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Oman offers significant oil storage facilities at sites including Sohar and Ras Markaz, with the latter having the advantage of being outside the Strait of Hormuz.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani flew to Guyana on 12 September, meeting President Irfaan Ali and overseeing the signing of economic and legal agreements. Ali was in Doha in May to open an embassy and discuss investment opportunities.

Inmates at Bahrain's Jau Central Prison halted their hunger strike on the evening of 11 September, amid the deteriorating health of some inmates and a pledge by the authorities to improve conditions within two weeks. More than 800 prisoners had joined the protest, which began on 7 August.

The US and Bahrain signed a Comprehensive Security Integration and Prosperity Agreement (C-SIPA), during a visit to Washington by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Al-Khalifa. Analysts said it could provide a framework for deals with others in the region.

Baghdad claims to have disarmed and moved Iranian Kurdish exiles from the border area with Iran, but the reality is that compliance has been more limited, meaning further Iranian military strikes on the area are a distinct possibility.

Revised September 2023, this map illustrates Iranian oil and gas infrastructure.  The locations of onshore and offshore oil and gas fields and pipelines are marked alongside associated infrastructure including oil refineries, gas processing plants, tanker terminals and LNG facilities. An accompanying box displays province populations as well as their respective governor-generals.  The map is available as a PDF file using eps graphics, meaning that there is no loss of resolution as the file is enlarged.

Revised September 2023, this map illustrates Iranian defence infrastructure. The locations of Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) bases, nuclear and missile and missile research sites are charted. The map is available as a PDF file using eps graphics, meaning that there is no loss of resolution as the file is enlarged.

An Iranian ballistic missile test failed mid-September, with debris from the Khorramshar-4 projectile falling over the north-east city of Gorgan, close to the Caspian Sea.

Saudi Aramco said it was buying a minority stake in liquefied natural gas (LNG) company MidOcean Energy for $500m, with an option to buy more shares in the future. It is the Saudi giant’s first international LNG investment. 

Saudi Arabia’s announcement that it would extend its 1m b/d production cut until the end of the year – backed by Opec+ partner Russia’s commitment to extend its 300,000 b/d export cut – moved the price of marker Brent crude back above $90/bbl for the first time since November 2022.

The Kuwaiti government has said it has 'updated' its economic reform strategy and pushed back the final date by five years to 2040, citing the Covid pandemic and the Ukraine war as reasons for the delay. 

Islamic Republic of Iran Navy (Nedaja) commander Rear Admiral Shahram Irani has said Tehran is planning to establish a permanent presence in Antarctica which will have both military and scientific components.

Revised October 2023, this map illustrates the estimated missile ranges for various types of Houthi missiles. Included are the locations of Saudi Arabian International airports, oil refineries,  oil tanker terminals and LNG liquefaction plants and export terminals. The map is available as a PDF file using eps graphics, meaning that there is no loss of resolution as the file is enlarged.

Oman Investment Authority (OIA) has set up the €100m ($106m) Spain Oman Private Equity Fund (Sopef) II with the Spanish government’s development finance institution Compañía Española de Financiación del Desarrollo (Cofides). The move extends a relationship which began with Sopef I launched in 2018 which is now almost fully invested and comes amid a number of recent international deals by the Omani fund.

The UAE set up a field hospital in Herat, western Afghanistan to help locals injured during a wave of severe earthquakes that killed more than 1,000 people. The UAE has also sent at least five aircraft with a total of 140 tonnes of aid, including food and tents.