Andrew England

Middle East editor at Financial Times. Former Southern Africa Bureau Chief; Middle East correspondent, East Africa correspondent. Views My Own

[Financial Times @FT]

Israel’s Syria strike may have been bid to provoke Turkey conflict, US envoy says https://t.co/bJuwrIi7gB

[Basha باشا @BashaReport]

My press comments published by @FT's @cornishft: Mohammed al-Basha, founder of the US-based risk advisory firm Basha Report, said Saudi Arabia has little choice but to get dragged back into a war it had spent the past four years trying to exit. “They either give the Houthis $5bn and allow them to fly directly to Tehran, allow them to dock any ship at their ports, and hope they are not going to come back in a few years and ask for $10bn,” al-Basha said. “Or you use that $5bn to support your anti-Houthi coalition of Yemenis to push the Houthis to get down from their high horse and negotiate.” https://t.co/yCILJ9sfhE

[Andrew England @cornishft]

The difficult truth about Jason Arday https://t.co/2ZMGVbdTd7 via @ft

[Ali Vaez @AliVaez]

Told @FT: If there is one thing that Mojtaba has learnt from his father, it is that regardless of how much you trust people in the inner circle, no one should gain too much power to be able to eclipse the supreme leader.
https://t.co/1NAsMmOOkT

[Ali Vaez @AliVaez]

A must read by @Rob_Malley

[Trump War Room @TrumpWarRoom]

VP @JDVance with a message to Israeli cabinet members who have been attacking President Trump:

"Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time."

"If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world."

[Robert Malley @Rob_Malley]

I don’t see much value in comparing the MOU and the JCPOA. They are fundamentally different agreements that emerged from starkly different contexts. Best to leave that debate to hardline critics of both the 2015 deal and the current understanding, who seem perfectly capable of carrying it on themselves.

The bottom line is that the MOU is far preferable to any of the alternatives on offer. Period.

[د. تركي الفيصل الرشيد @TurkiFRasheed]

Saudisation at the PIF: From Bold Vision to Sustainable Ownership

If the Financial Times report is accurate, the Public Investment Fund’s decision to replace several foreign CEOs with Saudi executives is both welcome and strategically sound. Foreign expertise played a vital role in launching Vision 2030’s ambitious projects, but national talent is now better equipped to implement, sustain, and adapt them for the long term.

A particularly important advantage is social accountability. Saudi leaders are deeply embedded in the Kingdom’s society and values. They are subject to informal social repercussions such as community expectations and reputational pressure that naturally reinforce alignment with national priorities in ways foreign executives often cannot fully internalise.

As I argued in my Arab News article, “The Saudi Narrative: A Nation Writing Its Own Future,” Vision 2030 is not about reinventing Saudi Arabia but restoring its natural place in the world. This historic transformation demands primary reliance on Saudi citizens. By empowering domestic leadership, the Kingdom strengthens authenticity and ownership in its dual narrative battle: dismantling outdated stereotypes while advancing responsible reform and regional stability.

True transformation succeeds when a nation leads its own story.

#Vision2030 #SaudiNarrative @FT @ahmed @NicolasParasie @cornishft

[Financial Times @FT]

Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Khaled has become a growing force in global dealmaking and diplomacy as he readies to take over.

Read more here: https://t.co/StRHhn5xiA

[Abdulla Aljenaid @aj_jobs]

US Drive-By Diplomacy ⬇️⬇️

[Andrew England @cornishft]

Donald Trump’s Board of Peace fund is empty https://t.co/JxeZtTUhRb via @ft

[Faisal J. Abbas | فيصل عبّاس @FaisalJAbbas]

While no official Saudi source confirmed the FT story yet, this is very much aligned with the thinking in #Riyadh 👇

[Emile Hokayem (@emile-hokayem.bsky.social) @emile_hokayem]

On Saudi-UAE tensions:

Me:

“For a few weeks the [Saudi-UAE] tensions were more suppressed because the war was the focus. But if anything, the war has supercharged these tensions,” said Emile Hokayem at the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

“It’s more likely than not that Gulf unity will be eroded rather than strengthened” by the conflict, Hokayem said.

“The priority for the UAE is to double down on the US and Israel, while the Saudis worry about an unrestrained Israel and think that a regional construct is needed to contain, manage and possibly integrate Iran,” Hokayem said.

“There is a massive, perverse irony in this war in that the three belligerents — the US, Israel and Iran — can all make a claim of some strategic success here or there,” Hokayem said. “But the net strategic losers are the Gulf states, which did not want to initiate or fight this war.”

@FirasMaksad:

“It’s not only competition in places like Yemen and Sudan and the Horn of Africa, it’s just fundamentally a different approach to the dynamics of the region, and the way of dealing with Iran and Israel,” Maksad said.

“The UAE has positioned itself as the tip of the spear against Iran, while Saudi Arabia is maintaining an open channel to Tehran.”

“And Abu Dhabi is bandwagoning on Israeli power, whereas Riyadh and other regional heavyweights are balancing against it.”

[Javed Hassan @javedhassan]

Why the UAE asked Pakistan for its $3.5bn back ~ @humza_jilani & @cornishft

A sobering assessment in the @FT of Pakistan’s external sector outlook: assumptions linking strategic alignment with the Gulf to predictable investment flows appear increasingly tenuous.

“The mutual defence pact had raised hopes… But… Riyadh… has so far shown limited appetite…”

https://t.co/WfLEQYplwa

[Vali Nasr @vali_nasr]

I told @ft on Gen Munir and Pakistan’s delicate mediating role:
In Tehran, they would have given him [Munir] a difficult time, and questioned why he was pushing so hard for mediation — was it genuine or was he part of a ruse to get them to bring their guard down. Pakistanis are serious interlocutors, but what they can’t deliver is any guarantees on Trump’s behavior. They can’t say we promise the US won’t do A, B, C. And there’s nothing Munir can do about that. https://t.co/nuXRxGVVIS via @ft

[David Maddox @DavidPBMaddox]

Just pointing out that I broke the story 7 months ago that Mandelson failed vetting from the security services and put it to Downing Street...so the idea that Downing Street only found out on Tuesday is complete nonsense.

https://t.co/9Zp14BGCoD

[Hossein Rassam @rassam_hossein]

Iran’s leadership style is one of consensus and coordination in a relatively unique style. Mojtaba Khamenei is in the driver’s seat, while Qalibaf is handling the wheel from the back seat. Pezeshkian is sitting next to Mojtaba to navigate, but his real focus is on making sure there is fuel in the tank, worn out tyres can sustain the journey and that his men sitting in the trunk can the car as it is running. Who’s managing the pedals? Vahidi’s foot is on the accelerator from the back seat and there is no break, even though Zolqadr promised one. Araghchi is trying to manage the gear shifter. Meanwhile some people on the roof are trying to attach wings to the car!

[Katy Katopodis @KatyKatopodis]

Donald Trump admits to posting the “Christ-like” image of himself… but says he was portraying himself as a Doctor!
And the “fake news media”
is to blame for the Jesus narrative.

[Humza Jilani @humza_jilani]

The US-Iran backchannel is open despite talks in Islamabad failing to secure a deal. Iran is discussing "technical" details of US vice president JD Vance's "final and best offer" + ceasefire extension with Pakistani intermediaries. w/@cornishft @ak_mack
https://t.co/916CbqK1K9

[Andrew England @cornishft]

The 10 minutes that set Lebanon ablaze https://t.co/D5pf0WHhMu via @ft