Tactical Report

From arms deals and alliances to oil markets and policy changes, Tactical Report delivers foresight on the MENA & GCC most critical developments.

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

🇰🇼🇹🇷 Kuwait and Turkey are quietly moving closer on defense.

Earlier this month, Kuwaiti Defense Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ali Al-Salem Al Sabah met senior Turkish officials in Ankara: a visit that may reshape the Gulf's defense procurement map.

The latest issue of Defense Weekly give readers exclusive access to the Kuwaiti-Turkish defense file:

🔹 The Letter of Intent and Defense Roadmap

🔹 Turkish companies and their proposed offers

🔹 Kuwaiti assessments of Turkish defense capabilities

Read the issue 👇
https://t.co/i6oPWFapcf

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

The Houthis in Yemen declared a complete ban on Israeli maritime navigation in the Red Sea, therefore considering all Israeli movements there to be legitimate military targets.

Unlock the full note to explore the reason behind the Houthi intervention in the renewed Iran-Israel showdown, its limits, and ongoing Houthi-Iranian coordination.

https://t.co/nFipUYPqg8

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

Saudi Arabia is emerging from the Hormuz disruption with greater confidence in its export resilience and long-term supply position.

Unlock the following note to explore Riyadh’s assessment of the disruption, Aramco’s operational adjustments, efforts to reassure Asian buyers, and the Kingdom’s evolving view of Hormuz-related risks and opportunities.

https://t.co/V6jsoYlLOk

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

The General Authority for Defense Development (GADD) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Raytheon Saudi Arabia during the Jisr 3 forum, in May 2026.

Unlock the full note to get an insight into the MoU’s focus on:

- Air-defense validation;

- Controlled academic participation; and

- Localization through test ownership.

https://t.co/UeaeISC1af

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

Ali Al-Thawadi, Qatar's Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office for Strategic Affairs and his nation’s representative on Gaza’s Executive Board, took part in the call between Donald Trump and Middle Eastern regional leaders on 23/5/2026, underscoring his rising role as one of Qatar’s key strategic operators on Gaza and regional diplomacy

Unlock the following note to explore Al-Thawadi’s:

- Personality and role within Qatar’s leadership;

- High level connections;

- Relationship with Trump.

https://t.co/xv8dfuhtYO

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

Barzan Holdings and ASELSAN established the BARQ joint venture (JV) in 2018 to support defense-industrial cooperation between Qatar and Turkey, with a focus on localizing selected technologies and building defense electronics capabilities in Qatar.

Unlock the full note for more on the BARQ joint venture’s updated status on technology transfer and sovereignty sustainment; transfer lines; and ASELSAN’s role as a regional sustainment and adaptation platform.

https://t.co/hPKG3GOuWH

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

Kuwait is reassessing its export strategy as Gulf maritime risks force a review of alternative routes for crude exports.

Unlock the following note to explore Kuwait’s discussions with Saudi Arabia over Petroline access, the viability of Iraqi and Syrian export corridors, and the conditions required before Kuwait commits to new overland routes.

https://t.co/66gqIqJVnZ

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

⚡ Energy Weekly | Issue #33/20

🇴🇲 Oman turns Hormuz disruption into strategic advantage via Sohar, Duqm & Salalah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia turns Hormuz disruption into an export advantage

🇰🇼 Kuwait maps alternative export routes beyond the Gulf

🇸🇦 Vision 2030 enters a new fiscal discipline phase

Read it 👇 https://t.co/5NQdPNZHYz

#Energy #MENA #Oman #SaudiArabia

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

🌍 Politics Weekly | Issue #33/23

🇸🇦 MBS moves to control GCC security after the Iran War

🇶🇦 The rising role of Qatari fixer Ali Al-Thawadi

🇦🇪🇷🇺 Inside the UAE-Russia relationship: status, benefits, and differences

Read it 👇 https://t.co/C50nJJBFSN

#Geopolitics #MENA #GCC #UAE

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

🛡️ Defense Weekly | Issue #33/23

🇦🇪🇬🇧 UAE-UK defense partnership set to expand?

🇶🇦 Barzan Holdings grows its AI portfolio

🇸🇦 Inside the GADD-Raytheon MoU

🇦🇪 UAE plans new defense acquisition vehicle under CP Khaled

Read it 👇
https://t.co/KIUSDekUzC

#Defense #MENA #UAE #SaudiArabia

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

In May 2026, UAE Minister of State for Defence Affairs Mohamed bin Mubarak Al Mazrouei conducted a defense-focused tour to the UK, France, and Italy as Abu Dhabi intensified consultations with key European partners amid evolving regional security challenges.

The visits combined operational, strategic, and industrial discussions, reflecting the UAE’s effort to deepen defense cooperation while assessing potential avenues for future collaboration.

The following note sheds light on:

- The objectives behind Al Mazrouei’s tour,

- The operational, technological, and industrial themes discussed during the tour, and

- The outcomes and limitations of the UAE’s consultations with its European defense partners.

Read full report: https://t.co/SAUPXEUt2i

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

Following U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to China, some of his advisors voiced concerns that GCC leaders have begun to think less of President Trump and more of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The following note presents a deep look into:

- GCC states strategic shifts away from the U.S.;

- U.S. response to changes among the GCC states; and

- President Trump’s interpretation of the situation.

https://t.co/l1gDYa61Po

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

Saudi Arabia is entering a new phase of Vision 2030 implementation as Riyadh applies stricter capital discipline across major projects and investment programs.

Unlock the following note to explore the Kingdom’s project prioritization strategy, the expanding role of private financing, and the stricter commercial criteria now shaping renewable energy and hydrogen investments.

https://t.co/0UBA9s2ghj

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz have led to a significant improvement in the relationship between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman (MBS) and Qatari Emir Tamim.

Unlock the following note to explore:

- The Strengthening of Saudi-Qatari Strategic Alignment;

- The Saudi-Qatari Coordination concerning Trump and MBZ; and

- MBS and Emir Tamim’s positions on Gaza, Sudan, and Yemen.

https://t.co/uC8UgrXMh0

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

Abu Dhabi is exploring the creation of a new defense investment vehicle associated with the office of the Crown Prince (CP) of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohammad Bin Zayed.

The proposed structure would support the UAE’s long-term defense and industrial objectives amid a changing regional security environment.

The following note sheds light on:

- The drivers behind the initiative,

- The proposed investment strategy and target sectors,

- The entity's role within the UAE defense ecosystem, and

- The long-term strategic objectives of the initiative.

https://t.co/cVkqKwRQc2

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

يستعد علي الزيدي للعب دور محوري في رسم ملامح المرحلة السياسية المقبلة في #العراق، عقب ترشيحه من قبل "الإطار التنسيقي" في 27/04/2026، ومصادقة البرلمان على برنامجه الحكومي وتشكيلته الوزارية الجزئية في 14/05/2026.

يصل الزيدي إلى رئاسة الحكومة من خلفية في قطاعَي الأعمال والمصارف، كوجه توافقي يُنتظر أن يختبر قدرته على ترسيخ موقعه داخل منظومة حكم معقدة. وستكون قدرته على الموازنة بين القوى الشيعية النافذة والأطراف الخارجية المؤثرة عاملاً أساسياً في تحديد حجم نفوذه واتجاهات المرحلة المقبلة.

اطّلع على هذا التقرير المعمّق لاستكشاف مواقف الزيدي وتوجهاته تجاه:
• الولايات المتحدة والدول الأوروبية
• القوى السياسية الشيعية، إيران، والفصائل المسلحة
• ملفات الدفاع والأمن

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

Ali al-Zaidi is now set to play a critical role in shaping Iraq’s next political phase, after the Coordination Framework (CF) nominated him on 27/04/2026 and parliament approved his government program and partial cabinet on 14/05/2026.

A businessman and banking executive with limited political baggage, al-Zaidi enters office as a compromise figure whose ability to consolidate authority will be key to balancing Iraq’s powerful Shiite factions and external stakeholders.

Unlock this in-depth report to learn more about Al-Zaidi’s standing on:

- The U.S. and European countries;

- Shiite political forces, Iran, and armed factions;

- Defense and security affairs.

https://t.co/3LqSWS5nXp

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

U.S. President Donald Trump is said to have informed several Arab leaders that he wants their countries to move toward normalization of ties with Israel if an agreement is reached to end the Iran War.

Unlock the full note to explore:

- Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman’s reaction to Trump’s “proposal”;

- Ongoing Saudi-U.S. communication concerning the normalization file; and

- Saudi recent take on normalization.

https://t.co/FpqAI3OVaP

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

The UAE is recalibrating its Strait of Hormuz strategy as Abu Dhabi prepares for a prolonged period of maritime uncertainty.

Unlock the following note to explore Emirati defensive measures, Abu Dhabi’s communication channels with Iran, regional coordination over Strait access, and long-term efforts to reduce structural dependence on the Strait.

https://t.co/q7YuvSYrUG

[Tactical Report @TacticalReport]

Saudi Arabia is positioning the National Company for Mechanical Systems (NCMS) to support key defense sectors where the Kingdom wants to reduce dependence on foreign prime contractors.

Unlock the full note to explore NCMS’s growing role in defense localization, as well as priority workstreams and local sensor sustainment and partnership path.

https://t.co/Yph62wX9Jg