The Media Line

Fractures rock Gulf alliance as UAE quits OPEC during Iran war - analysis

Abu Dhabi’s exit, a summit snub, and public criticism expose a widening Saudi-Emirati split reshaping energy and security coordination.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence and Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and UAE National Security Adviser, arrive at Doha International Airport, in Doha, Qatar, September 10, 2025
 Fluorescence microscopy images of Bacillus subtilis spores harboring GFP or Scarlet fusion to a DNA packaging protein (SspA)

Microbes coordinate activity to reduce competition, Israeli researchers discover

Participants clash during the 79th anniversary of the Liberation Day that commemorates the victory of the Italian resistance movement against Nazi Germany and the Italian Social Republic, in Milan, Italy, April 25, 2024.

A 'general aversion to anything Jewish' reported in Italy after Milan clash and Rome shooting

ABANDONED MILITARY jets are seen at the Aleppo airport on December 14, 2024 in Aleppo, Syria. Aleppo was the first major city to fall in last week's lightning offensive by rebel forces as they toppled Syria's Assad regime.

Syrian pilot confessions reveal centralized bombing orders during war


The moral barometer: Iran uses its people as live targets, as America values every life - opinion

Let’s not forget for one moment that one nation here believes in civilized democracy, while the other tortures its own people.

 L to R: Iran Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and US President Donald Trump against backdrop of respective flags and missile strikes.

Pakistan Defense Minister deletes anti-Israel post from X after diplomatic backlash

Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif briefly posted a message on X accusing Israel of carrying out “genocide” and using language Israeli officials condemned as inflammatory and offensive.

Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif speaks during an interview with Reuters in Islamabad, Pakistan, October 20, 2025.

US-Iran ceasefire pauses war - nuclear, Hormuz, and Lebanon issues remain

Israelis fear danger, Americans are concerned about exit as a tentative ceasefire takes shape.

Map of Middle East

Voices from the Arab press: Internal Arab fractures amid Iran war

A weekly selection of opinions and analyses from the Arab media around the world.

A man stands on the rubble as emergency services operate at the site of an Israeli strike carried out on Wednesday, in Ain Al Mraiseh in Beirut, Lebanon, April 9, 2026

Meloni warns Iran's plan to charge for passage through Strait of Hormuz could disrupt global trade

Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo ⁠Salvini said on Wednesday that Italy would not deploy naval vessels to patrol the area without authorization from the United Nations. 

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks during a joint statement with President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides, at Chigi Palace, in Rome, Italy, February 26, 2026.

Pakistan tightens security in Islamabad ahead of US-Iran negotiations

According to security sources, a US Air Force C-130 aircraft carrying an advance security and tactical team landed at Nur Khan Air Base on Thursday afternoon. 

Army soldiers sit in a truck, as Pakistan prepares to host the US and Iran for peace talks, in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 10, 2026.

Melania Trump denies any Epstein connection, seeks end to ‘lies,' calls for Congressional hearing

Melania Trump denied any involvement with Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, called for public hearings on Epstein’s victims, and rejected online smears in a speech at the White House.

US First Lady Melania Trump delivers remarks regarding the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, from the White House, April 9, 2026.

Syria, Jordan, Turkey sign deal to launch regional trade corridor

The agreement prioritizes the railway sector, including a proposal to link Anatolia in the north with the port of Aqaba in the south and extend toward the Gulf.

View of Amman from Temple of Hercules ruins at Amman Citadel on July 27, 2025 in Amman, Jordan.

Hormuz war pushing millions into poverty, warns Bahrain Foreign Minister

Since the onset of the war with Iran, traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has declined by more than 90%, a disruption that the UN warns could send 45 million people worldwide into acute hunger.

A worker rides a bicycle at the Zubair oil field in Basra, Iraq, April 6, 2026.

US boots on the ground in Iran could lead to widespread regional conflict, experts say

US forces operating on Iranian soil could trigger an unstoppable chain reaction across global shipping lanes, energy markets, and political fault lines.

US Army Soldiers conduct low-light, live fire training with M240B machine guns in the US Central Command area of responsibility.