By Enas Alashray CAIRO, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Iran threatened the United States with "economic warfare" on Tuesday and said it had fired an advanced missile at U.S. warships, underscoring the risks of further escalation in the war only days after both sides traded blows again.

Yemen's Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of air raids, missile strikes Yemen's Houthis on Monday accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out air strikes around the country, including the deadly bombardment of a prison, as the rebels press an offensive to seize territory near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The rebels' media said the attacks targeted Houthi positions across the Arabian Peninsula's poorest country, which is divided between areas held by the Iran-backed Houthis and those controlled by the Saudi-bac
Following a civil nuclear power agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia, IAEA chief Grossi said Riyadh was preparing to 'give the agency additional verification and monitoring authorizations.'

The UAE, like the US and Israel, is normalising a permanent state of war David Hearst on Mon, 09/07/2026 - 08:19 Mohammed bin Zayed should read history to learn that soft power will win over hard power every time, especially in today’s world – where legitimacy is key UAE's President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the airport in Abu Dhabi on 12 August 2026 (AFP) On It took the Russian President Vladimir Putin 10 full months after his invasion of Ukraine to call what his country was e
By Francois Murphy VIENNA, Sept 7 (Reuters) - A planned U.S.-Saudi atomic deal does not include Riyadh signing the Additional Protocol that gives the U.N. nuclear watchdog sweeping inspection powers, but something close to it on some points is in the works, the agency's chief said on Monday. The U.S. and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement on civil nuclear power cooperation in July that would let Riyadh enrich uranium and build nuclear reactors using U.S. technology.

A planned US-Saudi atomic deal does not include Riyadh signing the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Additional Protocol that gives the UN nuclear watchdog sweeping inspection powers, but something close to it on some points is in the works, the agency’s chief said on Monday. The US and Saudi Arabia reached an agreement on civil nuclear power cooperation in July that would let Riyadh enrich uranium and build nuclear reactors using US technology. Non-proliferation groups, such as the Ar

The Iranian-backed Houthis launched an offensive to take areas bordering the Red Sea, prompting heavy clashes and exchanges of fire with Saudi-backed government forces.

The toll from days of fighting between government forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in southwest Yemen climbed past 300 on Sunday, as hundreds of families fled their homes to escape the violence. Two military officials with the Saudi-backed government forces said that 84 of their troops were killed between midday Saturday and early Sunday morning, mostly in missile attacks. Four Houthi military sources said 57 rebel fighters were killed in the same period. The two sides have been fighting for

HYDERABAD: Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has reiterated its stance that new administrative units will become the ‘destiny of Pakistan’, where such restructuring has now been inevitable to make external successes, achieved last year, sustainable. Speaking at a Defence Day programme organised by the party’s local chapter at Koh-i-Noor Chowk on Sunday evening, MQM-P Chairman Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Mustafa Kamal, Dr Farooq Sattar and other senior leaders explained their party’s po

The toll from days of fighting between government forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in southwest Yemen climbed past 300 on Sunday, as hundreds of families fled their homes to escape the violence. Two military officials with the Saudi-backed government forces told AFP that 84 of their troops were killed between midday Saturday and early Sunday morning, mostly in missile attacks. Four Houthi military sources said 57 rebel fighters were killed in the same period.

Fighting between Yemeni government forces and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in southwest Yemen killed more than 140 combatants between midday Saturday and early Sunday morning, military sources said. Two military officials with the Saudi-backed government forces told AFP that 84 of their troops were killed, mostly in missile attacks, while four Houthi military sources said 57 rebel fighters were killed in the same period.

Iran threatens South Korean assets if Seoul joins Hormuz mission Iranian academic Mohammad Marandi has warned that Tehran would consider South Korea an enemy and could strike its economic and military interests across the Persian Gulf if Seoul joins the US-led war on Iran. Speaking on Al Mayadeen’s The Grand Standoff, Marandi said South Korea’s involvement in efforts to secure freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz would expose its interests in the region to Iranian retaliation. “If

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held phone calls with Saudi Arabian and Turkish foreign ministers on Sunday and followed up on the understandings reached at the inaugural meeting of the Makkah Defence Alliance last month, the Foreign Office (FO) said. The joint defence pact was signed on August 7 and empowers the member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them. Its inaugural meeting was held on August 31 in Istanbul, where it was decided

Eight foreign ministers condemn Katz and Ben Gvir’s Gaza displacement plan The foreign ministers of eight countries have condemned statements and plans by Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir for the mass expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Turkey and Egypt said the proposals are a flagrant violation of international law and p

Pakistan was among the Muslim nations on Sunday that condemned Israeli ministers’ statements regarding the displacement of the Palestinian people from the Gaza Strip, including proposals for plans and mechanisms aimed at forcibly removing them from their land. Earlier this week, Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Defence Minister Israel Katz had floated proposals for the mass removal of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, resurfacing an idea voiced repeatedly by right-wing pol

Iran threatens South Korean assets if Seoul joins Hormuz mission MEE staff on Sun, 09/06/2026 - 09:33 Warning by Iranian academic Mohammad Marandi comes as Seoul weighs possible military and naval contributions to restore navigation through Hormuz US Army AH-64 Apache helicopters at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, 21 August 2026 (Yonhap/AFP) Off Iranian academic Mohammad Marandi has warned that Tehran would consider South Korea an enemy and could strike its economic and military i

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Saudi Arabian and Turkish counterparts on Sunday followed up on the understandings reached at the inaugural meeting of the Makkah Defence Alliance, the Foreign Office (FO) said. The joint defence pact was signed on August 7 and empowers the member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them. Its inaugural meeting was held on August 31 in Istanbul. In a series of posts on social media platform X, FO sa

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Saudi Arabian counterpart, in a phone call on Sunday, discussed “follow-up” on the understanding reached at the inaugural meeting of the Makkah Defence Alliance, the Foreign Office (FO) said. The joint defence pact, of which Turkiye is also a part, was signed on August 7 and empowers the member states to treat an attack against one of them as an attack against all of them. Its inaugural meeting was held on August 31 in Istanbul. In a s

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty on Sunday invited Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to visit his country, the Foreign Office (FO) said. A statement issued by the FO said that the two held a telephone call in which they exchanged views on Egypt-Pakistan bilateral relations and regional and international developments. Abdelatty invited Dar to “hold a bilateral visit to Egypt at his earliest convenience”, it added. They also reaffirmed their commitment to remaining “eng

Morning recap Good morning, Middle East Eye readers, If you're just joining us, here are key developments from across the region: * US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth says the military can attack Iran’s entire oil tanker fleet, after Washington announced strikes on three Iranian vessels following attacks on US warships. * Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy says it struck three oil tankers travelling through “unauthorised” routes in the Strait of Hormuz and three US-affiliated vessels

THE collective memory of Muslim societies, particularly in the West and South Asia, is based on the persistent idea that since the collapse of the Ottoman Empire they have been in need of a joint response to challenges ranging from politics to defence. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia may be seen as something of a pioneer on this front with the creation of the Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism in 2015, which was partly the basis for the recently concluded Makkah Joint

Middle East crude oil exports in August down 39 percent, TankerTrackers says Crude oil exports out of the Middle East during August 2026 were down 39 percent since the January and February baseline of 18.5 million barrels per day (mbpd), according to oil-tracking firm TankerTrackers. The sharpest fall of 67 percent below pre-war levels was recorded in May, the firm said, adding that the current deficit is now only 7.2 mbpd, compared with 12.4 mbpd in May. The firm covered Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Ir

Fresh Yemen clashes kill more than 60, including 26 soldiers Fighting between Yemen's Saudi-backed government forces and the country's Houthi rebels killed more than 60 people on Saturday, including civilians, medical and military sources told AFP. The renewed clashes in Yemen's southwest over control of a gateway to the Red Sea came after Friday saw some of the deadliest fighting in years, following the collapse in July of a 2022 ceasefire. According to three Yemeni military sources, 26 gover

Houthi rebel offensive against government forces on west coast leads to some of deadliest clashes in years Clashes between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces and the Iran-aligned Houthi rebel movement killed more than 60 people, including civilians, as the Houthis pushed forward with a military offensive on Yemen’s western coast. Twenty-six government troops and 31 Houthi fighters were killed during several hours of fighting in the country’s south-west on Saturday, medical and military sourc

Fighting between Yemen’s Saudi-backed government forces and the country’s Houthi rebels killed more than 60 people on Saturday, including civilians, medical and military sources told AFP. The renewed clashes in Yemen’s southwest over control of a gateway to the Red Sea came after Friday saw some of the deadliest fighting in years, following the collapse in July of a 2022 ceasefire. According to three Yemeni military sources, 26 government troops were killed during several hours of fighting in th

To sustain global influence, Gulf economies recalibrate foreign investments as war drains revenues Gaspard Rouffin on Fri, 09/04/2026 - 11:46 Closure of Hormuz is forcing GCC states to balance domestic infrastructure and overseas economic ambitions for political influence to maintain soft power A general view shows Abu Dhabi's skyline across the Gulf waters in the Emirati capital (Karim Sahib/AFP) Off Economies across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qata

Morning recap Good morning Middle East Eye readers, If you're just joining us, here are key developments from across the region: • Donald Trump has said that the Iran war was "small potatoes" for the United States, while warning American military may hit Iran's Pickaxe Mountain. • The Lebanese health ministry says that Israeli strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon late on Friday killed at least three people and injured 23. • Iran will conduct “pre-emptive operations” wherever it perc

Naftali Bennett urges campaign against Qatar, calls it 'enemy' again Former Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett, has once again branded Qatar an "enemy," repeating his call for Israel to take action against it. "I’m not talking about tomorrow bombing Qatar, but you gather intelligence. It’s an enemy and we start working on it," Bennett said in an interview. He called for a campaign, "not necessarily a war campaign, a public opinion, economic, diplomatic campaign" against the Gulf state, whi

US okays $5.75 billion munitions, engines sale to Saudi Arabia The US State Department said it had approved the potential sale of Joint Direct Attack Munitions-Extend Range to Saudi Arabia for an estimated $5 billion. The principal contractor is Boeing, the state department said. The State Department also approved a possible sale of AGT-1500 engines to Saudi Arabia for an estimated $750 million. The principal contractor for sale of the engines is Honeywell, the department said, according to Reu

Saudi Arabia has been targeted with drone and missile strikes by Iranian forces and Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthi rebels since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran earlier this year.

TURKIYE is Muslim. We know that. What kind? Ottoman? Do today’s Turks not stand de-Ottomanised? Ataturk had forced all royal Ottomans out of the country. And such was the power of Ataturk’s secularisation of state and society that Ottoman became a bad word. The problem is history. It began in Central Asia when Changez Khan’s depredations made the Oghuz tribesmen — the harassed ancestors of today’s Turks — move to western Anatolia for safety. Little would they know what glory awaited them in (one

UAE President pardons Egyptian poet Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi Katherine Hearst on Fri, 09/04/2026 - 11:34 The Egyptian-Turkish national was 'forcibly disappeared' following his extradition to the United Arab Emirates and facing a 10-year prison sentence Off The President of the United Arab Emirates has pardoned Egyptian poet and high-profile activist Abdul Rahman Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who was facing a ten-year prison sentence, Emirati media reported. According to the reports, Sheikh Mohame

Clashes between Yemen’s Houthis and government forces have killed 81, military and medical sources said on Friday, as the rebels push towards territory bordering a chokepoint in the strategic Red Sea. Fighting erupted on Thursday, after the Houthis launched a ground assault along with rocket and drone attacks near coastal areas, vying for control of the narrow Bab al-Mandeb strait at the Red Sea’s southern entrance. The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Saudi ships in recent weeks in the Red Sea,

Clashes between Yemen's Houthis and Saudi-backed government forces have killed 81, military and medical sources said on Friday, as the Iran-backed rebels push towards territory bordering a chokepoint in the strategic Red Sea.

Brazil forward Gabriel Martinelli transfers to Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal from Premier League champions Arsenal.

• Ahsan Iqbal calls for ‘economic reset’ to sustain strategic achievements • Ex-foreign minister says alliance safeguards sovereignty of all three states LAHORE: Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan on Thursday described the Makkah Pact as an important strategic development, with the minister linking it to Pakistan’s defence and diplomatic gains and the speaker saying it should serve as an instrument for promoting peace through deterrence. They were

Vance: US investigating strike on Iran wedding 'very fully' Yasmine El-Sabawi on Thu, 09/03/2026 - 20:18 The US vice president insisted that there is no ongoing 'war' with Iran US Vice President JD Vance take questions from reporters at the White House in Washington, on 3 September 2026 (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters) Off US Vice President JD Vance told reporters on Thursday that the US is "very fully" investigating the military's reported strikes on a wedding in Iran which killed at least four
“We negotiated a comprehensive agreement with the kingdom, and at no time did Israel, or any other country, block that deal,” former Biden administration adviser Amos Hochstein said.

Xi’s Egypt visit tests Cairo’s balancing act Eli Siegel-Bernstein on Thu, 09/03/2026 - 10:57 Chinese leader's visit produced new agreements and deeper Cairo-Beijing ties, but a Huawei bid for Egypt's AI infrastructure hangs over its relationship with Washington Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Chinese President Xi Jinping tour the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, 2 September 2026 (Egyptian Presidency/Handout via Reuters) Off Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Abdel Fattah el

Bangladesh’s potential entry into a defence pact with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan could give Dhaka fresh leverage in its dealings with India, but observers warn the move risks fracturing its long-standing strategic neutrality and alarming a hawkish New Delhi. Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman told parliament on August 27 that Bangladesh was considering joining the Mecca pact, a security framework signed last month. Earlier reports citing unnamed sources said the invitation originated from..

PAKISTAN’S star in the field of foreign policy is on the ascendant. Not too long ago, because of our own mistakes and the malevolence of some in the neighbourhood, Pakistan’s reputation had suffered internationally. That situation has changed. Today, in the region and the world, Pakistan is recognised for its diplomatic finesse, for bringing together adversaries, and for contributing to regional peace. Yet for all the accolades, the country can only capitalise on this improved reputation by addr

Regional neighbours condemn attack this week that killed two crew members from the Philippines.

UAE condemns 'hostile' Iranian attacks The United Arab Emirates have condemned "hostile Iranian attacks" on Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, the Kudistan Region of Irawq, and the Saudi carrier transiting through the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian attacks on Gulf states followed the latest round of US strikes on Iran, which killed 18 people and injured 108 others, according to Iran's health ministry on Wednesday. UAE Strongly Condemns Hostile Iranian Attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, and Kurdistan Re

Turkey replaces Russian oil and diesel imports from US as wars reverberate MEE staff on Wed, 09/02/2026 - 18:18 Turkey is importing more oil from the US, even after it extended a natural gas deal with Russia People queue at a petrol station in Istanbul on 6 March 2026 as fears have grown of a possible inflationary wave as war in the Middle East sends energy prices shooting upwards (Yasin Akgul/AFP) Off Turkey is turning to the United States for crude oil and refined products as supplies from

The kingdom condemns the targeting of Sidr, which was reportedly hit by unknown projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

Saudi Arabia, the world’s biggest crude exporter, said on Wednesday that an Iranian attack on an oil tanker owned by its national shipping company had killed two Filipino seafarers. Sidr, owned by Bahri, was one of two supertankers carrying Saudi oil reported to have been hit late on Monday while transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has threatened tankers attempting to sail through the narrow waterway without authorisation, impeding energy exports from neighbouring oil-rich Gulf...

Tehran says it attacked US military sites in Gulf states, as Saudi Arabia accuses Islamic Republic of killing two crew members on a state-owned tanker traversing Hormuz The post Israel says it’s ready to ‘decisively’ strike Iran if attacked during upcoming holidays appeared first on The Times of Israel.

Exclusive: Blair asked PA to remove 'Palestine' from textbooks, former UK envoy says David Hearst on Wed, 09/02/2026 - 10:30 In a wide ranging interview with MEE, Jeremy Greenstock questioned Blair's ability to act as a neutral intermediary and said he was facing 'difficulties' in his role overseeing postwar Gaza On Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair was recently sent by Donald Trump's Board of Peace to ask the Palestinian Authority (PA) to replace any mention of the word "Palestine" in sch

US embassy in Saudi Arabia warns Americans to take precautions over increase in 'tensions' The US embassy in Saudi Arabia has warned Americans in the kingdom to take precautions over intensification of Iran war. “Due to tensions in the Middle East, the security environment remains complex with the potential for unforeseen escalation,” they said in a post. “Americans currently in the Middle East should exercise heightened vigilance and be aware of potential flight cancellations, airspace closure