Bahrain FM: Qatar Orbits Iran, Failed to Present Initiative to Resolve Crisis

Bahrain Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa speaks during a news conference in Manama, Bahrain, August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
Bahrain Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa speaks during a news conference in Manama, Bahrain, August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
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Bahrain FM: Qatar Orbits Iran, Failed to Present Initiative to Resolve Crisis

Bahrain Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa speaks during a news conference in Manama, Bahrain, August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
Bahrain Foreign Minister Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa speaks during a news conference in Manama, Bahrain, August 29, 2016. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo

Bahrain’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad Al Khalifa said that Qatar was still “orbiting Iran”, adding: “We have not seen any sign of Qatar’s initiative to resolve the crisis, so we are still waiting for this step.”

“We are not losers,” he said. “We are concerned about the stability and prosperity of our countries, the security and progress of our peoples before anything else, and it is up to them - the Qataris - if they want to resolve their crisis or not.”

On the Gulf Summit in Kuwait, the Bahraini minister said: “The summit [will be held] on time, upon an invitation by the host country.”

Asked about US President Donald Trump’s remarks on the possibility to terminate the nuclear deal with Iran, Sheikh Khaled said: “We welcomed his speech and the strategy he put forward, and we have been waiting for it for a long time.”

He explained: “Bahrain welcomed this strategy because it is one of the countries that have suffered the most from Iranian terrorism and Iranian interventions, and we are waiting for this strategy to progress and achieve its objectives and not be withdrawn.”

The Bahraini minister underlined the convergence of the strategy launched by Trump with the vision of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain towards Iran’s role in the region.

“Now we see a clearer picture than before, a sound vision and a sense of danger in the region, where Iran represents the greatest threat to security and stability,” he noted.



Saudi Leadership Offers Condolences to Libyan Presidential Council on Death of Chief of Staff

Turkish search and rescue team members arrive to the crash site of a jet carrying Libya's army chief of staff Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad near Kesikkavak village, Türkiye, December 24, 2025. (Reuters)
Turkish search and rescue team members arrive to the crash site of a jet carrying Libya's army chief of staff Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad near Kesikkavak village, Türkiye, December 24, 2025. (Reuters)
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Saudi Leadership Offers Condolences to Libyan Presidential Council on Death of Chief of Staff

Turkish search and rescue team members arrive to the crash site of a jet carrying Libya's army chief of staff Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad near Kesikkavak village, Türkiye, December 24, 2025. (Reuters)
Turkish search and rescue team members arrive to the crash site of a jet carrying Libya's army chief of staff Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad near Kesikkavak village, Türkiye, December 24, 2025. (Reuters)

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud sent on Friday a cable of condolences to President of Libya's Presidential Council Dr. Mohamed Al-Menfi on the death of the Chief of the General Staff of the Libyan Army and his companions following a plane crash in Türkiye earlier this week.

King Salman extended his sincere condolences and sympathy to the president and the families of the deceased.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, sent A-Menfi a similar cable.

Experts have started analyzing the black boxes recovered from the jet crash in Türkiye that killed eight people, including western Libya’s military chief, the Turkish defense ministry said Thursday. The probe was being done in coordination with Libyan officials.

The private jet with Gen. Mohammed Ali Ahmed Al-Haddad, four other military officers and three crew members crashed on Tuesday after taking off from Ankara, killing everyone on board.

Libyan officials said the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane.


UAE Welcomes Saudi Efforts to Support Security in Yemen

The UAE said it welcomes Saudi efforts to support security and stability in Yemen. (Reuters)
The UAE said it welcomes Saudi efforts to support security and stability in Yemen. (Reuters)
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UAE Welcomes Saudi Efforts to Support Security in Yemen

The UAE said it welcomes Saudi efforts to support security and stability in Yemen. (Reuters)
The UAE said it welcomes Saudi efforts to support security and stability in Yemen. (Reuters)

The United Arab Emirates welcomes Saudi Arabian efforts to support security and stability in Yemen and ​remains committed to backing stability in the country, the UAE’s foreign ministry said on Friday.

"The UAE reaffirmed ‌its ⁠steadfast ​commitment to ‌supporting all endeavors aimed at strengthening stability and development in Yemen," it added.


Yemeni Government Welcomes Saudi Statement on Hadhramaut, Al-Mahra

A view of Yemen's interim capital Aden. (Reuters)
A view of Yemen's interim capital Aden. (Reuters)
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Yemeni Government Welcomes Saudi Statement on Hadhramaut, Al-Mahra

A view of Yemen's interim capital Aden. (Reuters)
A view of Yemen's interim capital Aden. (Reuters)

The Yemeni government welcomed on Thursday the statement by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, praising its "clear and responsible stance on recent developments in Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra governorates."

The government acknowledged the Kingdom’s "persistent efforts to contain the escalation, protect the interests of the Yemeni people, and maintain security and stability in the eastern governorates."

In a statement carried by the official news agency SABA, the government commended "the leading role of Saudi Arabia, in coordination with the United Arab Emirates, in supporting the de-escalation process, restoring normalcy, upholding the state’s institutional frameworks, and reinforcing the role of local authorities, all under the supervision of the coalition forces."

The government reiterated "its full support for the Kingdom’s efforts, emphasizing the importance of prioritizing the public interest, exercising restraint, and urgently ending the escalation to restore peace, social security, and national unity."

The stability of Hadhramaut and Al-Mahra and the integrity of their social fabric remain a top national priority, it added.

"Any security or military measures taken outside the state’s constitutional and institutional frameworks, or without coordination with the Presidential Leadership Council, the government, and local authorities, are unacceptable and create unnecessary tension during this sensitive period," it warned.

The government underlined Yemen’s "firm stance on the Southern cause, describing it as a just cause with historical and social dimensions."

It noted that "significant progress has been achieved through national consensus, ensuring justice, partnership, and the preservation of social peace, far from any logic of dominance or escalation."