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The United Nations Security Council will begin its first round of informal voting on Thursday to measure support for candidates seeking to become the next UN secretary general. The confidential ballots mark the start of a selection process that will eventually determine who succeeds Antonio Guterres when his second five year term ends later this year. Seven candidates from different regions are currently competing for the position. They include Argentina’s Rafael Grossi, who heads the UN nuclear watchdog, former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan, former Ecuadorian Foreign Minister Maria Fernanda Espinosa, former Guyanese Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, former Senegalese President Macky Sall and Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu. Additional candidates are still allowed to enter the race before the selection process concludes. The next secretary general will take charge of the United Nations at a time when the organization faces mounting criticism over its effectiveness and structure. Calls for reform have increased as member states push for a more efficient institution, arguing that the UN must reduce bureaucracy, eliminate overlapping responsibilities among its agencies and improve its ability to respond to global crises. The first stage of the selection process involves informal straw polls conducted behind closed doors among the Security Council’s 15 members. During these secret ballots, council members indicate whether they encourage, discourage or have no opinion on each candidate. The votes are non binding but provide an early indication of which candidates have the strongest support and which face significant opposition. At this stage, all Security Council members use identical ballots, meaning diplomats can see the overall level of support for each candidate without knowing whether opposition comes from one of the council’s five permanent members. Those permanent members are China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States, each of which holds veto power over the final recommendation. As the selection process moves forward, the permanent members will use ballots in a different color during later rounds of voting. This allows diplomats to determine whether any candidate has received a negative vote from a veto holding country, information that often plays a decisive role in narrowing the field. There is currently no clear favorite to replace Guterres. Previous UN leadership contests have required several rounds of voting over many weeks before a consensus candidate emerged. Diplomats expect this year’s process could continue throughout the summer and possibly into late September or early October if no candidate gains broad enough support. If the Security Council remains divided, the process could take even longer. Once the council agrees on a single candidate, it will formally recommend that person to the 193 member UN General Assembly. The recommendation requires at least nine votes in favor and no veto from any of the five permanent members. The General Assembly then votes to confirm the appointment, a step that has traditionally been considered a formality after the Security Council reaches agreement. The current president of the Security Council is the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its ambassador to the United Nations, Zenon Mukongo Ngay, confirmed that the first round of straw polls will take place on Thursday morning. He also said that Ugandan candidate Olara Otunnu will participate in the voting despite not taking part in the informal public hearings completed by the other candidates. According to his biography, Otunnu played an important role in shaping the current selection process. He states that he introduced the system of informal straw polls while serving as president of the Security Council in 1981. That method has since become a key part of the process used to identify the candidate most likely to secure broad international support before the final appointment is made.

US intelligence agencies are examining whether Russia helped Iran carry out drone attacks on CIA facilities in the Gulf, raising fresh concerns about growing military cooperation between Moscow and Tehran. Officials are reviewing intelligence to determine whether Russia provided targeting information, advanced drone technology, or other forms of support that may have increased the accuracy of the attacks. According to sources familiar with the investigation, analysts have not reached any final conclusions about Russia’s involvement. However, the precision of the strikes and Russia’s long history of military and technical cooperation with Iran have led intelligence officials to explore whether Moscow played a direct role in planning or supporting the operations. The investigation follows a series of Iranian drone attacks that targeted sensitive US intelligence locations in the region. At least two CIA facilities were reportedly hit in March. One of the sites was located inside the US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while another was in eastern Iraq. Officials familiar with the matter said additional CIA locations may also have been attacked, although they declined to reveal further details because of security concerns. Western intelligence officials have also reviewed reports suggesting that Russia may have assisted Iran in selecting the targets. One intelligence assessment reportedly concluded that Russia likely contributed to identifying regional CIA facilities, although officials stressed that the findings remain under review and have not been publicly confirmed. According to officials briefed on intelligence reports, the attack on the US Embassy compound in Riyadh involved two upgraded versions of Iran’s Shahed drones. They said one drone created an opening in the embassy’s outer structure while the second entered through the damaged area before exploding inside. No casualties were reported, but the operation demonstrated a level of accuracy that surprised intelligence analysts. The investigation comes as tensions between the United States and Iran remain high following months of military exchanges across the Middle East. American officials are also examining recent Iranian strikes on a US military base in Jordan where ballistic missiles killed two American soldiers. Those attacks have intensified concerns that Iran may be receiving more advanced military support from Russia. Analysts believe Russia has spent years helping Iran improve its drone capabilities. Intelligence sources say Moscow has assisted Tehran in increasing the range and precision of its Shahed drones through technical upgrades. Reports also suggest Russia supplied Iran with the Kometa M satellite navigation system, which is believed to provide greater accuracy and stronger resistance to electronic interference than Iran’s previous guidance systems. Russia has denied supplying the technology and dismissed earlier reports on the matter. The White House referred questions about the investigation to the CIA, which declined to comment. Iran’s mission to the United Nations, the Russian Defense Ministry, and Saudi authorities also did not respond to requests for statements. The exact number and locations of the targeted CIA facilities remain classified. Intelligence sources said more than one site but fewer than a dozen were struck during the attacks. Overseas CIA operations often include embassy based stations as well as secure facilities used for surveillance, logistics, intelligence gathering, and other sensitive missions. US analysts are also investigating whether Russia supplied the intelligence used to identify the Riyadh facility. Some officials remain cautious, noting that Iran may have intended to strike the US Embassy as a whole rather than specifically targeting the CIA station located within the compound. Others believe very few countries possess both the intelligence capabilities and the strategic motivation to identify and support attacks against such highly sensitive US facilities. Former CIA station chief Daniel Hoffman said closer military cooperation between Russia and Iran makes such assistance plausible. He argued that both countries share a common interest in reducing American influence across the Middle East and other regions where they seek greater strategic control. The investigation remains ongoing as US intelligence agencies continue to assess the available evidence.