Middle East Today | The National

The US and Iran are engaging in crucial talks in Muscat today. A diplomatic push by Arab and Gulf states has helped to keep the planned meeting on track, after disagreements over the format and venue threatened to derail it.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country was entering the negotiations with its eyes wide open, seeking a durable agreement amid fears that failure in the high-stakes talks could ignite a massive war in the Middle East.
But even as the US moves toward diplomacy, the White House is seeking input from prominent Iranian Americans who could assist in any transition should Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei be toppled, sources told The National.
A prisoner exchange took place between Ukraine and Russia following the conclusion of talks in Abu Dhabi. A total of 18 Emirati mediations took place during the crisis.
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said fighting ISIS and ending bloodshed in Syria is a "priority" after weeks of fighting. He was in Damascus on Thursday as part of a Middle East tour aimed at addressing crises involving Syria, Iran and ISIS.
Britain sanctioned six individuals suspected of committing atrocities in Sudan's war or of fuelling the conflict through the supply of mercenaries and military equipment, the government said. The measures targeted senior commanders in both the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has ‌detained two ships in the Gulf ‌accused of carrying ‍more than ‍a million litres of smuggled fuel, state media reported.
The leading UN expert on global terrorism has warned that Al Qaeda is pursuing a new strategy of expansion, highlighting the group's recent growth in Yemen as an imminent threat. “Across the sea, AQAP is the vanguard of Al Qaeda at the moment,” Colin Smith, the co-ordinator of the terrorism monitoring team for the UN Security Council told an event at London's Rusi think tank.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, directed a relief response depot in the emirate to send 91.6 tonnes of aid to flood-affected communities in Mozambique.
Lebanon is set to unveil a Gulf-backed investment in its digital sector in the coming weeks, the country's Minister of State for Technology and Artificial Intelligence Kamal Shehadi told The National in an interview, as the war-ravaged country seeks to revive its battered economy.