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Tom Hussain
Tom Hussain is an Islamabad-based journalist who has spent his 35-year career covering South Asia and the Middle East.
Tom Hussain is an Islamabad-based journalist who has spent his 35-year career covering South Asia and the Middle East.
The Mecca deal may emerge as a third geopolitical ‘centre of gravity’ in the Middle East, with more members joining, analysts say.
With Iran holding firm to its grip on the Strait of Hormuz, Trump faces one of two choices: capitulate or risk a ‘forever war’, experts say.
As Houthi attacks disrupt Red Sea shipping, analysts warn of ‘brinkmanship’ that could yet spiral into all-out conflict.
With US sanctions lifted, Syria is capitalising on the Strait of Hormuz crisis to position itself as a trade and oil bypass.
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New terminals offer insurance, but analysts say securing trade ultimately relies on lasting peace, not just pouring concrete.
Turkey was ejected from the American F-35 programme in 2019 after it bought Russian air-defence systems.
Iran’s grip on maritime traffic through the strait remains both ‘real’ and ‘strong’ even amid the cessation in hostilities, analysts say.
Covid, Ukraine, Iran: three shocks in six years appear to have ended Asia’s love affair with efficiency no matter the cost.
Analysts say GCC members face an uncertain ‘new normal’, prompting them to expand outreach to Tehran for long-term peace.
US$270 billion in damage and 4 million citizens plunged into poverty may have broken Iran’s economy.
Analysts say the new agreement returns to a familiar trade-off: nuclear curbs in exchange for sanctions relief and oil waivers.
Thousands dead, hundreds of billions lost and an agreement many analysts expect to collapse. The Iran ceasefire, explained.
Analysts say Iran’s new tactic is both an attempt to reassert strategic deterrence and a political bargaining chip ahead of negotiations.
The US president says he’s losing patience with Israel’s prime minister. Analysts say he’s just playing to the crowd.
Israel’s offensive aimed at weakening the group complicates US-Iran peace efforts, analysts say.
The lack of a decisive victory in the Iran war has led Trump to lose confidence in the Israeli prime minister, analysts say.
Disclosures about Iron Dome batteries and secret meetings have exposed ties analysts say the UAE would rather handle ‘more discreetly’.
With its Opec era over, the Gulf state has big post-war ambitions for Africa and beyond, bolstered by elite Nvidia chip deliveries.
Hardline Indian political figures appear to be signalling a thaw in New Delhi-Islamabad ties is imminent, analysts say.
After nearly two decades and six terms in office, Israel’s prime minister could be on his way out. But little looks likely to change.
India has a much larger fleet of 4.5-generation fighters but is lagging behind Pakistan in the acquisition of stealth warplanes.
Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE lead a push for a new trade architecture with multiple nodes linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.
Iran’s attacks on Gulf states have forced Abu Dhabi to rethink its place within the Saudi Arabia-led diplomatic architecture, analysts say.
‘Fear of US abandonment’ is helping forge a new Middle East – but don’t expect an Islamic Nato just yet.
Targets reportedly include a Saudi pipeline to the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and a UAE export terminal at Fujairah, outside the Gulf.
Pakistan is the regional go-between to help maintain the 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon and push for a conclusive deal to end the Iran war.
A senior official involved in Islamabad’s diplomacy says it is trying to defuse the crisis ‘in any way we can’.
Analysts say the Pakistani air force’s presence ‘will complicate Iran’s targeting calculus’ and force it to reconsider its attack strategy.
As Abu Dhabi signals its displeasure with Islamabad, analysts say other indebted partners will be watching closely.
