Top Tweets for #TehranLoop

🚨🇷🇺🇨🇳 De-dollarisation: All Russia-China trade is now conducted in national currencies "We have built a stable system of mutual trade that is protected against any external influence and negative trends on the global markets," said Putin. 🇮🇳 National currencies make up ~96% of India-Russia settlements. The Russia–India–China triangle is building a genuine alternative to the dollar-based system.

BESSENT PUSHES GLOBAL CRACKDOWN ON IRAN FINANCIAL NETWORKS U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent expects European partners to intensify Iran sanctions by targeting financiers, closing bank branches, and exposing shell companies. He also called on Middle East and Asian countries to dismantle Iran’s shadow banking system. The Treasury is reviewing sanctions lists to better focus on advanced evasion and terrorist financing schemes, while removing outdated designations that may create unintended effects.

Iran’s shadow banking system serves as a critical financial lifeline for its armed forces, enabling activities that disrupt global trade and fuel violence across the Middle East. Illicit funds funneled through this network support the regime’s ongoing terrorist operations, posing a direct threat to U.S. personnel, regional allies, and the global economy. Financial institutions are on notice: Any institution that facilitates or engages with these networks is at risk of severe consequences.

The Middle East & North Africa Power Dynamics Emiratis lost its strategic bets in Sudan, Yemen STC was wound up by Saudi Arabia. It was the prime target of Iran in Persian Gulf war. UAE asked for swap lines from America, walking out of OPEC & OPEC+ isnt is smarter move. Putting your all eggs in American basket isnt a good strategy. But then UAE has no resource MOAT like Saudis have Oil, Qataris have Gas; UAE has none. The Emirati Development model was all American money from real estate to tech to crypto. It has no other way to go specially after its tied up with Israel through Abraham Accord & Israel supplied Iron Dome to UAE. Iran has emerged as a regional power controlling the straits of hormuz backed by Russia & China. The theory that UAE can pump more & sell more doesn’t posits well given Strait is closed & its storage facilities are full. The UAE’s required production for May under the OPEC+ DoC is 3,447kb/d, yet their March production was only 1,892kb/d. They are under-producing by more than 1.5mb/d compared (YoY) to their OPEC quota. Its more signalling to Saudi Arabia, who has undercut UAE over last few years in MENA region. Now when the crisis hit its financial economy during the war, UAE has no option but throw its weight behind American & Israeli camp. Its a blow to OPEC & UAE could quit GCC too. The Emiratis on directions of Americans are targeting Tehran loop aggressively stopping Iranian shadow oil trade through its nodes. Saudis meanwhile are selling oil to China in Yuan. They are forming a regional alliance of Saudis, Egypt, Turkey & Pakistan. It is the Saudis who have used back channels of China to get Pakistan to mediate with Iran. Türkiye another claimant to throne of Islamic world view also does not want Iranian regime gone. Turks sees Iran sustenance as essential to keep Israeli threat in check. After all Israel has openly declared Turkey as next Iran. Erdogan VETOED Kurdish incursion of Iran. Iraq & Barzani refused to be Israel’s mercenaries against Iran. Erdogan even softened Azerbaijan with Baku providing aid to Iran. This despite fact Azerbaijan is close to Israel, yet it didnt respond to false flag attacks much like Turkey. Americans & Israeli’s are livid with it. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is seeking to forfeit a $30 million Beverly Hills mansion owned by Kurdish Peshmerga General Mansour Barzani, alleging it was purchased with proceeds from a bribery scheme defrauding the U.S. military. Saudi Arabia began direct gold purchases from Sudan in Jan 2026, diverting flows from the UAE (Dubai), which long dominated Sudanese gold trade linked to RSF revenues. This counters UAE influence, bolsters SAF finances, and supports Riyadh’s preference for centralized authority amid the civil war. Gold is a core war economy driver. It intensifies proxy dynamics without direct Saudi military involvement, mirroring patterns in Yemen and the Horn. Pakistan has delivered some weapons to Libya's eastern government led by military ruler Khalifa Haftar, as part of a deal financed by Saudi Arabia. Saudis seeking to position itself as primary patron of Haftar, seeking to displace the UAE’s influence. Israeli’s have backed creation of Somaliland which UAE is backing but Saudi Arab coalition refused to recognise it. From Saudis to Turkish to Egyptians to Iran, one thread papers over all differences that is rise of a Dominant Israel and Greater Israel project. The Emiratis are the odd one out here. Being singled out in a hostile region and with a regional power Iran in the Straits isn’t a smart move. But then UAE has no choice to begin with to sustain its financial empire as Brand Dubai has been significantly damaged by Iran. The Qataris have made peace with Iran after all they share Pars gas field and Israeli strike on South Pars Gas field infuriated them. Omanis are also pally with Iran and then you have Russians & the Chinese playing interlocutors being patrons of Iranian regime & IRGC !!

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐚: 𝐒𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢 𝐀𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐚’𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐔𝐀𝐄 & 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐱𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬 A seismic shift is occurring in the geopolitical architecture of the Middle East and North Africa, marked by Riyadh’s decisive move to dismantle the United Arab Emirates’ expeditionary ambitions in Sudan. In a maneuver that signals the effective end of the monolithic "Saudi-UAE axis," Riyadh has weaponized its geography, banning Emirati military cargo flights from traversing Saudi airspace en route to logistical hubs in Somalia, Libya, and Chad. This interdiction is not merely a bureaucratic hurdle; it is a calculated containment strategy designed to starve the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of the munitions required to sustain their war against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). By raising the operational costs and political risks for Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia is enforcing a new Red Sea security doctrine that prioritizes regional stability over the unchecked autonomy of its Gulf neighbor. The conflict has transformed the Horn of Africa into a complex web of shadow logistics. Denied the direct northern routes by both Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the UAE has been forced to rely on a southern corridor, utilizing Bosaso and Berbera as critical refueling waypoints. From these coastal nodes, supplies are funneled westward into Chad now effectively a rear operating base for the Sudanese civil war before reaching RSF lines. However, this rerouting exposes Emirati supply chains to greater intelligence monitoring and logistical friction. The exposure of these "shadow arteries" highlights how the war in Sudan has metastasized into a broader struggle for control over the Sahel and the Red Sea littoral, with Riyadh seemingly unwilling to allow Abu Dhabi to destabilize the region through proxy militias and port dominance. Adding a kinetic dimension to this logistical strangulation is the reported entry of Pakistani air power into the theater. The deployment of Karakoram-8 light attack aircraft, Super Mushshak trainers, and potentially JF-17 Thunder fighters, alongside a swarm of over 200 loitering munitions and surveillance drones, represents a significant escalation. The introduction of such advanced hardware suggests that the anti-RSF bloc is moving beyond diplomatic pressure toward decisive military overmatch, aiming to break the stalemate on the ground while choking off the rebellion’s external support. The ultimate checkmate in this logistical chess game, however, may lie in the skies over South Sudan. The UAE’s reliance on Bosaso as a refueling stop is geographically contingent on access to South Sudanese airspace to reach final delivery points near the Libyan border. By rendering the refueling stop redundant, the anti-RSF coalition could effectively sever the remaining lifeline of the militia. Saudi Arabia has effectively checkmated the UAE’s regional ambitions by assembling a coalition including Egypt, Turkey, and the OIC to forcefully condemn Somaliland’s Israeli-recognized independence, framing it as a violation of Somalia’s sovereignty and a backdoor Israeli influence in the Horn of Africa. This diplomatic offensive runs parallel to Riyadh’s decisive move in Yemen, where it has forced the dissolution of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), dismantling Abu Dhabi’s primary lever of influence in the south. These maneuvers signal a widening rift with the traditional US-Israeli security architecture, prompting Riyadh to seek a new security paradigm: a Saudi-Pakistan mutual defense pact, which Turkey is reportedly eyeing, to serve as an insurance policy against west. Saudi Arabia’s economic decoupling from the dollar, evidenced by its shift to trading oil with China in Yuan and its rapid rapprochement with Iran to stabilize its flanks. Washington is seeking to Choke China & Russia trade, energy supplies in Bab Al Mandeb &the Red Sea.