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The prominent position accorded to Egyptian Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (Scaf) chairman Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi at the funeral prayers for Crown Prince Nayef Bin Abdelaziz on 18 June highlighted the Saudi leadership’s alignment with conservative influences across much of the Arab world.

Iran has become increasingly isolated in recent months, as the West applies sanctions intended to pressure it into halting its nuclear activities. Washington and its allies fear Iran’s uranium enrichment programme is an attempt to build atomic weapons, while Iran says it is refining uranium for a network of nuclear power plants.

Higher oil prices that could potentially result from new US and European Union economic sanctions against Iranian oil exports, which take effect from June, would be credit-positive for most international oil companies (IOCs), but negative for corporate sectors such as airlines, oil refining, European autos and retail, according to Moody’s Investors Service

Published in May 2012, this graphic illustrates data for the Middle East North Africa region taken from the IMF World Economic Outlook. Selected indicators include real GDP, consumer price inflation and current account balance. A map of the region is shaded to show revisions to 2012 GDP growth forecasts, while a chart shows fiscal breakeven oil prices.

Iran’s desire for greater control of Iraq’s Shiite establishment poses a delicate challenge for Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki, who sees Iran as both a necessary ally and a potential threat to his monopoly on power

Iran’s provocative visit has reignited the dispute over Abu Musa. The UAE quickly withdrew its ambassador from Tehran and is likely to toughen its stance, while for Iran, the furore is a welcome distraction from problems at home

Summary The US has been talking up Iranian involvement in Yemen, suggesting Tehran is involved not only in the northern conflict between Houthis and Salafis, but also in the southern separatist movement – a view many analysts approach with caution, saying support is most likely to be in the form of money or influence, rather than military.

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa have pledged to continue trading with Iran despite increasing pressure from the US. South Africa’s trade minister Rob Davies told Reuters on the sidelines of a meeting of BRICS trade ministers in Delhi in March that the group was not bound by unilateral sanctions imposed by any country

Reporters Without Borders has labelled Iran, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia ‘Internet Enemies’ due to their increasingly sophisticated methods of muting online dissent; crackdowns in the UAE have also made it a country to watch

Iran has assured Kuwait it will not try to close the Strait of Hormuz, according to Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah.

Iran plans to increase its crude oil storage capacity in order to circumvent sanctions, according to the English language Tehran Times.

As increasingly punitive sanctions are imposed on transactions involving Iran and western war drums beat louder over its nuclear programme, there are ever decreasing avenues for Tehran to finance trade flows; Iran is likely relying on cash deals, trade diversion and bartering arrangements

Confidence in the Iranian banking system has been damaged by the Amir Mansour Aria Group corruption scandal, which emerged last September when it was claimed that shadowy but well-connected businessman Amir-Mansour Kosravi (also known as Mah-Afarid Kosravi) had fraudulently acquired $2.8bn from leading local banks.

The joke doing the rounds goes like this: “A miracle is happening: 80% of Iranians remained home to watch the other 70% go to vote.” The reality of Iran’s parliamentary election on 2 March was more prosaic.