Bahrain and Kuwait reportedly struck Iran directly for the first time — with UAE providing intelligence and air cover

"Bahrain and Kuwait reportedly launched fighter jets against Iranian drone and missile depots

earlier this month, marking their first direct retaliation against Tehran since the war began.
The United Arab Emirates supplied targeting intelligence and air cover, signaling deepening Arab coordination against Iran, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources. The report said sources said it’s a sign of budding Arab cooperation in confronting Iran." msn

Ukrainians injured in Iranian strikes on tankers in Strait of Hormuz

"Iranian cruise missiles struck two Emirati tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, killing one crew

member and injuring eight, including two Ukrainians, the Emirati Defense Ministry reported on July 14.
Two missiles struck the Mombasa and Al Bahiyah tankers as they transited the southern shipping lane of the Strait of Hormuz, within Omani territorial waters, the ministry said.
The crew member killed was an Indian on board the Mombasa, with the remaining six injured crew members also of Indian nationality. Four of the wounded suffered serious injuries." KI

Arab States Launch WAR In Iran

"We had a a number of explosions uh which again we can now say that according to the Islamic Republic state media Kuwait and Bahrain are responsible. Now, if that is the case, of

course, Kuwait
from here, Bahrain from here, we do know that the Arab states have targeted sother areas.
We have had the the United Arab Emirates every now and then joining the strikes during the war.
An interesting location tonight into the heart of Iran. Kman right there. It's this this area which has been hit before but is way
outside of the coastal zones that has been have been mostly the targets for the the Americans and obviously the Arab states but Kan is getting hit." Tousi

Attack Drone Hits Near UAE Nuclear Power Plant

"Abu Dhabi authorities report that a kamikaze drone struck an electrical generator outside the

inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in Al Dhafra. Officials said there were no injuries, no impact on radiological safety levels, and no disruption to plant operations.
Dubai-based newspaper Gulf News cited the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation, which said the one-way drone attack on the Arab world's first commercial nuclear facility did not affect the safety of the nuclear power plant or the readiness of its essential systems. FANR added that all systems were operating normally." ZH

Russia and Ukraine exchange 205 POWs

"Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 205 prisoners of war, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced.

The ministry said the Russian servicemen are currently in Belarus and are receiving psychological and medical assistance, adding that they will be taken to Russia for further treatment and rehabilitation.
The officials noted that the release was negotiated with the assistance of the United Arab Emirates, which has helped mediate exchanges on numerous occasions." RT

Ukraine securing 10-year defense deals with Gulf states amid Iran war

"Ukraine is signing 10-year defense partnerships with three Gulf countries as the U.S.-Israeli

war on Iran enters its second month and shows no sign of slowing down.
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed an agreement with Qatar on March 28, the day after his visit to Saudi Arabia where he secured a deal with Riyadh. Another agreement with the UAE will be inked in the coming days, Zelensky told reporters at a press briefing during his visit to Qatar.
"The first priority is weapons — their production, exchange of experience, and the exchange of scarce resources that one country may have and another lacks," he said.
"During these 10 years, we will engage in co-production. We will build factories both in Ukraine and in these countries." KI

Trump vows to destroy Iran gas field; UAE intercepts threats

"Tensions are rapidly escalating across the Gulf after Iran warned of “uncontrollable consequences” following strikes on its South Pars gas field. The UAE activated air defenses against missiles and drones, while Qatar expelled Iranian officials and reported attacks on

energy sites. Saudi Arabia intercepted drones as regional leaders warn of widening conflict and threats to global energy security.
President Donald Trump threatened to destroy Iran's key South Pars gas field if there were further attacks against Qatar's main gas plant.
Trump confirmed on his Truth Social platform that Israel had struck the South Pars field but said the United States "knew nothing" of the attack, which spurred Iran to launch an attack on Qatar's Ras Laffan facility.
"NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar - In which instance the United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before," the US president wrote." GulfNews

Australian Facilities Damaged by Iranian Missile Attack on UAE Air Base

"An Iranian missile struck near the Al Minhad airbase in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), damaging a facility that houses Australian military personnel. No injuries were sustained during the attack, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced.
Australian outlets reported the Al Minhad base, owned by the UAE, presently houses more than 100 Australian military personal in addition to British and American personnel." Breitbart

Iran Halts Gas Supply To Iraq After Attacks On Energy Assets

 "Iran says upstream oil and gas assets are under attack for first time since war began, readies

retaliatory action against oil/gas assets in Gulf area, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, & UAE

Iraq reroutes some flows through Ceyhan Pipeline to Turkey.
Iran reiterates new rules in place for Hormuz transit as traffic remains de-minimus, sparking reports that "the blockade is now the worst disruption to oil flows ever..."
President Trump issues posts musing whether US should 'finish off' Iran,
Iran to Iraq gas flows halted following South Pars gas field attack." Zerohege

Iran’s attacks on Amazon data centers in UAE, Bahrain signal a new kind of war as AI plays an increasingly strategic role

"Last week, three data centers operated by Amazon Web Services (AWS), two in the United Arab Emirates and one in Bahrain, were struck by Iranian drones or missiles. The attacks forced the facilities offline and led to service outages affecting banking, payments, delivery apps, and enterprise software across the region.
The U.S. military also uses AWS to run some of its workloads, including running

Anthropic’s AI model Claude for some intelligence functions, and Iran’s Fars News Agency said on Telegram that the Bahrain facility had been deliberately targeted “to identify the role of these centers in supporting the enemy’s military and intelligence activities.” AWS has declined to comment on the Iranian claim, and it is not known whether the attacks impacted U.S. military computing workloads.
Still, the attack is believed to be the first time data centers have been deliberately targeted for air strikes in a conflict. Experts say it almost certainly won’t be the last. Data centers are rapidly emerging as vital strategic assets—and vulnerable targets.
The boundary between commercial cloud computing and military operations has largely vanished. The Pentagon’s Joint Warfighting Cloud Capability and its Joint All-Domain Command and Control networks run on the same commercial infrastructure that serves banks and ride-hailing apps. Meanwhile, several news organizations have reported that the U.S. military used Anthropic’s AI model Claude—which runs on AWS—for intelligence assessments, target identification, and battle simulations during the Iran strikes." 

Forbes

Zelensky orders development of support plan for Middle East allies hit by Iran strikes

"President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 4 that he had ordered Ukraine's government to develop options to support Gulf countries facing Iranian drone and missile attacks.

"Our military has the necessary capabilities," Zelensky said. "Ukrainian experts will work on site, and teams are already negotiating this. We are ready to help protect lives, protect civilians."
Ukraine's offer comes as Middle Eastern countries report large-scale attacks involving Shahed-type attack drones — the same systems Russia has used extensively against Ukraine since 2022.
The Ukrainian president said he had spoken with leaders of the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Jordan, and Bahrain, and is preparing talks with Kuwait's leadership." KI

Saudi Arabia condemns Iran’s attacks on Gulf nations, offers all its capabilities in the fight against Tehran

"Saudi Arabia said it’s ready to put “all its capabilities” at its allies’ disposal, warning of

“grave consequences” if retaliatory Iranian strikes continue — sparking fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East.
It comes after the Islamic Republic launched a barrage of missiles on US military bases in Saudia Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE and Jordan — in retaliation for US and Israel military strikes against Tehran overnight.
“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns and denounces in strongest terms the blatant Iranian aggression,” the Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry said on a statement on X." NYP

French naval base in UAE suffers minor damage in Iranian attack

"A French naval base in the United Arab Emirates has suffered minor damage after an Iranian

drone strike. French Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin on X (Twitter), as reported by European Pravda Vautrin confirmed that a French military site in the UAE was affected when a drone struck near the French base. A hangar at a naval base of ours, which borders the Emirati base, has been damaged during a drone attack targeting Abu Dhabi port." yahoo

Trump claims Putin agreed not to strike Kyiv, other Ukrainian cities 'for a week', Zelensky welcomes initiative

"U.S. President Donald Trump said that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, agreed to his request not to strike Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities and towns for a week.

The U.S. president did not clarify when or how he relayed this request to Putin, or from what date the supposed ceasefire would begin.
"I personally asked President Putin not to fire on Kyiv and the cities and towns for a week," Trump said during a cabinet meeting, stressing that Ukraine is currently facing extremely cold temperatures. "And he agreed to do that. And I have to tell you, it was very nice."
President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Trump and called his remarks “an important statement” on the possibility of providing security for Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities during the extreme winter period. He added that Ukrainian and U.S. teams discussed the issue during recent trilateral talks in the United Arab Emirates with Russia.
"Power supply is a foundation of life. We value the efforts of our partners to help us protect lives," Zelensky said on X." KI

Two-day Russia-US-Ukraine talks end with ‘some results’

"The three-way meeting between Russia, Ukraine, and the US has concluded in Abu Dhabi after two days of talks. No immediate continuation of the trilateral contacts is expected, according to TASS. The meeting has yielded “some results,” an anonymous source told the news agency.

The Russian delegation was seen returning to their hotel after Saturday’s meeting, RIA Novosti reported, sharing footage from the scene.
However, a new round of the three-way talks could be hosted by the United Arab Emirates as soon as next week, Axios reporter Barak Ravid wrote on X, citing sources. Ukrainian officials described the two-day negotiations as “positive,” he added.
Later in the day, Barak reported that an anonymous US official told him the next round of negotiations had been scheduled for February 1.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky confirmed that a follow-up meeting could happen in the UAE in the near future. The discussions were focused on “possible parameters to end the conflict,” he said in a statement, welcoming “the recognition of the need for American monitoring and oversight” to resolve the hostilities." RT

Trump's new Board of Peace could tackle Russia-Ukraine war

"U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled his new Board of Peace during a signing ceremony in Davos on Jan. 22, in an event attended by leaders and officials from 19 signatory states.
The new body is launched primarily to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza, but U.S. officials said it would be expanded to other conflict regions.

A White House official confirmed to the Kyiv Independent that the Board could play a role in other situations, subject to the chairman's discretion and the consent of the relevant states, without ruling out engagement on Russia's war in Ukraine.
"This is not just a 'Board of Peace,' this is a board of action," U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said after signing.
"It is going to be a successful effort, and you see it reflected here today among countries of different backgrounds from different parts of the world."
Countries represented at the opening ceremony included Turkey, Hungary, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Argentina, Pakistan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
Others, including Belarus, Israel, and Vietnam, have also said they would join the Board, while France, Norway, and Sweden have rejected." KI

Ukraine Tentatively Agrees To Trump-Backed Peace Plan, Sending Oil Sliding

"Ukrainian delegation has agreed to the United States' potential peace

plan, at a moment it's still being hotly debated, especially among the Europeans.
United States Army Secretary Dan Driscoll held secret talks on Monday with a Russian delegation in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates to follow up on this weekend’s talks with Ukraine in Geneva that were intended to move the Ukraine peace process forward.
Oil slides on the optimistic headline that Ukraine has tentatively agreed to the Trump-backed deal." 

ZeroHedge

Sudan military signals willingness to work with US and Saudi for peace

"Sudan's Sovereign Council, led by army chief Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Al-Burhan, announced its readiness to cooperate with the United States and Saudi Arabia to end the two-year-long conflict devastating the country.

The council expressed gratitude to both nations for their ongoing efforts to halt the violence and affirmed its willingness to participate seriously in peace initiatives for Sudan.

This statement comes after US President Donald Trump signaled his willingness to work with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt to resolve the fighting between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Clashes between the military and this paramilitary group, accused of serious abuses, have plagued Sudan since April 2023.
"We will work with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and other partners in the Middle East to end these atrocities," Trump declared on his Truth Social account. The comment followed a visit by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington, where he urged Trump to take action to end the conflict.
Recently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for an end to foreign military support for the RSF, highlighting concerns about escalating violence.
Recent RSF offensives, including the capture of North Darfur's capital el-Fasher, have resulted in hundreds of deaths and forced tens of thousands to flee amid reports of atrocities. The International Organization for Migration reported that nearly 90,000 people have left el-Fasher and nearby villages, facing hazardous conditions without necessities like food or medical care.
Saudi officials caution that worsening instability in Sudan could threaten the Red Sea region and Africa, possibly enabling extremist groups to expand.
Regional divisions have emerged: Egypt, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia support the Sudanese Armed Forces, while the UAE reportedly supplies arms to the RSF.
Trump further pledged on social media that the US would work with Middle Eastern partners to end the violence and stabilize Sudan." 

AfricaNews

Israeli Defense Firm Opens Regional Arm In UAE, First Since Abraham Accords

"An Israeli state-owned defense company has set up a subsidiary to operate in the United Arab Emirates, in the first such move since Israel and Abu Dhabi normalized relations in 2020.
Controp Precision Technologies will establish and register the subsidiary in the Abu Dhabi Global Market, or ADGM, an economic zone in the Emirati capital." ZH

Mass Killings Reported, Many Thousands Trapped, As Key Sudanese City Seized By Militia

"Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has stormed the North Darfur city of el-

Fasher, prompting fears of widespread killings and abuses, hours after ceasefire negotiations in Washington collapsed. There were hopes late last week that the US-sponsored talks could achieve some sort of breakthrough.
However, sources told Middle East Eye that the UAE, which is the RSF’s most significant patron, refused to address the situation in el-Fasher, which has been under siege for over 500 days. RSF fighters entered the city, where around 260,000 people have been trapped, seizing an army base and causing the defenses to collapse." ZeroHedge