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 Abdullah al-Senussi seen in court. (Reuters file photo)

Senussi’s Tribe to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Don’t Know if He’s Dead or Alive

Libya’s Magarha tribe stressed that it does not know the fate of its son, Abdullah al-Senussi, former chief of intelligence in the regime of ousted ruler…

Jamal Jawhar (Cairo)
Interviews Greek Minister of Development and Investment Adonis Giorgiadis (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Greek Development Minister: Cooperation between Riyadh, Athens Has No Limits

A high-ranking Greek official said that the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Greece would establish a strategic partnership between the two…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Interviews Vice-President of the Indonesian People’s Consultative Council Dr. Muhammad Hidayat Nur (Photo: Saad al-Dossary)

Saudi-Indonesian Talks for Cooperation in Military Industries, Employment

Dr. Muhammad Hidayat Nur, Vice-President of the Indonesian People’s Consultative Council, said that talks were underway between Riyadh and Jakarta to find a…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Interviews The UNDP’s Resident Representative in Kabul, Afghanistan, Abdullah Dardari (Asharq Al-Awsat)

UNDP Official in Afghanistan to Asharq Al-Awsat: Taliban, ISIS Locked in Brutal War

The UNDP’s Resident Representative in Kabul, Afghanistan, Abdullah Dardari, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the political dialogue between the international body and…

Ibrahim Hamidi (London)
Interviews Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Yemen FM: Biden's Visit Presents Opportunity to Achieve Consensus on Yemen Crisis

Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak considered the upcoming visit of US President Joe Biden to Saudi Arabia an opportunity to achieve regional and…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Interviews Jim E Risch, US Senator for Idaho

Senator Risch to Asharq Al-Awsat: Biden Should Strengthen Partnerships to Confront Iranian Threats

Prominent US congress members have welcomed President Joe Biden’s trip to the Middle East. Wide criticism leveled against the Biden administration for its…

Rana Abtar (Washington)
Interviews The head of the Libyan elders’ national reconciliation council, Sheikh Mohammed Al-Mubasher (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Al-Mubasher: Foreign Initiatives Are Doomed to Fail Unless Imposed on Libyans by Force

The head of the Libyan elders’ national reconciliation council, Sheikh Mohammed Al-Mubasher, has called on the parties to the political conflict to make…

Jamal Jawhar (Cairo)
Interviews Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths

Griffiths to Asharq Al-Awsat: Climate, Conflict and Cost-of-living Threaten World’s Poorest

Asharq Al-Awsat has asked Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths about the three biggest threats…

Badr Al-Qahtani (London)
Interviews The secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissein Brahim Taha (Asharq Al-Awsat)

OIC Secretary-General: E-Draw Consolidated Fairness in Pilgrim Selection

The secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissein Brahim Taha, said that the success of the Hajj seasons every year was “a clear…

Saeed al-Abyad (Jeddah)
Interviews Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak, Asharq Al-Awsat

Yemeni FM: Lebanon’s Vowed Measures against Houthi Channels Remain Mere Ink on Paper

Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Mubarak has heavily criticized Lebanon-based Hezbollah’s interference in the Yemeni crisis and demanded that the country take…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Interviews Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Minister of Industry: We Have Identified 50 Mining Sites to Offer to Investors

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Al-Khorayef said that the Kingdom has identified 50 sites that are believed to contain minerals in…

Asharq Al Awsat (London)
Interviews Arcapita CEO Atif Abdulmalik. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Arcapita’s CEO: We Have Successfully Executed 100 Investment Transactions with a Total Value of $31 Billion

Atif Abdulmalik, Chief Executive Officer of Arcapita Group Holdings (Arcapita), a Sharia compliant global alternative investment firm, has set out Arcapita’s…

Mosaed al-Zayani (Manama)
Interviews Former member of Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council, Mohammed al-Faki Suliman.

Faki to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Don’t Want New Partnership with Military

Mohammed al-Faki Suliman, a former member of Sudan’s ruling Sovereign Council, expressed his optimism that the military would cede power to civilians in his…

Ahmed Younes (Khartoum)
Interviews Head of SDC Ilham Ahmed (Asharq Al-Awsat)

SDC’s Ahmed: Washington Rejects Any Turkish Attack Inside Syrian Territory

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is once again threatening to launch a new cross-border military operation in Syria against the remaining areas of the…

Kamal Sheikho (Qamishli)
Interviews Participants gather at the 51st annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, 22 May 2022. EPA/GIAN EHRENZELLER

WEF: Youth Unemployment, Inequality and Climate Change Top Challenges Facing MENA

Running the team that manages the WEF’s relations and initiatives with the Middle East and North Africa, Maroun Kairouz has a busy portfolio on his hands. …

Najlaa Habriri (Davos)
Interviews Yemeni Army Chief of Staff to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Are Ready to Decide Battles, Achieve Victory

Yemeni Army Chief of Staff to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Are Ready to Decide Battles, Achieve Victory

Yemen Armed Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Sagheer bin Aziz confirmed that the forces of the legitimate government are fully prepared to decide the battle and…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Interviews Borrell: Russia Not Invited to Syria Brussels Conference Because of Aggression on Ukraine

Borrell: Russia Not Invited to Syria Brussels Conference Because of Aggression on Ukraine

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told Asharq Al-Awsat in an interview that the European Union holds onto its three “red lines” which involve not…

Ibrahim Hamidi (London)
Interviews Siniora to Asharq Al-Awsat: Boycott of Parliamentary Elections Hands Lebanon over to Hezbollah

Siniora to Asharq Al-Awsat: Boycott of Parliamentary Elections Hands Lebanon over to Hezbollah

Former Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora is racing against time to persuade Sunnis to take part in the upcoming parliamentary elections, which kicked off…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Interviews Head of Yemen Reconciliation Commission to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Are Keen on Peace, Stability

Head of Yemen Reconciliation Commission to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Are Keen on Peace, Stability

Head of the Consultations and Reconciliation Commission of the Yemen Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), Mohammed al-Ghaithi revealed that the body will…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Interviews  Nissan: Dynamism of Saudi, UAE Markets a Key Factor for Company’s Regional Growth

Nissan: Dynamism of Saudi, UAE Markets a Key Factor for Company’s Regional Growth

Nissan’s Chairperson for the region of Africa, Middle East, India, Europe and Oceania (AMIEO) Guillaume Cartier said the vehicle market in Saudi and the United…

Mosaed al-Zayani (Dubai)
Interviews Saudi Arabia to Start Manufacturing Drones, Eyeing Foreign Exports

Saudi Arabia to Start Manufacturing Drones, Eyeing Foreign Exports

Saudi Arabia’s INTRA Defense Technologies CEO Abdulsalam Ghamdi said unmanned aircraft systems have become a useful technology for many fields, indicating that…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Interviews Al-Burhan: I Broke The ‘Three No’s’ In the Interest of My Country, No Secret Visits to Tel Aviv

Al-Burhan: I Broke The ‘Three No’s’ In the Interest of My Country, No Secret Visits to Tel Aviv

General Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman al-Burhan, chairman of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council, revealed that there is a major Saudi investment…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Interviews Geagea to Asharq Al-Awsat: Arabs Are Not Concerned with Lebanon of Qassem Soleimani

Geagea to Asharq Al-Awsat: Arabs Are Not Concerned with Lebanon of Qassem Soleimani

The Lebanese Forces’ main slogan for its electoral campaign – “We want and we can” – has emphasized the political party’s willingness and determination to…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Interviews Astrazeneca: Our Vaccine Helped Save More Than One Million Lives

Astrazeneca: Our Vaccine Helped Save More Than One Million Lives

In the global fight against "Covid-19”, AstraZeneca has become a household name for millions of people around the world. It has supplied over 2.7 billion doses…

Najlaa Habriri (London)