Artist: Ahmad Barakizadeh
Ayatollah’s Playbook: Powered by Moscow
The Islamic Republic and Russia have settled into a marriage of convenience held together by sanctions, shared isolation, and a “shadow fleet” of outlaw tankers.
Russian influence now threads so tightly through Tehran’s policymaking that some analysts quietly wonder whether the country’s foreign strategy is still written in Persian—or delivered preformatted in Cyrillic.
November offered a snapshot of this odd couple: two delegations from Tehran—nuclear and armaments officials—shuttled to Saint Petersburg, while international monitoring firms helpfully pointed out that the pair’s illicit tanker fleet continues to sail across global waters under the flags of Pacific islands.
Meanwhile, Ynet, a publication known for its proximity to Israeli intelligence, reported that Moscow has decided to help the Ayatollahs finish designing a nuclear weapon. According to its sources, Tehran has crossed a “critical and irreversible” threshold—with Russia playing midwife.
Experts warn this axis of convenience is hardly sturdy. Should Washington shift course, Moscow may find reason to trade its partnership with the Ayatollahs for a better geopolitical real estate.
Welcome to the Kayhan Life Week in Review
► This week was marked by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ongoing interference in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq, where designations of Iran-backed proxy groups as terrorist organizations were suddenly retracted. Washington’s push to reopen a key regional oil pipeline was seen as a threat to smuggling networks used by these militias. In Lebanon, the Iranian regime also sought to reinforce its influence, inviting Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Raji to Tehran to discuss bilateral ties.
According to the regime’s Foreign Ministry, the invitation aimed to “discuss the development of bilateral relations and review regional and international developments.” The outreach comes as a U.S.-backed roadmap to disarm Hezbollah—another central pillar of the theocratic state’s regional network—moves forward.
►Hezbollah’s posture this week appeared unusually tentative. Following the Nov. 23 assassination of its senior military commander Haytham Ali Tabtabai in an Israeli strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs, the group issued mixed signals about whether it was prepared to reignite conflict with Israel. “Do you expect a war later? It’s possible sometimes, and the possibility of no war is also there,” said Naim Qassem, the militia’s deputy leader.
►In Iraq, authorities removed Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis movement from a list of designated terrorist organizations, prompting speculation that Baghdad was caught between U.S. pressure to curb the Iranian regime’s deep political influence and pressure from the theocratic state itself, which continues to assert its regional ambitions.
►Washington also faced accusations of pressuring the Iraqi government over the reopening of an oil pipeline tied to U.S. energy interests. The pipeline had been closed after July drone strikes by the Iranian regime on company-run oil fields—attacks that came just days after U.S. strikes on several of the regime’s key nuclear sites.
►The U.S. paused immigration applications from 19 non-European countries, including Iran, citing national security and public-safety concerns.
►Finally, the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic (FFIRI) announced that four delegates would attend the 2026 World Cup draw, reversing an earlier claim that it would boycott the event after the U.S. declined to grant a visa to FFIRI president Mehdi Taj. While soccer remains deeply popular among the Iranian people, the Iranian regime continues to restrict women’s access to stadiums—allowing limited, inconsistent exemptions. Taj has expressed support for expanding women’s attendance but has not ensured full, unrestricted access.
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Treat of the Week
Lion’s Mane Mushrooms with Pomegranate Jerk Marinade (Persian-Caribbean Fusion)
The Kayhan Life Team wishes you a good weekend.
