The Iranian Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday that talks with Oman to exert permanent control over the Strait of Hormuz are making progress, as are efforts to forge a close partnership with Pakistan — which was, until very recently, billing itself as a neutral mediator in the conflict between the U.S. and Iran.
A consortium of companies from the U.S. and Saudi Arabia plans a $5 billion oil refinery outside the Strait of Hormuz.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attacked the CENTCOM headquarters of the US military in Jordan with ballistic missiles.
Oman has reportedly devised a plan, endorsed by other Persian Gulf states, to “manage” traffic through the Strait of Hormuz in partnership with Iran — and for both nations to collect “voluntary fees” from ships that use the vital waterway.
The United Nations on Thursday suspended its evacuation plan for ships stranded in the Persian Gulf after a cargo ship was struck by a “projectile” as it exited the Strait of Hormuz.
Appearing at a press conference with President Donald Trump after a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Evian, France, Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani responded to a question from Nick Gilbertson of Breitbart News by saying he saw “huge opportunities” for investments in Iran after its peace deal with the United States has been signed.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) accused Iran on Thursday of an “egregious ceasefire violation” for firing a ballistic missile at Kuwait and launching “five one-way attack drones that posed a clear threat in and near the Strait of Hormuz.”
The government of Saudi Arabia held a large ministerial-level meeting in Riyadh with representatives of other victims of Iranian bombings in the past month, issuing a joint statement condemning Tehran for widespread drone and missile attacks on civilian sites in over a dozen countries.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and other members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are growing increasingly vocal in denouncing Iran for its wanton attacks on their cities and oil infrastructure, although they have yet to commit to aggressive military action against Tehran.
Qatar said on Tuesday it disrupted two sleeper cells working for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
Saudi Arabia on Wednesday signed a defense pact with its longtime ally Pakistan, a move clearly inspired by Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar last week.
Saudi international relations expert Dr. Salem Alyami told Saudi news network Al Arabiya on Wednesday that the Kingdom’s major diplomatic concern at the moment is containing the Iran-Israel conflict to keep the rest of the Middle East from destabilizing.
The Reuters news agency reported on Thursday that Gulf nations are concerned that any escalation between Iran and Israel will implicate them and threaten their oil facilities, leading to attempts to ingratiate themselves with Iran.
Chinese dictator Xi Jinping and his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi published a joint statement on Thursday affirming their desire to “boost cooperation in the battle against terrorism,” as well as strengthen commercial and national security ties.
The emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, made a point on Tuesday of getting himself photographed waving the flag of Saudi Arabia during the Saudi match against Argentina at the 2022 World Cup soccer tournament.
Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud became the first foreign top diplomat to visit China in 2022 on Monday, meeting with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi to discuss what Wang described as “high-level China-Saudi Arabia comprehensive strategic partnership.”
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman urged members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to “unite efforts” against “threats posed by the Iranian regime” on Tuesday in his speech at the 41st GCC Summit in the Saudi city of Al-Ula.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, told reporters at a summit of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on Tuesday that his country and its allies will “fully set our differences aside” with Qatar, ending a virtual blockade that has endured for over three years.
Israeli media reported on Friday that the Kingdom of Bahrain will normalize relations with Israel, following the same path as the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which announced a peace deal with Israel on August 13.
The Daily Beast published a report Monday documenting “at least 19 fake personas” that managed to “place more than 90 opinion pieces in 46 different publications” over the past year praising the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) while criticizing its adversaries Qatar, Turkey, and Iran.
Would President Trump’s idea of expanding the NATO alliance to include the Middle East lead to peace and fewer U.S. troops in the region?
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, at the start of two emergency summits in the holy city of Mecca on Thursday, intensified rhetoric against its regional foe Iran, urging Arab leaders to combat Tehran’s “criminal actions” in the Middle East and beyond.
Saudi Arabia is reportedly expected to convene an emergency summit in the holy city of Mecca on Thursday aimed at discussing recent “aggressions and their consequences” with top Gulf Arab leaders amid escalating military tensions between Iran and the United States.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi-owned media accused Iran-backed rebels in Yemen on Tuesday of targeting Islam’s holiest city Mecca after Riyadh and its allies said they had intercepted two missiles over the kingdom.
Syria’s state-run media published photos of citizens marching in the streets on Tuesday to protest U.S. President Donald Trump’s proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. The Syrian regime’s patrons in Iran denounced the decision, while the increasingly Islamist government of Turkey vowed to fight the U.S. and Israel at the United Nations.
Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping called for “unity and harmony” among Persian Gulf states as he welcomed Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to Beijing on Thursday.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday that a rift between Qatar and its Gulf Arab neighbors had gone on for too long and was threatening regional unity needed to counter Iran.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, the emir of Qatar, denounced the Saudi-led blockade of his country as a “flagrant violation” of international law in his remarks to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday.
The dispute between Qatar and its Gulf Cooperation Council neighbors now threatens to reshape both the political and literal geography of the Middle East. Saudi Arabia is considering a plan to dig a canal that would turn the Qatari peninsula into an island.
An “Arab NATO” security coalition of Middle East states is being planned by Washington as a buffer to thwart Iran’s military expansionism in the region.
During his visit to Jordan on Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared that Jordan’s stability is “indispensable for regional stability” and pledged to “dramatically develop our bilateral ties” on security and trade issues.
Contents: Yemen’s former president Ali Abdullah Saleh killed in Houthi ambush; US officials plan for military strike on North Korea and war; Brexit negotiations collapse over Ireland border issue
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates has begun collecting new “sin” taxes on tobacco products, energy drinks and soft drinks.
President Donald Trump on Thursday hailed efforts by the leader of Kuwait, a staunch American ally, to mediate a festering diplomatic crisis involving Qatar and its Arab neighbors that could have implications for the U.S. military presence in the region.
Four Arab nations seeking to isolate Qatar for its alleged support for terrorism issued a statement Wednesday saying that Doha’s response to their demands to end the crisis was “not serious.”
Contents: Saudi Arabia extends sanctions deadline for two days; Saudi Arabia and UAE threaten Qatar with additional sanctions; North Korea launches another ballistic missile
US President Donald Trump spoke separately with several leaders of nations in the Persian Gulf region and addressed ongoing disputes between Qatar and some of its Arab neighbors, as Gulf states that levied a de facto blockade on Doha extended a deadline on answering demands by two days.
A top United Arab Emirates official said Saturday the Arab countries isolating Qatar do not seek to force out the country’s leadership over allegations it supports extremist ideology but are willing to cut ties altogether if it does not agree to their demands.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and President Donald Trump brought carrots and sticks, respectively, to the dispute between Qatar and several other Arab nations on Friday. Soon after Tillerson called for an end to the diplomatic crisis, Trump said a news conference that Qatar “unfortunately has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level.”
Contents: Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations cut ties with Qatar in new Mideast crisis; Arab nations’ split caused by Qatar’s relations with Muslim Brotherhood and Iran
