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Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Baghdad on 5 February for talks on energy and security issues. UAE justice minister Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al-Nuaimi had been in the Iraqi capital on 4 February.  Saudi foreign minister Prince Faisal Bin Salman Al-Saud had also been in Iraq on 2 February.

Assayida Ahad Bint Abdullah Hamed Al-Busaidi, wife of Oman's Sultan Haitham Bin Tariq Al-Said, inaugurated the Ministry of Social Development’s National Autism Centre in Al-Seeb early February. The facility is the first of its kind in the country.

Oman's Crown Prince and culture, sports and youth minister Sayyid Theyazin Bin Haitham Al-Said has been most prominent of late in sporting circles. Theyazin is Sultan Haitham's eldest son. Theyazin's younger brother Bilarab has a lower profile.

The European Parliament voted in January for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corp (IRGC) to be designated as a terrorist entity by the European Union (EU), drawing a furious reaction from Tehran.

A series of talks between Iranian and GCC officials have been held during December and early January in Gulf capitals, as well as on the sidelines of events in Jordan and Brazil, in moves that suggest Tehran is recalibrating its relations with neighbouring monarchies during a period of intense domestic tensions.

Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Maaden) has set up a joint venture with the sovereign Public Investment Fund (PIF) to invest in iron ore, copper, nickel and lithium assets around the world

Accounts of Saudi energy policy are typically laden with caveats, given the inscrutability of decision-making in the kingdom. Saudi industry veteran Ibrahim Al-Muhannah’s new book Oil Leaders, however, offers an intriguing peak behind the curtain into Saudi and Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) oil politics since the late-1980s.

The death of the longest-serving UK monarch brought hundreds of dignitaries to London, including a raft of senior Gulf royals and officials. However, the apparent absence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and, to a lesser extent, UAE President Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, was also a point of intrigue. In the days since the funeral events GSN has investigated speculation over whether the Saudi heir did indeed make a private visit to express his condolences to royal family members.

With a new government in place in Baghdad and a new oil minister in the shape of industry veteran Hayan Abdulghani, Iraq is looking to cement recent progress in its oil and gas sector, building on crude production that rose to average 4.5m b/d output at end-2022.

GSN Risk Grade: D4↓ Election delay: The federal Supreme Court is due to hear several cases in the coming days over the decision by the Kurdistan Region parliament to postpone elections that were due on 1 October.The parliament voted on 9 October to extend its term until end-2023 due to disputes between parties over the election law.

Irish hotelier Paddy McKillen has filed a case in a Los Angeles court seeking $18m from Qatar's senior Al-Thanis who he said had cheated him of fees.

Iran has revived plans to build a nuclear power plant in Khuzestan province. The development comes amid other efforts by Tehran to further develop its electricity sector. Iran had completed an initial synchronisation exercise that was a necessary precursor to linking the electricity grid to Russia, through Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) said on 2 December that it had rolled over a $3bn deposit placed with State Bank of Pakistan. akistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif praised the move to shore up dwindling foreign exchange reserves.

GSN Risk Grade: F6 US explosives seizure: The United States Navy said it had intercepted a fishing vessel in international waters in the Gulf of Oman on 8 November and found a large quantity of explosive material which it said was being smuggled from Iran to Yemen.

Doubts are being raised about the wisdom of Dubai’s efforts to become a hub for crypto finance companies, following the high-profile collapse into bankruptcy of the FTX exchange on 11 November. However, officials seem committed to the UAE playing a continuing global role in blockchain initiatives.