Houthi Propaganda Laid the Groundwork for Military Escalation
Houthis rebels are threatening Yemenis with a return to civil war, the Red Sea with resumed instability, and Saudi Arabia with attacks on its energy infrastructure and shipping....
Riyadh
Trump Administration Sends Secretive U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Deal to Congress for Review
The Trump administration appears poised to upend long-standing U.S. policy restricting the spread of nuclear fuel-making technologies. It has transmitted a U.S.-Saudi nuclear cooperation agreement to...
Policy Briefs
5 Things To Know About Turkey’s Relationship with Syria
Turkey has emerged as one of the leading patrons of Syria’s new government under President Ahmad al-Sharaa, following the December 2024 fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Ankara had built ties with...
Insights
Why a Saudi Nuclear Program Is Not Worth Ending US Nonproliferation Policy
It is unlikely that Russia or China would be willing to support a Saudi nuclear program if the United States refuses to do so.
Op-eds
Russia helps Iran sharpen its sword
Russia is shipping explosives and other military goods to help Iran replenish arsenals depleted in fighting with the United States and Israel, according to an August 17 report by NBC News. If accurate,...
Op-eds
Yemen on the Brink of a Return to Civil War
When the Houthis in Yemen entered the conflict between the United States and Iran on July 20 by announcing a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, it spelled danger in the Red Sea. Now, it appears Yemenis...
Policy Briefs
Houthis escalate attacks in Red Sea and on Saudi Arabia, Riyadh evaluates options
After Yemen’s Houthis declared a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia on July 20, the Iran-backed terror group has attacked Saudi Arabia directly and claimed attacks on eight Saudi-linked...
Op-eds
Erdogan’s Iraq play: A bigger game than oil
There is an easy way to read Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to host Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al Zaidi in Ankara on July 28, and to call the visit “historic”: as an energy...
Op-eds
Saudis gravitate toward Middle East basket cases when it should join US’ fight against Iran
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly called President Trump on Saturday and implored him to hold off on striking the Islamic Republic of Iran. Trump acquiesced and punted...
Op-eds
If the Saudis want a nuclear arsenal, Trump’s new deal might just give it to them
President Donald Trump made waves the day after his administration announced a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia. He conditioned the deal on Riyadh joining the Abraham...
Op-eds
Saudi Participation in U.S. Airstrikes on Iraq Signals Impatience With Baghdad’s Inability To Control Armed Factions
Baghdad’s failure to address drone attacks from Iran-backed Iraqi militias is forcing other countries to act. American and Saudi forces, in a first for the ongoing war with Iran, launched joint...
Policy Briefs
The Houthis Are Hitting Saudi Arabia’s Energy Pipeline — and Here’s Why That Matters
Saudi Arabia has weathered Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz by relying on its east-west pipeline to send crude from the kingdom’s energy-rich eastern province to the Red Sea terminal...
Op-eds
Russia continues to aid Iran in war with US, Ukraine says
Russia is still providing satellite imagery to aid Iran in its war against the United States, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alleged on July 25. That same day, Kyiv said it had targeted cargo...
Op-eds
The Middle East Moves Toward a Multifront Maritime War
Yemen’s Houthis have brought the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait into the conflict between the United States and the Islamic Republic of Iran — blocking millions more barrels of oil from easily...
Policy Briefs
Trump Throws Cold Water on U.S.-Saudi Nuclear Deal
Following the announcement of a U.S.-Saudi nuclear cooperation agreement, President Donald Trump is now raising doubts over it. In a Truth Social post on July 23, one day after news of the agreement,...
Policy Briefs
Why the Houthis Declared a Blockade on Saudi Arabia
The Yemeni militant group is poised to disrupt another key chokepoint in the global energy supply.
Op-eds
Iran reportedly tells Houthis to close Bab al Mandeb Strait if US strikes power grid
Three sources told Reuters on July 16 that Iran has instructed Yemen’s Houthis to close the Red Sea to shipping if the US attacks Iran’s power network, which President Donald Trump threatened to...
Op-eds
Riyadh Strikes Houthi-Controlled Airport To Block Flight From Iran
The Houthis and Saudi Arabia broke a four-year truce after Iran and its Yemeni proxy attempted to establish a direct flight path between Tehran and the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa. The flight openly...
Policy Briefs
Saudi Arabia and Houthis trade attacks over restarting direct flights between Yemen and Iran
Saudi Arabia struck Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-controlled Yemeni capital on July 13 to stop the landing of a plane carrying the Houthi delegation to slain Iranian Supreme Leader...
Op-eds
US moves to rescind Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism
US President Donald Trump “informed Congress of his administration’s intent to rescind Syria’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST),” the US State Department announced on...