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Former Kuwait Projects Company (Kipco) vice chairman Faisal Al-Ayar’s attempt to recover $840,000 from his son-in-law – who is in divorce proceedings with Al-Ayar’s daughter – has been dismissed by an Abu Dhabi court for lack of jurisdiction, mirroring a similar ruling in Dubai.

Saudi ambassador to the US Princess Reema Bint Bandar has defended the idea of the season finale for women’s tennis being held in Saudi Arabia, following criticism of the idea by former stars Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova; Reema has also been speaking out about the Gaza war and the plight of Palestinians.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mid-February tour of the UAE and Qatar followed the signing of big energy supply deals and the release of former Indian naval officers sentenced to death in Doha for spying.

The IRGC Navy has launched long-range ballistic missiles from one of its ships for the first time, as it continues to flex its muscle in the face of heightened tensions with the United States, but an Iranian spy ship that was thought to have been working closely with Yemen’s Houthis appears to have been sidelined after a US cyberattack.

Sultan Haitham left Muscat for the UK on 8 February, with no indication of how long he might be away for.

Sheikh Salman Bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa has been appointed vice chairman of the Higher Urban Planning Committee, moving on from his previous role as president of the Survey and Land Registration Bureau.

As presidential elections approach, on 18 June, attention will grow on which personality and faction succeeds Hassan Rouhani, head of government since 2013. But the most critical variable in Iran’s highly controlled democracy won’t change: the temporal power and (often very pragmatic) spiritual guidance of Rahbar (Supreme Leader) Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In the presidential election scheduled for 18 June, Rahbar (Supreme Leader) Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is likely to favour a candidate who boasts a strong religious/security background, potentially with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) credentials. The level of opposition facing his preferred successor to Hassan Rouhani may be limited – while Khamenei’s military and clerical allies gain ground, it is likely no substantial moderate/reformist candidates will survive the Shura-ye Negahban (Guardian Council)’s pre-election vetting and liberal voters are increasingly disengaged from the process.

Conservatives are trying to claim some scalps among their political opponents as a battle to clamp down on money laundering continues to build momentum. Among those in the firing line are foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Majlis-e Shura-ye Eslami (parliament) speaker Ali Larijani. Iran is under pressure from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to pass a comprehensive set of rules to curb money laundering and financing of terrorist groups by February.

Sheikh Khalifa Bin Abdulla Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa has been named as Bahrain’s ambassador to Amman, in the latest refresh of heads of missions.

With Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) widely perceived to be ‘disassociating’ himself from the Yemen war, Saudi-watchers have for several months been speculating that his younger full brother, the 28-year-old Prince Khalid Bin Salman, will take up a place inside the Ministry of Defence and Aviation. An analyst based in the kingdom commented: “It is widely known that MBS is not known to spend time reading serious fare – political theory, philosophy or current affairs.

Alpha Dhabi Holding – the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX)-listed investment firm linked to national security advisor Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan – said it had bought a 36.4% stake in National Corporation for Tourism and Hotels (NCTH) for AED730m ($199m), becoming the largest shareholder in the local hotel owner and operator.

Prince Turki Bin Salman has been appointed chairman of Saudi Research and Marketing Group (SRMG), replacing his brother Faisal Bin Salman, who was appointed Medina governor in January. SRMG owns Al-Sharq Al-Awsat and Arab News.

Iraq is buffeted by regional conflicts and domestic political and economic pressures; the dinar remains stressed and the population even more so. This is the first of a much-expanded series of GSN Risk management reports, in an online format intended to provide easy-to-access updates, analysis and contexts as a point of entry into this complex, often opaque region.

Noor Bint Ali Al-Khulaif was appointed to head the EDB in mid-February, taking over from Khalid Humaidan who is now governor of Central Bank of Bahrain.