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Tom Hussain
Tom Hussain is an Islamabad-based journalist who has spent his 35-year career covering South Asia and the Middle East.
Tom Hussain is an Islamabad-based journalist who has spent his 35-year career covering South Asia and the Middle East.
Pakistan is the regional go-between to help maintain the 10-day ceasefire in Lebanon and push for a conclusive deal to end the Iran war.
A senior official involved in Islamabad’s diplomacy says it is trying to defuse the crisis ‘in any way we can’.
Analysts say the Pakistani air force’s presence ‘will complicate Iran’s targeting calculus’ and force it to reconsider its attack strategy.
As Abu Dhabi signals its displeasure with Islamabad, analysts say other indebted partners will be watching closely.
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The six GCC nations worry that the US will prioritise Tehran’s needs and leave the Gulf monarchies vulnerable to Iranian retaliation.
The UAE has quietly banned most Iranians from entering the country or transiting its airports, and cracked down on IRGC-related networks.
If Islamabad can successfully carry off the talks, it stands a chance of bringing in much-needed investments and weapon sales, analysts say.
Rising freight and energy costs, plus a near-blockade on synthetic fibres, are pushing prices higher.
With Iran emboldened despite US and Israeli strikes, analysts warn of the ‘permanent risk of repeated disruption’ for the global economy.
Israeli strikes on the world’s largest gas field and Iranian attacks on Saudi and Qatari hubs threaten a global energy crisis.
US fears of Pakistani ICBMs targeting America are overstated as Islamabad’s missile programme remains regional, observers say.
The closure of the Middle East’s important straits – Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb – is forcing Gulf and Asian nations to explore other options.
As Gulf gas plants go offline, missing fertiliser shipments today could mean empty shelves and record food prices by autumn.
From Turkey and the Caucasus to South Asia, analysts warn the war could ignite new flashpoints along regional fault lines.
Islamabad has to navigate a tricky regional environment and manage the domestic blowback of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The UAE, Qatar and others had a plan for staying out of a US-Iran war. It relied on the assumption that Iran would leave them out of it too.
Experts see short-term stability, but warn that deeper structural strains could emerge once the immediate shock subsides.
With positions entrenched, mediation efforts by regional powers are unlikely to deliver a swift breakthrough, observers say.
The Soviet Union severed Central Asia’s ancient trade routes to the Indian subcontinent. The region’s modern-day leaders want them back.
Observers say the unresolved question of Hamas’ disarmament leaves the fragile truce vulnerable to collapse.
Tehran is dangling access to its vast oil, gas and mineral reserves, but analysts warn that even this may fail to ‘move the needle’ in talks.
With non-oil trade nearly doubling, analysts say the UAE has secured a first-mover advantage that leaves regional rivals trailing behind.
Both sides appear amenable to a deal limiting some of Iran’s nuclear enrichment activities after last week’s diplomatic re-establishment.
The attacks in recent days in the restive province caused the deaths of more than 250 civilians, security personnel and insurgents.
A plunge in construction deals and the postponement of the 2029 Asian Winter Games have cast doubts on Riyadh’s Vision 2030.
Analysts evaluate the difficult options of a US air strike, killing of Iran’s top leaders, covert operations and counter-intelligence.
The Gulf neighbours have turned from friends to foes, fighting proxy wars across the region and forcing global powers to pick a side.
Iran’s neighbours are worried that the US’ increasingly erratic behaviour may pose a risk to regional power balance and trade, analysts say.
The jets, co-produced with China, proved their worth during the India-Pakistan tensions, when they destroyed an S-400 air defence system.
