Raisi: Iran 'never has hope' in Vienna talks Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has struck a pessimistic tone commenting on the nuclear talks between Iran and world powers. Iran
Iraq receives 145% more foreign visitors in 2021 Iraq waived the visa requirements for citizens of many economically powerful countries last year in a bid to attract tourists and businesspeople. News Brief
Saudi Arabia building support for Expo 2030 bid The kingdom wants to host the international cultural forum, which is currently being held in Dubai. News Brief
Saudi IT industry to work with German software firm SAP on cloud technology The memorandum of understanding is the latest to come out of the LEAP technology forum in Riyadh, and reflects the kingdom’s diversification efforts. News Brief
Egypt's Sisi discusses Gaza reconstruction with Israeli PM Bennett During their first phone call since Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett took office, the two leaders agreed to meet soon. News Brief
Turkey stops flights from six countries due to virus variants Turkey is in the process of opening up amid lower COVID-19 cases and vaccine progress. News Brief
Turkey arrests 26 in raids against Islamic State There are concerns about the Islamic State's ability to still operate within and close to Turkish territory. News Brief
Syrian Airlines resumes flights to Dubai The United Arab Emirates is leading calls for Arab states to repair relations with the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad. News Brief
Israel renews indoor mask mandate amid COVID-19 surge After registering its highest daily caseload in more than two months, Israel has reimposed a mandate on mask usage indoors. News Brief
Pride returns to Tel Aviv The annual Pride march in Israel's largest city is one of the only rallies for LGBTQI+ rights in the Middle East. News Brief
John Bolton joins newly launched Turkish Democracy Project The group describes its mission as “encouraging Turkey to adopt more democratic policies and responding to the steady erosion of Turkey’s democratic institutions.” News Brief
Turkey attacks Kurdish militants in northern Syria The fighters attempted to infiltrate territory held by Turkey and its Syrian rebel allies, according to Turkish state media. News Brief
Egypt receives ancient artifacts from France Egyptian prosecutors called smuggling a "crime" against the Egyptian people and thanked their French counterparts for their cooperation. News Brief
Turkey lowers vaccination age to 18 Turkey has dramatically increased its vaccination efforts in June. News Brief
Congress discusses 'strategic opportunity' for US vaccines in MidEast The House Foreign Affairs Committee's hearing Wednesday focused in part on the reputation of American COVID-19 vaccines in the Middle East versus Russian and Chinese ones. News Brief
Saudi agents who killed Khashoggi received training in the US: NYT The New York Times reports that four members of the Saudi team that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi received training under a contract approved by the State Department. Gulf
