Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement launched a new wave of missile and drone strikes against southern Saudi Arabia on September 15, according to Yemeni officials, while digging into military positions along the Red Sea coast as urgent diplomatic deliberations unfolded in Riyadh. The escalating conflict has heightened fears that regional hostilities could further threaten global oil … Read more
Geopolitical Leverage and the Bab el-Mandeb Chokepoint Middle East analyst Fawaz Gerges described the move to Reuters as a game changer, noting that it alters the balance of power and gives far greater geopolitical and geoeconomic leverage over Saudi Arabia, the Gulf, the United States, and global trade. Diplomatic Shifts and the Omani-Iranian Meetings Riyadh … Read more
According to White House reporter Bo Erickson, writing alongside Padraic Halpin and Conor Humphries for Reuters, President Donald Trump suggested on Sept. 13, that the United States could stay in Iran and “keep the oil”, drawing a parallel to a U.S. push to take control of a fifth of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves. Geopolitical Leverage … Read more
Pakistan has delivered a Saudi warning to Iran urging leaders in Tehran to rein in Yemen’s Houthi movement as escalating cross-border fighting tests Islamabad’s delicate diplomatic balancing act, according to Saudi, Pakistani, and Iranian sources. High Stakes in Regional Diplomacy Meanwhile, Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Sajjad Haider Khan said in a briefing on Thursday that … Read more
The Israeli military destroyed an underground Hezbollah infrastructure network at the Ali al-Taher ridge in southern Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz announced on Thursday. According to a joint statement from the two officials, the operation completed the consolidation of a security zone in the area. Israeli forces intend to remain … Read more
New Delhi is preparing to welcome the BRICS Leaders’ Summit on September 12–13, aiming to elevate the international stature of the group even as an American-led military campaign against Iran divides its members, placing Tehran and Abu Dhabi on opposite sides of the hostilities. According to reports from New Delhi, the high-stakes meeting takes place … Read more
Clandestine oil shipments sailing without transponder signals through the Strait of Hormuz have helped ease a global crude shortage, yet persistent uncertainty over exact export volumes has driven international oil prices higher, according to market data analyzed by Reuters. Crude Flows and the ‘Dark Crossing’ Phenomenon Tankers carrying Middle Eastern crude have increasingly relied on … Read more
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is racing to consolidate Israel’s fractious right-wing parties ahead of a Tuesday night deadline to avert an election loss forecast by opinion polls, according to reporting by Reuters. Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, is seeking a record seventh term in the upcoming October 27 election. However, surveys indicate that his nationalist-religious … Read more
According to U.S. Vice President JD Vance, the United States has ended major combat operations with Iran, though ongoing hostilities entering their seventh month continue to exert pressure on the Trump administration ahead of the November midterm elections. Speaking at a White House briefing on Sept. 3, 2026, Vance stated that the bilateral fighting does … Read more
U.S. forces struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, including one vessel off the coast of Kharg Island near Iran’s key oil export hub, according to U.S. Central Command. The military action followed a ballistic missile attack launched by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps against two U.S. Navy ships, according to statements from Central Command. … Read more