Dr. Khaled M Batarfi

Assistant Prof. at Alfaisal Univ. Political & Economic Analyst, Writer: Saudi Gazette, Makkah Journal. My Arabic account: @kbatarfi

[د. خالد محمد باطرفي @kbatarfi]

“The confrontation involving the United States, Israel and Iran has changed the strategic value of Yemen,” Dr. Khaled #Batarfi told Al Jazeera. “The Houthis are no longer operating only within the framework of Yemen’s civil war; they have demonstrated an ability and willingness to connect the Yemeni battlefield with Red Sea security, international shipping and regional energy infrastructure.”

https://t.co/POpFWTykZf

[Middle East Eye @MiddleEastEye]

"The UAE is certainly a bridge – of gun runners, money launderers, gold smugglers, sanction busters, and mercenaries and spies"

✍️ Opinion by David Hearst
https://t.co/XguwBy6Tu9

[Dr. Khaled M Batarfi @DBatarfi]

Beyond the Mecca Agreement: The emerging architecture of regional security https://t.co/xRpoWoNThA

[د. خالد محمد باطرفي @kbatarfi]

خطوة مهمة لدعم مصادر المستشفى المالية. ادارة متميزة لمنشأة تعتبر من الأفضل عالميا. بارك الله بيئة العمل النموذجية. وشكرا معالي الدكتور ماجد فياض. #مستشفى_الملك_فيصل_التخصصي @KFSHICO

[The Data of Everything @TheDataHubX]

Middle East Countries by GDP, 2026

1. 🇹🇷 Türkiye - $1.64 trillion
2. 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia - $1.40 trillion
3. 🇮🇱 Israel - $720 billion
4. 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates - $622 billion
5. 🇪🇬 Egypt - $430 billion
6. 🇮🇷 Iran - $300 billion
7. 🇮🇶 Iraq - $265 billion
8. 🇶🇦 Qatar - $217 billion
9. 🇰🇼 Kuwait - $173 billion
10. 🇴🇲 Oman - $117 billion
11. 🇯🇴 Jordan - $65 billion
12. 🇧🇭 Bahrain - $49 billion
13. 🇨🇾 Cyprus - $45 billion
14. 🇱🇧 Lebanon - $34.5 billion
15. 🇵🇸 West Bank and Gaza - $17.2 billion
16. 🇾🇪 Yemen - $7.4 billion

Source: International Monetary Fund (IMF) World Economic Outlook WEO

[Reuters @Reuters]

Trump sends Saudi nuclear deal to Congress but says Riyadh must recognize Israel https://t.co/hpVc7X9tFP https://t.co/hpVc7X9tFP

[عامر @omar11115]

@YusufErim34 One important point remains, and it has been publicly stated by both Saudi Arabia and Turkey: the alliance is for those who have no external ambitions. Those who do have external ambitions are effectively standing against the alliance's most important objectives.

[Esfandyar Batmanghelidj @yarbatman]

I don't believe there has been a change in UAE policy towards Iran, at least not overnight. Iranian flights are landing at DXB, vessel traffic is unchanged, and the underlying logic of renewed economic engagement remains sound.

There is a lot of confusion about yesterday's ballistic missile incident and the subsequent MFA statement refuting economic engagement with Iran. The UAE MOD first assessed that two ballistic missiles fired from Iran were heading towards the UAE. It later revised its assessment, stating that the missiles were targeting vessels in the Gulf. For its part, Iran has now denied targeting the UAE.

In any case, the MFA statement was not linked to the missile attacks. It was simply issued on the same day. The statement does not mention the missiles and instead states that in light of "regional escalations... all trade, commercial exchanges, and financial transactions with Iran have been halted until further notice." This is not actually a description of a shift policy because the UAE *never formally announced* it was resuming trade ties with Iran.

Instead, through the statement, the MFA statement rejected "all allegations regarding the status of the economic relationship between the United Arab Emirates and the Islamic Republic of Iran." In other words, the MFA was restating the policy adopted at the outset of the war, pushing back on the recent media reporting that the UAE and Iran have resumed economic relations as part of a narrow détente.

Why issue this statement now?

The UAE has been under pressure from the US in light of the Trump administration's plan to rely on economic pressure to undermine Iran. The Trump administration is likely to announce new sanctions measures and the MFA statement preempts any such move by Treasury, publicly signaling that there is no daylight between the US and UAE positions. This is important considering that the Trump administration has previously threatened the UAE with tariffs for its continued economic engagement with Iran.

In reality, the UAE will maintain this public stance, but will continue to protects its interests by insisting on its own economic sovereignty. Importantly, the UAE is one of the few countries that is able to modulate its compliance with US sanctions as a function of government policy. If Trump's "maximum pressure" sanctions on Iran cause blowback that makes the UAE less secure and less prosperous, the UAE will take steps to mitigate those harms. In the area of economic diplomacy, the UAE has more agency than just about any country in the world. Washington does not actually call the shots for Abu Dhabi.

It is possible that the UAE-Iran détente will fall apart in further rounds of escalation. But that is not what happened yesterday.

[Salman Al-Ansari | سلمان الأنصاري @alansari]

I genuinely admire how @realDonaldTrump views US allies carrying their weight. This approach will surely strengthen US interests globally, reduce the need for direct US involvement, and advance broader US strategic objectives, despite the traditional thinking in some circles in Washington, D.C

[The Thinker @ottomanenglish]

Türkiye will sell $1.6B worth of armored vehicles to Syria, with Saudi Arabia footing the bill.

[Anas Alhajji @anasalhajji]

🇸🇦🇸🇦🇸🇦
Saudis Cleared To Buy A Whopping 20,000 Laser-Guided Rockets
"The State Department has approved a possible $2 billion deal to sell up to 20,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System (APKWS II) laser guidance kits to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The approval for these munitions comes as Iran is increasing attacks on nations hosting U.S. troops in the Middle East and tensions with the Houthi rebels of Yemen are heating up again. The air-to-air variant has become a critical cost effective weapon to shoot down large numbers of long-range one way attack drones and lower-end cruise missiles. Meanwhile, the air-to-ground variant provides extremely precise low-collateral strike capabilities against a wide variety of targets.

Saudi Arabia wants to buy 10,000 APKWS II air-to-air guidance sections and up to 10,000 air-to-ground guidance sections. The package includes an undisclosed number of LAU-131/A seven-shot 70mm rocket pods, Mk66 rocket motors, Mk-152 high explosive warheads and proximity fuzes."

T^
https://t.co/RYNDo1A1qx

[Al Arabiya English @AlArabiya_Eng]

🔴 The US and Iranian delegations will hold a virtual meeting today to sign the peace agreement, sources tell Al Arabiya

🔴 The meeting will be held in the presence of mediating states, Pakistan and Qatar, the sources say

🔴 The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed during the virtual meeting, the sources say

🔴 The meeting will be attended by US Vice President JD Vance and Iran Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the sources add

🔴 Following the signing of the agreement, the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened and transit will be permitted without fees, the sources say

🔴 The blockade on Iranian ports will be lifted, after the signing, the sources noted

[Patricia Marins @pati_marins64]

Saudi Arabia diplomatic Masterstroke

While the UAE is in crisis, Saudi Arabia is masterfully riding the wave with calculated diplomatic skill.

The Emirates’ military alliance with Israel is not welcomed by the Saudis, as I wrote days ago. However, a resumption of war with Iran is also not viewed favorably by Riyadh, and the response is quite simple.

The Saudis were diplomatically skillful in weaving an agreement with the Houthis, transforming what was once a lethal threat into a shield for their facilities and vessels. This includes their ships transiting near the coast of Somalia, which used to be an area of immense risk for Saudi shipping.

On another front, the Saudis reached an agreement with Iran that safeguarded their pipeline to Yanbu. This ensures they can export over 50% of their output via the Red Sea; however, with rising oil prices, the Saudis have offset part of these losses by selling less, the masterstroke of Saudi strategy since the founding of OPEC.

The bet on the US and Israel provides the Emirates with military cover, but Saudi Arabia holds the strategic depth. The trend points toward a rift in the Gulf: a Saudi-led axis favoring regional diplomacy, and an Emirati-led axis betting on external military force. You don't need to be a geopolitical expert to see that Israeli troops in the Emirates will only deepen their isolation from their neighbors.

The Saudis are making a hidden and ambitious bet, that this rapprochement between the Emirates and Israel is temporary and will weaken both internal and external support for the UAE, eventually forcing MBZ to come and beg for Saudi assistance.

Riyadh has fulfilled its agreement to grant land and airspace to the Americans, kept most of its infrastructure intact by negotiating with Iran, struck an excellent deal with the Houthis, and is now betting against the Emirates without firing a single shot.

Full article:
https://t.co/daEqD6FeXw

[John F Kennedy Jr @John_F_kJr]

🔻 THE OBAMA FILES ARE WORSE THAN WE THOUGHT.

His lawyers didn’t show up to negotiate.

They showed up to BEG.

Here’s what Bondi’s team found inside the Tehran servers under Obama’s codename — RENEGADE:

— 14 wire transfers to a Swiss account linked to Hezbollah between 2014-2016. Total: $1.7 billion. The same $1.7 billion he told Congress was “frozen Iranian assets.”

— A signed directive authorizing the CIA to stand down during the Benghazi attack. Not typed. HANDWRITTEN.

— Communications with Epstein’s handler, dated March 2015, discussing “the island arrangement” and “the Chicago package.”

— A backchannel to Tehran through Valerie Jarrett, active from 2012 to 2024. Yes. 2024. Two years AFTER he left office.

He didn’t just betray America.

He was running a shadow government from his basement in D.C. while pretending to be retired.

His lawyers are now offering FULL COOPERATION in exchange for immunity.

Trump said no.

No deals. No mercy. No escape.

The man who divided America for 8 years is about to face the America he tried to destroy.

And she’s awake.

FOLLOW ME, THE NEXT DROP WILL BE SHOCKING

[John F Kennedy Jr @John_F_kJr]

🚨BREAKING: MADURO IMPLICATES OBAMA IN ELECTION RIGGING, DRUG TRAFFICKING INVESTIGATION - Former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has reportedly told federal authorities that DISGRACED former President Barack Obama SOLICITED HIM and engaged in a QUID PRO QUO for Maduro to provide The United States with Dominion and Smartmatic voting machines and software BY THE MASSES to RIG American elections in favor of Democrats in exchange for Obama and his administration allowing Maduro to stay in power and actually using the full weight of The US government to assist the dictator in doing so. Obama and his notoriously corrupt administration were also said to be ON THE RECEIVING END of TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND LUXURIOUS PERSONAL GIFTS from the Maduro regime in exchange for enabling Maduro's narcoterrorist THUGS to traffic deadly drugs into our country to poison our citizens. This is just the latest EXPOSED EVIL DOING of Barack Hussein Obama... This man is the worst thing that ever happened to this country. He is an AVOWED COMMUNIST as well... No wonder he admires Maduro so much!

FOLLOW ME, THE NEXT DROP WILL BE SHOCKING.

[Dr. Khaled M Batarfi @DBatarfi]

Big Oil Just Built A Hybrid Engine That Embarrasses Mainstream Automakers https://t.co/BJSe1Blufd

[Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent @SecScottBessent]

Yesterday, I met with Saudi Minister of Finance @MAAljadaan to discuss ongoing economic cooperation between the United States and Saudi Arabia, and to sign a Tax Information Exchange Agreement between our nations.

I also underscored the importance and strength of the U.S.-Saudi partnership and highlighted our continued collaboration on shared financial and regional priorities, including those pertaining to the Iran conflict.

[Eric 𝕏 @WorldStrategist]

Singapore’s Foreign Minister on why he cannot accept negotiating with Iran for safe passage of ships. Definitely worth listening to:

[Salman Al-Ansari | سلمان الأنصاري @alansari]

"The Iranian 🇮🇷 parliament speaker's claim that regional states can guarantee their security through bilateral agreements without foreign intervention is one of the most arrogant and patronizing statements imaginable. Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 signed a comprehensive security agreement with Iran in 2001, then the Beijing Agreement in 2023. So who exactly violated the accords?"

- @IndyArabia's Editor-in-Chief @Adhwan .

[Salman Al-Ansari | سلمان الأنصاري @alansari]

"Iran 🇮🇷 respects Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦," says Iran's FM, even while targeting Saudi energy facilities, airports, civilian infrastructure, residential areas, and global supply chains with 1,006+ drones and 52 missiles.

If this is Iran's idea of respect and brotherhood, what does disrespect look like? Soon, the Iranian regime will realize it has committed its GRAVEST strategic blunder since inception.