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Gulf Arab states condemned Israel's June 13 attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets in a series of official statements, Al Jazeera reported on June 13. 

GCC, Israel: GCC Countries Condemn Israeli Attacks on Iran

Brunei Darussalam

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China

Indonesia

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Economics

Malaysia hosted the inaugural Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Gulf Cooperation Council-China trilateral summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Channel News Asia reported on May 27.

Asia-Pacific, MENA: ASEAN-GCC-China Inaugural Summit Marks Deeper Economic Alignment

United States

Turkey

Turkey's Trade Minister Omer Bolat said that Turkey would try to negotiate the 10% tariffs imposed on the country with the U.S. Department of Commerce and Trade and would attend the Turkish-American Conference in D.C. in May, Reuters reported April 4.

Turkey, MENA, U.S.: Turkey Will Seek to Negotiate U.S. Tariffs

Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa pardoned 457 prisoners to mark the 25th anniversary of his rule in the latest sign of easing repression in the island kingdom, AP reported on Sept. 4.

Bahrain: Another Prisoner Release Signals Easing Repression, but Crackdowns Remain Possible

Comoros

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Israel-Hamas Conflict

Arab leaders began to arrive in Manama, Bahrain, on May 15, for the 33rd Arab League summit that will focus on developing a consensus on the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, The National reported the next day.

MENA: Arab League Summit To Formalize Conditions for Gaza Reconstruction

Pakistan

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on Dec. 3 reached a consensus on investment terms concerning a potential free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council, or GCC, Arab News Pakistan reported on Dec. 4.

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia: Consensus on Investment Terms Bodes Well for Possible FTA

Bahrain's ambassador to Israel, Khalid Yusuf Ahmed Aljalahma, returned to Manama after his Israeli counterpart had returned to Israel earlier, Bahrain News Agency reported Nov. 2.

Bahrain, Israel: Bahrain and Israel's Ambassadors Return to Their Respective Countries 

Bahrain granted "golden licenses" to five companies who made large-scale investment promises totaling $1.4 billion, Al Arabiya reported June 15.

Bahrain: Bahrain Grants Inaugural Golden Licenses 

Media

Podcasts

How have Gulf Arab states' positions on the Israel-Iran conflict evolved?

Essential Geopolitics: The Future of Gulf-Iranian Relations

Columns

On Geopolitics

Vehicles drive along a main thoroughfare past a billboard that reads in Farsi and Hebrew: "A severe blow... The vile and villainous Zionist regime (Israel) has made a grave mistake,” in central Tehran on June 24, 2025. 

The war has weakened Iran, but has also shifted regional perceptions of Israel as a destabilizing force, prompting Gulf states to reassess alliances, Turkey to emerge as a rival, and raising the risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

Assessing the Regional Impact of the Israel-Iran War, Part 2

Assessments

Global Trade

Over the next decade, Gulf Arab states will increase oil and gas exports to emerging Asian markets, seeking alternatives to the U.S. amid tariff uncertainty. But the region's military and tech ties with the U.S. will remain strong.

Geopolitics of Trade: Gulf Arab States Balance Diversification With Enduring U.S. Ties

Ethiopia

Middle East and North Africa

The Geopolitics of Water

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

Population growth, security vacuums, bad governance and climate change will increasingly strain the desert region's already scarce water supplies, raising the risk of social unrest, interstate conflict and violence from non-state actors.

The Geopolitics of Water: In the Middle East, Water Will Increasingly Become a Weapon and Driver of Conflict

Participants stand outside the pavilion of Oman as they attend day nine of the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 9, 2023. 

The July terrorist attack in Oman will likely spark a regional security crackdown, despite the incident's limited political and economic consequences.

A Rare Terrorist Attack in Oman Portends a Regional Security Crackdown

Europe

Israeli soldiers guard a barrier, silhouetted against afternoon sun.

As Gaza moves closer to a post-war reality, political limitations in Israel and competing interests abroad muddy the waters of the region's future governance.

For Israel, the Challenge of Gaza's Future Governance Deepens

Snapshots

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa attends a signing ceremony following talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, on May 23, 2024. 

Bahrain-Iran normalization would reduce risks for Manama amid rising regional tensions, but security and some political vulnerabilities remain.

Normalization With Iran Would Reduce -- but Not Eliminate -- Security Risks for Bahrain

Students from the American University of Beirut (AUB) rally in support of Palestinians outside the main gate of the university in the Lebanese capital on Oct. 9, 2023. 

Social Issues

Israel's likely ground invasion in Gaza will alienate many Muslims in the Middle East, pressuring their governments to respond in support of Palestinians.

Gauging the Regional Response to the Gaza Conflict

Guidance

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Uruguay

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: EU and Chinese Officials Talk Trade, Israel Hosts an Abraham Accords Summit

A portrait of Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi is seen on a billboard in Sanaa, Yemen, on Oct. 31, 2021. 

The Yemen Civil War

Iran's Arc of Influence

By alienating wealthy Arab Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, a Lebanese official’s show of support for Iran-backed proxies risks deepening his country’s financial crisis.

A Row Over Yemen Sends Lebanon-Gulf Ties Spiraling

Hong Kong SAR, China

North Korea

India

Zhang Xiaoming (C), Executive Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, at the end of a State Council press conference on Hong Kong electoral reform March 12, 2021, in Beijing.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended Stratfor articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: The Mainland Finalizes Hong Kong Reforms, Biden Reviews North Korea Policy

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood spokesperson Talaat Fahmy speaks during an interview in Istanbul, Turkey, on Jan. 19, 2021.

COVID-19

Rebalancing Power in the Middle East

As it emerges from isolation, Doha will be forced to rely less on its ties to the Islamist group and more on diplomatic efforts to gain influence abroad. 

What Does the End of the Qatar Blockade Mean for the Muslim Brotherhood? 

The island of Bahrain is the smallest country in the Persian Gulf, sitting just off the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia and the western coast of Qatar. It has almost no forestry to speak of and very little arable land. The country's only natural resources are a dwindling supply of hydrocarbons.      But because Bahrain has an ancient natural oasis, it is also one of the oldest inhabited places in the Gulf; there is evidence that the island was host to the Dilmun civilization as far back as the 4th millennium BCE. Bahrain was often the base of great powers who sought to control the Persian Gulf, including the ancient Assyrians, the Safavid Persians and, most recently, the British Empire. The Safavid Persians left behind a large community of Shiite believers, although the island has been under the rule of a Sunni dynasty since the 18th century.     Bahrain's main geographic challenge is securing export routes through the narrow Strait of Hormuz so it can access the wider oceans, but it rarely has the strength to do this on its own. It also often becomes the pawn of greater powers and struggles to defend itself against invaders. The country thus seeks to ally itself with outside powers that will protect it and also allow it to export its hydrocarbons. Most recently, Bahrain also has sought allies that will also protect its Sunni dynasty from its Shiite majority, who have been agitating to gain more control of the country.

SITUATION REPORTS

GCC, Israel: GCC Countries Condemn Israeli Attacks on Iran

Asia-Pacific, MENA: ASEAN-GCC-China Inaugural Summit Marks Deeper Economic Alignment

Turkey, MENA, U.S.: Turkey Will Seek to Negotiate U.S. Tariffs

Bahrain: Another Prisoner Release Signals Easing Repression, but Crackdowns Remain Possible

MENA: Arab League Summit To Formalize Conditions for Gaza Reconstruction

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia: Consensus on Investment Terms Bodes Well for Possible FTA

Bahrain, Israel: Bahrain and Israel's Ambassadors Return to Their Respective Countries

Bahrain: Bahrain Grants Inaugural Golden Licenses

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