Eurasia

The United States has intensified pressure on Iran by issuing five core demands, as Washington and Israel coordinate closely on security scenarios and weigh the risks of escalation across the Middle East.

Washington’s pressure on Tehran is intensifying, but the endgame remains unclear. Analysts say Donald Trump’s Iran strategy narrows the country’s options to three stark outcomes: forced submission, a military strike, or long-term destabilization with the risk of fragmentation.

Azerbaijan and Iran reaffirmed their commitment to dialogue and de-escalation during a phone call between Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Masoud Pezeshkian, with both sides stressing diplomacy, regional stability, and the continued development of bilateral ties.

The South Caucasus is entering a new phase where security, sovereignty, and survival matter more than ideology, says analyst Farhad Mamedov, as regional states seek to avoid becoming arenas for great-power confrontation.

Azerbaijan says it is prepared for a potential influx of refugees from Iran, but lawmakers warn that a large-scale movement of people could pose serious challenges to national security and internal stability amid rising regional tensions.

A potential U.S.-Iran conflict could have direct political, security, and humanitarian consequences for Azerbaijan, analysts warn, urging Baku to prepare for multiple scenarios as regional tensions continue to rise.

The 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos revealed a decisive turn in global politics, as Washington moved from managing decline narratives to actively reshaping the rules of international leadership-forcing allies and rivals alike to reassess their strategic choices.