IRGC commander turned presidential Saeed Mohammad says he thinks #Iran needs 93% uranium for 'peaceful purposes'. Makes case for nuclear-powered naval vessels as US sanctions prohibit ports from selling fuel.

Amwaj.media background on his candidacy: amwaj.media/media-monitor/…

I asked the State Department about this remark just now. “Those comments are deplorable,” said Matthew Miller, adding senior Israeli officials “should refrain from” these kinds of threats

Our number is $44 billion, pre-discount. And that's just for crude oil. #OOTT

Why a US-Saudi defence pact is off the table for now

Check out my latest The New Arab article, which includes quotes from Kristin Diwan, Anna Jacobs, Gordon Gray, Dave DesRoches, and Nader Hashemi. newarab.com/analysis/why-u… #SaudiArabia #Israel #AbrahamAccords

One graph says more than a thousand words

In my new piece for @Amwaj, I look into how KSA has built new infrastructure projects to protect itself from attacks from Iran + its allies in the region (1/7)
amwaj.media/article/mbs-ne…

'I ask if antisemitism following the Israel-Hamas conflict has had an impact. Cohen says it hasn’t. About 50 per cent of his workforce (40 mostly part-time workers) is Muslim. 'They’re like my brothers'.”

ft.com/content/338c54…

Don't think outside observers really grasp huge rhetorical shift in Iran in recent weeks. A taboo has been broken. Support for nuclear weapons has gone public and mainstream, and bipartisan. Since Khamenei remains main obstacle, it can almost be interpreted as defiance.

NEW: Some politicians in #Iraq want to make annual occasion on Shiite religious calendar a national holiday. Apart from triggering Sunni reservations, the move also highlights brewing intra-Shiite clash beneath the surface.
amwaj.media/media-monitor/…

Americana, which operates KFC and Kirspy Kreme in the Middle East, reports 51.8% decline in Q1 profit as boycott over Gaza war and Ramadan slump hit sales 📉

. Shahir Shahidsaless شهیر شهیدثالث writes Stimson Center that Ebrahim Raisi or Alireza Arafi are more likely to succeed Khamenei.ir than his son, Mojtaba. stimson.org/2024/who-will-…

NEW: Relationship between #Iran and #Kurdistan region is highly complex. Nechirvan Barzani's visit to Tehran—and backlash from some Kurds—highlights many dimensions at stake: intra-Kurdish contest in Iraq, bilateral security issues, geopolitics of region.amwaj.media/media-monitor/…

Well, Ludovica Castelli and I had something to say about Saudi Arabia (and others) possibly turning to China for nuclear facilities ➡️ bourseandbazaar.com/research-1/202…

My reading is different:

Riyadh is sensing that it’s not likely to occur anytime soon regardless, so it may as well release this harshly worded statement which is the popular sentiment in much of the Arab world and Israel wouldn’t care anyway.