by Ausaf Sayeed | Jun 13, 2026 | Geopolitics, India, Iran, Middle East, USA, West Asia
In a single Thursday, the war over Iran shifted from the brink of catastrophe to the cusp of a deal. On June 11, President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran “very hard” and seize Kharg Island, through which nine-tenths of Iranian oil flows; by nightfall, he had...
by Ausaf Sayeed | Jun 4, 2026 | Abraham Accords, Geopolitics, India, Israel, Middle East, Saudi Arabia, West Asia
Normalisation of the Arab world’s relationship with Israel, to be meaningful and lasting, cannot bypass Palestine and be bundled into geopolitical horse-trading Donald Trump’s late-May 2026 demand that virtually every Arab and Islamic state “mandatorily” join the...
by Ausaf Sayeed | Apr 10, 2026 | Geopolitics, India, Iran, Middle East, West Asia
When President Trump announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran on April 7, 2026 — barely ninety minutes before his own military strike deadline expired — the world heaved a sigh of relief. Oil prices plunged 14–16 per cent. Equity markets from Tokyo to Frankfurt...
by Ausaf Sayeed | Apr 7, 2026 | Geopolitics, India, Middle East, West Asia
The Middle East has become a testing ground for a new multipolar world, one where no single power dominates, but none can enforce rules either. As the United States recalibrates, China advances quietly, and regional actors pursue multi-alignment, the result is not...
by Ausaf Sayeed | Apr 5, 2026 | Geopolitics, India, Iran, Middle East, West Asia
One month into the US-Israeli assault on Iran, the conflict has produced outcomes few anticipated or desired. Indirect peace talks between Washington and Tehran—facilitated through Oman and Qatar—were still active when the strikes began on 28 February 2026. Goalposts...
by Ausaf Sayeed | Jan 21, 2026 | GCC, Geopolitics, India, India-UAE
As regional fault lines widen, the Modi-MBZ summit cements a partnership designed to withstand volatility through defence interoperability, nuclear cooperation, and digital sovereignty. Diplomacy often speaks loudest in gestures rather than treaties. On January 19,...
