Security

Turkey’s purchase of Russian S-400 defence systems is a very serious concern as Washington considers what support to offer over Syria’s Idlib, the U.S. special representative for the region James Jeffrey said on Thursday. Speaking in Istanbul, Jeffrey also said the United States had already offered humanitarian assistance and information …

Qatar’s Dimdex defense exhibition due to be held this month has been canceled as the coronavirus outbreak spreads throughout the Gulf and wider Middle East. There have been at least 1,641 cases of the virus in the Gulf region, mostly in Iran where 66 people have died. The March 16-18 …

Since before Trump was even elected, experts have openly worried that his skepticism of NATO could lead to its dissolution. Russia would take advantage of that weakness, and the security guarantees America has given its European allies for decades would fade away. But Trump in recent days has seemingly become a NATO …

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday that the United States may send Patriot missile systems to Turkey to use for security in the face of the conflict in northwestern Syria’s Idlib region. Speaking in an interview with broadcaster CNN Turk, Akar said talks with the United States on …

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, received on Monday, Sergey Naryshkin, Director of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, and his accompanying delegation. H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, …

Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Bowardi, Minister of State for Defence Affairs, and Jorge Agustin Molina Arambarri, Ambassador of Argentina to the UAE, today tackled ways to develop cooperation in the defence and military areas. During a meeting at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi, Al Bowardi welcomed the Argentine ambassador …

Israel foiled a major cyber attack on one of its power stations a few months ago, Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Wednesday. “It was a very serious, sophisticated attempt trying to control and paralyze one of our power stations,” Steinitz told the CyberTech conference in Tel Aviv, without elaborating. …

Iran is preparing a site for launching a satellite, a government minister said on Monday, highlighting a program the United States says is a cover for ballistic missile development. “Yes, a site is being prepared for placing the Zafar satellite into orbit,” Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad …

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper suggested on Thursday he could be ready to start a highly anticipated global force repositioning this year as part of an effort to refocus the Pentagon on challenges from China and Russia. Esper said he did not want to put a firm timeline on the …

Iran would be protected from threats if it had nuclear weapons, Iranian lawmaker told parliament on Tuesday, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency, adding that Iran should build missiles with “unconventional” warheads. “If we had nuclear weapons today, we would be protected from threats … We should put the …

South Korea’s military said on Tuesday it plans to expand the deployment of an anti-piracy unit now operating off the coast of Africa to the area around the Strait of Hormuz, after the United States pressed for help to guard oil tankers. Attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of …

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday Moscow has been urging Gulf countries to consider a common security mechanism for the region. “We have been suggesting to the Gulf countries to think about collective security mechanisms … starting with confidence building measures and inviting each other to military exercises,” …

The British government secretly funded Reuters in the 1960s and 1970s at the behest of an anti-Soviet propaganda unit linked to British intelligence and concealed the funding by using the BBC to make the payments, declassified government documents show. The money was used to expand Reuters coverage of the Middle …

Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister said the kingdom has taken all precautions to ensure the safety of oil facilities after recent strikes in Iraq. “We have taken every precaution that can be taken,” he told reporters when asked whether the kingdom had raised oil security after recent U.S. and Iran strikes …

Britain must invest in military hardware to become less reliant on U.S. air cover and spy planes in future conflicts, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was quoted as saying in an interview with the Sunday Times newspaper. A steadfast ally of the United States that places its “special relationship” with Washington …

Iran could have nuclear weapons in one to two years if the country carries on violating the 2015 nuclear accord, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Friday. “If they continue with unravelling the Vienna agreement, then yes, within a fairly short period of time, between one and two …

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he supported expanding the North American Treaty Organization to include Middle Eastern nations, as the United States seeks to limit its troop footprint globally. “I think that NATO should be expanded and we should include the Middle East, absolutely,” Trump told reporters at …

In an apparent slip of the tongue on Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Israel as a nuclear power before correcting himself with a bashful nod and an embarrassed smile. Israel is widely believed to have an atomic arsenal but has never confirmed or denied that it has nuclear weapons, …

The United States and its allies have suspended training of Iraqi forces due to the increased threat they face after a U.S. air strike in Baghdad on Friday killed a top Iranian general, the German military said in a letter seen by Reuters. In the letter to German lawmakers, a …

Saudi Arabia signed a deal with the local unit of U.S. weapons maker Raytheon on Saturday to localize maintenance of its Patriot missile defense system, as part of efforts to boost Saudi’s defense industries and its broader economy. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman plans to diversify the kingdom away from …

Italian state-owned shipbuilder Fincantieri (FCT.MI) won a contract worth approximately $1.3 billion from the U.S. Navy to build four ships for Saudi Arabia, it said on Friday. The order is part of a multi-billion contract awarded to a consortium led by defense group Lockheed Martin – which includes Fincantieri’s unit …

Japan will send a warship and patrol planes to protect Japanese ships in the Middle East as the situation in the region, from which it sources nearly 90% of its crude oil imports, remains volatile, Japan’s top government spokesman said on Friday. Under the plan approved by Prime Minister Shinzo …

China, Iran and Russia will hold joint naval drills starting on Friday in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman, China’s defense ministry said on Thursday, amid heightened tension in the region between Iran and the United States. China will send the Xining, a guided missile destroyer, to the drills, …

Saudi security forces killed two “terrorists” on Wednesday after a shooting in a residential neighborhood in the eastern city of Dammam, state television al-Ekhbariya reported. “Two wanted terrorists were killed after exchanging fire with security forces,” al-Ekhbariya TV said, without giving further details. Calm was restored to the residential neighborhood …

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that Tehran welcomes Japan’s decision not to join a U.S.-led naval mission in the Gulf, in remarks carried by state television. “Japan has announced it will not take part in the Americans’ plans for security in the (Gulf) region … which is something …

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Monday he spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi amid a spate of attacks on bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq and called on Baghdad to take steps to get the situation under control. A senior U.S. military official warned last week …

Turkey could shut down its Incirlik air base, which hosts U.S. nuclear warheads, in response to threats of U.S. sanctions and a separate U.S. Senate resolution that recognized mass killings of Armenians a century ago as genocide, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday. “If it is necessary for us to …

The Center for a New American Security looks at what scenarios may occur in the Strait of Hormuz because of US-Iranian tensions.  They see three possibilities: 1. Increasing US-Iran tensions that ultimately lead to a new “Tanker War” scenario similar to the conflict of the 1980s, in which Iran attacks …

The breakaway Turkish Cypriot cabinet has designated an airport on the disputed island as a base for Turkish drones escorting ships seeking hydrocarbons in the eastern Mediterranean, a news agency said, a move likely to increase tension with the European Union. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), both unarmed and armed, will …

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan pledged to continue cooperation in the military and energy spheres, the Kremlin said on Wednesday, The pledge, made in a phone call, comes after a Turkish presidential spokesman said American legislation to impose sanctions against Turkey will not affect Ankara’s …

The Pentagon announced on Tuesday it was halting operational training of all Saudi Arabian military personnel in the United States until further notice after a Saudi Air Force lieutenant shot and killed three people last week at a base in Florida. The decision will have far-reaching impacts on visiting Saudi …

A senior Polish official said Monday there could be no backtracking from a NATO decision to pursue a defense plan for Poland and the Baltics after Ankara suggested it might still block it until allies designate a Kurdish militia as terrorists. After a NATO summit in London last week, alliance …

Conflicts over water are likely to flare up in Iraq, Mali and India in the coming year, according to the developers of an app launched on Thursday which aims to help prevent violence by flagging up potential flashpoints. They said the “groundbreaking” early warning tool, which has also predicted risks …

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has lifted a mysterious “hold” on more than $100 million in security aid for Lebanon, congressional and State Department officials said, more than a month after lawmakers learned the funds were being blocked. As first reported by Reuters, the U.S. State Department told Congress on …

Turkey will oppose NATO’s plan for the defense of Baltic countries if the alliance does not recognize groups that Turkey deems terrorists, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday, ahead of a NATO alliance summit in London. Relations between Turkey and its NATO allies have been strained over a host …

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Friday that Emmanuel Macron’s warning that NATO was dying reflects a “sick and shallow” understanding, telling the French president “you should check whether you are brain dead”. The comments drew a swift rebuke from the French foreign ministry, which summoned Turkey’s ambassador to Paris …

Turkey is refusing to back a NATO defense plan for the Baltics and Poland until the alliance offers Ankara more political support for its fight against Kurdish YPG militia in northern Syria, four senior alliance sources said. Ankara has told its NATO envoy not to sign off on the plan …

A French naval base in Abu Dhabi will serve as the headquarters for a European-led mission to protect Gulf waters that will be operational soon, France’s defense minister said on Sunday. France is the main proponent of a plan to build a European-led maritime force to ensure safe shipping in the …

The United States and France are boosting Saudi Arabia’s radar systems following crippling drone and cruise missile attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure in September, which Washington blames on Iran. The chief of the U.S. Central Command and France’s defense minister, whose countries have taken divergent approaches to Iran, also touted …

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence visited U.S. troops in Iraq on Saturday ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday period. During his visit Pence also held a call with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi. Pence visited Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq where U. Source: Reuters

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is making a push to develop high-tech military hardware that would give it control over critical defense capabilities and lessen reliance on imports. Wary of threats from rival Iran, and concerned over moves by some allies to hold up arms sales, the UAE is reshaping …

The United States is working with Egypt to deter it from going ahead with a deal to buy Russian warplanes, threatening the Cairo government with sanctions if it does, a senior State Department official said on Thursday. Washington was still working with Egypt to address its defense needs, the official, …

France’s MBDA and Dassault Aviation (AVMD.PA) plan to open a missile engineering facility and a flight testing center in the United Arab Emirates, the UAE’s defense and security industry enabler Tawazun Economic Council said on Saturday. The announcement comes on the eve of the biennial Dubai Air Show which begins …

Saudi Arabia’s vice minister of defense visited Oman on Monday and met with ruler Sultan Qaboos, Omani state news agency ONA reported, following a deal to end a power struggle in the south of Yemen. The Saudi defense ministry said Prince Khalid bin Salman, a son of the king, would …