Iran sees lucrative markets across the Black Sea region. It also sees an opportunity to expand strategic cooperation with Russia. And there’s just a chance that America will turn inward in 2025.

It’s all dangerous. To get the picture, start by connecting the dots.

Last May, Velislava Petrova traveled from Sofia to Tehran. Donning a hijab in her meeting with Iran’s foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Bulgaria’s deputy foreign minister announced new agreements that will inch NATO member Bulgaria and the anti-American theocracy closer together through expanded trade and cultural cooperation. Bulgaria and Iran had already agreed several years ago to deepen cooperation on nuclear power issues.

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