Eastern stranger is the least distant (7)
I believe the answer is:
nearest
'the least distant' is the definition.
('near' is the opposite of 'distant' so 'nearest' should be a synonym for 'least distant')
'eastern stranger' is the wordplay.
'stranger' is an anagram indicator.
'eastern' with letters rearranged gives 'NEAREST'.
'is' is the link.
(Other definitions for nearest that I've seen before include "With dearest, they're our loved ones" , "Stingiest" , "touching?" , "Most adjacent" , "Most intimate" .)