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Saudi Arabia is reportedly considering buying up to 54 Rafale jets from France's Dassault Aviation. Dassault has built up a sizeable customer base for its jets in the Gulf: Qatar has taken delivery of 36 Rafales, and the UAE has ordered up to 80 of the fighter bombers. 

Sharjah Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Bin Sultan Al-Qasimi named Adel Ahmed Ali Alwan Al-Naqbi as director of the Ruler's Court in Dibba Al-Hisn – a part of the emirate on the Gulf of Oman coast which borders Oman's Musandam peninsula.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has upheld the conviction of France's TotalEnergies and Switzerland-based Vitol for bribing Iraqi officials during the United Nations-run Oil-for-Food (OfF) programme between October 2000 and March 2003.

Iran has discovered its largest-ever dry gas field at Lamerd, in the south of Shiraz province, petroleum minister Javad Owji announced during a visit to provincial capital Fars. The discovery is estimated to contain reserves of 623bcm of natural gas.

Gas privatisation: Shares in state energy firm OQ’s gas pipelines business OQ Gas Network (OQGN) began trading on the Muscat Stock Exchange on 24 October. OQGN had raised OR288m ($750m) in its initial public offering of 49% of its shares, making it Oman’s largest IPO, ahead of previous front-runner Oman Telecoms Company, which floated in 2005.

At a time of heightened tensions between Hamas and Israel, exacerbated by the forthcoming Israeli general election, Qatar’s envoy to Gaza Mohammed Al-Emadi has announced that Doha’s aid to the Gaza strip – provided with tacit support and oversight from Israel – will no longer be channelled to Hamas, but instead will be allocated directly to specific United Nations-administered humanitarian projects. He said this was to reduce the risk that Hamas will misappropriate funds or divert them to other purposes.

Qatar’s latest exercise in suitcase diplomacy, handing Gazan officials $15m in cash at the Erez Crossing that divides Israel from the Palestinian territory on 7 December, reinforces Doha’s formidable influence in Hamas-run Gaza. It also underlines the durable nature of its relationship with the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu.The funds, which are enough to pay the salaries of round 30,000 public sector workers in Gaza, was the second instalment of a $90m donation that began flowing in November; it is being paid over six months.

Official statements from the Gulf monarchies have called for de-escalation and international mediation between Hamas and Israel, but there have been notable differences in where blame has been apportioned.

Audit chief resigns: State Audit Bureau (SAB) president Faisal Al-Shaye resigned on 6 July, citing political interference in his work. A number of members of the recently elected National Assembly including Hamad Al-Mudlej had called on Al-Shaye to resign or be sacked over unspecified violations and mismanagement.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has made a groundbreaking visit to Kuwait, the first by a Palestinian leader in more than 20 years. On 15 April, Abbas officially reopened the Palestinian embassy in the Kuwaiti capital, closed in 1990 because of Palestinian support for the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO)’s decision to support Saddam Hussein’s invasion, by voting against a Cairo summit resolution calling for an Iraqi withdrawal, was disastrous for the PLO and the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian expatriates based in Kuwait.

China's People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy has used a routine rotation of its ships based in Djibouti to double its presence in the region, just as the United States Navy is preparing to deploy its first aircraft carrier strike group (CSG) to the region for two years.

  Governments across the region are trying to ensure the war between Hamas and Israel doesn't escalate beyond their control, with its expansion onto other fronts a particular fear. Meanwhile they are trying to assuage the anger many citizens feel towards Israel’s actions in Gaza. GSN analyses the latest phase of the conflict, its impact on the Gulf monarchies and popular responses across the region. The potential for Iran’s ‘Axis of Resistance’ network to destabilise the wider region has been manifest in attacks on bases hosting US troops in Iraq and Syria by IRGC-backed militias. GSN looks into the attacks and analyses the Axis of Resistance’s membership.  Even before the new Middle East war shattered comfortable assumptions about regional security, the global economic climate remained hostile, as shown in analysis of the International Monetary Fund’s new reports on the global outlook and regional economic performance. GSN takes the temperature of oil, growth and other key economic indicators.  China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy has used a routine rotation of its ships based in Djibouti to double its regional presence, just as the US Navy is preparing to deploy its first aircraft carrier strike group to the region for two years. Among articles in Energy and industry, GSN examines QatarEnergy's new long-term agreements with European partners that could complete its order book for gas from North Field expansion projects. There is also a deep dive into Sheikh Ahmed Dalmook Juma Al-Maktoum and his Blue Carbon company's deals across Africa. Oman’s economic liberalisation drive has produced a record breaking IPO, covered in one of this issue’s Risk management reports. The other RMR covers Kuwait.

Sheikh Nasser Bin Abdulrahman Bin Nasser Al-Thani's real estate company Daruna for Real Estate Brokerage Company has been granted permission by the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) Civil and Commercial Court to seek higher damages from Lesha Bank (previously known as Qatar First Bank) in a dispute over a failed plan to build workers’ accommodation north of Doha.

Doha's relations with India have soured, after a Qatar court handed down the death sentence to eight Indians arrested in August 2022.

Plans by Saudi Arabia to develop a military cargo aircraft in partnership with Kiev-based Antonov State Company appear to be in trouble, after reports that the Ukrainian state-owned commercial company has suspended its involvement in the project. The AN-132D light transport plane had its maiden flight in April 2017; a demonstration model was on display at the Paris International Air Show and the Dubai Airshow later that year.