Category: Middle East
Coverage of geopolitics, international relations, and current affairs from across the Middle East, including conflicts, alliances, energy politics, peace processes, and regional security issues.
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Yemen’s UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) has said it plans to hold a referendum on southern independence within two years, deepening tensions with the internationally recognised government and its Saudi backers. “We announce the commencement of a transitional phase lasting two years, and the Council calls on the international community to sponsor dialogue between the…
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US President Donald Trump has warned Iran against violently suppressing protesters, saying the United States would “come to their rescue” if peaceful demonstrations were met with lethal force. In a post on his social media platform, Truth Social, on Friday (Jan. 2), Mr Trump wrote: “If Iran shots and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is…
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Seven fighters from the Southern Transitional Council (STC) were killed in Saudi-led coalition air strikes in eastern Yemen on Friday (Jan. 2), according to local officials. Saudi sources confirmed the strikes were carried out by the Saudi-led coalition. A source close to the Saudi military warned: “It will not stop until the Southern Transitional Council…
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Iran is facing its largest protests in three years, driven by a collapsing currency, high inflation, and economic pressure from Western sanctions. Demonstrations that began with shopkeepers have spread nationwide, triggering clashes between protesters and security forces. Iranian media and human rights groups report multiple deaths and injuries, marking a significant escalation in unrest across…
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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said on Tuesday (Dec. 30) it would withdraw its remaining forces from Yemen after Saudi Arabia backed a call by Yemen’s leadership for Emirati troops to leave within 24 hours. The move follows a Saudi-led coalition airstrike on the southern port of Mukalla, which Riyadh said targeted a UAE-linked arms…
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Large-scale protests broke out across Iran on Monday (Dec. 29) following a sharp fall in the Iranian rial and the resignation of Mohammad Reza Farzin, Governor of the Central Bank of Iran. Demonstrations were reported in Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Mashhad, with shop closures in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and police deploying tear gas in some…
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Yemen’s presidential council announced a state of emergency on Tuesday (Dec. 30) following a Saudi Arabia-led airstrike on the southern port of Mukalla. Saudi authorities said the strike targeted a weapons shipment from the United Arab Emirates intended for the Southern Transitional Council (STC), a UAE-backed separatist group. Key developments: • The Presidential Leadership Council…
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US President Donald Trump warned that Washington could carry out further military strikes if Iran attempts to rebuild its nuclear or missile capabilities, speaking alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago on 29 December. Trump said suspected activity may be occurring outside previously targeted sites and reiterated that any confirmed rebuilding would face “powerful”…
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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has warned that Tehran is engaged in what he described as an “all-out war” with the United States, Europe, and Israel, as US President Donald Trump prepared to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington. “We are in an all-out war with the US, Israel and Europe,” Pezeshkian said. “They…
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Yemen’s southern separatist movement has accused Saudi Arabia of launching airstrikes on its allied forces in the east of the country, deepening tensions inside the anti-Houthi coalition. The Southern Transitional Council (STC) said Saudi warplanes struck the Hadhrami Elite twice on Friday (Dec. 26) near Wadi Nahb in Hadramout province. Riyadh has not confirmed the…
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