Russia's Iran gamble by Kaveh L Afrasiabi

Russia's special relationship with Iran has experienced a sudden jolt that could herald a sharp deterioration of relations between the two countries over Tehran's nuclear program.

The current setback may have been triggered by Iran's unilateral decision to halt aspects of its self-imposed moratorium on uranium enrichment-related activities, yet the root causes run deeper and cover the span of Russian foreign policy at a time of serious flux in Russia's strategic environment.