Talal Mohammad

Associate Fellow @RUSI_org
Fmr Academic Vistor Oxford Uni
Govt Affairs| Strategic Intel.| Geopol.
DPhil @UnivOxford
#GCC|#Iran|#Politics|#MENA
RT≠Endorsements

[Talal Mohammad @DrOxbridge]

I'm ecstatic to announce the publication of my article by @ForeignPolicy. I argue why #SaudiArabia & #MBS do NOT want #Iran's mullahs to fall but rather "defang" & weaken #Tehran.

#IranProtests
#SaudiArabia
#IRGC
#NEOM
#GCC

[Foreign Policy @ForeignPolicy]

There is ample evidence that the current Saudi administration does not wish for the Islamic Republic to fall. Instead, Riyadh seeks to weaken Tehran enough to extract key geopolitical concessions, writes @DrOxbridge.
https://t.co/vZyLf8f5fz

[Talal Mohammad @DrOxbridge]

@AliBakeer Ali, what are you doing up at this hour?

[Talal Mohammad @DrOxbridge]

The moment the Supreme Leader Ayatollah #Khamenei entered Imam Khomeini’s Hussainiya to attend #Ashura eve mourning ceremony. This is a crucial moment, as he joins a major public procession after a 12-day war with #Israel & failed assassination attempts.
#Iran #IranVsIsrael

[Talal Mohammad @DrOxbridge]

@Hoffman8Jon delivers a sharp, clear-eyed analysis of how Trump’s strikes on Iran risk entrenching the U.S. in a war it cannot win. Rather than deterring Iran this strategy undermines diplomacy and serves Netanyahu’s long-standing push for regime change.

https://t.co/PqCh6yNhUW

[Jon Hoffman @Hoffman8Jon]

My latest with @Amconmag.

The position we find ourselves in is a product of our own failed policies, which Trump risks repeating. Decades of status quo thinking has produced one disaster after another.

War w/ Iran should be avoided at all costs.
🧵
https://t.co/l6EAAOT9G6

[Talal Mohammad @DrOxbridge]

@AliBakeer I don't pretend, Ali. I like to learn from more profound regional experts. :)

[Talal Mohammad @DrOxbridge]

@AliBakeer No, I don't. You are an expert who has just made a bold statement, I am an interested analyst who is curious about how you reached such a conclusion. My curious question to you is: How does Iran have any influence in Kuwait?

[Talal Mohammad @DrOxbridge]

@AliBakeer Can you shed light on this bold statement?

[Talal Mohammad @DrOxbridge]

@AliBakeer To sum it up, there is a word used amongst Gulfies... بالمشمش 😉

[Talal Mohammad @DrOxbridge]

@LamisK No, that's Busheher.

[Talal Mohammad @DrOxbridge]

As southern #Beirut faces fresh airstrikes on the eve of Eid, Lebanon’s PM Nawaf Salam @nawafasalam recently told @cnni: “Normalization is part of the vision.” This is a reminder of how far that vision remains.

[Talal Mohammad @DrOxbridge]

@Dr_Ulrichsen They don't make them like that anymore...

[Abdolrasool Divsallar @Divsallar]

On Iran-Saudi relations, @DrOxbridge makes an interesting argument that “MBS has not abandoned the rivalry with Iran—he has recalibrated it.”

I think he is right, especially Saudi’s nuclear balancing is an important aspect of this continued strategic rivalry.

https://t.co/qyh3AZjcJ8

[Talal Mohammad @DrOxbridge]

@laurnorman @iaeaorg @UnrollThread

[Fereshteh Sadeghi فرشته صادقی 🟩 ☫ 🟥 @fresh_sadegh]

خبری بود به نقل از یک مقام اسراییلی درباره اینکه آل سعود منتظر ضعیف شدن ایران در منطقه است تا با توازن قوای جدید به عادی سازی با اسراییل روی بیاورد.

کاش کسانی که این هفته برای مظلومیت عربستان روضه می خواندند این مقاله را بخوانند تا ببینند عربستان دست از دشمنی با ایران برنداشته.

[Fereshteh Sadeghi فرشته صادقی 🟩 ☫ 🟥 @fresh_sadegh]

A good read by RUSI’s associate fellow Dr. Talal Mohammad, about #SaudiArabia’s unfinished rivalry with #Iran and how the country’s de facto ruler, Mohammed bin Salman tries to redefine the KSA’s role in the region by trying to weaken Iran’s position.

[Newsweek Opinion @NewsweekOpinion]

"Iran's 'Shiite Crescent,' once central to Tehran's power projection across Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq, is giving way to a 'Saudi Full Moon'—a widening sphere of influence built on investment, diplomacy, and institutional leadership.

The regional battlefield has shifted. Riyadh's former reliance on confrontation and harsh rhetoric has given way to diplomatic pressure."

Read more by @DrOxbridge:

https://t.co/ecDkMQKH1e

[Talal Mohammad @DrOxbridge]

Excited to publish my @NewsweekOpinion article

Saudi isn’t de-escalating — it’s outmanoeuvring.

MBS is boxing in Iran through diplomacy, investment, and nuclear leverage — reshaping the region on Riyadh’s terms
https://t.co/iuUvMheTzZ
#SaudiArabia #Iran #MBS #TrumpInKSA #Syria

[Newsweek Opinion @NewsweekOpinion]

Why MBS Is Keeping the Pressure on Iran | Opinion https://t.co/6EfQy9nGKC

[Talal Mohammad @DrOxbridge]

My latest for @Newsweek:
Why MBS Is Keeping the Pressure on Iran

On nuclear hedging, strategic displacement, & the recalibration of Gulf power under the velvet glove of diplomacy.
https://t.co/iuUvMheTzZ
#Iran #Trump #SaudiArabia #MBS
CC: @RUSI_org