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Iran reopened its embassy in Riyadh, some seven years after it was shuttered and three months after the two countries agreed to resume full diplomatic relations in a deal brokered by China. Iran also reopened its consulate in Jeddah. 

Gulf leaders have been prominent interlocutors with Russia's President Vladimir Putin in the days since an abortive mutiny by the Wagner Group mercenary force led by Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Qatar's ambassador to the United States Sheikh Meshal Bin Hamad Al-Thani took part in a ceremony marking the opening of Muhammad Ali Park in Dearborn in the west of Detroit.

Saudi Arabia is dedicating more attention to southern Yemen, even as it continues efforts to secure a peace agreement with the Houthis in the north. A key aim for Riyadh is ensuring Yemen remains unified. However, this strategy means Saudi allies continue to clash with the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), which is pushing for independence.

The United States Department of Justice has accused dual US/Israeli citizen Gal Luft of trying to broker the sale of Iranian crude oil to China and the sale of Chinese-manufactured weapons to Gulf countries, in contravention of US law.

To the chagrin of GCC leaders and some others, the UK continues to resist pressure to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp as a terrorist organisation, even as it unveils plans for more far-reaching sanctions on Iran.

Bahrain’s King Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa was a surprise absentee from the 18th consultative meeting of Gulf Co-operation Council leaders and the first GCC-Central Asia Summit, both held in Jeddah. The Bahraini monarch in fact sent his son, fast-rising national security adviser Sheikh Nasser, instead.

Sultan Salmeen Saeed Al-Mansouri was named as Qatar's new ambassador to the UAE, in a decision by Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.

Israeli foreign affairs minister Eli Cohen inaugurated Israel's embassy in Manama early September, during his first visit to Bahrain which came just ahead of the third anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords. 

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and his wife Michelle declined to answer questions from federal police about jewellery, watches and other gifts given to them by Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and never declared.

Sharjah Ruler Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al-Qasimi visited Muscat for a two-day official visit – the second Emirati ruler to make the journey in recent months, following a visit by Ras Al-Khaimah Ruler Sheikh Saud Bin Saqr Al-Qasimi in June.

Kuwait was one of 15 countries elected to the United Nations Human Rights Council. It will serve a three-year term, starting 1 January 2024, alongside Albania, Brazil, China, France and others. The 47 seats on the council are distributed on a regional basis.

The Palestinian issue has been steadily sidelined in the minds of most leaders in recent years, but that all changed with Hamas' brutal attack on Israel on 7 October and the devastating bombardment of Gaza that has followed. With the death toll quickly running into the thousands and claims of war crimes being levelled against both sides, Gulf governments are scrambling to deal with the fallout.

The potential for Iran’s 'Axis of Resistance' militia network to destabilise the wider region has been manifest in an alarming acceleration of attacks on bases hosting United States troops in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-backed militias.

The work schedule is unrelenting for Qatari Prime Minister and foreign affairs minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Bin Jassim Al-Thani, who flew into Manama for talks with Bahraini Prime Minister and Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa on 17 November – to cement bilateral ties as well as discuss the situation in Gaza.