Sophisticated technology transfer extends from the supersonic missile programme to the Russian engineers assisting the Iranians. But the US president prefers to turn a blind eye

After the United States opposed the agreement proposed by Iran and Trump threatened to bomb Muscat, Doha is seeking to revive diplomatic ties with Washington and break the deadlock over the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran is acting to preserve its advantages, whilst Washington is acting to limit the regime’s blackmail. But only by bypassing the Pasdaran can they be brought to the negotiating table on other issues.

The US armed forces have struck an Iranian launch site that was attempting to lay mines in the Strait of Hormuz. The regime has struck Jordan and the United Arab Emirates

At the SCO summit, the Chinese leader meets Putin and non-aligned countries to build a strategic counterweight to the West. Meanwhile, the United States, tied up in Iran and the Middle East, is diverting weapons and ships away from the Indo-Pacific, leaving Taiwan, South Korea and Japan in limbo

According to some sources within the regime, after six months of war, the greatest threat may come not from external pressure but from the possibility of new uprisings by a population worn down by inflation and repression. Iranian men know that the response to the protests would be exemplary; Iranian women know that there will be no backtracking on the hijab