Iran bares its teeth, while its rivals mend fences
Saudi Arabia has brought Qatar back into the fold, as Iran stirs things up in the Gulf
THE THIRD day of January marked a year since America assassinated Qassem Suleimani, a talismanic Iranian general who marshalled militias across the Middle East. The mood was febrile. American officials feared commemorative reprisals. Muhammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, tweeted that “intelligence from Iraq” indicated an American “plot to FABRICATE pretext for war”. The USS Nimitz, an American aircraft-carrier, having been ordered home from the Persian Gulf days earlier as a conciliatory gesture to Iran, was told to stay put. In the end, January 3rd passed without incident. Yet the day that followed was anything but uneventful.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “The Arabs get back in line”
From the January 9th 2021 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionDiscover more
Syrian rebels sweep into Aleppo in an embarrassing rout for Bashar al-Assad
The Syrian dictator will not be able to count on help from Russia and Iran, his closest allies
America under Joe Biden plays the pragmatist in Africa
Donald Trump is likely to follow suit
New cures for Africa’s most gruesome diseases
Sleeping sickness, riverblindness and more could be tackled
Nigeria seeks to restore pride in its artefacts, ancient and modern
A new museum in Benin City will showcase “a cauldron of creativity”
The Lebanese-American businessman in Donald Trump’s inner circle
Can Massad Boulos influence the incoming administration in the region?
Israel and Hizbullah strike a fragile deal to end their war
Joe Biden makes a last push to bring peace to the Middle East