By Elijah J. Magnier China possesses more influence over Russia than any other major power still maintaining a close relationship with Moscow. It is Russia’s largest energy customer, an indispensable supplier of manufactured and dual-use goods, a critical diplomatic partner and an increasingly important channel to the non-Western financial system. Chinese President Xi Jinping can […]

By Elijah J. Magnier – The disruption of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has forced Iran to redraw its commercial map. Instead of depending overwhelmingly on its southern ports, Tehran is redirecting imports and exports across its 5,894 kilometres of land borders with seven countries, while expanding shipping through the Caspian Sea. Traffic […]

By Elijah J. Magnier Whenever the US president is questioned about the war against Iran—its mounting cost, its objectives or his exit strategy—he falls back on the same automatic refrain, even when it does not answer the question: the United States will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon. Trump continues to invoke the […]

By Elijah J. Magnier –  Modern American warfare was built on a decisive privilege: the United States could normally see its enemies before they saw it, strike from beyond their reach and sustain military operations from bases and supply lines assumed to be relatively secure. Its aircraft dominated the sky, its satellites exposed hostile movements […]

By Elijah J. Magnier In recent days, Ansar Allah has seized approximately 5,400 square kilometres of territory—a figure acknowledged by commanders of the retreating opposing forces—and continues to advance through the Kahbub mountains on Bab el-Mandeb where the situation remains fluid. Its adversaries remain on the defensive despite sustained Saudi air support and repeated air […]

The dispute between Iran’s reformists and conservatives  By Elijah J. Magnier – The struggle inside Iran is often reduced to a confrontation between reformists seeking accommodation with the West and conservatives determined to perpetuate conflict. The reality is more complex. Both currents reject surrender, defend Iran’s sovereignty and regard the United States as fundamentally hostile. […]

London carefully separated the settlements from Israel. The Netanyahu government’s response erased that distinction. By Elijah J. Magnier – Britain imposed measures targeting illegal Israeli settlements while insisting that it was not sanctioning Israel. The Netanyahu government responded as though all of Israel had been attacked. It ordered the closure of the British consulate in […]

Beijing supports Tehran when the price is manageable, but the threat of US sanctions exposes the limits of their unequal partnership By Elijah J. Magnier – US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has placed China at the centre of Washington’s expanding economic campaign against Iran. Referring on 6 September to Iranian crude reportedly sent towards China, […]

Iran’s pre-emptive turn and the limits of military control over the world’s most important maritime chokepoint The Strait of Hormuz is not an open ocean in which a ship can disappear across thousands of square kilometres By Elijah J. Magnier Iran has formally widened the logic of its war with the United States. On Friday, […]