A Russian destroyer docked in Iran on Wednesday morning, deepening concerns that Moscow’s military-to-military cooperation with Tehran is undermining the West’s efforts to isolate the Islamic republic. Iran state media reported comments by Iranian Vice-Admiral Hossein Azad boasting over “strengthening military ties between Iran and Russia.” Russia restored military cooperation...

Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi defended the country’s regular military exercises, which are widely perceived to be destabilizing sabre rattling, by insisting to reporters that “Iran is the most important security provider in the region.” Vahidi’s reassurance will likely be undercut by statements from Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Deputy Commander...

Iranian computers are apparently being targeted by a new, compact piece of data-destroying malware. Dubbed Batchwiper, the virus erases logged-in users’ Windows data as well as all files stored on drive partitions with the letters D through I. Over the last two years, Iran and its proxies have been targeted...

United Nations peacekeeping forces on the Israel-Syria border are at risk of collapsing, the French ambassador to the UN warned earlier this week. The spiraling anarchy in western Syria is punctuated by routine clashes between forces loyal to the regime of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad and rebels seeking its overthrow....

The European Union will “at last” designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, though the timeline is uncertain, according to U.S. State Department Coordinator for Counterterrorism Daniel Benjamin. Benjamin described the State Department as “cautiously optimistic” on the possibility of designation, which would constrain the Iran-backed terror group’s extensive non-profit fundraising...

Iran remains “defiant” despite a new incentives package being prepared by the P5+1 countries. Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation, spoke to Iranian media and strongly denied any possibility that Iran was prepared to suspend its current enrichment...

Gesturing toward the spiraling anarchy in Syria, Russia has reportedly dispatched a new flotilla of warships into the Mediterranean. Five vessels, including a frigate and two landing ships, set sail from Baltiysk. Officially, the ships are in the theater to carry out maneuvers and replace an existing flotilla. Moscow sources,...

Europe may change its policy and soon start supplying arms to rebel forces fighting to overthrow the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, according to British Prime Minister David Cameron. European foreign ministers are reviewing the current arms embargo on Syria, and cited a strategic imperative to bolster moderate opposition forces...

Egypt’s political legitimacy crisis, triggered by a November 22 power grab by President Mohamed Morsi and deepened when a constitutional draft was rushed through the country’s Islamist-dominated constitutional assembly, is negatively impacting efforts to bolster the country’s economy. Concerns over Egypt’s democratic transition have caused Germany to suspend debt relief,...

Newly discovered natural gas reserves off Israel’s coast will contribute to greater-than-expected economic growth in 2013, according to statements issued by Israel’s Finance Ministry. A joint U.S.-Israel consortium is expected to start drilling for the gas in 2013, extracting some of the estimated 274 billion cubic meters of reserves from...