Türkiye and Saudi Arabia are expected to sign an agreement to ease visa requirements for certain citizens, mainly diplomatic and special passport holders, during talks between their foreign ministers.

Source: Reuters

NEW: UAE air defense systems are currently engaging ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones launched from Iran.

Trump:

Iran killed 42,000 people last month.

Trump on Iran:

Xi has been very nice about this. We haven’t been challenged by China; they don’t challenge us.

Trump:

I can say this — Iran wants to make a deal. What I don’t like about Iran is they’ll talk to me with such great respect, and then they’ll go on television and say, ‘We did not speak to the president!’ They play games.

Trump:

According to CNN, I’m at 100% approval within the Republican Party.

Trump:

I hope Iran’s financial system fails.

Trump on Iran:

They should do the smart thing, because we don’t want to go in and kill people — I don’t want to, I don’t want to — it’s too tough.

Trump on Iran:

They should wave the white flag of surrender.

Trump to kids:

Barack Hussein Obama. Have you heard of him?

Trump:

Iran has no chance. They never did. They know it. They express it to me when I talk to them.

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

The RSF is a genocidal militia. Some of the atrocities in Sudan may be worse than what happened in Gaza - fueled, supported & enabled by the UAE.
 
The networks channeling weapons & money to the RSF are run by non-Emiratis - often Sudanese based in the UAE, using Emirati jurisdiction to do their dirty work.
 
This gives Abu Dhabi plausible deniability - or rather implausible deniability, because you can no longer really deny it.
 
But legally, attribution is so indirect & multi-layered that Abu Dhabi will probably get away with it - unless the US has the guts to confront them directly.
 
Abu Dhabi is selling Sudan & the RSF to Washington as a fight against terrorism & the Muslim Brotherhood.
 
And the Trump administration has shown it's not sophisticated enough in Middle East affairs to see through that narrative.
 
US opposition could change Abu Dhabi's behavior. But legal cases won't.

FULL INTERVIEW

The White House privately warned Iran before launching the U.S. operation to escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz, aiming to avoid escalation.

Source: Axios

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

The UAE doesn't care what the Arab or Islamic world thinks. What matters is how they're perceived in the West.
 
It's an imposter syndrome - wanting to appear more Western than Westerners, less Muslim than non-Muslims.
 
They want to seem less religious, more technocratic, less ideological, more bureaucratic.
 
They do everything to stand apart from other Arab & Muslim states. They don't want to be seen as just another one.

FULL INTERVIEW

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

The UAE is doubling down on Israel. Israel has provided 3 Iron Dome batteries stationed in Abu Dhabi - manned by IDF soldiers. That precedent means more, not less, of this going forward.
 
We are seeing a UAE-Israel alliance take shape - sitting alongside the Saudi-Türkiye-Qatar-Pakistan axis. Deeper integration, including sharing UAE proxy networks & secessionist capabilities with Israel.
 
The Arab & Muslim world will push back. But the real damage is within the Gulf - making a common Gulf position harder to achieve. That's exactly what Israel wants.
 
Israel has a long history of dividing the Arab world to make it more malleable.
 
The Gulf had appeared as a fairly united front in Washington - that threatened the Israel lobby.
 
Dividing the Gulf is very beneficial for Israel, & the UAE is playing that role driven by short-term interest.
 
The Saudis see the danger. They are now saying enough is enough.

FULL INTERVIEW

Marco Rubio:

Today, inflation in Iran is 70%, and their currency is in total and complete freefall.