Middle East crises loom in background as NATO leaders gather in Washington While this year's summit is expected to focus largely on the ongoing war in Ukraine, Iran's military support for Russia and Turkey's strategic balancing act with Moscow are expected to weigh on NATO leaders gathered in Washington. Washington Pulse
US, Israel hold second virtual meeting on Rafah Biden administration officials have denied offering to green-light an Israeli invasion of Rafah if Israel holds off on retaliating against Iran. Washington Pulse
One year on Sudan’s war: 14,700 killed, 8.6M displaced, 4.9M face starvation As the war in Sudan enters its second year, the humanitarian situation is worsening by the day with no prospects of an imminent end of the hostilities. North Africa Pulse
State Department staffer resigns over Biden's handling of Gaza Annelle Sheline is the second State Department official to publicly resign since Oct. 7, citing the erosion of US credibility on human rights in the Middle East as a result of the war. Washington Pulse
Congress' last hurrah before Iran vote A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Sept. 7. Congress
What Obama should say to King Salman during his visit The inaugural visit of Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud to Washington offers US President Barack Obama a unique opportunity to address the long-standing tensions and rivalry between Iran, Iraq and the GCC states. Legacy: Gulf
Russia to build Egyptian nuclear reactor Egypt selected a Russian company to build its long-stalled nuclear reactor, raising controversy about the political dimensions of this coordination. Egypt
The invisible Saudi king Though breathless press reports predicted the Saudi leader would attend Russia’s MAKS-2015 air show, it seems that King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud never intended to visit Russia so soon after accepting the invitation to do so and will likely make the trip in the fall. Saudi Arabia
Assad’s 'reputation trap' for Moscow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in his fear of losing the support of Russia, may be backing Russia into a corner of sorts. Legacy: Gulf
Larijani: US must fully implement nuclear deal In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ali Larijani, the speaker of the Iranian parliament, praised President Barack Obama’s "wisdom" in negotiating a nuclear deal, but chided the United States for backing Saudi military intervention in Yemen. Iran
Could US state sanctions on Iran unravel nuke deal? Critics of the nuclear agreement say states have it in their power to kill it, but do they really? Congress
The king finally comes to town King Salman of Saudi Arabia won't find solutions to his country's deepest problems during his visit to Washington. Legacy: Gulf
US veterans fight over Iran deal Congress is getting mixed messages from Americans who’ve battled Tehran. Congress
Iranian ambassador to the UAE: Iran wants to remove tensions with neighbors Mohammad Reza Fayyaz, the Iranian ambassador to the UAE, blames Saudi Arabia for many of the problems in the region. Saudi Arabia
Saudi king wants Obama to tackle Iranian 'mischief' King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud will make clear during his White House visit that Riyadh’s lukewarm support for the Iran nuclear deal depends on the United States keeping Tehran in check. Saudi Arabia
Why did it take Saudi Arabia 20 years to catch Khobar Towers bomber? Reports have emerged that Saudi Arabia is holding Ahmed Ibrahim al-Mughassil, a Saudi Shiite who masterminded the 1996 attack on US military housing in Khobar that left 19 servicemen dead. Saudi Arabia
