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Sheikh Ahmed Al-Nawaf Al-Sabah takes over as Kuwait’s sixth prime minister in two decades, but he is widely expected to relinquish the position as soon as new parliamentary elections can be held in the coming months, leaving Kuwaitis none the wiser about the future direction of government policy.

The UAE and Kuwait will soon be sending ambassadors back to Tehran, for the first time since early 2016.

Kuwait is spending an estimated $397m on advanced weaponry for its controversial Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets.

Oil and gas markets are expected to remain buoyant, whether or not Saudi Arabia makes concessions to the United States and Europe by pumping more crude. Ahead of a crucial early-August meeting of Opec+ ministers, the signs are that the Saudi-Russian axis will hold, but the market is restructuring with China and other Asian buyers taking more from Russia while the Gulf sends more to Europe.

US President Joe Biden’s imminent trip to the Middle East has prompted renewed discussion about the idea of a region-wide defence pact to counter Iran. Such ideas have long been floated for the GCC states alone – and always failed due to a lack of commitment among the six countries to pool their defence resources and command-and-control structures. The talk these days is of an even wider arrangement, involving the likes of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Israel.

Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) secretary-general Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo fell victim to a heart attack in his native Nigeria on 5 July, shortly before he was due to leave the post he had held with some skill and grace for six years. Veteran Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and government official Haitham Al-Ghais is scheduled take over as secretary-general in Vienna on 1 August.

Kuwait's Crown Prince Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has continued to field calls from regional leaders enquiring after his well-being, following a recent health scare.

Leaders from across the Arab Gulf states and Egypt have been travelling around the region to heal fractures and head off the perceived threat from Iran’s nuclear ambitions, amid speculation that more GCC member states could move towards normalisation with Israel when US President Joe Biden comes to the region.

Kuwait may be heading for its fifth general election in ten years, after Crown Prince Sheikh Mishaal Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah said the National Assembly (parliament) would be dissolved. The authorities are hoping a fresh vote will break the political logjam the country has found itself in since early April.

Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council chairman Rashad Al-Alimi has also been on a regional tour - visiting Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar - as a recently-extended truce with the Houthi rebels continues to hold.

Gulf sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) are flexing their muscles again, with logistics now a key focus. While high oil prices have bolstered Gulf funds, their recovery began before prices shot up this year.

A reshuffle of senior Kuwaiti ambassadors is continuing, with veteran envoy to London Khaled Al-Duweisan retiring after 29 years in the post.

Kuwait Red Crescent Society secretary-general Maha Al-Barjas was elected vice-president for Asia and the Pacific of the International Federation of Red Cross and Crescent Societies -- the first Arab woman to hold the post.

Gulf Co-operation Council countries formally launched the process to negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA) with the UK. The GCC is the UK’s seventh largest export market.

GSN Risk Grade – B↓2. Offshore platform in once disputed waters: Kuwait appears to have completed a controversial offshore platform, which could reawaken a maritime border dispute with Iraq.