On July 13, 2022, the office of Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi announced that he would be participating in the summit scheduled to take place in Saudi Arabia on July 16, 2022, which is also expected to be attended by leaders of countries that are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Egypt, Jordan and the U.S.[1]
When he arrives in Riyadh this week, US President Joe Biden is poised to finally end the purgatory in which the US-Saudi relationship has languished since his inauguration. To many Americans, meaningful engagement with the Saudi government remains anathema given Saudi Arabia’s heavy-handed prosecution of the war in Yemen and the brutal murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, both of which generated rare bipartisan condemnation. These events are stark reminders that whatever social progress Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has brought to his kingdom, the trademark characteristics of Saudi autocracy remain prominent.
Iran is expected to supply Russia with “hundreds” of drones, some of which will be able to carry weapons for use in the conflict in Ukraine. Iran is also preparing to train Russian forces on operating these drones as early as July.
The US would use force “as a last resort” to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, US President Joe Biden said this week.
In an interview with Channel 12 News that aired soon after he arrived in Israel on Wednesday, Biden said: “The only thing worse than Iran now is Iran with nuclear weapons.”
Tehran recently hosted a regional summit on addressing the dust storms that have ravaged the area over the past two years.
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi accused Western powers of playing into the destruction of environment by tapping into the Middle East’s natural resources.
The Turkish, Iranian and Russian leaders are set to meet in Tehran next week amid lingering Turkish threats against Syrian Kurdish groups. Putin and Erdogan will separately discuss the Ukrainian grain crisis.
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Tehran next week, with Ukrainian grain exports and a potential Turkish operation in Syria likely to top the agenda.
While joining the bloc has its upsides, it will be extremely difficult for Tehran to get full benefits from BRICS without the complete lifting of Western sanctions.
Recently, Iran applied to join BRICS, a group consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. On a global level, this forum represents 40% of the world population and 26% of the world economy. According to IMF data, China has the largest economy in this grouping and accounts for more than 70% of the BRICS total worth of around $27.5 trillion, while India comes in second at 13% and Russia and Brazil comprise the remaining 7%.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi says that his country will not back down on its positions in the nuclear deal negotiations.
In a Cabinet meeting today, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi discussed the ongoing deadlock with the United States over the nuclear negotiations to revive the 2015 nuclear deal known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).
Inman Mohammed bin Abdul Karim al-Issa, the head of the Muslim World League, spoke of the Muslim obligation to bring hearts together during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Known for visiting Auschwitz and for his involvement in interfaith dialogue, he gave the main sermon at the height of the annual Hajj pilgrimage after being chosen earlier in the week for the role by Saudi Arabia’s de factor ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Nine European countries said Tuesday that they have seen “no substantial evidence” to support Israel’s allegations that six Palestinian civil society groups are terrorist organizations and would not change their policies on supporting the groups.
The rare joint statement was a major rebuke of Israel, which backlisted the groups as terrorist organizations last October but has provided little evidence to support its allegations. The rights groups denied the allegations and accused Israel of escalating a long-standing crackdown on Palestinian opposition to its decades-long military rule.