Kayhan Valadbaygi is a Research Fellow at the International Institute of Social History (IISH) in Amsterdam and CEO of Middle East Risk & Reform Advisory.
The Mecca Defence Agreement does not mark a new era of US power or retreat. It formalised a Gulf security shift already underway, writes Kayhan Valadbaygi.
Trump’s renewed Abraham Accords push attempts to advance a US plan to make Israel the cornerstone of Gulf security and regional order, writes K. Valadbaygi.
The reported idea of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as Iran’s transitional leader shows US-Israel misunderstand how power works in the Islamic Republic, writes Valadbaygi.
The US–Iran truce is a fragile pause, driven by rising costs and strategic pressure around Hormuz in a war with no clear endgame, argues Kayhan Valadbaygi.
A Venezuela-style regime change in Iran misreads its power structure and risks sparking a prolonged, destabilising regional war, argues Kayhan Valadbaygi.
US military posturing aims to pressure Iran, not spark war. Despite Trump’s threats, containing China is Washington’s priority, writes Kayhan Valadbaygi.
