US to Deploy Troops to Saudi Arabia in Face of 'Credible' Regional Threats

THE GUARDIAN: Washington says move will provide ‘an additional deterrent’ in face of ‘emergent’ risks

The United States has authorised the deployment of military personnel and resources to Saudi Arabia, the Pentagon says, to provide “an additional deterrent” in the face of “emergent, credible threats” in the region.

The move, agreed in conjunction with the kingdom, aims to boost regional security as tensions in the Gulf mount over Iran’s standoff with the US over sanctions and the 2015 nuclear agreement, and Tehran’s seizure of two British-linked vessels in the strait of Hormuz on Friday.

Saudi Arabia’s defence ministry confirmed the deployment.

“Based on mutual cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America, and their desire to enhance everything that could preserve the security of the region and its stability ... King Salman gave his approval to host American forces,” a ministry spokesman was quoted by Saudi state news agency SPA as saying. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Saturday, July 20, 2019

Will Tension in the Gulf Spiral Out of Control? | Inside Story

Iran seizes a UK oil tanker after Britain detained one of its ships.

When the UK seized an Iranian oil tanker two weeks ago, Tehran warned of retaliation. It appears it's carried out that threat.

Iranian Revolutionary Guards detained a British vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday. Tehran said the Stena Impero was involved in an accident with an Iranian fishing boat.

A powerful council that works closely with Iran's Supreme Leader later said the seizure was a retaliatory act. Britain's foreign secretary is worried Iran may be going down a dangerous path. Can compromise be found before the situation spirals out of control?

Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault | Guests: Andreas Krieg - Assistant Professor in the Defence Studies Department at King's College London; Mostafa Khoshcheshm - Iranian political commentator and lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences; Joel Rubin - President of the Washington Strategy Group, a national security consulting firm

Iran Seizes British Oil Tanker in Strait of Hormuz

Will There Be Another War in the Gulf? | Inside Story

The United States, UK and Iran all agree: they don't want war; but tensions are rising by the day. Iran accuses Britain of being a servant of the US as it demands the return of an oil tanker seized off Gibraltar.

It’s been suggested British Royal Marines boarded the vessel at the request of America. And the UK is looking at boosting its military presence in the Gulf after an apparent close encounter with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard just days later.

The US, meantime, is turning the screw further on Iran's already faltering economy, and Britain finds itself in an awkward position. It's working with Europe to try and save the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which the US has abandoned. But it also needs to maintain close ties with Washington as it seeks to leave the European Union.

The situation with the tanker has infuriated Iran with the foreign minister demanding Britain return the ship or face what he called 'the consequences'.

Presenter: Martine Dennis | Guests: Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, research fellow at RUSI, the Royal United Services Institute; Mohammad Marandi, head of American Studies Department at the University of Tehran; Phil Diacon, managing director of Dryad Global, a maritime security risk management company

Iran Warns Western Powers to 'Leave Region' amid Gulf Crisis

THE GUARDIAN: Foreign ministry demands release of Iranian oil tanker UK seized last week

Iran has called on Britain to release its seized oil tanker and warned foreign powers to “leave the region because Iran and other regional countries are capable of securing the regional security”.

The Royal Marines seized the tanker last week on suspicion it was breaking European sanctions by taking oil to Syria.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, told the IRNA news agency: “This is a dangerous game and has consequences ... The legal pretexts for the capture are not valid ... The release of the tanker is in all countries’ interests.”

Iran has said it will take reciprocal measures if its tanker is not released. » | Patrick Wintour and agencies | Friday, July 12, 2019

Qatar Emir Says Country Will Thrive Despite Blockade

Qatar's Emir says the country’s neighbours have no desire to end the Gulf Crisis. Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani made his speech at the opening session of the parliamentary advisory body, the Shura Council. Sheikh Tamim gave a message of steadfastness, saying Qatari society will persist regardless of the length of the blockade.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed ties with Qatar in June and imposed a land, sea and air blockade.

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra reports from Doha.

Analyst: Gulf Crisis 'Is a Crisis by Choice, Not by Necessity'

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is set to launch a fresh bid on Sunday to ease a crisis between Riyadh and Doha, both allies of Washington, but without high hopes of a breakthrough.

Omar Ashour, a senior lecturer in Middle East Politics and Security Studies at the University of Exeter, speaks to Al Jazeera about Tillerson's Middle East tour.

Gulf Blockade against Qatar Continues

This week marks 100 days since four Arab states began a blockade against Qatar, sparking a diplomatic crisis.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt accuse Qatar of supporting extremism, which it denies.

Saudi Arabia usually takes the lead in Gulf affairs, but what is interesting this time is the prominence of the UAE.

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra explains.

Gulf Crisis Explained, 100 Days after Anti-Qatar Blockade

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain along with Egypt announced an embargo on Qatar on June 5, setting off the Gulf crisis. More than three month blockade has affected families, students and made it difficult for Qatari pilgrims to perform Hajj. So far, Kuwait's mediation efforts have not yielded any results with the blockading nations, who say they will not budge unless Qatar agrees to a list of 13 demands. The demands include cutting ties with Iran and shutting down the Al Jazeera media network.

Inside Story - What Can Russia Do to Help End the Gulf Crisis?

The Russian foreign Minister has been in Qatar as part of efforts to find a common ground in the Gulf crisis. Sergey Lavrov has already visited the UAE and Kuwait this week and arrived in Doha on Wednesday.

Lavrov is the highest ranking Russian official to come to the Gulf since the crisis began. He says Russia fully supports the Emir of Kuwait's efforts to bring an end to the blockade that began on June 5th. But what can Russia do to help end the blockade?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests: Fahad bin Mohammed Al-Attiya - Qatar's Ambassador to Russia; Vyacheslav Matuzov - a former Russian diplomat, now Chairman of the Russian Friendship Society with Arab Countries; Abdullah Baabood - Professor of International Relations and Political Economy of the Gulf at Qatar University

Qatar Rejects Renewed Calls to Fulfil Neighbours’ Demands

Qatar has rejected renewed calls by four Arab countries to concede to a list of demands to end the Saudi-led blockade and restore diplomatic relations. The US State department is also calling for Gulf nations to resolve their crisis.

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt met on Sunday but offered no new plan to move forward. There were also reports that the countries loosened the air blockade on the country, but Qatar says that has not happened. Al Jazeera's David Chater reports from Doha.

Gulf Crisis Hits Stalemate

Qatar's foreign minister has rejected claims that diplomatic efforts to end the dispute between Qatar and Saudi-led quartet were failing. But he did admit that the crisis was not going to be resolved any time soon. Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra reports from Doha.

Inside Story: Can Tillerson Get Anti-Qatar Quartet to End GCC Crisis?

It's the worst dispute to hit this region since the founding of the Gulf Cooperation Council in 1981. Now, a little more than a month into a blockade of Qatar imposed by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt; the U.S. is taking an active diplomatic approach. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is visiting Saudi Arabia - after having made stops in Doha and Kuwait city over the last few days. He praised Qatar after it became the first regional power to sign a memorandum of understanding with the U.S. to fight terror financing. But can he change the positions of the blockading countries? | Presenter: Adrian Finighan | Guests: Ali Al Kandari - Professor of Contemporary Gulf History at Kuwait University; Fahad Al-Attiya - Qatar's Ambassador to Russia; David Hearst - Editor of the Middle East Eye.

The Debate - Tillerson to the Rescue: US Secretary of State in Qatar Crisis Mediation

Inside Story: What Leverage Does the US Have in the Gulf Dispute?

The US secretary of state visited Qatar on the second stop of his Gulf tour. On Monday he was in Kuwait, which has been mediating the standoff between Qatar and its neighbours. The US hopes to negotiate a resolution to the diplomatic crisis which began over a month ago.

Rex Tillerson has been speaking to the emir of Qatar pushing for dialogue to solve the dispute. He says Qatar has been clear in its positions, describing them as “reasonable”.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt cut ties with Doha last month, accusing it of supporting “terrorism” - an allegation Qatar's government has strongly rejected. So, will Tillerson's shuttle diplomacy ease tensions in the region? | Presenter: Hazem Sika | Guests: Shafeeq Ghabra - Professor of Political Science at Kuwait University; Nasser Al Khalifa - Former Qatari Ambassador to the US and the United Nations; Andrew Bowen - Visiting Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute.

The Stream - Will Al Jazeera Be Shut Down?

Saudi Arabia Fails to Rally Support to Put More Pressure on Qatar

The diplomatic crisis in the Persian Gulf continues to unfold with Qatar standing firm against what it calls bullying by some Arab states. Qatar’s infrastructure has incurred losses due to the ongoing rift, but Qatari citizens and many countries around the world have been showing their support in the face of a boycott imposed on Doha by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain. We have a report.

Inside Story - Is Anti-Qatar Quartet Spreading Hate Speech in Mosques?

Clerics in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt are praising the isolation of Qatar.

State TV in Saudi Arabia broadcast prayers by cleric Abdelrahman Al-Sudais during the holy month of Ramadan, which included comments about "terrorist funders" and social media activists said he was alluding to Qatar.

Other videos and Twitter feeds of clerics in Saudi Arabia were circulated online in what appears to be a mobilisation campaign against Qatar. Some clerics in Egypt and the UAE have also been heard supporting the blockade on Qatar. What are the long term ramifications of using religion in a political conflict? | Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra | Guests: Youcef Bouandel - professor of international affairs at Qatar University; James Dorsey - senior fellow at Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore; Shahid Qureshi - editor of online news website London Post

Inside Story: Are the Saudis Funding Extremism?

The diplomatic crisis in the Gulf has seen Qatar living under a blockade for more than a month now.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt accused Qatar of, among other things, supporting extremists - claims Doha strongly denies. Now, a report from a UK think tank is pointing the finger at Saudi Arabia for being a key figure in financing such groups. And raises questions about its role with armed groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant armed group.

There is also another report on the subject - from the British government, but its conclusions have not been made public. So, why is Saudi Arabia accusing other countries of sponsoring extremism? | Presenter: Sohail Rahman | Guests: Shafeeq Ghabra - Professor of Political Science at Kuwait University; Simon Mabon - Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Lancaster; Marwan Kabalan - Associate Analyst at the Doha Institute: Arab Center for Research & Policy Studies

What the Media Won't Tell You About Qatar