The Middle East Braces for Escalation

The war is widening, diplomacy has stalled, and the Middle East is once again sliding towards escalation as the relationship between Israel and the Gulf states grows closer while pressure on Iran is mounting at sea, in the air, and across its network of regional allies.

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Aimen and Thomas discuss:

• The failure of the latest US-Iran diplomacy at the UN and the growing risk of renewed escalation.
• Israeli claims of renewed Iranian nuclear activity at Pickaxe Mountain and the wider nuclear question.
• The secret Abu Dhabi meeting and the emerging Saudi-UAE-Israeli security alignment.
• The war in Yemen, the Houthi advance, and Saudi plans for a major counter-offensive.
• Pakistan’s growing military role in Saudi Arabia and the significance of the Mecca Pact.
• The widening regional front: Somaliland, al-Shabaab, Eritrea, Europe, and security around the Bab al-Mandab.
• Iraq after the US troop withdrawal and the future of Iran-backed militias across the region.
• The Strait of Hormuz, pressure on Iran’s economy and aviation, and the attempted FlyDubai terrorist attack.

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Conflicted is a Message Heard production.

Executive Producers: Jake Warren & Max Warren.

Produced and edited by Thomas Small.

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