Dr. Andreas Krieg | Gulf Security Expert | Institute of Middle Eastern Studies:
 

Since October 7th, the UAE's PR has been on a downhill slope. Qatar & Saudi Arabia have become dominant in the information domain themselves - the Emirates are no longer on their own.
 
The UAE is no longer seen as advancing stability. Arming non-state actors & secessionists - most visibly in Sudan - has made them a cause of instability. The atrocities in Sudan were a tipping point.
 
But rather than backing down, Abu Dhabi doubles down. That's their strategic culture - push through pressure rather than apologize.
 
Saudi Arabia has shown a learning curve. Qatar has changed under pressure. The UAE hasn't.
 
They're digging a deeper hole - an echo chamber where Abu Dhabi insists everyone else is wrong, despite most Arabs, Muslims & Western governments.
 
The narrative now coming out of Abu Dhabi is "we're different, we don't need anyone."
 
That "us against the world" mentality is very similar to Netanyahu's Israel today.

Trump:

The Iranian people have to have guns and I think they’re getting some guns.

As soon as they have guns, they’ll fight like as good as anybody there is.

Trump:

Zelensky is a tricky guy, and we want to get a settlement. And, you know, they are losing territory, but it’s at a big cost to Russia and to them. And I like Zelensky.

I’ve always sort of gotten along with him, other than the one moment in the White House, which I thought was a little aggressive on his behalf.

Trump:

I think the Pope is endangering a lot of Catholics and a lot of people.

He thinks it’s just fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon.

Trump:

And I think it’s better to get along with China than it is to fight with China. And they feel the same thing.

And don’t kid yourself — they watch what happened in Venezuela. They watch what happened in Iran, because militarily Iran is essentially over.

NEW: Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is traveling to Beijing today to meet his Chinese counterpart.

Trump on Iran:

When I first did this, I thought maybe the market would go down 20% or 25%, and I was okay with that because I knew it would come back up.

And I thought oil could hit $200, $250. Well, oil’s at $100, $102.

Over two dozen House Democrats are urging the Trump administration to acknowledge Israel’s long-suspected nuclear weapons program—breaking decades of U.S. policy and confirming an open secret known since the 1960s.

Source: WaPo

Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich dances with rabbis and "settlers" inside the Ibrahimi Mosque in Hebron, celebrating the Jewish holiday known as Lag BaOmer.

Israel is coordinating with the U.S. as rising tensions in the Strait of Hormuz threaten the Iran ceasefire, according to an Israeli source.

Plans are in place for a short, targeted campaign—possibly striking Iran’s energy infrastructure and senior officials—to pressure Tehran in negotiations.

The final decision depends on Trump, who is frustrated with stalled talks but hesitant to escalate into full-scale war.

Source: CNN

French President Macron:

Any escalation or unilateral strike against tankers, container ships, or third countries is a mistake.

Pete Hegseth:

The ceasefire is not over; this is a separate project...

Right now, the ceasefire certainly holds, but we’re going to be watching very closely.