War in Middle East : Story of the Last Week
After February 28, when Israel and the United States “preventively” attacked Iran, the conflict expanded to other states. Which ones? And why? Let’s break it down: Basically, there are four possibilities how other countries got dragged in the war: either they were friends of US or Israel, and because of that they were attacked by Iran; or by its allies; or they were friends with Iran, and decided to support it by attacking Israel or countries that were friends with US or Israel, or they were Iraq. Countries Attacked by Iran All these countries are somehow connected to the United States or Israel – whether it is because they have American bases on their territory, or because they maintain friendly relations with those countries. By attacking them, Iran is trying to destroy American infrastructure, as well as put pressure on their governments to distance themselves from the US/Israel, and to turn public opinion against their leaders for aligning with the West. Countries of Gulf Cooperation Council The Gulf Cooperation Council is a political and economic union of six Arab states bordering the Persian Gulf: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Oman. Founded in 1981 (during the Iran-Iraq War), its purpose was to protect member states from regional instability. All are oil-rich nations that rely on stability for economic prosperity, often acting as mediators in regional conflicts (eg. easing tensions between Israel, the US, and Iran). Naturally, the US-Israel strike on Iran was the last thing they wanted – it threatened their economic interests. They opposed it from the start – but still paid the price… Azerbaijan Despite being a Muslim country, Azerbaijan maintains a good relationship with Israel. Iranian drones struck its autonomous Nakhchivan region. Azerbaijan also accused Iran of planning sabotage operations on its territory – but the Iranian government denied it claiming the sabotages were organized by its enemies who are trying to frame Iran. Turkey Iran also sent two missiles to Turkey. However, NATO, Turkey is part of, neutralized them. Countries Attacking US and Israel Lebanon : Hizbollah Lebanon was drawn into the war by Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim political party and militant group operating independently of the Lebanese government (basically Hezbollah, is a state within a state). After the US and Israel attacked Iran, Hezbollah struck against Israel. Israel responded to it by attacking Lebanon back. Iraq Iran and Iraq were historically enemies (Iraq even attacked Iran in the 80s), but after Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein’s fall, the two grew closer. Mainly because both are now led by Shiite muslims. So that’s why, in the current conflict, Iraq supports Iran. Or actually, parts of it do. Because Iraq is divided: between the Kurds, who have a semi-autonomous Kurdish region at the north of Iraq, and the Shiit rest of the country. Whereas the pro-Iranian militias from the Shiite-dominated south support Iran, the Kurds are against it. Kurds even host American bases on their territory. Those bases were bombed by both Iran and military groups from the pro-Iranian part of Iraq. These same pro-Iranian groups also attacked Saudi Arabia and other countries. Countries Attacked by Iranian Allies Cyprus A Lebanese missile struck a British base in Cyprus. While the UK refused to join the US and Israel strikes on Iran, it offered its bases to the US for defense purposes after Iran retaliated. Jordan A longtime US ally, Jordan assisted the US during last summer’s Twelve Day War. Now, its local US bases were attacked and damaged by Iran-backed militias from Iraq. Collaterals: Syria Syria is not officially at war, but due to its geographic position, Iran fires missiles at Israel over Syrian airspace. Debris from intercepted missiles has fallen on Syrian territory, causing damage and minor injuries. What Are the Consequences? The war has reduced and logistically complicated oil exports (e.g. the insurance rates for oil shipping companies skyrocketed because their ships are now in a high risk of strike). This is driving up oil prices. Attacks on oil refineries pose regional ecological threats. For example, a missile strike on a Tehran refinery caused a massive fire, leading to acid rain over the city. Hundreds of thousands of travelers are stranded across the Middle East. Airspace closures (due to missile risks) and mass flight cancellations have left many unable to fly. Sources: A Sprawling Middle East War Explodes | International Crisis Group How the unfolding war is affecting countries in the Middle East | AP News What are the differences between Iraqi Kurdistan and Iraq? From Rivals to Allies: Iran’s Evolving Role in Iraq’s Geopolitics – Middle East Council on Global Affairs Iran-backed militias intensify attacks against US, Israel and allies | Iran | The Guardian How an Incident on the Azerbaijan-Iran Border Became a Test for Diplomacy in the Region – The Times Of Central Asia Why Azerbaijan is important for Israel’s security – JNS.org Syria distances itself from the US-Israeli war on Iran – Enab Baladi Kuwait cuts oil production due to Strait of Hormuz closure
Munich Security Conference : Story of the Last Week
As every year, world leaders gathered in Munich in the second week of February for one of the world’s most important meetings on global security and diplomacy. This year for its 62nd edition. Origin of Munich Security Conference The Munich Security Conference was first organized in 1963 as a small meeting of 60 countries by Ewald-Heinrich von Kleist-Schmenzin. Ewald-Heinrich was the youngest plotter of the famous attempt to assassinate Hitler in Wolf’s Lair. He was supposed to be a part of a group who would organize a coup in case of its success. All this at the age of just 22 years! After the operation went unsuccessful, he managed to cover up his resistance activities. Luckily – because if not, he would have most likely ended up with a death sentence. This way Nazis “just” sent him to the concentration camp, where he managed to survive until the end of war. What’s the Purpose of the Munich Security Conference? In 1963 he came up with an idea to organise a Wehrkundetagung in Munich. The name was a bit of a tongue twister, but there was a simple idea behind it. Von Kleist wanted to make sure such a horrendous conflict as the 2nd World War would never happen again. Therefore he organised a meeting of about 60 important world leaders and international relations experts. Together thy discuss (often hot) security topics. What started as a small private event, has groven to giant proportions over the years Famous speeches at Munich Security Conference During its 62 years of existence, some famous speeches have been given by important actors in international relations on MSC. Such as: Make no mistake, the Munich Security Conference is still a private event. Unlike official government meetings, decisions made here are not legally binding on anyone. But that’s exactly the reason why this event is so worthy to observe. Politicians here dare to be more honest about their intentions. The highlights of MSC 2026 This year’s conference was much less revolutionary… There were no groundbreaking speeches, no strong words, no magical solutions. And compared to previous years, it had overall a little more pessimistic tone. Maybe that’s why didn’t hear that much about it from press. But despite this – or perhaps precisely because of this – we should keep an eye on it. The main topics were: The Collapse of the International Order and the Rise of Destructive Policies Caused mainly by the current dominant world power United States under the leadership of its president Donald Trump. Who is democratically destructive both domestically and internationally (remember, for example, his claims to Greenland). Compared to last year, when the US criticized Europe for its freedom of speech during the Conference, this year their rhetoric was a little more diplomatic. But the message stayed pretty much the same. The US will continue to play by its own rules – whether Europe likes it or not. The quote of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the US, Marco Rubio summs it all up. “We can no longer place the so-called global order above the vital interests of our people and our nation”. While Europe is still going through the 5 stages of grief over its relationship with the US, countries of the Global South, who never had many reasons to idealize the US, see the change in the international order more positively – especially as an opportunity to establish new trade agreements, now that America made itself unattractive business partner with its high tariffs. The War in Ukraine and European Security This topic is closely related to the previous one – since we only have to speak about it because certain actors chose to undermine the international order. Those actors being Russia, and more recently the US… The Greenland crisis at the beginning of this year raised an uncomfortable question: would NATO act or crumble in case of an escalation? And at the same time it gave Europe a push to start addressing its security not just through speeches, but through action. After the US decreased its military aid to Ukraine by 99 % over the last year, Europe had to step up – recently, the European Union approved a 90 billion euros loan to Ukraine. But more will be needed. However, there were no specific new proposals – only old ones that have been talked about for a long time (such as confiscating frozen Russian funds). The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to the Conference to stress that Ukraine would not be able to defend Europe indefinitely, and urged for increased European help and pressure on Russia and its enablers. Regional Conflicts The Munich Security Conference also addressed regional conflicts – like those which emerged in Syria after the fall of Assad regime or civil war in Sudan that has been going on since 2023 Some attention was also paid to technology, and AI. The Conference didn’t forget about climate crisis either. For example, speakers addressed the access to drinkable water that will be problematic in the future. However, due to the current tense security situation in the world, this topic remained in the background compared to previous years. Why should we care? Because the Munich Security Conference does not generate any legally binding policies, world leaders don’t try that hard to mask their controversial intentions – so it gives us an ideal opportunity to see their true collors… …and to understand the REAL reasons why they want us to support (or not) certain of their decisions. Because MSC can help us get a better overview on priorities of different countries and on relationships between them.
European Parliament in Nutshell: February 2026
Every month, the European Parliament plenary session takes place in Strasbourg. And every month, IR Media follows it closely. These are the highlights of the last plenary session taking place from 9th to 12nd February 2026: Change in European migration policy The European Parliament voted for creation of a so-called: “EU list of safe countries of origin”. Which is basically a list of countries from which it is assumed people have no reason to migrate. So if you try to migrate from them, they will most likely sent you back in an accelerated process. So far, each EU country had its own such list. Now they want to make a common one and add Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, Kosovo, India, Morocco and Tunisia to it, as well as the EU candidate countries. Parliament also validated so-called “safe third country” concept. Instead of accepting asylum seekers, EU countries could redirect them to some other country, through which the applicant either transited, has some connection with (like language or family), or none of that and the two countries juste have an agreement with each other. On the one hand, this will save EU some time and work. On the other hand some “safe” countries are not safe for everyone – think about homosexuals or political dissidents… European Parliament Approves €90 Billion Ukraine Support Loan The European Parliament approved a 90 billion euro loan for Ukraine to help it resist Russian invasion, which is approaching its 5th anniversary. The loan was agreed under so-called enhanced cooperation procedure. This mechanism allows something to be implemented within the EU even if not all countries agree on it. All financial responsibility for it then goes only to the countries that wanted it – not to the EU as a whole. In this case, 24 EU member states supported the loan, while the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia did not. The EU is providing the loan on the condition that Ukraine continues to promote democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and the fight against corruption. Ukraine will repay the loan after it receives war reparations from Russia. How to deal with Europe’s Housing crisis ? The European Parliament’s Special Committee on the Housing Crisis came up with recommendations to deal with the housing crisis in the EU. The MEPs proposed things like: making new houses more energy efficient, limiting short-term rentals, offering more public and social housing, introducing tax breaks for low- and middle-income households, simplifying the administration for new housing projects or better use of EU funds… This session they voted on it within the committee. The next step will be to present it to the whole Parliament, which will happen in March. The next sitting will be held from 9th to 12th March 2026 in Strasbourg
New release of Epstein Files : Story of the Last Week
On 30th January, the United States Department of Justice released a new series of Epstein Files. Over 3 million pages of documents, 2 000 videos and 180 000 images related to Epstein’s crimes and connections with global elites were released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, a law passed in November 2025. This is what you need to know: Who Was Jeffrey Epstein? Jeffrey Epstein was born in 1953 in New York to an average working-class family. Some of his (ex)associates claim(ed) that he was a mathematical genius, but we should take it with a grain of salt… In reality Epstein was a college dropout, who had to scam his way even into his first job : a math and physics teacher at Dalton School (a prestigious private high school) by falsifying his university diploma. Although he wasn’t outright stupid, Epstein was no rocket scientist either… Dalton School soon dismissed him for not meeting its high standards. However, with his strong charisma, persuasive skills, scheming and desire to get rich, he impressed the wealthy parents of his students. One of them helped him get a job at Bear Stearns investment bank. That’s how began Epstein’s financial advisor career. After some time he started his own financial consulting firm : helping billionaires to manage their money. Which eventually made him a millionaire. Fun fact: nearly all his wealth came from working with just two clients: Leon Black and Les Wexner – and of course from scamming and shady business practices: he avoided taxes by hiding his money in offshore tax heavens (like the US Virgin Islands), he took money from his clients for projects he never delivered… Sometimes he would straight up steal from them assuming (correctly) that they wouldn’t notice or be too embarrassed to call him out. And then there was his dirtiest business: sex-trafficking. The Epstein Case: What Was It About? According to some of his students, Epstein was already giving off creepy vibes during his teacher era. He was always a womanizer, pursuing rich and famous women as a way to infiltrate elite social circles and gain access to rich clients. However, the first documented accounts of his sex-trafficking date back to the 90s. In that time he coupled up with Ghislaine Maxwell, who helped him “scout” underage girls. Maxwell would target young naive girls who came from unstable backgrounds, so they needed money, and at the same time they had no one to turn to for help. She approached them with a seemingly harmless offer: extra cash for giving massages to her friend. This “friend” turned out to be Epstein, and the “massages” prostitution. But the girls, many of them teenagers (some as young as 14), were too inexperienced to recognize the danger. When Epstein demanded sex from them in the middle of a massage, they were shocked, confused and scared. Maxwell and Epstein were also gaslighting them: framing their perverse demands as something perfectly normal – even beneficial financially. This made the girls doubt their own instincts and comply. Epstein and Maxwell “recruited” girls from all over the world. On their luxury estates – the most notorious is the Little Saint James island a.k.a. “Epstein Island” in the US Virgin Islands – they sexually abused them and sold them to their powerful friends. How Epstein got uncovered? In 2005, a woman reported to the police that Epstein molested her 14 years old daughter. The following investigations managed to gather evidence about 36 underage victims. But then-US Attorney Alexander Acosta ruined everything. Instead of punishing Epstein he made a secret so-called “non-prosecution agreement” with him. Thanks to this agreement, Epstein avoided federal (= national level) prosecution, the level his crimes demanded. He was charged only under Florida state law, which carried far lighter consequences. Instead of facing decades in federal prison, he got just 13 months in a county jail with work-release privileges that allowed him to leave for up to 12 hours a day, six days a week. The agreement also sealed the investigation, keeping the names of Epstein’s accomplices hidden and making it impossible for some of his victims to justify. Since the investigation was secret, they simply didn’t learn about it. But they continued speaking up and fighting for justice. As the years passed, new evidence emerged, the people who protected Epstein changed positions, the infamous non-prosecution agreement was found invalid, public opinion developed… Finally, in 2019, Epstein was arrested again, this time facing federal charges of sex-trafficking that could send him to prison for 45 years. However, the same year, before his trial could even began, Epstein committed suicide. He hanged himself in his jail cell. This provoked and still provokes a number of conspiracy theories. Ghislaine Maxwell, was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022. To this day she’s the only person convicted for participation in Epstein’s sex trafficking. What Are the Epstein Files? The Epstein files is a collection of all documents, mails, photos, and videos gathered during the investigations of Epstein’s crimes. Totally it makes over 6 million pages. They include court records, flight logs, financial transactions, and communications between Epstein and his associates. For years, his victims (and the public) demanded the release of these files to expose the full truth about Epstein’s network. And they partially succeeded – some heavily censored fractions of the files were made public. But it always had to be done through standard legal ways (by civil lawsuits, freedom of Information requests, or court orders…) There was no law requiring the entirety of Epstein’s files to be made public… Naturally, for many politicians, the release of the Files became an opportunity to score political points. No one seized it more aggressively than Donald Trump, who promised during his 2024 presidential campaign that he would release the Files if elected. But once in office, despite having the authority to release them, Trump’s administration blocked the process. In the end, the Congress stepped in. Congressmen (both Republicans and Democrats) teamed up and passed
European Parliament in Nutshell: January 2026
Every month, the European Parliament plenary session takes place in Strasbourg. And every month, IR Media follows it closely. These are the highlights of the last plenary session taking place from 19th to 22nd January 2026: European Parliament stood up for passenger rights On Wednesday, the European Parliament rejected the European Council’s proposal to weaken the rights of air passengers. These rights have been in force since 2004. The European Council consists of ministers from all EU countries. In this case it was the Ministers for Transport who made this proposal in June 2025. They proposed to reimburse the passengers only if their flight is delayed by four to six hours depending on the flight distance. instead of the current three hours. And tried to reduce the upper limit of compensation for flight delays or cancellations from 600€ to 500€. Parliament refused that. The MEPs also want to introduce pre-filled forms to simplify the process of claiming a reimbursement. And they want to give passengers a year to file this request. Free trade agreement between EU and Latin America paused On Wednesday Eurodeputies voted to refer the free trade agreement between EU and MERCOSUR to the Court of Justice of the European Union to assess if the agreement is compatible with European law. MERCOSUR is the abbreviation of Southern Common Market, which is a trade bloc of South American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay… But Mercosur is also used as a global term for that free trade agreement. European Parliament discussed this free trade agreement for years because it’s quite controversial. On the one hand, it will create the largest free trade zone in the world, strengthen the European economy, and help Latin American countries. On the other hand, importing goods from there will be environmentally unfriendly and create a strong competition for European farmers. Despite their numerous protests, the European parliament adopted the agreement. The weekend before this Plenary session the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen even signed it. But right now it’s frozen and awaits the decision of the Court. European Parliament stands with Iran On Thursday the European Parliament adopted a resolution against the repressions and mass murders committed by the Iranian regime against protesters in Iran. If you want to know more about what’s happening in Iran, we made a Story of the Last Week about this topic. By this resolution the EP demands the immediate and unconditional release of all protesters held under arrest. Parliament also calls on the EU and its member states to take strict measures against the regime like visa bans, money freezing, and providing technical and financial support to fight against the censorship happening in Iran. The next sitting will be held from 9th to 12th February 2026 in Strasbourg
Greenland Crisis : Story of the Last Week
The Greenland crisis has escalated over the past week. Greenlanders are protesting, Trump is threatening, NATO troops are on the scene… How did we get there? Donald Trump first came up with the idea of buying Greenland during his first presidency. At the time, everyone just waved it off as an absurd joke. It wasn’t until his second presidency – when he returned to power with much more radical rhetoric – that people realized he wasn’t joking. In the spring of 2025, Trump began to claim Greenland again – but this time more boldly. He even sent his son and JD Vance there to incite the locals against Denmark, which administers the island. Even though the topic faded from public attention amid other global crises, it never fully disappeared. Greenland resurfaced again when the US attacked Venezuela at the beginning of January. A few hours later, a disturbing status appeared on the Twitter account of Katie Miller. The wife of Trump advisor Stephen Miller shared a map of Greenland with the American flag and the caption “soon.” Stephen Miller later stated that “Greenland should be part of the US” and that “nobody’s gonna fight the US over the future of Greenland”. Soon, Donald Trump himself joined in. In addition to statements such as “The US would own Greenland one way or another,” he ordered special forces to draw up a plan for a possible invasion of Greenland. As a result, “Hands off Greenland” protests started in Denmark this weekend. Many European leaders also supported these protests. At the same time, Denmark, along with other NATO members like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Netherlands, sent its soldiers to Greenland for exercises. To demonstrate to Donald Trump that they are not afraid of him. Trump responded on his own social media platform. He threatened to impose tariffs on all states that participated in the exercise, which he would gradually increase. But how did Trump even come up with the claim to Greenland? Up until the 10th century, Greenland was inhabited by Indigenous Arctic people. In 985, Norse Viking Erik the Red arrived on the island, naming it “Greenland” to attract other Norsemen. Their settlements thrived for centuries but mysteriously declined by the 15th century (likely due to climate change or conflict with Inuit). In the 18th century, Denmark-Norway rediscovered Greenland during its colonial expansion. When the monarchy of Denmark and Norway broke apart in 1814, Denmark kept Greenland. And that’s when the US enters the game for Greenland for the first time In 1867, after buying Alaska from Russia, US Secretary of State William Seward tried to buy Greenland. He was not only motivated by Greenland’s vast fisheries and mineral wealth but also by its strategic location. By acquiring Greenland, he could force Canada (which lies between Alaska and Greenland) to become part of the US. But Denmark refused. US governement discussed this plan again in 1910 – but made no official offer to Denmark. However, in 1916, Denmark sold to the US another of its islands: the West Indies (now the Virgin Islands) – mainly because they were economically draining. Then came World War II. After Germany occupied Denmark in 1940, the United States signed a “Greenland Defense” agreement with the Danish ambassador, granting the US the right to build military bases on the island. After Germany surrendered in May 1945, the Danes expected the Americans to go home. But they refused. The Cold War with the Soviet Union was beginning, and the Americans were well aware of the strategic location of Greenland. In 1946, during the Truman presidency, the US proposed to pay Denmark $100 million for the island. However, the then Danish Foreign Minister Gustav Rasmussen rejected the proposal – he considered it absurd. According to him, Denmark owed America a lot for its help in the war, but not the whole island of Greenland. Ultimately, in 1951, a compromise was reached. The US and Denmark signed an agreement allowing a US military presence in Greenland in exchange for financial aid. This gave the US the control over Greenland’s defense, though Denmark retained sovereignty. Greenland’s path to independence In 1953, Greenland was integrated into Denmark, meaning that it was no longer a colony. During the 1970s, an independence movement emerged, culminating in 1979, when Greenland gained so-called “home rule” (= self-governance in certain domestic affairs). In 2008, a referendum on greater autonomy leading to eventual independence was held. The vast majority of people voted for loosening ties to Denmark. So, in 2009, Greenland upgraded to “self-government,” meaning total autonomy except for defense and foreign policy, which are still controlled by Denmark. And it also means that Greenlanders can organize a referendum on total independence from Denmark – if they want to. Do they want to? According to the Verian Group survey, 56% of Greenlanders would vote yes to Greenlandic independence if a referendum were held today. But at the same time, 45% of Greenlanders do not want independence if the standard of living is negatively affected. So, the reason the referendum hasn’t been held yet is probably due mainly to economic reasons… On the other hand, when it comes to the question of whether Greenlanders want to be part of the US, the polls show very clear no (by 85%). There have been no major US attempts to acquire Greenland since 1951 – not until Donald Trump raised the idea again in 2019. Why does Greenland matter for Trump? strategic positon Trump claims that Greenland is important to him because of its strategic position toward Russia and China, currently operating in the Arctic region and therefore posing a threat to the US. Although Russian and Chinese ships have appeared in the Arctic Ocean, their main “territory” remains the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea, near the US state of Alaska. So, strategically speaking, Trump should be much more worried about the Russian and Chinese threat to Alaska than to Greenland. Moreover, the US
Protests in Iran: Story of the Last Week
Over the past week, Iran has seen a new wave of protests. It all started economically on December 28, 2025, in Tehran, Iran’s capital, when local merchants protested after another sharp drop of the Iranian currency (the rial). This time, however, it reached its lowest value in history: inflation has risen to 40%. Iran’s worsening economic situation is due to both corruption and sanctions imposed on Iran over its nuclear program. Students soon joined, and the demonstrations turned political, with slogans targeting Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. While Iran has a president, his role is purely ceremonial. The real power lies with the Supreme Leader – a position created after the 1979 revolution, when Iran became an Islamic state. Only two men have held this lifelong role: Ruhollah Khomeini and the current leader, Ali Khamenei, who has ruled for 36 years and is now facing protests The protests in Iran are the largest protests since 2022, with over 550 people killed and 20,000 detained after the death of Mahsa Amini. But let’s start from the beginning… How did Iran get here? Although Russia and Britain always tried to get Iran under their influence, Iran maintained its independence for a long time. Until World War II, when it sided with Germany. Fearing this alliance, Britain and the USSR invaded, removed the Shah, and installed his son, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Unlike his father, the new Shah was not afraid to open the country to foreign – mainly Western – influences. But the Iranian people were a bit more skeptical of his open foreign policy. In 1951, they democratically elected Mohammad Mossadegh as prime minister. Mossadegh nationalized Iran’s oil industry, controlled by the British at that time. This upset the British, so they convinced the US that Mossadegh’s rule would inevitably lead to a communist coup and that Iran would side with the Soviet Union in the Cold War. In 1953, the American and British secret services orchestrated a coup, overthrowing Mossadegh. Initially, Mohammad Reza was against it, but he quickly realized that with such an attitude, the British and Americans wouldn’t let him stay in power for long, so eventually, he joined the coup. Because of that, the Iranians started to consider him a coward. To prove to them (and to himself) that he was not, he began to implement various socio-economic reforms. His goal? To turn Iran into a modern, Western-style superpower. He redistributed land from large landowners to small farmers, built dams and power plants, fighted illiteracy, and gave women the right to vote… And, to REALLY show that he was no coward, he became more autocratic. He even established a secret police, SAVAK, that brutally suppressed any opposition to him. Mohammad Reza’s style of government inevitably led to increased US influence in Iran – at least economically. Concerning security, the Americans were not so eager to guarantee military help to Iran in case of an attack by the USSR. But if the mountain will not come to Muhammad, then Muhammad will go to the mountain. In this case, Mohammad Reza began negotiations with the Soviet Union about a non-aggression pact. Of course, the American president didn’t like that, so he convinced Mohammad to back down from these negotiations – which in turn angered the Soviet Union, who began supporting Mohammad Reza’s opponents. Iran Islamic revolution in 1979 And he had quite a few opponents: Ruhollah Khomeini, a Shia cleric, became the loudest critic of Mohammad Reza’s rule – not only in religious circles – he managed to appeal to a wide spectrum of dissatisfied people. What’s the difference between Shia and Sunni Islam? Simply put, the two groups differ over who they recognize as Muhammad’s rightful successor. Shia Muslims (the majority in Iran) believe leadership should be hereditary, passing to Muhammad’s descendants. Sunni Muslims (the majority globally) argue that the leader should be elected. The Revolution Anti-government protests began in October 1977 and gradually intensified, escalating in the spring of 1979, when Mohammad Reza fled into exile and Khomeini took over the government. Shortly after, he held a referendum on whether Iran “should become an Islamic Republic or not”. According to official results, 99% of people voted “yes,” and the turnout was 99%. Mohammad Reza was indeed unpopular, but the fact that the elections were held publicly and that the ballots were color-coded (green for yes, red for no) certainly played some role in this result. At the same time, the question “Islamic Republic: yes or no” is quite vague. Even today, in the age of the internet, it’s hard to understand what you’re signing up for – let alone in the 70s as someone living in extreme poverty… Many, focused on survival, didn’t grasp the implications until later – when it was too late. Life Under Sharia Law Since the revolution, Iran’s legal and political system has been strictly based on so-called Sharia law. Sharia law is not some uniformly codified law written in black and white somewhere. It’s more like different interpretations of how people should live according to the Quran (in the case of Iran, this interpretation is led by the Supreme Leader). This is a deeply problematic system because everyone can interpret the Quran basically however they want, since Islam does not have any central authority, like the Pope, to which they would be accountable. Iran is living proof of that. What exactly does living in accordance with the Quran mean according to its Supreme Leaders? For example: Sanctions on Iran Frankly, it’s primarily women who are negatively affected. But they are not the only ones with a reason to protest: Since the revolution, Iran has been regularly subject to sanctions – mainly from the United Nations, US, UK, and EU, primarily because of its nuclear program (on which Iran cooperates with China and Russia). Sanctions have led to an increasingly deteriorating economic situation, affecting everyone. There have been several big protests in Iran’s history: Unfortunately for Iranians, each wave of protest has been met
European Parliament in Nutshell: December 2025
Every month, the European Parliament plenary session takes place in Strasbourg. And every month, IR Media follows it closely. These are the highlights of the last plenary session taking place from 15th to 18th December 2025: European Parliament supported “My voice, my choice” initiative for safe and accessible abortion On Wednesday 17th December, eurodeputies supported the European Citizens´Initiative “My voice, my choice” for safe and accessible abortion. A European Citizens’ Initiative is a tool for people from the EU to ask the European Commission to propose some new legislation. To be considered, the initiative must collect at least one million signatures in 7 member states. In this case, the initiative calls for creation of some financial mechanism that would be available to all member states that choose to take part and would allow them to finance abortion care for women who cannot access it in their own country. The European Commission now has time until March 2026 to explain how it will respond to this initiative. Gradual ban of Russian gas The main point of the European plenary session this month was the Russian gas imports. On Wednesday 17th December eurodeputies voted to gradually move away from Russian LNG (= liquified natural gas) and pipeline gas. This comes in response to Russia’s weaponisation of energy supplies, which was happening for the last two decades and escalated with the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The ban will come gradually. First on the short-term supply contracts for LNG in April 2026, then on the short-term supply contracts for pipeline gas in July 2026, then on the long-term LNG contracts in January 2027 and lastly on the long-term pipeline gas contracts in September 2027. Sakharov prize 2025 As every year, the European Parliament awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought during its December session. This year, to journalists Andrzej Poczobut and Mzia Amaglobeli. Who are currently imprisoned by the political regimes in their countries because of their work. Andrzej Poczobut, a member of the Polish minority in Belarus, was sentenced to 3 years in prison in 2021 for allegedly insulting the President of Belarus and inciting ethnic hatred. In 2023, he received an additional sentence of 8 years for what authorities described as actions harming Belarusian national security. Mzia Amaglobeli was arrested at the beginning of this year for taking part in protests against the Georgian government who is trying to pull the country away from its pro-European course and bring it closer to Russia. Amaglobeli is Georgia’s first female political prisoner since Georgia´s independence in 1992 after the fall of the Soviet Union. Did you know? The Sakharov Prize bears the name of Andrei Sakharov, a Soviet scientist and dissident. He spoke out against political repression and became a symbol of the fight for human rights and freedom of expression. The next sitting will be held from 19th to 22nd January 2026 in Strasbourg