Weekly Regional Brief

Iran Nuclear Deal 

On Saturday, September 11, the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency met with Iran’s head of the Atomic Energy Organization in Tehran to discuss Iran’s nuclear development. Both parties characterized the encounter as “constructive,” and plan to continue talks in Vienna in late September.  

Tunisian Political Crisis 

On Saturday, September 11, Tunian President Saied stated his desire to amend the 2014 constitution. This development frightens many Tunisians who had already expressed concern over the President’s suspension of parliament and dismissal of political leaders in late July. 

US Limits on Egyptian Aid 

In response to allegations of “the prosecution of rights and civil society organizations” occurring in Egypt, the United States plans to without $130 million of security assistance to the country. However, this number represents only a fraction of the $1.3 billion the US provides Egypt each year. 

Arabic Sources from the Region

“The Baghdad Summit: a Trilateral Step towards Increased Arab Cooperation”

After Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi’s historic meeting with Pope Francis in March 2021, the Iraqi leader hosted a trilateral summit this week with Jordanian and Egyptian leaders to discuss strengthening economic cooperation and combating terrorism. Iraq seeks to build a partnership between the region’s heads of state and restore Iraq’s image as an Arab and international leader. Al-Kadhimi announced the “New Sham” project, an economic investment plan named for the region loosely comprising the three countries participating in the summit, with the hope that more of the region will participate in coming years. 

This article was published by Sky News Arabia, an Abu Dhabi-based Arabic news source owned by Comcast and the Emirati royal family.