Gulf and Red Sea Regions

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of State Antony Blinken are visiting Arab Gulf states where they will meet several leaders. The two US officials are travelling on a separate itinerary which also includes Europe, hoping to build some support after the aftermath of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The trip will also serve to reassure allies of US support and the rejection of extremism. 

Hours before Grundberg assumed office authorities in Saudi Arabia announced they had intercepted three ballistic missiles targeting the country’s oil-rich eastern region as well as the cities of Najran and Jazan in the south.

The Ethiopian army said on Friday (3 September) that it stopped an attempted attack by forces aligned with Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) that attempted to disrupt construction work on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The casualties came on the fifth consecutive day of heavy fighting as the group intensified its attacks on government positions in an attempt to break through defenses and capture the city of Marib. Backed by Arab coalition warplanes, Yemeni army officials said government forces had succeeded in fending off the latest assaults. The Saudi newspaper Arab News said non-stop fighting over the past 24 hours, coupled with more than 41 sorties by coalition jets targeting dozens of enemy reinforcements and equipment, had resulted in major losses for the militant group.

The new Iranian foreign minister, Amir Abdollahian, says he is determined to follow a "balanced, active and smart diplomacy based on principles of dignity, wisdom and prudence" stressing that neighbours and Asia were his government's first priority.

Amid increasing violence in the fighting between the Ethiopian government  and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), who also have the support of other regional forces, civilians continue to bear the brunt of the suffering due toi difficulties with distributing humanitarian aid.

Egypt is preparing to launch a new satellite next year designed and made by Egyptian university students, according to Mohamed El Qousi, the head of the Egyptian Space Agency (EgSA). The project, called 'universities satellites', is a collaboration with Japan. 

The Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership, held in the Iraqi capital on Saturday (28 August) brought many regional countries together including those who are usually at odds with each other. The conference was co-hosted by Iraq and France and was the first large gathering of Arab leaders in Baghdad since 2012. 

With the Iranian nuclear file expected to regain momentum after the summer break, Israeli prime minister, Naftali Bennett, is keen on making a case against reaching an agreement as he visits the United States. Bennett meets US president Joe Biden today in Washington.