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Iran's foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has criticised the Taliban regime for failing to ensure the safety of its diplomatic missions. The move follows attacks on the Islamic Republic's embassy in Kabul and its consulate in the western city of Herat.  

The US Navy has set up a new multinational task force to patrol the seas around Yemen and nearby areas. The task force will have a presence in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden.

It has been many months since the widely-respected Saudi academic Dr Saud Al-Sarhan was last in touch with his friends in the kingdom and abroad – many of whom are senior researchers who attest to the quietly-spoken Saud’s great ability to reach out to a diverse and influential body of intellectuals. His disappearance began after he left his post as secretary-general of the Riyadh-based King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies (KFCRIS) last May (with a 1 August 2021 official departure date).

Oman’s Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayan) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with New York-based H2 Industries to develop a $1.4bn waste-to-hydrogen plant at an unspecified coastal location.

Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al-Thani has lost a case in the Court of Appeal in London, where he was seeking redress over a sculpture of Alexander the Great, bought by Qatar Investment and Project Development Holding Company (Qipco) for $3m in January 2014. Hamad is chief executive of Qipco.

Chinese defence minister General Wei Fenghe made a brief tour of the Gulf in April, starting with a visit to Tehran on 27 April. He held talks on military cooperation and other matters with defence and armed forces logistics minister Brigadier General Mohammad-Reza Gharaei Ashtiani and other senior officials.

Influential UAE national security advisor Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (TBZ) has seen his sprawling business interests expand further, with a new multi-billion dollar investment fund raised by Chimera Capital – part of the Royal Group which he chairs.

The signs are growing that a deal to revive the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Iran nuclear deal may be within reach, with several developments in mid-March which could be seen as confidence-building steps.

Kuwaiti oil minister Mohammed Al-Fares and his Saudi counterpart Prince Abdelaziz Bin Salman have signed an agreement to develop the offshore Dorra gas field in their shared Neutral Zone. However, the deal is immersed in controversy due to objections from Iran, which said the field extends into its waters.

The reluctance of Saudi Arabia and the UAE to join western efforts to build an anti-Russia coalition and stabilise volatile energy markets brings into sharp focus the trend over recent years for the US to scale back its interest in the Gulf and for GCC states to seek other partners. As Putin’s war continues, all sides may need to recalibrate their perceptions and their policy positions to accommodate a global realignment of forces.

Riyadh governor Prince Faisal Bin Bandar led the funeral prayers for Princess Noura Bint Faisal Bin Abdelaziz on 14 March, at Imam Turki Bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh. Her death had been announced the day before.

Uncertainty surrounds an agreement signed by German economy minister Robert Habeck and Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani for the supply of gas to replace German imports from Russia.

Saudi deputy defence minister Prince Khalid Bin Salman’s virtual meeting with Chinese national defence minister General Wei Fenghe points to shifting alignments as – reports from Beijing concluded – US influence in the region wanes and Riyadh builds on missile technology links with Beijing

The GCC talks on the Yemen conflict which began in Riyadh on 29 March – with the notable absence of any Houthi representatives – could be used to announce a major package of economic assistance for President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government from the Gulf states.

Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (TBZ) has continued his deal-making spree, with a company linked to the UAE national security adviser taking a 7.4% stake in Abu Dhabi Ports Group (AD Ports), which listed on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange on 8 February.