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 Washington ‘Continues’ to Consider Classifying ‘Houthi Entities’ on Terrorist Lists

Washington ‘Continues’ to Consider Classifying ‘Houthi Entities’ on Terrorist Lists

Over the course of nine months, Tim Lenderking, the US special envoy to Yemen, has engaged in meetings and visits to the Arab region more than 13 times, in…

Muath Alamri (Washington)
Interviews Omani Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Time to Revive Transportation of Saudi Oil to Arabian Sea

Omani Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: Time to Revive Transportation of Saudi Oil to Arabian Sea

Oman’s Economy Minister Said bin Mohammed al Saqri said the economic cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the Sultanate of Oman has increased since the…

Merza al-Khuwaldi (Muscat)
Interviews The UK Hopes for Ambitious and Innovative Targets in COP26

The UK Hopes for Ambitious and Innovative Targets in COP26

The crucial COP26 summit opened Sunday in Glasgow, on the backdrop of calls to grasp the world’s “last, best hope” to keep global temperatures from rising by…

Najlaa Habriri (Glasgow)
Interviews Ahmadinejad: ‘No War in the Region Will Have Any Winners’

Ahmadinejad: ‘No War in the Region Will Have Any Winners’

US has helped install Taliban in Afghanistan which will lead to a resurgence of Al Qaeda, only to clash with Iran, but this plan will be foiled soon, Iran’s…

Camelia Entekhabifard (Camelia)
Interviews Togolese FM: We Look Forward to Strategic Partnership with Saudi Arabia

Togolese FM: We Look Forward to Strategic Partnership with Saudi Arabia

Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey revealed that his country, which enjoys the highest living standards in Africa, is moving closer to building a…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Interviews Meslet to Asharq Al-Awsat: US Shows Partiality in Dealing with Syrian Opposition Parties

Meslet to Asharq Al-Awsat: US Shows Partiality in Dealing with Syrian Opposition Parties

President of the National Coalition for Opposition and Revolutionary Forces of Syria Salem al-Meslet confirmed, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat in…

Muath Alamri (Washington)
Interviews Iraqi Minister of Culture to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Are Working On Real Partnerships with Saudi Arabia

Iraqi Minister of Culture to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Are Working On Real Partnerships with Saudi Arabia

Iraqi Minister of Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, Dr. Hassan Nadhem, said that his country’s participation as a guest of honor at the Riyadh International…

Interviews Czech FM Expresses Concern Over Iran’s Nuclear Path

Czech FM Expresses Concern Over Iran’s Nuclear Path

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, Jakub Kulhanek, has expressed Europe’s growing concern over Iran’s nuclear path, and stressed the need…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Interviews Saudi Military Industries Eye Localization, Tech Transfer Partnerships

Saudi Military Industries Eye Localization, Tech Transfer Partnerships

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI), responsible for localizing, organizing, and empowering the military industries sector in the…

Badr Al-Qahtani (London)
Interviews Hood to Asharq Al-Awsat: Biden Administration Did Not Ignore the Arab Region

Hood to Asharq Al-Awsat: Biden Administration Did Not Ignore the Arab Region

Many observers of the US foreign policies have always doubted the desire of the Biden administration to engage directly and effectively in the Middle East, or…

Muath Alamri (Washington)
Interviews Leading Taliban Member to Asharq Al-Awsat: Our Govt Is Ready, to Be Announced in Days

Leading Taliban Member to Asharq Al-Awsat: Our Govt Is Ready, to Be Announced in Days

Member of the Taliban’s politburo Suhail Shaheen revealed that internal consultations and talks have been completed and a new Afghan government will be…

Huda al-Husseini (London)
Interviews Attias Says FII Institute in the Process of Launching Indicators to Help Government Policymakers, Private Sector

Attias Says FII Institute in the Process of Launching Indicators to Help Government Policymakers, Private Sector

Richard Attias, CEO of the Future Investment Initiative Institute, said that the Institute seeks to create a journey of realistic solutions to help humanity…

Mosaed al-Zayani (Riyadh)
Interviews Taliban Spokesman to Asharq Al-Awsat: Sharia Rule Not up for Debate

Taliban Spokesman to Asharq Al-Awsat: Sharia Rule Not up for Debate

For several years, the Taliban’s official spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, had avoided appearing in the media, while still racking up hundreds of thousands of…

Mohammed Helal (London)
Interviews Taliban Spokesman to Asharq Al-Awsat: Our Rule Will be Islamic, We Have Learned from the Past

Taliban Spokesman to Asharq Al-Awsat: Our Rule Will be Islamic, We Have Learned from the Past

Dr. Mohammad Naim, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s political office, stressed that his movement has sent out assurances within Afghanistan, the neighboring…

Mohammed Helal (London)
Interviews Afghanistan’s Yunus Qanuni Says Is in Constant Contact with Ahmad Massoud

Afghanistan’s Yunus Qanuni Says Is in Constant Contact with Ahmad Massoud

Yunus Qanuni, former speaker of Afghanistan’s parliament, is in constant contact with Ahmad Massoud, he told Independent Persian in an interview. “Ahmad…

Camelia Entekhabifard (Camelia)
Interviews Japanese FM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Strategic Partnership with Saudi Arabia, Concerns Over Syrian Stalemate

Japanese FM to Asharq Al-Awsat: Strategic Partnership with Saudi Arabia, Concerns Over Syrian Stalemate

In an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said that Saudi Arabia “is not only the cornerstone of stability…

Ibrahim Hamidi (London)
Interviews Afghans See Khalilzad as Responsible for Current War, Says Female Leader, Former MP

Afghans See Khalilzad as Responsible for Current War, Says Female Leader, Former MP

Shukria Barakzai is a former Kabul MP, who also served as Afghanistan’s ambassador to Norway. Among the progressive Afghan women, she has also had the…

Camelia Entekhabifard (Camelia)
Interviews Yemen Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: 3rd of Grants Go to Administrative Expenses of Organizations

Yemen Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: 3rd of Grants Go to Administrative Expenses of Organizations

The legitimate government and donors are evaluating alternatives for organizations that refuse to disclose bank statements for their activities in Yemen,…

Abdulhadi Habtor (Riyadh)
Interviews Nobel Laureate: No Positive Change in Iran So Long as Constitution Hasn’t Changed

Nobel Laureate: No Positive Change in Iran So Long as Constitution Hasn’t Changed

Shirin Ebadi, Iranian lawyer and winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, has criticized Enrique Mora, a deputy to European foreign policy chief Josep Borrell for…

Camelia Entekhabifard (Camelia)
Interviews Relatives of Beirut Blast Victims to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Won’t Be Silenced

Relatives of Beirut Blast Victims to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Won’t Be Silenced

A year after the cataclysmic blast at Beirut Port, the relatives of the victims are still awaiting answers and demanding justice, all of which remain elusive…

Fatıma Abdullah (Beirut)
Interviews Syrian Maso Brothers: From ‘Death Boats’ to Emotional Embrace at Tokyo Olympics

Syrian Maso Brothers: From ‘Death Boats’ to Emotional Embrace at Tokyo Olympics

A photo of two Syrian brothers, competing for different teams at the Olympics, hugging each other in Tokyo went viral on social media earlier this week. …

Ibrahim Hamidi (London)
Interviews Head of Lebanon Banks Association to Asharq Al-Awsat: Non-State Logic Accelerates the Collapse

Head of Lebanon Banks Association to Asharq Al-Awsat: Non-State Logic Accelerates the Collapse

As the political stalemate in Lebanon exacerbates the financial, economic and monetary crisis, banking and monetary files pose a major challenge to the…

Thaer Abbas (Beirut)
Interviews Greek Foreign Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Are Not Accrediting Our Chargé d'Affaires to the Assad Regime

Greek Foreign Minister to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Are Not Accrediting Our Chargé d'Affaires to the Assad Regime

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias told Asharq Al-Awsat in an interview published Saturday that his country does not want Syria to be a “failed state,” and…

Ibrahim Hamidi (London)
Interviews Oman FM to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Are Coordinating with Riyadh over Regional Issues

Oman FM to Asharq Al-Awsat: We Are Coordinating with Riyadh over Regional Issues

Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi revealed that the upcoming summit between Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Sultan Haitham bin Tariq will witness…

Merza al-Khuwaldi (Muscat)