Valdai Club

Francis Kornegay

Vitaliy Keondjan

Alisa Kazelko

Nikita Kuprikov

Andrey Klepach

Lydia Kulik

Andrew Kuchins

Viktor Katona

Denis Kiryukhin

Vali Kaleji

Iran

Dr. Vali Kaleji is an expert on Central Asia and Caucasian Studies in Tehran, Iran. His recent publications (in Persian) include The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO): Goals, Functions and Perspectives (2010), South Caucasus as a Regional Security Complex, (2014), Political Developments in the Republic of Armenia, 1988- 2013 (2014), Iran, Russia and China in Central Asia, Cooperation and Conflict with US Foreign Policy in Central Asia, (2015), US Foreign Policy in Central Asia: Process and Perspectives (2015) and Iran and the South Caucasus Republics (2017)

Materials

The US-Israel War on Iran After the Ceasefire: Possible Scenarios

Due to the deep distrust that exists between Iran and the United States, Iran will take its steps cautiously in negotiations and will show flexibility to the extent that sanctions are lifted and Iran’s frozen assets and properties are released. Iran does not want to accept commitments without receiving specific and tangible concessions, Vali Kaleji writes.

Iran’s Options for Responding to U.S. and Israeli Military Attacks in the Event of Diplomatic Failure

The overall developments, military deployments, readiness levels, and defensive exercises indicate that if negotiations fail and diplomacy proves unsuccessful, Iran in a new round of conflict—unlike the 12-day war—intends to use the full extent of its defensive and military capabilities, writes Vali Kaleji.

Complications of the ‘Cooperative Rivalry’ Between Iran and Pakistan

The complex relationship between Iran and Pakistan can be best described as a “cooperative rivalry”. While they compete on various fronts in transport, Afghanistan and the South Caucasus, they share common ground in opposing Israel’s wars in the region, confronting militia groups near their shared borders, and maintaining economic ties, Vali Kaleji writes.

Taliban and the Chabahar Transit Project: From the Disputes with Pakistan to Trade and Transit with Iran and India

The Taliban hopes to send a signal to Pakistan by increasing its participation in the Chabahar port transit project that it which is not a militia group affiliated with this country, rules an independent country and has various options in foreign policy as well as trade and transit.

Syria and Azerbaijan: What Changes Are Coming After the Fall of Bashar al-Assad?

The Republic of Azerbaijan, along with its close ally, Turkey, is trying to define new relations with the new leaders of Syria. The important and long-term consequence of this development will be greater alignment between Syria, Turkey and the Republic of Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus, Vali Kaleji writes.

The Linkage between Russia’s Mir and Iran’s Shetab Payment Systems

Integrating the two countries’ banking subsystems can accelerate the de-dollarisation process and facilitate economic relations and tourism between Iran and Russia, which can be used as a pattern for the use of national currencies in the Eurasian Economic Union, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and BRICS, writes Valdai Club expert Vali Kaleji.

The Rasht-Caspian Railway and the Cycle of ‘Combined Transport’ in the International North–South Transport Corridor

The opening of the 37-km railway of the Rasht-Caspian project near the southern part of the Caspian Sea on June 20, 2024 is an important development in the cycle of “multimodal transportation” and “combined transport” (CT) in the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC), Vali Kaleji writes.

France's New and Unbalanced Approach in the South Caucasus

If Armenia wants to take steps to reduce its military and defence obligations to Russia by withdrawing from the CSTO, France has a difficult road ahead filling the military and defence vacuum there, writes Valdai Club expert Vali Kaleji.

The Main Axes of Iran’s Foreign Policy Toward the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict

Iran’s stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been one of the most important aspects of Iran’s foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, a complex combination of ideology and pragmatism, Vali Kaleji writes.

What Happened After the Lifting of Missile Sanctions Against Iran?

On October 18, 2023 the UN Security Council’s sanctions on the development and export of Iranian missiles quietly expired, but the European Troika and the United States persisted in their missile embargo against Tehran outside the UN’s purview; this will not prevent the development of Iran's missile programmes, writes Valdai Club expert Vali Kaleji.

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Video

Geopolitical Risks to Eurasian Transport Corridors. An Expert Discussion

22.10.2025