Saudi defense chief meets Khamenei in historic Iran visit: What to know Prince Khalid’s visit marks a further step in Iran and Saudi Arabia’s political reconciliation, but it comes at a tense time in the region, with the second round of US-Iran nuclear negotiations just two days away. Saudi Arabia
Qatar and Russia to up investment by $2B as emir visits Moscow Cooperation between Qatar and Russia on energy matters is growing, as Doha seeks to mediate between the Kremlin and Ukraine over the war. Qatar
IAEA chief in Tehran as Iran FM returns to Russia with Khamenei letter A flurry of meetings are taking place in Iran, Russia and the US ahead of the second round of nuclear negotiations between the US and Iran on Saturday. Iran
IAEA’s Grossi to visit Tehran ahead of second round of US-Iran nuclear talks The IAEA chief’s visit comes just days after nuclear talks between the US and Iran and less than a week after a senior Iranian official threatened to halt compliance with the nuclear watchdog. Iran
Analysis Wary of Turkey and Iran, Israel tightens ties with Russia: What to know By Rina Bassist In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs
Iran flexes military muscle after joint naval drills with Russia, China The exercise included China's powerful Nanning warship and coincided with Tehran’s recent diplomatic pushes to reposition itself in the regional power play by adhering to the “look to the East” policy. Iran
Russia surpasses Saudi Arabia as China’s top oil supplier Energy-related cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China remains strong, but Russia and Saudi Arabia will continue to compete for the Chinese oil market in the near future. Gulf
Russia's Wagner activities expanding in Libya despite growing Western scrutiny The Wagner Group has sought to use Libya as a forward base for its activities in the Sahel region, particularly Chad and Niger, while building spheres of influence with local communities and smuggling networks in the southern border regions of Libya. North Africa
Syria, Russia to sign 40 investment deals after Assad’s visit Syrian President Assad also said in an interview with Sputnik that he would not meet with Turkish President Erdogan until Turkey removes its troops from Syria. Syria
Syria’s Assad arrives in Russia for talks with Putin Assad’s visit comes ahead of a meeting between Syrian and Turkish diplomats in Russia. Syria
Hamas says leadership visited Russia, met Sergey Lavrov A Hamas official has revealed that his movement "recently" visited Moscow and warned that the group's "patience is running out" with Israel. Palestine
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt rank among world’s top 10 arms importers: SIPRI Middle East countries made up more than a fourth of the top 40 global arms importers from 2018 to 2022, according to a new report. Gulf
Belarus' President Lukashenko in Iran, meets Raisi The first visit in 17 years comes as Iran and Belarus are increasingly brought together over their alliance with Russia amid the war in Ukraine. Iran
Egypt, Russia find opportunity in crisis Analysts say boosting trade between Russia and Egypt in the ruble and the pound is a win for both countries amid Western sanctions on Moscow and the dollar crunch in Egypt. Egypt
Al-Monitor/Premise poll: Russia's role seen as negative in Turkey, Yemen, Iraq The Russian invasion of Ukraine hurt the region economically, as supply chain disruptions and food shortages topped respondents concerns in Turkey, Egypt, Yemen and Iraq Turkey
In Iraq, Macron seeks bigger sphere of influence for France In less than a month, French President Emmanuel Macron hosted both Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani and Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani as Paris works to revive its influence in the region and counter China and Iran. Iraq
