• Iran is poised to execute a man on Wednesday for involvement in the protests that have swept the country over economic conditions and the Islamic Republic's 47-year clerical rule, rights groups said. Erfan Soltani, a 26-year-old resident of the northern city of Fardis, could become the first person to be put to death for participating in the protests. US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the US would react strongly if Iranian authorities started hanging people in their crackdown on the uprising. “We will take very strong action if they do such a thing,” he told CBS News. Why it matters: The American leader is increasingly weighing military options against Iran as demonstrations escalate. Read more on the protests here.
  • President Trump said he was about to enter a meeting to discuss Iran at the White House. Returning from Michigan, he told reporters he expected to receive updated death figures amid the regime crackdown on protests. CNN reported that cabinet-level national security officials were seen arriving at the White House on Tuesday afternoon as the meeting to discuss Mr Trump’s options got under way.
  • White House envoy Steve Witkoff secretly met the exiled former crown prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, at the weekend to discuss the protests, Axios reported citing a senior US official. Why it matters: Mr Pahlavi is seeking to position himself as a potential transitional figure should the Islamic Republic collapse.
  • Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia, have been lobbying the Trump administration against a strike on Tehran, after the US warned them to be prepared for such an attack, the WSJ reported. State of play: Gulf diplomacy seems to be on high alert. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani expressed Doha’s support for “all efforts aiming to de-escalate and pursue peaceful solutions” during a phone call with Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said. Separately, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed spoke with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi about bilateral ties. Neither statement directly mentioned the protests.
  • The US designated the Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organisations and named the Lebanese chapter as a foreign terrorist organisation - a more severe classification. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US would harness all tools available to cut off resources used by the Brotherhood chapters to engage in terrorist activity.
  • Hamas is expected to elect a new leader this ‍month, two sources in the group told Reuters, filling the role left vacant since Israel killed Yahya Sinwar in Gaza in 2024.
  • The US urged its citizens to leave Iran immediately, advising them to depart by land to Turkey or Armenia, according to a new notice released by the US virtual embassy in Tehran.
  • The fifth round of Sudan peace talks begins in Cairo on Wednesday as the devastating civil war continues to rage. On Tuesday, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty met Ramtane Lamamra, the UN secretary general’s personal envoy for Sudan, as part of diplomatic efforts ahead of the international meeting aimed at ending the conflict.
  • The Syrian military told the mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to leave areas near the Euphrates River as it encircled the region, days after pushing affiliated Kurdish fighters out of Aleppo, Syria's business and industrial centre. The two sides exchanged fire on Tuesday in an area of eastern Aleppo province, marking a possible escalation after days of clashes in the northern city.
  • As the coldest days of winter settle over the Gaza Strip, a new threat is sweeping through its displaced communities and shattered neighbourhoods: a fast-spreading influenza outbreak that health officials say is unprecedented in the Palestinian territory's history.
  • Lebanon's judicial authorities have charged former central bank governor Riad Salameh for his alleged role in a $44 million embezzlement case.

More goings-on

  • The UAE said it had yet to establish how US President Donald Trump’s announcement of 25 per cent tariffs on Iran’s trading partners would be implemented and how it would affect the supply of food products to the Emirates.
  • Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani has withdrawn his bid for a second term in office, throwing his weight behind former prime minister Nouri Al Maliki instead.
  • UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned Israel he could refer the country ‍to the International Court of Justice if it does not repeal laws targeting UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA and return seized assets and property.
  • The UAE has signed trade deals with the Philippines and Nigeria to expand investment and reduce trade barriers with the countries.
  • Gulf residents have been told the climate will not only become hotter but also more humid, with a newly released report revealing that 2025 was the third-hottest year yet worldwide.
  • Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visits Oman
  • US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosts meeting with Israeli and Moroccan counterparts, Gideon Saar and Nasser Bourita
  • UN Security Council meeting on Yemen

This newsletter was compiled by Vanessa Ghanem, Arab affairs editor.

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