The drill comes a little more than a year after the UAE and subsequently Bahrain normalized ties with Israel despite strong criticism by Palestinians over the formal recognition of Israel.
Taliban fighters are vying for a seat in the club of nations and seeking what no country has given them as they attempt to govern for a second time: international recognition of their rule.
In what was likely his final tour of the Persian Gulf as secretary of state, Mike Pompeo touted the Trump administration's Mideast strategy that focused on Iran as “the central threat inside the region."
Afghanistan’s warring sides started negotiations for the first time, bringing together the Taliban and delegates appointed by the Afghan government Saturday for historic meetings aimed at ending decades of war.
Iran said Tuesday that authorities have made arrests for the accidental shootdown of a Ukrainian passenger plane, which killed all 176 people on board and set off protests in the country demanding accountability after officials initially concealed the cause of the crash.
Japan has sought to remain politically neutral as tensions in the Middle East escalated following President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw the U.S. from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
Syria’s top diplomat on Saturday demanded the immediate withdrawal of American and Turkish forces from the country and said his government reserves the right to defend its territory in any way necessary if they remain.
Iran’s president used the world’s stage on Wednesday to warn that security in the Persian Gulf could unravel with a “single blunder” and its fragile peace be guaranteed only by the region’s countries, not through U.S. intervention or Washington’s “merciless economic terrorism.”
Saudi Arabia alleged Wednesday an attack by drones and cruise missiles on the heart of the kingdom's oil industry was "unquestionably sponsored by Iran," naming but not directly accusing Tehran of launching the assault.
In the meantime, Britain continues plans to deploy a Europe-led "maritime protection mission" to safeguard shipping in the area after Iran's Revolutionary Guard seized the Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.