Recent drone attacks from Iraq against Saudi Arabia and the UAE, linked to Iran-aligned militias, have sparked Gulf condemnation and renewed concerns over Iraq’s ability to control armed groups amid regional tensions and political debate over Iranian influence.

Trump’s push to expand the Abraham Accords alongside an Iran deal has been widely rejected and ridiculed by Arab and Muslim states and is increasingly seen in Western analysis as an obsolete framework exposed by regional wars and shifting geopolitical realities.

Rising U.S.–Cuba tensions under Donald Trump involve sanctions, pressure, and reported military threats, while Cuba denies the claims and warns of severe consequences, amid broader geopolitical links to U.S. strategy and Iran.

Ghalibaf’s appointment as Iran’s special envoy to China signals tighter, security-driven coordination with Beijing and highlights his role as a pragmatic hardliner bridging key Iranian power institutions amid sanctions and regional tensions.

The makeup of Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi’s new government revealed the absence of any figure directly affiliated with armed factions, raising a central question over how far the U.S. succeeded in pushing those groups out of power as part of its conditions for maintaining ties with Baghdad and continuing political support.