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July 5, 2026

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A man walks past the flags of the countries attending the Gulf Cooperation Council summit at Bayan palace in Kuwait City on Dec. 5, 2017.

Analysis

How Iran war shaped divergent paths to security among GCC states

The Iran war left the Gulf more fragmented than united, with competing security strategies replacing any prospect of a common regional defense.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Oil drilling near Dakhiliyah in the desert region of Hasakah, Syria, Jan. 25, 2026.

Syria launches gas project with Saudi firm in latest Gulf energy partnership

The project is the latest in a series of Gulf-backed investments aimed at rebuilding Syria's energy sector after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Crude oil tankers, bulk carriers and vessels sit anchored around Qaboos Port on June 22, 2026, in Muscat, Oman.

Oil falls below $71 as US-Iran talks continue, Gulf exports rebound

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in an X post on Wednesday that Iran and the United States had made "positive progress."

Latest News

Explainer

Saudi FM concludes China visit amid Trump-MBS friction: What to know

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud before a family photo for the attendees of a meeting of foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim-majority nations at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing on November 20, 2023. The international community must take urgent action to stop the "humanitarian disaster" unfolding in Gaza, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told visiting diplomats from Arab and Muslim-majority nations on Novembe

Saudi Arabia's FM heads to China amid differences with US on Iran war

PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

Interview

Saudi labor localization will take ‘generation or two': Armada CEO

A student attends a training seminar at the Tourism Ministry Training center in the city of Riyadh on August 30, 2022.

Olivier Badard

CEO of Armada Holding

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

The pictures of Qatarís Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani (L) and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan are seen on a car during a demonstration in support of him in Doha, Qatar June 11, 2017. REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon - RTS16KYO

Turkey's economic interests dictate balanced stance in Gulf crisis

Through analyzing Gulf investment into Turkey, it is obvious that taking sides in the GCC dispute could have a detrimental effect on Turkey's economy.

A man sits on the rubble of a house of his relatives, destroyed by a Saudi-led air strike in Sanaa, Yemen June 9, 2017. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RTX39RM6

Gulf rift sends tremors through Yemen

The decision by Gulf countries involved in the Yemen war to sever ties with Qatar has created complexities on both sides of the Yemen conflict.

U.S President Donald Trump listens to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as they give statements to reporters in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, U.S. May 16, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTX363JL

Qatar crisis opens gates of anti-Trumpism in Turkey

Pro-government Turks who support Qatar have been hesitant to directly blame Saudi Arabia for the recent intra-GCC rift, preferring instead to scapegoat US intelligence services and President Donald Trump.

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 19: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) participates in a discussion about legislation to halt the sale of some weapons to Saudi Arabia at the Center for the National Interest September 19, 2016 in Washington, DC. After the Department of Defense announced the sale of $1.5 billion of arms to Saudi Arabia, Senators Paul, Chris Murphy (D-CT), Al Franken (D-MN) and Mike Lee (R-UT) are attempting to block the sale by using a provision of the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 that "provides for specia

Congress rebukes Trump over pro-Saudi stance

The US Senate came close to passing a bill prohibiting bomb sales to Riyadh for its war in Yemen amid growing concern about sectarian entanglement.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks to the media in Tbilisi, Georgia, April 18, 2017. REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili - RTS12PQO

Iran maneuvers to capitalize on Qatar crisis

Iran has so far cautiously stood with Qatar amid the Saudi-led confrontation with Doha, but there are indications of this caution's giving way to more assertive Iranian support.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, May 30, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX387FQ

Erdogan tries to juggle Iran, Saudi Arabia amid Qatar crisis

Retired diplomats say Erdogan’s Qatar policy is driven more by his survival instinct than a rational foreign policy and that Ankara has squandered an opportunity to play a positive role in this crisis.

A Palestinian man and his son hold a Qatari flag during a rally in support of Qatar, inside Qatari-funded construction project 'Hamad City', in the southern Gaza Strip June 9, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTX39TEW

Palestinians divided over GCC-Qatar crisis

The Palestinians are divided over the recent announcement by four Arab nations to cut ties with Qatar, as Hamas seems to be worried about its relationship with its main backer in the region.

Saudi-Hamas relations on verge of complete rupture

Relations between Saudi Arabia and the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip are witnessing deep tension that risks further escalation in light of the Arab nation's decision to cut ties with Qatar, one of Hamas’ main financial backers.

Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani speaks to journalists on December 21, 2014 during a visit to Mount Sinjar, west of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Barzani hailed advances by peshmerga fighters against the Islamic State jihadist group (IS) as they battled the militants for a northern town, backed by US-led strikes. AFP PHOTO / SAFIN HAMED (Photo credit should read SAFIN HAMED/AFP/Getty Images)

Kurdish independence in Iraq will take more than a referendum

The Kurdistan Regional Government has its work cut out for it to achieve an independent Kurdistan, as its plans would require the cooperation of some unlikely players.

Security forces attempt to block people, marching in support of a ruling against the Egypt-Saudi border demarcation agreement, in front of the State Council courthouse in Cairo, Egypt, January 16, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RTSVPK6

Egypt's parliament working with Sisi to finalize islands transfer

Despite a court ruling against the transfer of the islands of Tiran and Sanafir to Saudi Arabia, the Egyptian government is working to secure parliamentary approval of the deal.

People attend the funeral of the victims who were killed on the June 7 attack at the Iranian parliament and Ayatollah Khomeini's mausoleum, in Tehran, Iran June 9, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY? - RTX39TEM

Mixed messages since US-Saudi-Islamic summit prove costly

Is the United States missing an opportunity with Iran in the war against the Islamic State? Turkey, Hamas deal with fallout from Qatar dispute; Al-Monitor had the jump on “secret” US-Russia talks on Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Defence Minister Mohammed bin Salman during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, May 30, 2017. REUTERS/Pavel Golovkin/Pool - RTX388UH

How Moscow-Riyadh rapport fits into the Mideast scene

With all that’s going on in the Gulf right now, some players are re-examining their alliances and shoring up support.