United States

Iran

Yemen

Military & Security

Politics

U.S.-Iran Relations

U.S. officials said the U.S. military used a B-1 bomber for the first time in the renewed conflict with Iran to conduct July 21 attacks on Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets, Axios reported on July 22.

U.S., Iran: U.S. Uses B-1 Bombers for First Time in Renewed Conflict 

Saudi Arabia

United Arab Emirates

Economics

Saudi Media Minister Salman al-Dosary and Emirati National Media Authority chairman Abdullah bin Mohammed al-Hamad issued an apparently coordinated X post praising their countries' mutual ties, while al-Dosary urged the media to conduct "responsible" reporting on their relations, Bloomberg reported on July 22.

UAE, Saudi Arabia: Coordinated Media Post Eases Tensions, but Disagreements Remain

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis said they will impose a naval embargo against Saudi Arabia, citing Riyadh's air and land blockade against Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, Reuters reported on July 20.

Yemen, Saudi Arabia: Houthis To Impose Naval Blockade on Saudi Arabia

Iranian officials have reportedly asked Yemen's Houthi rebels to close the Bab el-Mandeb strait if the United States hits an Iranian power plant, Reuters reported on July 16.

U.S., Iran: U.S. Signals Escalation, Iran Asks Houthis To Stand Ready

Energy

A statement from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said, "The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one" after the United States reimposed a blockade on Iranian ports on July 14, AP reported on July 15.

U.S., Iran: Iran Threatens Wider Disruptions to Regional Energy Exports Following U.S. Blockade

Saudi Arabia struck the runway of Yemen's Houthi-controlled Sanaa International Airport to prevent an Iranian civilian plane carrying a Houthi delegation from landing, AP reported on July 13.

Yemen, Saudi Arabia: Saudis Strike Sanaa Airport, Houthis Vow Retaliation

Yemen's Houthi rebels and Saudi-led, pro-government forces clashed on July 4 in the Hays district, south of al-Hudaydah, resulting in the deaths of 16 government forces and at least 50 militants in one of the most violent clashes since the Yemeni civil war essentially froze in 2022, Al Jazeera reported the next day.

Yemen, Saudi Arabia: Houthis Threaten Saudi Arabia, Kill 16 Government Troops

Somalia

Israel

A senior Somali official speaking on condition of anonymity said Somali intelligence assessed that Israel had dispatched 50 soldiers to Somaliland following its recognition of the breakaway region's independence in December 2025, Middle East Eye reported on June 22.

Somaliland: Senior Somali Official Claims Israel Dispatched 50 Soldiers to Territory

Snapshots

Middle East and North Africa

Yemeni protesters take part in a demonstration held to send a message of defiance against the continued siege and any military escalation involving Saudi forces against Houthi-controlled northern Yemen on July 17. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Forced to bypass the disrupted Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia's increased reliance on alternative routes leaves its critical oil shipments vulnerable to Houthi attacks.


Yemen's Houthis Threaten Saudi Oil Exports With Red Sea Blockade

Assessments

Bahrain

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

Vessels are seen anchored along the Strait of Hormuz on June 18, 2026. 

By demanding investment pledges from Gulf states after threatening a 20% toll, the White House is signaling its defense of global trade routes is now a transactional service rather than a core strategic commitment.

Security as a Service: The Risks of Trump's Transactionalism in the Strait of Hormuz

Armed Yemeni supporters of the Iran-backed Houthi movement brandish their weapons during a protest against U.S. strikes on Iran in Sanaa on July 10, 2026. 

The attacks do not necessarily signal an immediate return to a full-scale war between the Saudis and the Houthis or a reignition of Yemen's civil conflict, but the likelihood of more frequent flare-ups in both theaters is increasing.

Saudi Arabia and the Houthis Exchange Airstrikes, Breaking Yearslong Unofficial Truce

Egypt

Jordan

Lebanon

Palestinian Territories

Syria

Turkey

United Kingdom

Right-wing activists gather with Israeli flags outside the Damascus Gate of the walled Old City of Jerusalem on May 26, 2025, during a flag march for Jerusalem Day, commemorating the Israeli army's 1967 capture of the city's eastern sector during the Arab-Israeli war.

Israel's quest for middle-power status will be defined by its ability to unify its Jerusalem core, which has remained divided throughout the modern state's history.

The Modern Geopolitics of Israel

U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks as special envoys Jared Kushner (L) and Steve Witkoff listen during a news conference after a meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran on April 12, 2026, in Islamabad, Pakistan. 

The U.S. blockade may not immediately collapse the ceasefire with Iran, but it will further disrupt maritime shipping and the global economy.

After U.S.-Iran Talks Fail, Washington Moves To Blockade the Strait of Hormuz

Houthi loyalists chant slogans on March 27, 2026, in Sanaa, Yemen, as they participate in a protest staged to show support for Iran in its ongoing war against the United States and Israel.

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis will likely progressively expand their target set beyond Israel if the war intensifies, raising the risk of more economically disruptive attacks on regional shipping and energy infrastructure.

The Implications of the Houthis Joining the Iran War

Europe

India

A medicine distributor stores Mounjaro (tirzepatide) self-injecting GLP-1 prefilled pens and vials in a fridge at his office in Thane, India, on March 20, 2026. 

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

India's pharmaceutical and medical technology sectors are set to grow significantly over the next several years amid manufacturing incentives, regulatory reforms and trade deals.

The Growth Outlook for India's Pharmaceutical Sector Remains Strong, Despite Global Uncertainties

Iraq

A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion Feb. 28 in Tehran. The joint U.S.-Israel military operations on Feb. 28 against Iran have already escalated into a broader regional confrontation.

The military operations have already escalated into a broader regional confrontation and mark the onset of a sustained, multitheater conflict, but are unlikely on their own to trigger near-term regime collapse in Tehran.

A New U.S. and Israeli Attack on Iran Triggers a Regional Confrontation

Columns

On Geopolitics

Sudan

Libya

A dark earth map of the Middle East with glowing details of cities and human population density areas.

Two blocs are emerging in the Middle East: one focused on preserving existing states and institutions, and the other on creating new ones.

Preservation vs. Fragmentation: Two Paths Toward a New Order in the Middle East

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) inspect the honor guard during an official welcoming ceremony at the presidential complex in Ankara, Turkey, on June 22, 2022.

After years of discord, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are finding common ground as they increasingly position themselves against Emirati- and Israeli-backed regional initiatives. 

Saudi Arabia and Turkey's New Regional Alignment

U.S. Vice President JD Vance's shadow is seen as he speaks during a press conference following a military briefing at the civilian military coordination center on Oct. 21, 2025, in Kiryat Gat, Israel. 

Negotiations over a new Israel-U.S. security agreement signal a pivot in the bilateral relationship as Israel increasingly focuses on strengthening its domestic defense industry.

How Israel's Defense Sector Will Evolve Amid the Government's Push for Self-Reliance

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Residents wave Somali flags as they attend a rally denouncing Israel's recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland at Mogadishu Stadium in Mogadishu, Somalia, on Dec. 30, 2025. 

Two regional alignments are coalescing along the Red Sea and in the Horn of Africa, risking the escalation of proxy conflicts and longstanding rivalries.

The Unfolding Regional Realignments Along the Red Sea and Their Implications

Yemen is located on the southwest corner of the Arabian Peninsula, across from the Horn of Africa. With Saudi Arabia to the north and Oman to the east, Yemen’s land borders are largely isolated by the Empty Quarter, a vast, uninhabited desert that stretches through the region. Across the Red Sea, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia are linked to Yemen by trade, religion and culture. From its vantage point on the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, Yemen overlooks one of the world’s biggest trade routes.     Yemen has three geographic regions: the northern and western highlands, anchored by the capital Sanaa; the southern coastal harbors around Aden; and the eastern desert of the Hadramawt. For most of its history, the country’s civilization centered on the highlands, where enough rain falls to sustain agriculture. Because they lack oil and mineral resources, Yemen’s highlands are dependent on these farmlands.     Meanwhile coastal harbor cities like Aden survived off trade and piracy, while the desert interior developed a Bedouin trading and raiding culture that siphoned wealth from the two nearby regions. Dwindling water supplies threaten this balance, however, as skyrocketing populations and shifting agricultural practices strain the demographic sustainability of the highlands.     Nearly 20 million of Yemen’s 26.8 million people live in or near the highlands, which envelop and isolate Sanaa. So for outside powers, ports along the Red Sea trade routes of the south tend to make for better targets than the Yemeni capital. Throughout history, states from Rome to Great Britain have tried to capture Aden and its environs. The vulnerability of the city and its southern surroundings to foreign influence and meddling has repeatedly opened rifts between Yemen’s north and south. During these times of tension, the Hadramawt east often slips from the grasp of the central government.     Yemen’s geographic challenges, then, are threefold. First, the country must ward off foreign encroachment on its exposed southern flank. Second, it must find a way to manage its increasingly scarce resources. And third, Sanaa must keep the Hadramawt &mdash; known for its ability to threaten national unity &mdash; under tight control. 

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Iran: U.S. Uses B-1 Bombers for First Time in Renewed Conflict

UAE, Saudi Arabia: Coordinated Media Post Eases Tensions, but Disagreements Remain

Yemen, Saudi Arabia: Houthis To Impose Naval Blockade on Saudi Arabia

U.S., Iran: U.S. Signals Escalation, Iran Asks Houthis To Stand Ready

U.S., Iran: Iran Threatens Wider Disruptions to Regional Energy Exports Following U.S. Blockade

Yemen, Saudi Arabia: Saudis Strike Sanaa Airport, Houthis Vow Retaliation

Yemen, Saudi Arabia: Houthis Threaten Saudi Arabia, Kill 16 Government Troops

Somaliland: Senior Somali Official Claims Israel Dispatched 50 Soldiers to Territory

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