Curb Your Enthusiasm: Why the Midterms Might Not Change Much in US Middle East Policy
With less than a week before the midterm elections in the United States, the spotlight is on the economy and cultural divides. US foreign policy remains mostly on the sidelines, but this year’s inconclusive Iran war and its effect on America’s economy have shaped the broader political environment in this electoral cycle.
The Multiple Costs of the US–Iran War – From Hormuz to Europe and South Asia: The Widening Economic and Political Geography of the Conflict
Wars are decided by those who hold military power, but their costs are increasingly borne by those who have little or no voice in the decisions that start them. The US–Iran war shows this imbalance very clearly. Its economic consequences have gone far beyond the battlefield and have disrupted energy markets, trade routes, food supplies, public finances and investment in the Gulf, Europe, Africa and Asia. The most striking feature of the conflict, however, is not only the size of the damage but its very unequal distribution.
In recent weeks, the Iran-backed Houthis have fired missiles and drones deep into Saudi Arabia, striking high-profile targets, including Riyadh’s airport and Aramco’s headquarters. The attacks follow a rapid Houthi offensive in September to seize key parts of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, which Saudi-backed government forces are now trying to roll back. Fatima Abo Alasrar, an affiliated scholar at MEI and non-resident scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute, joins hosts Alistair Taylor and Matthew Czekaj to unpack the latest phase of the conflict. They discuss what the Houthis want, Riyadh’s calculus and search for allies, and how this campaign ties into Iran’s confrontation with the United States.
Since 1967, Israeli settlements in the West Bank have been a contested feature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The ultimate disposition of the settlements and ongoing activity related to their growth have repeatedly defied agreement in negotiations over a resolution to the conflict.
The Houthis are a political-military faction and Zaydi religious movement founded in northwestern Yemen in the 1980s. A key member of Iran’s Axis of Resistance with links to other militant organizations in the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa, the group has continued to pose a threat to Western interests on a global scale.
The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) is a proposed multinational infrastructure initiative aimed at upgrading connectivity between the three regions through integrated trade, energy, and digital networks. Announced at the G20 summit in New Delhi in September 2023, IMEC is envisioned partially as a counterweight to China’s international infrastructure project, the Belt and Road Initiative.
After a decade of post-Arab Spring isolation, Turkey’s leaders have recognized that their ambition to position the country as an agenda-setter on the world stage requires active engagement in all directions. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s consolidation of executive authority has centralized foreign policy decision-making and tied it to his domestic political priorities, transforming the country’s revisionist approach to one shaped primarily by personal and pragmatic interests.
Iran Seeks Role in Syria's Reconstruction, Economy
Iranian Ambassador to Damascus Javad Torkabadi has said that the Islamic Republic is ready to help Syria’s reconstruction after the defeat of the Islamic State in the war-ravaged country, Iranian media reported. “Many companies in Iran are ready to help Syria in the housing and reconstruction fields rendering their best services now that victory is in sight in Syria after a protracted battle,” he was quoted as telling Syrian Minister of Housing Hussein Arnus at a meeting in Damascus.
Rouhani Lauds I.R.G.C. for Developing and Using Missiles
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani hailed efforts by the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) to develop and employ advanced weapons to protect the country, Iranian media reported. “I’d like to thank the ones that manufacture strategic arms for the country and the ones that employ such strategic weapons very well,” Rouhani said in a meeting of top Iranian officials and ambassadors of Islamic nations on the occasion of Eid in Tehran.
Iranian Demonstrators Chant Slogans against U.S. and Saudi Arabia during anti-Israel “Quds Day” Rallies
Hundreds of thousands of Iranians today marched the streets of Tehran and across the country to mark the International Quds Day, Iranian media reported. The demonstrators voiced support to the plight of Palestinians and chanted slogans against Israel and the United States. Senior political and military leaders, including President Hassan Rouhani and Islamic Revolution Guards Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari, attended the anti-Israeli rallies.
I.R.G.C. Displays Ballistic Missiles at anti-Israel Rallies in Tehran
During the annual “International Quds Day” rallies in Tehran today, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) showcased its ballistic missiles to send a message to Israel. At Valiasr Street in Tehran, three ballistic missiles were displayed, including Zolfighar missiles that the I.R.G.C. launched against Islamic State positions in Syria recently. Hundreds of people, including government officials, gathering near the missile exhibition and a number of them wrote anti-Israel slogans on the missiles.
Iraqi Paramilitary Forces Say Will Participate in Tal Afar Operation despite Sunni Concerns
A commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces (P.M.F.) – the Iraqi paramilitary forces also known as Hashd al-Shaabi – has announced that the operation to liberate Tal Afar region in western Mosul will begin soon after the end of Ramadan.
The ongoing Qatar crisis poses a major dilemma for Kuwait and Oman. Consistent with their “neutral” foreign policies, these two Arab Gulf states have maintained ties with Doha and seek to resolve the gravest internal Gulf Cooperation Council (G.C.C.) row since the organization’s establishment in 1981. Officials in Kuwait City and Muscat fear that failure to settle the Qatar crisis will break up the council, which would directly undermine vital Kuwaiti and Omani national interests given the potential for such a scenario to dramatically exacerbate regional geopolitical instability.
Khamenei to Abadi: Don’t Allow American Troops in Iraq and Keep Popular Forces
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Iran opposed the presence of American forces in Iraq and urged Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi not to rely on Washington.
I.R.G.C. Contradicts Rouhani and Intelligence Minister on Syria Missile Strikes
On Wednesday, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (I.R.G.C.) in a statement said Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had ordered the launch of missiles into Syria over the weekend.
Iranian Parliament Speaker: Missile Strikes Sent Powerful Message to U.S., Region
Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said today that Iran sent a powerful message to the United States and Israel by firing missiles into Syria, Fars News Agency reported.
Analyst Cautions Rouhani against Falling Prey to U.S. “Game” and Leaving Nuclear Deal
An article in state-run Islamic Republic News Agency cautions the Rouhani government against falling prey to the “new game” by the Trump administration and its Middle Eastern allies – which the author claimed are provoking Tehran to abandon the 2015 nuclear agreement.
Israel and Hezbollah have recently raised the profile of their long quiescent front across the Blue Line border. Warnings have increased that a conflict will soon engulf Lebanon, and perhaps even draw in the United States. Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah has threatened to attack Israel’s nuclear reactor at Dimona and Israeli chemical installations in Haifa.
Saudi King Salman’s appointment of his son Mohammed bin Salman to be first in line to the throne has sent shockwaves in Tehran. While the Iranian government has not officially reacted to the announcement yet, the country’s state media warn that the 31-year-old prince will pursue a more aggressive policy vis-à-vis Iran – pointing out that Prince Mohammed has made explicit threats against the Islamic Republic, has cultivated close ties with the Trump administration, and has not shied away from confronting Iran’s proxies in Yemen, Syria and the broader region.
Europe Eyes Further Cooperation with Iran under Rouhani
European leaders welcomed the re-election of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani with a sigh of relief. The European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Federica Mogherini, congratulated Rouhani and highlighted the high electoral turnout. It is worth noting that both Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, and Mogherini had developed a good working relationship with Rouhani in face-to-face talks during the Iranian president’s first term.
تُعد المجلة الرئيسية لمعهد الشرق الأوسط أقدم مطبوعة محكّمة مكرّسة لدراسة الشرق الأوسط الحديث، وتغطي المجلة الرئيسية في المعهد السياسة والمجتمع والثقافة في المنطقة.
