During the bombings between Iran, Israel and the U.S. and up to now with a tenuous ceasefire, Iran's allies have given only a very muted response. Nominally, the Islamic Republic has the support of the Axis of Resistance, made up of political and militant groups in the Middle East, as well as the Crink group of authoritarian nation states that includes China, Russia and North Korea. But with starkly different ideologies and competing strategic objectives, this coalition is better understood as a "marriage of convenience," said The Washington Post, and also of "desperation." 

China 
China continues to be the largest purchaser of U.S.-sanctioned Iranian oil, and Beijing has promised to deliver material critical for ballistic missile production. President Xi Jinping is trying to "insert himself as an influential player in allowing Tehran to rebuild its own arsenal and arm its various disabled proxies," said Devon Cross, a former defence adviser to the U.S. government, at The Times. 

Russia 
Tehran has long been suspected by Western nations of supplying Russia with weapons for use in Ukraine, and the two allies signed a new strategic partnership treaty in January. Moscow condemned Israel's strike on Iran as "unprovoked aggression" but in truth has, of late, "been cosplaying as an ally of Iran," said Owen Matthews at The Spectator. It will pay lip service to Tehran, but the "alliance of convenience is, in the Kremlin's eyes, very much secondary to Russia's more important role as a global power player that can stand alongside the U.S. and China as an arbiter of world affairs." 

North Korea 
There has long been speculation that North Korea has helped with Iran's nuclear program. In terms of its capability, Pyongyang has "defied all international sanctions to build up a formidable arsenal of nuclear warheads and intercontinental ballistic missiles, enough to make any potential attacker think twice," said Frank Gardner at the BBC. 

Iran's proxies 
Iran has invested heavily in a network of proxy allies across the Middle East, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq. But the Axis of Resistance has remained silent. Its forces have been greatly diminished by more than two years of Israeli operations, said Le Monde.

As the first woman and first African person to become president of the International Olympic Committee, Kirsty Coventry broke several barriers on Monday. Her election follows a long history in Olympic athletics as a former competitive swimmer. But she will also be taking over an IOC with several looming issues, which could make her tenure a crucial one.

Career
Coventry, 41, was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, and learned to swim at a young age. She swam for Auburn University in Alabama and then went on to compete at five Olympics, winning two gold medals, four silver medals and one bronze medal. This makes Coventry the "most decorated Olympian from Africa, having won seven of Zimbabwe's eight Olympic medals to date," said Business Insider Africa. 

IOC presidency
As Coventry settles into her new role, she will be "expected to move quickly to shape the organization," said the Sports Business Journal. This includes focusing on commercial evolution and sponsorship deals for the Olympics. Spearheading the next decade of Olympic Games is also a priority, with hosts for the Summer and Winter Games set through 2034. 

The most pressing matter will likely involve defining the Olympics on the world stage. This includes questions over gender roles, as the "first Summer Games under a female presidency will be the first with a majority of athlete quota places for women," said The Associated Press. Coventry "often states the importance of 'Olympic values,' which include gender parity" and inclusion, which she will likely prioritize during her tenure. 

But Coventry has also taken less clear stances on other matters. She was "evasive" when asked about trans women in women's competitions, said Deutsche Welle. She also "avoided going too far out on a limb" regarding the possibility of reversing a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes competing under their flags.

As she gets started, Coventry "may end up being a lot more independent" than the IOC was expecting, said The Guardian. While the new president is "likely to enjoy a honeymoon period, she knows there are landmines lurking everywhere." But Coventry is up for the challenge. "All those people who may look at me and see one thing kind of excites me," she said to reporters. "Because I think that they won't see what's coming."