Defence

More than 20,000 Georgian servicemen have participated in the mission in Afghanistan since 2004, usually serving six monthly rotations.  Predominantly tasked with peacekeeping in the volatile Helmand province, Georgia was the largest non-NATO, as well as largest per-capita, contributor to ISAF mission. Dozens of Georgian soldiers were killed or injured during the Afghanistan operation.

US President Joe Biden will send a delegation to countries in the Middle East this week to discuss regional issues, according to Bloomberg News. The delegation will visit Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Jordan. 

Iran has explicitly admitted its role in supporting the Yemeni Houthi movement as they engage in battles on multiple fronts with the Yemeni government and its Arab coalition supporters. General Rostam Qasemi, one of the commander's in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, said on Wednesday (21 April) that weapons that the Houthis possess were provided by Tehran.

Iran has announced that it will raise its nuclear enrichment level up to 60 percent. The move, according to President Hassan Rouhani is a response to "nuclear terrorism". On Sunday (11 April) the Iranian Fuel Enrichment Plant in Natanz was attacked with Iran pointing fingers at Tel Aviv. Rouhani described the attack as a plot to weaken his country's position during the ongoing nuclear negotiations in Vienna.

The trio had been found guilty of "the crime of high treason in cooperation with the enemy," according to an official statement carried by Saudi Press Agency, but the statement did not provide details on who the enemy was.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the US President, Joe Biden, has directed the Pentagon to cut troops present in the Gulf. The move appears to be an early step in the efforts towards a realignment of US presence away from the Middle East.

Initially the Altay was supposed to be powered by a German engine, but restrictions imposed by the German government on arms exports to Turkey forced the Turkish government to look for alternatives

"Russia’s aggressive actions constitute a threat to Euro-Atlantic security". This was stated unambiguously in a statement issued by NATO Foreign Ministers at the end of their meeting in Brussels on 23-24 March.