Latest World News: Interviews

Healey to Asharq Al-Awsat: UK Has More Jets Flying in the Region Than at Any Time in the Last 15 Years

Interviews British Secretary of State for Defense John Healey arrives for a cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, 24 March 2026.  EPA/ANDY RAIN

Healey to Asharq Al-Awsat: UK Has More Jets Flying in the Region Than at Any Time in the Last 15 Years

British Defense Secretary John Healey revealed Wednesday that UK pilots and aircrew have flown over 1,200 hours on defensive missions across the Middle East…

Najlaa Habriri (London)
Interviews Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares. Photo: Foreign Ministry

Spain’s FM Backs Saudi Arabia, Tells Asharq Al-Awsat that Iranian Attacks Are ‘Unjustified’

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares has expressed Madrid’s support to Saudi Arabia, describing Iranian attacks on the Kingdom and other countries in…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Interviews Governor of Hadramout, Salim Al-Khanbashi delivers a press conference in the city of Mukalla in Yemen's coastal southern Hadramout province on January 19, 2026. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP)

Al-Khanbashi to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Warn Against Incitement, Hadramout Has Room for All

Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) member and Governor of Yemen's eastern Hadramout province Salem al-Khanbashi says he believes that “Hadramout triumphed…

Badr Al-Qahtani (Riyadh)
Interviews Iraqi Justice Minister Khaled Shwani

Iraqi Justice Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: ISIS Prisoners Held at a Fortified Site, Escape Impossible

Iraqi Justice Minister Khaled Shwani told Asharq Al-Awsat that Iraq will not repatriate foreign prisoners affiliated with ISIS to their home countries if their…

Ali Saray (Baghdad)
Interviews Ukrainian soldiers at an undisclosed location in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region on January 30, 2026 (AFP)

Ukrainian Official to Asharq Al-Awsat: Russia’s Demands to Annex Territory are a Red Line

A senior Ukrainian official said Kyiv is concentrating its negotiating efforts with Russia on achieving an unconditional ceasefire, while stressing the need…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)

Interviews  Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour (AFP)

Mansour to Asharq Al-Awsat: US Logic Grants Israel ‘License to Kill’

Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour has urged the UN Security Council to “immediately intervene” to halt what he called a “genocidal operation”…

Ali Barada (Washington )
Interviews Secretary-General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Haitham Al-Ghais

OPEC Secretary General: Lack of Oil Investments Threatens Growth

Secretary-General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Haitham Al-Ghais warned of the danger of ending investment in the oil and gas…

Interviews The Ministry of Local Administration in Yemen aims to enhance decentralization (Saba News)

Yemeni Local Administration Minister Says Pursuing Decentralization Within Legal Frameworks

Yemen’s Local Administration Ministry is committed to achieving decentralization in all provinces without discrimination, affirmed Minister Hussein Abdulrahman…

Ali Rabih (Aden)
Interviews  The trial of Saddam and the senior officers of his regime (Getty)

Allawi Recounts Assassination Attempt, Says They Sneaked into Morgue to Check his Body

In the seventies, two young men left Iraq to escape from then-deputy Saddam Hussein and his murderous security machine. The first is Nouri al-Maliki, a member…

Ghassan Charbel (London)
Interviews Former Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi during his interview with Editor-in-Chief Ghassan Charbel (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Allawi: I Refused to See Saddam Detained by the Occupation

How difficult it is to talk about Saddam Hussein, despite the distance that separates us from the date of his execution, on Dec. 30, 2006. The truth is that…

Ghassan Charbel (London)
Interviews Mikati attends the UN General Assembly sessions in New York. (The Lebanese government’s X page)

Lebanon Caretaker PM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Berri’s Dialogue Call is in Everyone’s Interest

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, has blamed the Christian political parties for the delay in implementing the reforms required by the…

Ali Barada (New York)
Interviews Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi (Reuters)

Tokyo to Enhance Security Coordination, Strengthen Strategic Saudi-Japanese Dialogue

Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi, who is currently visiting the region, emphasized the strategic nature of the relationship between Riyadh and Tokyo…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Interviews Tom Laliberty, President of Land Warfare and Air Defense at Raytheon (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Raytheon: Saudi Prowess in Supplying Defense Industries Globally

Tom Laliberty, President of Land Warfare and Air Defense at Raytheon, unveiled that the company was collaborating with the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces to…

Mosaed al-Zayani (Riyadh)
Interviews Maj. Gen. Imad Othman honors officers retiring (ISF Website)

Lebanese Internal Security Chief Warns of Political Impact on Stability

In less than nine months, if the current political deadlock in Lebanon persists, the management of the Internal Security Forces (ISF), a pivotal sector in the…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Interviews Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs Abdullatif bin Abdulaziz Al-Sheikh (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Al-Sheikh to Asharq Al-Awsat: We are Working Gradually to Eliminate Destructive Ideas

Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah, and Guidance Dr. Abdullatif Al-Sheikh said that the ministry was gradually applying a strategy to save the country…

Saeed Al Abyad (Makkah)
Interviews File photo from the Al-Omar oil field in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor. The image was captured after the conclusion of military operations and the expulsion of ISIS elements (Asharq Al-Awsat)

AANES Utilizes Half of Syrian Oil Wells, Traders Sell to Damascus at Symbolic Rates

Over the course of twelve years of ongoing conflict in Syria, the dossier of oil and energy has remained an enigmatic puzzle. Ever since oil and gas fields…

Asharq Al Awsat (Raqqa)
Interviews Hikmet Hajiyev, the Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of Azerbaijan. Photo: Yazeed Al-Samrani

Azerbaijan Presidential Advisor: We Are Establishing a Strong Strategic Relationship with Saudi Arabia

Hikmet Hajiyev, the Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of Azerbaijan, has affirmed that his country is in the process of establishing a robust strategic…

Fatehelrahman Yousif
Interviews Former Afghan Ambassador and Deputy Shukria Barakzai (Exclusive – Asharq Al-Awsat)

Shukria Barakzai to Asharq Al-Awsat: I was on Taliban’s Hated List

Shukria Barakzai, the former Afghan ambassador to Norway and a human rights activist, said she was on the Taliban's wanted list after the fall of Kabul in 2021…

Interviews A file photo of the resigned member of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, Dr. Aisha Musa (Reuters)

Aisha Musa Criticizes ‘Opportunists’ of Sudan’s Crisis

As all eyes turn to Jeddah, where a new round of negotiations is expected to start between representatives of the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces …

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Interviews The minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan, Sirojiddin Muhriddin (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Tajik Foreign Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Gulf-Central Asian Road Map for the Next 5 Years

As Dushanbe and Riyadh are seeking to enhance bilateral and multilateral relations, a high-level Tajik diplomat unveiled a joint action plan that would…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Interviews Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Eng. Waleed Elkhereiji (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Deputy FM: Erdogan’s Visit Deepens Historical Relations

Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Eng. Waleed Elkhereiji said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Saudi Arabia extends the countries’ efforts to…

Zaid Bin Kami (Riyadh)
Interviews King Abdullah Economic City (SPA)

ECZA Sec-Gen to Asharq Al-Awsat: SEZ is Ready to Attract Investors

The Economic Cities and Special Zones Authority (ECZA) is currently considering incentive packages and necessary exemptions tailored to the requirements of…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Interviews A Boeing 787 of the Riyadh Airlines is displayed at the Paris Air Show (AP)

President of Boeing International to Asharq Al-Awsat: We are Keen to Support Saudi Arabia’s Efforts to Explore Space

Dr. Brendan Nelson, President of Boeing International (BI), stressed that the American company was keen to support Saudi Arabia in developing its plans for…

Mosaed al-Zayani (Riyadh)
Interviews Norwegian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Thomas Lid Ball (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Oslo, Riyadh Look to Boost Trade, Cooperation in Green Energy, Aquaculture Fields

A Norwegian diplomat revealed that his country is actively seeking to enhance economic cooperation with Saudi Arabia, particularly in the fields of green…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Interviews Carlos Ghosn speaks to Asharq Al-Awsat

Carlos Ghosn to Asharq Al-Awsat: I Will Seize Nissan’s Properties in Lebanon, the World

Former Chairman of the Board of Nissan Carlos Ghosn said he was serious in suing the company “to compensate for the moral and physical abuse he suffered as a…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Interviews  Hemedti’s political advisor, Youssef Ezzat

Hemedti’s Advisor to Asharq Al-Awsat: Al-Burhan is not the Target

The advisor to the commander of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for political affairs, Youssef Ezzat, said that his forces partially control the general…

Aidroos Abdulaziz (London)
Interviews Shao Zheng, Chargé d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Yemen (Photo: Saad al-Anzi)

China Calls on Houthis to Abandon Military Option, Return to Dialogue

Shao Zheng, Chargé d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Yemen, said that the Yemeni crisis was going through a sensitive and important stage that is fraught…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Interviews  British Minister for the Middle East, Lord Tariq Ahmad (Asharq Al-Awsat)

British Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Cooperation with Saudi Arabia a Fundamental Pillar in Confronting International Terror Threats

Lord Tariq Ahmad, the British Minister for the Middle East, emphasized the persistent global challenge posed by ISIS, stating that it cannot be effectively…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Interviews Prayers being performed around the Holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque of Mecca, Saudi Arabia (AFP)

OIC Chief to Asharq Al-Awsat: Two Mln Pilgrims from 57 Islamic Countries

Hissein Brahim Taha, the Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), stated that officials in Islamic countries have confirmed the…

Saeed al-Abiad (Jeddah)