IEA delivers grim gas supply forecast as oil notches 15% weekly rise A wave of new LNG supplies will be delayed for at least two years due to war-related damage to Qatari energy infrastructure, according the International Energy Agency's latest market update. Qatar
Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal? The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years. Saudi Arabia
Analysis Israel fears Trump angling for Lebanon deal to offset Iran missteps Some Israelis worry the US president might force them to accept an unsatisfactory agreement driven by his inability to secure a tangible achievement in Iran. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
Which airlines are cutting flights amid Hormuz fuel disruption? European and Asian airlines have been most impacted by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, which is throttling jet fuel supplies. Iran
Rafsanjani missile tweet draws fire from Khamenei After Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani for appearing to criticize Iran’s missile program, a number of analysts attacked Rafsanjani. Iran
Is Iranian economy weighing Rouhani down? Polls show the Iranian president’s voter base is broadening in the aftermath of the country’s parliamentary elections, but that he also faces immense challenges related to the state of the Iranian economy. Iran
Are Iranian missiles a shield against better relations with US? After Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said that discourse and not missiles is the way of the future, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called such talk treasonous. Iran
Who will be the next chair of Iran's Assembly of Experts? Iranian conservatives and moderates alike have their sights set on the Assembly of Experts' chairmanship vote on May 24. Iran
Iran officials defend Rouhani's Pakistan trip After criticism suggesting that President Hassan Rouhani’s trip to Pakistan did not achieve anything, officials from the administration and media linked to the administration have fired back. Saudi Arabia
What Zarrab's arrest means for Rouhani While it is unclear whether Reza Zarrab’s prosecution will yield greater cooperation between Turkey, the United States and Iran, it appears that the case could strengthen Iranian President Hassan Rouhani rather than weakening Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
US looks to sidestep UN on Iran missiles Blocked at the UN Security Council, the Obama administration considers other multilateral tools. Russia
Why does Rouhani want a second JCPOA? Talk of a second, domestic Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or "Barjam 2," among rival Iranian factions is stirring heated debate in the Islamic Republic. Iran
Iran optimistic after Syrian forces retake Palmyra The recapture of Palmyra by the Syrian government has Iranian officials and media optimistic about the direction of Syria’s civil war. Syria
Is this Iranian man charged in US actually a 'hostage'? After an Iranian man was charged in a US court for violating laws on Iran, a conservative analyst accused the United States of seeking to obtain the release of two Iranian-Americans held in Iran. Iran
MP says Iran shuttered embassies over lack of funding According to one Iranian parliamentarian, financial issues were behind Iran's closing of a number of embassies, for which the Foreign Ministry has long complained of a lack of funding. Saudi Arabia
Is Iran becoming a major regional arms producer? If the current trajectory of arms deliveries continues, it appears that countries such as Iran, Russia and China are set to become the Middle East’s main weapons suppliers. Iraq