As attacks on Chinese nationals in Pakistan intensify, Islamabad faces tough choices about its relationship with Beijing and its own strategic sovereignty. Balancing security imperatives with regional pressures, Pakistan confronts harsh realities: can it safeguard Chinese interests without sacrificing autonomy, or will growing dependence reshape its alliances? This strategic recalibration may redefine Pakistan’s role in a region where China’s expectations and Islamabad’s security challenges continue to clash.
Iran's recent military actions across the Middle East represent a significant escalation in regional tensions. An attack on Pakistan, however, represents a new level of escalation.
The clashes on May 27, 2023, between Taliban and Iranian forces along the Afghanistan-Iran border raise regional tensions. Stemming from a water treaty dispute, these clashes represent the first major violence between Iran and the Taliban since 2021. The article explores the events leading up to the clashes, the clashes themselves, and assesses whether they hold greater significance than initially portrayed.
In this article, we explore the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a regional power struggle involving Armenia, Azerbaijan, and major powers like Iran, Israel, Turkey, Russia, and the United States. We examine the complex strategic interests, alliances, and rivalries that shape this ongoing dispute and its far-reaching implications.
A few days ago, Midstone Centre associate Vineet reached out to the spokesperson of Jaish al-ʿAdl, Hossein Baloch, via an encrypted messaging app, and requested an interview. Our request was granted by the group’s spokesperson and a short interview was conducted in Persian. The views and opinions expressed by the individual interviewed are solely his own and are based on his own perspective and opinions. The views expressed in the publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the author or Midstone Centre. In light of the ongoing protests in Iran and the subsequent crackdown by the regime, Jaish al-’Adl announced support for the protesters. The intention behind this interview is to explore and understand the views and stances of Jaish al-’Adl.
Arabian Gulf: The United States Navy 5th Fleet prevented an Iranian military ship from seizing an unmanned US Navy ship in the Arabian Gulf.
The precarious security situation within Iraq continues to garner interest without a major crisis yet, but still manages to provide ample commentary while maintaining the same cast of characters: Shia militias that act as proxies for Iran, Mustafa al-Kadhimi the former head of the National Intelligence Service and current Prime Minister and the National Intelligence Service itself. The moves that the Shia groups are making can be interpreted as part of a power play.
In the latest incident of its kind, two men working in Iran’s aerospace industry have died in separate incidents while on active duty, according to Iranian state media. The Markazi province branch of the sanctioned Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp’s (IRGC) announced in a statement on Sunday that Ali…