Latest Updates

For years, Gulf powers have mulled the notion of regional dialogue to calm existing crises and head off new ones. Today, with several active Middle Eastern conflicts, all sensitive to rising U.S.-Iran tensions, it is an idea whose time has come.

Tensions in the Gulf have spiked long before the pandemic. COVID-19 is likely to intensify conflicts between Gulf rivals and renders the need for de-escalation mechanisms even more necessary, particularly between the U.S. and Iran. Oil prices have collapsed and could lead to a geopolitical reset. How will the crisis play out in the Gulf? What are the prospects for a long-overdue inclusive regional dialogue?

For years, Gulf powers have mulled the notion of regional dialogue to calm existing crises and head off new ones. Today, with several active Middle Eastern conflicts, all sensitive to rising U.S.-Iran tensions, it is an idea whose time has come.

On 14 September, strikes of uncertain provenance hit Saudi Arabia’s largest oil facilities, taking some 50 per cent of the kingdom’s oil production temporarily offline. Crisis Group offers a 360-degree view of the attacks and their implications for Middle Eastern and international peace and security.