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January 14, 2026

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Members of the Petroleum Oils and Lubricants squadron at the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing take a break from replacing a 50,000-gallon fuel bladder in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, on Dec. 30, 2002, in Al Udeid, Qatar.

Breaking | Last Updated: January 14, 2026, 12:10 pm

US evacuates some personnel from Qatar air base amid Trump threat to strike Iran

Iran's Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned Tuesday that Tehran will retaliate for any attacks on the country.

A Patriot missile battery is seen near Prince Sultan air base at al-Kharj on Feb. 20, 2020.

CENTCOM opens air defense cell at Qatar's Al Udeid base: What to know

Bringing together military officers from regional countries to coordinate air and missile defense marks a nascent step in CENTCOM’s decades-long push to diplomatically facilitate air defense cooperation between Gulf states against Iran.

Latest News

Analysis

With central role for Qatar, can Gulf states mediate between US and Venezuela?

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (R) gestures next to Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (L) during a meeting at the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas on November 25, 2015. AFP PHOTO/JUAN BARRETO / AFP / JUAN BARRETO (Photo credit should read JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

Gulf accounted for 43% of global sovereign wealth fund investment in 2025

Yasir Al-Rumayyan, head of the Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia's influential sovereign wealth fund, addresses the opening ceremony of the Future Investment Initiative, in Riyadh, on Oct. 28, 2025.

Analysis

Middle East adapts to Trump’s tech agenda as Gulf AI gamble grows in 2025

Guests stand at the booth of Saudi AI company Humain during the Future Investment Initiative conference in Riyadh on Oct. 29, 2025.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

Jennifer Gnana

Gulf Correspondent

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Kate Dourian

In Dubai, reporting on energy

Karen Young

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal bin Abdulaziz (R) is greeted by an officer upon his arrival to attend the 130th meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Riyadh on March 4, 2014. AFP PHOTO / FAYEZ NURELDINE (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)

Saudi-Qatar tensions divide GCC

The announcement by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates that they are withdrawing their ambassadors to Qatar is a further sign of the deterioration in Saudi-Qatar ties and the fragmentation of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal uses his mobile phone in his office in Doha November 29, 2012. Meshaal said the de facto recognition of a sovereign Palestinian state won by his rival Mahmoud Abbas should be seen alongside Gaza's latest conflict with Israel as a single, bold strategy that could empower all Palestinians. Meshaal said the short war which claimed 162 Palestinian lives and five Israelis was concluded on terms set by the Palestinian Islamist movement and ended its isolation, creating a new mood that

The Qatar channel between Gaza and Israel

Qatar, which has taken upon itself major construction projects in the Gaza Strip, has become an indirect communication channel between Israel and Hamas.

Journalists from the foreign correspondence organisation participate in a protest demanding the release of four Al Jazeera correspondents outside the Egyptian Embassy premises in Kenya's capital Nairobi February 4, 2014. Three of the Qatar-based television network's journalists - Peter Greste, an Australian; Mohamed Fahmy, a Canadian-Egyptian national; and Baher Mohamed - were detained in Cairo on Dec. 29 and remain in custody, Al Jazeera said. REUTERS/George Philipas (KENYA - Tags: CRIME LAW POLITICS MEDIA

Journalists become the story in Egypt

International and social media coverage may have resulted in improved prison conditions for detained journalists.

Gaza youth dream of jobs in Qatar

Amid increasing unemployment rates in the Gaza Strip, youth have warmly welcomed an agreement between the Palestinian and Qatari governments to employ 20,000 additional Palestinians in Qatar.

Egyptians cut a Qatari flag during a protest against what they say is Qatar's backing of ousted Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi's government, outside the Qatari Embassy in Cairo November 30, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX15Z60

Egypt warns Qatar about interference

Egyptian authorities have been frustrated by official statements from Doha expressing Qatari concern about increasing violence in Egypt, as Cairo considers it interfering in its internal affairs.

Syria's Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem listens to EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton (R) as they wait for lunch during a break in the Geneva-2 peace talks in Montreux January 22, 2014. Syria's government and opposition, meeting for the first time, angrily spelled out their mutual hostility on Wednesday at a U.N. peace conference where world powers also offered sharply divergent views on forcing out Bashar al-Assad. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann (SWITZERLAND - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CONFLICT) - RTX17PZ

Moallem: Aleppo proposal a response to Kerry's call for local cease-fires

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Walid Moallem said he proposed a plan for ending military operations in Aleppo last week in response to US Secretary of State John Kerry's appeal for a cease-fire there.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks with Qatar's Foreign Minister Khalid al-Attiyah (L) before the opening session of the Syrian Donors Conference at Bayan Palace in Kuwait City January 15, 2014. Kuwait's emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah promised $500 million on Wednesday for U.N. humanitarian efforts in Syria, devastated by almost three years of civil war. The emir made the pledge at an international donor conference intended to help the world body reach a $6.5 billion aid target for the crisis in

Qatar's foreign minister: Iran has 'crucial role' in Syria

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Qatari Foreign Minister Khalid bin Mohammad Al-Attiyah calls for a unified Syrian opposition and describes the plight of the Syrian people as "unprecedented."

Faithful Christians pray at the monument of our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa village, north of Beirut, August 18, 2012, marking the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Pope Benedict XVI will be visiting Lebanon from September 14 to 16. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi (LEBANON - Tags: RELIGION) - RTR36YAB

Fate of Maaloula nuns hangs over gathering of region's Christians

A conference in Harissa, north of Beirut, will discuss the dangers faced by the region’s Christians, especially as a result of the Syrian war.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel (L) meets with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad in Doha December 10, 2013. Hagel briefed Qatari leaders on Tuesday about the effort to destroy Syria's chemical weapons, and he underscored U.S. support for Syria's moderate opposition. Picture taken December 10, 2013, REUTERS/Mark Wilson/Pool (QATAR - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX16DFR

Qatar resets its Syria policy

Doha tilts away from regime change in Syria and opens up a channel to Hezbollah.

Oman's Interior Minister Saud bin Ibrahim al-Busaidi attends the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Interior Ministers' Conference in Manama November 28, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (BAHRAIN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX15WB1

Omani rejection of GCC union adds insult to injury for Saudi Arabia

The Omani stance may force the kingdom to pause in its regional policies.

sultan piece.jpg

Correcting misconceptions of the Gulf’s modern art movement

Contrary to what some may believe, a vibrant indigenous visual arts tradition does exist in the Gulf.

United Arab Emirates

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad answers journalists after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, December 9, 2010. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier (FRANCE - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXVKF9

Syria's temporary solution

As preparations for the Geneva II Syria conference stall, some suggest that a temporary solution could be in the works, aimed at keeping President Bashar al-Assad in office, but without elections.