I always thought that reports of Moscow’s and Tehran’s enmity were overblown. Reports dating from before the time of the czars, of byzantine conflicts between the two parties, should have little bearing on current analyses of Eurasian affairs.

In fact, reports of an obsolete historic frisson b’twixt the two republished in today’s foreign-affairs context, could serve both parties’ nefarious ends.

It’s obvious but I’ll write it anyway: the best cover for any clandestine cooperation is for the active partners to publicly pretend that they share a mutual contempt for each other.

(Duh, huh?)

Modern geopolitical, energy-based analytical templates will frame Russo-Persian affairs much more honestly, I think.