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Saudi border guards have been accused of killing hundreds of Ethiopian migrants trying to cross the border from Yemen between March 2022 and June 2023. The Saudi government said the allegations were "unfounded".

Sheikh Zayed Bin Khalifa Bin Sultan Bin Shakhboot Al-Nahyan was sworn in as the UAE's ambassador to Qatar. He is a great-grandson of former ruler Shakbout Bin Sultan, and is married to a daughter of Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, a son of the late President Sheikh Khalifa.

Securing workable energy, economic and security relations with Turkey has even greater urgency for Iraq's Kurdistan Regional Government as the KRG says it can no longer afford to pay its employees’ salaries due to the closure since late March of the vital crude oil export pipeline.

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.

UAE state minister for foreign affairs Sheikh Shakhbut Bin Nahyan Al-Nahyan has been increasingly active on the African continent, since his four-year stint as ambassador to Saudi Arabia ended in 2021.

As the UAE extends its interests in mining and other sectors across Africa, state minister for foreign affairs Sheikh Shakhbut Bin Nahyan Al-Nahyan has been meeting leaders around the continent.

There has been widespread anger in the Gulf and the wider region after copies of the Koran were publicly burned in Sweden and Denmark. Scandinavian authorities have so far said they cannot prevent such episodes as they would be counter to freedom of speech (although they could constitute a hate crime).

Saudi Arabia announced a $500m package of assistance to support Tunisia’s beleaguered economy, comprising a $400m soft loan and a grant of $100m. Tunisia is also likely to benefit from a $100m pledge from the UAE to help countries struggling to cope with irregular migration flows.

A rift has emerged between Baghdad and the Christian community, after President Abdul Latif Rashid revoked a 2013 decree which recognised Cardinal Louis Sako as head of the Chaldean Catholic Church – which is distinct from the church in Rome but with close connections to the Vatican.

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.

Commerce spoke louder than diplomacy when the state-owned QatarEnergy announced a ten-year deal to supply condensate to the Dubai government-owned Emirates National Oil Company (Enoc). It represents the first major commercial deal since the two Gulf Co-operation Council partners (or mainly, in recent years, rivals) agreed in June to reopen their respective embassies.

Iran has been flexing its muscles in oil and gas disputes with its Arab neighbours, in what could be an attempt to ensure the recent trend towards rapprochement with regional and international powers happens on its terms. But factional disputes within the Iranian elite may also be playing a role, as rivals in Tehran try to ensure their vested interests aren’t damaged.

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.

Gulf Co-operation Council foreign ministers were in Moscow on 10 July for the sixth round of the Russia-GCC strategic dialogue – the first time the meeting had been held in Russia since 2016. Moscow appeared keen to ensure the Ukraine war did not dominate the talks.