GCC youth population tops 23.5m as workforce presence expands
Dubai, UAE -- More than 23.5 million people aged between 15 and 34 lived across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries...
Geostrategy
Trump halts Iran attack plans as talks gain momentum, keeps naval blockade intact
Speaking at an Oval Office event, Trump said Washington had achieved a "great settlement" and expressed confidence that an agreement...
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US envoy says Hezbollah involvement in Iran-Israel war would be ‘very bad decision’
The US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack warned Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Thursday against getting involved in the...
- Barrack, who is also the US ambassador to Turkey, is on his first visit to Beirut, where he met top Lebanese officials including parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally
- In a statement, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said the group will provide Iran "with all forms of support that contribute to putting an end to this tyranny and oppression
Geostrategy
Iran appoints new Revolutionary Guards intelligence chief
Major General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), appointed Brigadier General Majid Khadami as the...
- Major General Mohammad Pakpour, the commander of the IRGC, appointed Brigadier General Majid Khadami as the new head of its intelligence division
- He replaces Mohammed Kazemi, who was killed on Sunday alongside two other Revolutionary Guards officers -- Hassan Mohaghegh and Mohsen Bagheri -- in an Israeli strike
Geostrategy
US military aircraft no longer visible at base in Qatar: satellite images
Dozens of US military aircraft are no longer on the tarmac at a major US base in Qatar, satellite images...
- Nearly 40 military aircraft -- including transport planes like the Hercules C-130 and reconnaissance aircraft -- were parked on the tarmac at the Al Udeid base on June 5
- The US embassy in Qatar announced Thursday that access to the base would be limited "out of an abundance of caution and in light of ongoing regional hostilities."
Geostrategy
European, Iranian diplomats to meet as Trump mulls joining Israel campaign
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with his French, German, British and EU counterparts in Geneva on Friday to...
- Israel, claiming Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon, launched air strikes against its arch-enemy a week ago, triggering deadly exchanges
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will meet with his French, German, British and EU counterparts in Geneva on Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear programme
Geostrategy
21 Palestinians waiting for aid among 72 killed by Israeli forces in Gaza
Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that six people were killed while waiting for aid in the southern Gaza...
- In northern Gaza, Bassal said that nine separate Israeli strikes killed another 51 people, updating earlier tolls provided by his agency.
- At least 300 Palestinians have been killed in recent weeks while trying to reach aid distribution points in Gaza, which is suffering from famine-like conditions.
Geostrategy
MENA Brief | June 19: GCC central banks hold interest rates steady, Diriyah House launched in London
As most currencies in the region are pegged to the US dollar, monetary policy follows the decisions taken in Washington,...
- Saudi-based Cluster2 Airports Company signed a strategic MoU with Airbus. The agreement will see the deployment of the Agnet Turnaround platform across Cluster2’s 22 airports.
- Saudi National Bank (SNB) has issued $1.25 billion in Tier 2 bonds at a 6% profit rate under its $10 billion Euro Medium Term Note program.
Geostrategy
Almost 3,000 Australians seek to flee Israel-Iran conflict
Australia has started evacuating almost 3,000 citizens caught up in the rapidly spiralling conflict between Israel and Iran, Foreign Minister...
- rescue efforts had been hampered by missile barrages that made it "too risky" for civilian aircraft to land in either country, Wong said
- Some 1,500 Australians had registered to be evacuated from Iran, while more than 1,200 were seeking to get out of Israel, she said
Geostrategy
Syrians watch Iran-Israel crossfire as government stays silent
For days, Syrians have watched as Iranian missiles and Israeli interceptors light up the skies over their territory, but the...
- Iran was one of former ruler Bashar al-Assad's biggest backers, playing a crucial role in propping up his government by providing military advisers and the support of affiliated ar
- Israel, meanwhile, has occupied the Golan Heights since seizing it from Syria in 1967, and has kept troops in a UN-patrolled buffer zone there since December
Geostrategy
Trump weighs involvement as Israel launches fresh strikes on Iran
The White House said Trump would receive an intelligence briefing on Thursday, a US holiday and top US diplomat Marco...
- As the war entered its seventh day, Israel's military said it was striking Tehran and other parts of Iran, but all eyes were on whether Washington would enter the fray
- Iran's supreme leader Khamenei meanwhile rejected Trump's demand for an "unconditional surrender", despite claims from the US leader that "Iran's got a lot of trouble."
Geostrategy
Khamenei vows Iran will never surrender, warns US of ‘irreparable damage’
Khamenei's speech came six days into the conflict, with US president Donald Trump saying he may or may not intervene...
- Khamenei, in power since 1989 and the final arbiter of all matters of state in Iran, had earlier vowed the country would show "no mercy" towards Israel's leaders.
- Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said air force jets had destroyed Iran's internal security headquarters after the army announced it was striking military targets in Tehran.
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GCC youth population tops 23.5m as workforce presence expands
Dubai, UAE -- More than 23.5 million people aged between 15 and 34 lived across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries...
Geostrategy
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Trump sends Witkoff to Moscow in hopes of finalizing Ukraine deal
An initial US plan which was heavily weighted in Russia's favor has been replaced by one taking in more of...
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China’s Xi pushes Taiwan issue in call with Trump
Chinese leader Xi Jinping pressed the ever-sensitive issue of Taiwan in a phone call Monday with US President Donald Trump,...
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Hezbollah mourns top commander killed in Israel strike, Iran Guards urge revenge
Haytham Ali Tabatabai is the most senior commander from the Iran-backed group to be killed by Israel since a November...
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Trump peace plan: Washington, Kyiv say a peace deal must ‘fully uphold’ Ukraine sovereignty
US President Donald Trump had given Ukraine until November 27 to approve his plan to end the nearly four-year conflict,...
- US President Donald Trump had given Ukraine until November 27 to approve his plan to end the nearly four-year conflict, which began after Russia launched a full-scale invasion
- Kyiv was seeking changes to the draft that accepted a range of Russia's hardline demands, with the 28-point plan requiring the invaded country to cede territory, and cut its army
Geostrategy
Trump pushes Ukraine to accept his plan for ending the war ahead of Nov 27 deadline
"He'll have to like it, and if he doesn't like it, then you know, they should just keep fighting," Trump...
- "He'll have to like it, and if he doesn't like it, then you know, they should just keep fighting," Trump told reporters who asked about Zelensky's less-than-enthusiastic response
- "At some point he's going to have to accept something," Trump added during the Oval Office meeting with New York City's future mayor Zohran Mamdani
Geostrategy
Iran says no access to bombed nuclear sites without IAEA deal
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the UN's nuclear watchdog would not be given access to Iranian nuclear sites...
- The interview with the Khabar Online news agency was conducted before the International Atomic Energy Agency adopted a resolution Thursday demanding access to the sites
- In mid-June, Israel launched an unprecedented bombing campaign against Iran, triggering a 12-day war that the US briefly joined with strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities