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.

Marco Rubio:

Any foreign financial institution or commercial actor that enables Iran sanctions evasion is going to face secondary sanctions exposure and a loss of access to the U.S. financial system.

Marco Rubio:

Our preference is to return to the pre-war status for the Strait of Hormuz.

Marco Rubio on Iran:

The top people in that government are insane in the brain.

Marco Rubio:

There is no oil blockade on Cuba per se.

Marco Rubio:

The status quo in Cuba is unacceptable, and we will be addressing it—but not today.

Marco Rubio:

There is no problem between the Lebanese government and the Israeli government.

Israel doesn’t claim any land in Lebanon.

Marco Rubio:

The operation is over—Epic Fury; we are done with that stage of it.

Marco Rubio:

The world is a victim of Iran.

Marco Rubio:

The Strait of Hormuz does not belong to Iran; they don’t have a right to shut it down.

This cannot be normalized.

German Foreign Minister Wadephul:

Germany stands for Israel’s security — and that commitment stands.

And it will always be clear: we will not allow this state’s existence to be threatened.

That is what Germany stands for.

German Foreign Minister Wadephul:

The violence carried out by "some settlers" in the West Bank against the Palestinian civilian population is something we clearly reject, and we expect the Israeli rule of law to prosecute these crimes.

Dear Gideon, among friends, critical words must — indeed, must be allowed.

At the same time, every Israeli can rely on the fact that we will consistently stand up for Israel’s security.

Germany's Chancellor Merz continues to demand:

Iran must come to the negotiating table.

It must stop playing for time.

It must no longer take the region and the entire world hostage.

Its military nuclear program must be ended completely and forever, and there must be no further strikes against Israel and our partners in the region.

Iran has launched a new system regulating vessel passage through the Strait of Hormuz, according to state TV.

Ships must first notify Iranian authorities, then receive an electronic message outlining navigation rules. After accepting these terms, they are granted a transit permit.

Permits will be issued by a newly established government body.

BIG: Trump paused “Project Freedom” — the U.S. mission escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz — for a short time to allow Iran negotiations to continue.

The broader blockade on Iran is still active.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in China.

China Is Still Supplying Iran and Russia’s Drone Programs Despite U.S. Sanctions.

Small Chinese companies are openly exporting dual-use drone components—including engines, batteries, fiber-optic cables and chips—to Iran and Russia, often in defiance of U.S. sanctions.

One company, Xiamen Victory Technology, even marketed German-designed L550 drone engines linked to Iran’s Shahed-136 attack drones during recent regional fighting.

U.S. officials say stopping the trade is difficult because drones rely on common commercial parts that are easy to move through global supply chains. Many Chinese suppliers are small firms with little exposure to U.S. sanctions and increasingly operate openly.

Source: WSJ