and Analysis on the Greater Middle East 
 

Iranian-Saudi relations are once again slipping.

Regional circumstances and safeguarding its interests, not ideology, have shaped Tehran’s approach to Sunni militants.

With the spread of ethnic and sectarian violence in Iraq – brought to new levels of terror by the rise of the Islamic State (IS) – Iran’s image as an island of stability in

The authorities in Iran consider the Islamic State to pose two different kinds of threats to Iranian regional interests and domestic stability.

As U.S. President Barack Obama decides on the best strategy to deal with the threat posed by ISIS in Iraq, Syria and beyond, his final plan of action will undoubtedly include the participation of like-minded allied countries and regional partners.

After a year of hesitation, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani is signaling his readiness to reach out to Tehran’s chief regional rival—Saudi Arabia.

At a time when the direction of America’s foreign policy is generating abundant global bewilderment, policy-makers in Congress and the administration must be mindful

Israel's ongoing military operation in Gaza -- Protective Edge -- has animated the Shia Islamist leadership in Tehran

Iran’s cryptic hard-liners are once again on the minds of US policymakers.

Tehran is increasingly nervous about a potential bid by Iraq’s Kurds for independence.

The swift and violent rise of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) continues to rattle the cages of power in Tehran.

This week’s visit to Tehran by the Kuwaiti emir, Sheik Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, is about more than Iranian-Kuwaiti relations.