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 The seal of the United States Department of State is seen in Washington, US, January 26, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts

Washington Reaffirms Commitment to Relations with Saudi Arabia, Region at Large

A distinguished US official expressed her country's strong and enduring bond with Saudi Arabia, thanking the Kingdom for its crucial role in important matters…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Interviews Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Abdulfattah Mashat (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Deputy Minister of Hajj: Full Return of Pilgrim Numbers to Pre-Pandemic Levels

Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Abdulfattah Mashat affirmed that the ministry has used the same process as before the coronavirus pandemic to…

Saeed al-Abiad (Makkah)
Interviews The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen. AFP

UN Envoy Says Syria at ‘Critical Time,’ Needs to Act

The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen has lauded the Arab initiative on Damascus, stressing the importance of taking it into consideration…

Ibrahim Hamidi (London )
Interviews Ismail Omar Guelleh, President of Djibouti

President of Djibouti: Challenges are Great, Jeddah Summit Strengthens Arab Action

While all eyes will turn to Jeddah on Friday, when the Arab Summit will convene amid complex geopolitical conditions and multiple Arab crises, topped by the…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Interviews Ambassador Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League

Sudan, Palestine at the Top of Jeddah Summit Files

With the ongoing preparations for the Arab League summit in Jeddah on Friday, Ambassador Hossam Zaki, Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, spoke…

Interviews Jomaili to Asharq Al-Awsat: Poison Ring from Baghdad to London Kills Target, Handler

Jomaili to Asharq Al-Awsat: Poison Ring from Baghdad to London Kills Target, Handler

The imprisonment of Salem Al-Jomaili, director of the US branch of the Iraqi intelligence agency under Saddam Hussein, alongside high-ranking officials of the…

Ghassan Charbel (London)
Interviews Salem Al-Jomaili, director of the US branch of the intelligence agency under Saddam Hussein (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Jomaili to Asharq Al-Awsat: Punishing Gaddafi, Assad… Financial Aid to Chirac, Plot to Kill Danielle Mitterrand

The lack of camaraderie between Saddam Hussein and Muammar Gaddafi stemmed from their distinct personalities, with the latter nurturing a delusion of being the…

Interviews French Ambassador to Yemen Jean-Marie Safa during his meeting with Yemeni President Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, in March 2023 (Twitter)

French Ambassador to Yemen: Houthis’ Obstacles Hinder Solution

French Ambassador to Yemen Jean-Marie Safa said that the Houthis were their own enemies, warning the Iranian-backed group of the growing gap with the Yemeni…

Abdulhadi Habtor ( Riyadh)
Interviews Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta

Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta: Wagner is Fighting in Sudan

A prominent leader in the Sudanese army, Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta, said that the army fully controls all the provinces of the country, with the…

Interviews Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (Getty Images)

Chinese FM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Beijing-Riyadh Relationship Based on Modern Foundations

China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang has emphasized that his country’s approach to its relationship with Saudi Arabia is based on contemporary foundations. He…

Interviews South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Deng Dau

South Sudan Foreign Minister Stresses Continuous Efforts to Stop the War

South Sudan’s Foreign Minister Deng Dau warned against the expansion of the war in Sudan, which he said directly affects his country in terms of security,…

Interviews Bahsani: Yemen’s Presidential Council will Seek to Achieve Stability in North, South

Bahsani: Yemen’s Presidential Council will Seek to Achieve Stability in North, South

Major General Faraj Salmin al-Bahsani, member of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, confirmed that the council will lead the stage in the North and…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Interviews Khalid Youssif to Asharq Al-Awsat: Collapse of Sudanese State Possible if War Persists

Khalid Youssif to Asharq Al-Awsat: Collapse of Sudanese State Possible if War Persists

Khalid Omer Youssif, one of Sudan’s notable opposition figures and former minister, characterized the ongoing conflict in the North African country as a futile…

Ahmed Younes (Khartoum)
Interviews Siddiq Haftar to Asharq Al-Awsat: My Visit to Khartoum Is Not Political

Siddiq Haftar to Asharq Al-Awsat: My Visit to Khartoum Is Not Political

Siddiq Haftar, the eldest son of Marshal Khalifa Haftar, commander-in-chief of the Libyan National Army, confirmed that his visit to Sudan, where he met with…

Khaled Mahmoud (Cairo)
Interviews Libya’s Bashagha to Asharq Al-Awsat: I Will Remain in My Post Until Elections Are Held

Libya’s Bashagha to Asharq Al-Awsat: I Will Remain in My Post Until Elections Are Held

Head of Libya’s government of stability, Fathi Bashagha announced that he would remain in his position until “all Libyan parties” agree on electoral laws,…

Interviews Bathily to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Support Any Agreement that Leads Libya to Recovery

Bathily to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Support Any Agreement that Leads Libya to Recovery

Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Libya and Head of the UN Support Mission in Libya Abdoulaye Bathily stressed that his…

Jamal Jawhar (Cairo)
Interviews Abu Al-Ragheb: King Abdullah Warned Bush against Opening Gates of Hell in Iraq

Abu Al-Ragheb: King Abdullah Warned Bush against Opening Gates of Hell in Iraq

Former Jordanian Prime Minister Ali Abu Al-Ragheb revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat, and for the first time, the behind-the-scenes dealings related to the build up…

Mohammed Khair al-Rawashdeh (Amman)
Interviews Former French Ambassador to Asharq Al-Awsat: Washington Accused Us of Lying about WMD in Iraq

Former French Ambassador to Asharq Al-Awsat: Washington Accused Us of Lying about WMD in Iraq

Former French Ambassador Maurice Gourdault-Montagne, who recently published a remarkable book entitled "The Others Don't Think Like Us," experienced the US…

Michel Abou Najm (Paris)
Interviews Barzani to Asharq Al-Awsat: At Secret Meeting, Americans Informed us of Decision to Oust Saddam

Barzani to Asharq Al-Awsat: At Secret Meeting, Americans Informed us of Decision to Oust Saddam

Saddam Hussein’s shadow often looms large over my meetings with Masoud Barzani. My career has allowed me to follow the thrilling and painful tales of both…

Ghassan Charbel (Erbil)
Interviews Amr Moussa to Asharq Al-Awsat: The Wound has not Healed, Political Miscalculation Led to Iraq's Fall

Amr Moussa to Asharq Al-Awsat: The Wound has not Healed, Political Miscalculation Led to Iraq's Fall

Meeting the veteran diplomat, Amr Moussa, always clarifies historical events, especially that for decades, he was a maker and a witness to the course of Arab…

Interviews Al-Kadhimi to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi-Iranian Talks Were Frank, Comprehensive, Fruitful

Al-Kadhimi to Asharq Al-Awsat: Saudi-Iranian Talks Were Frank, Comprehensive, Fruitful

Saudi-Iranian talks conducted in Baghdad were frank, comprehensive, and fruitful, former Iraqi prime minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi told Asharq Al-Awsat days…

Interviews Lebanon: Mikati Says Parties Rejecting Cabinet Meetings Better Elect a President

Lebanon: Mikati Says Parties Rejecting Cabinet Meetings Better Elect a President

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati hailed the latest development in the Saudi-Iranian relations, stressing that Lebanon supports any "consensual"…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Interviews Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim: Politicians’ Performance Destroys Lebanon

Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim: Politicians’ Performance Destroys Lebanon

A week after leaving his post as the head of Lebanon’s General Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat about his departure, refusing to…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Interviews Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs: US Regional Presence Will Not Diminish, We Have Strong Security Partnerships

Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs: US Regional Presence Will Not Diminish, We Have Strong Security Partnerships

US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf defended Washington’s policy in the Middle East and stressed that her country realizes…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)