Gerd Nonneman

Full issue of *Journal of Arabian Studies* 15.1 now out! In this 🧵: the front pages of all of the articles to whet your appetite, with this rich and varied offering of truly original work ranging from ancient Dilmun to women in Saudi car adverts! tandfonline.com/toc/rjab20/15/1

This analysis by an observer from the Gulf, Hind Al Ansari, is now over a week old but still (indeed even more) apposite today: "Why the Iran war has caught Gulf states in a bind" 972mag.com/gulf-states-ir…

So you want to understand risks and options in the Strait of Hormuz? The @IISS_org has brought together - a retired fighter pilot who has designed and conducted air campaigns - a former officer who knows everything about ground operations and weapons systems - a naval specialist who has studied every major maritime deployment - a shipping industry analyst who understands maritime risk - a Gulf specialist who studies Gulf economies and supply chains iiss.org/events/2026/03…

NEW: Sources tell me frustration inside the Trump White House is mounting over Israel’s latest strikes — with one person familiar describing them as “very reckless.” Qatar has privately warned U.S. officials that targeting energy infrastructure “needs to be stopped,” the source says. More from my reporting with @politico colleagues @scottpwaldman @EliStokols @SophiaCai99 👇 politico.com/news/2026/03/1…

This doesn't just happen. Germany has been a stalwart supporter of Israel, despite clear evidence of its violations of the Genocide Convention in Gaza. The decision not to intervene at the #ICJ is likely bc its best lawyers have told Berlin that doing so can't help a lost case.

EXCLUSIVE: Slovenia’s PM Robert Golob has urged European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to investigate accusations that Israeli spy firm Black Cube interfered in the country’s election campaign, according to a letter we obtained. politico.eu/article/robert…

"As Trump readies a US armada for a war whose aims he cannot articulate, an honest reckoning of geopolitical risks would place his wayward psychology high up." Wrote this a few days before Iran war. Had no idea how quickly it would become THE issue. ft.com/content/8802f7…

3-day moving average of launches is moving back up as Iran ramps up its regional attacks in retaliation for South Pars gas field strike

A group of Israeli soldiers filmed themselves looting homes in Lebanon – like they did in Gaza. Israel’s assault on Lebanon has forcibly displaced over 1 million Lebanese people in less than 3 weeks.

Serious damage as Ras Laffan is bad for everyone. But it's esp bad for the UK. As i pointed out in my primer on N Sea yday, under current plans, by 2035 LNG is due to be the single biggest source of UK gas. Qatar and by extension Ras Laffan was a big part of that plan

Very, very bad news. As I wrote in Material World, Ras Laffan is one of the most important industrial sites not just in the Gulf but in the world. LNG, helium, other products. Massive. Whatever happens next, serious damage to this site could reverberate for months, maybe years.

BOMBSHELL: Iran offered to give away ALL of its enriched uranium during peace talks in Geneva. The British thought it was a credible offer. Hours later, Trump started bombing Iran anyway. The US didn't want peace, they wanted war.

Sums it up.

This is one of the best descriptions of the Ukrainian drone war, and its significance for all of us, that I have read newstatesman.com/international-…

Israeli Ch 15: The initial Israeli Army incursion will occupy a buffer zone containing about 40 villages and towns, which may reach 10-12 kms deep in commanding heights, from which anti-tank guided missiles can be fired. Israel will not allow residents to return and will demolish all structures. During the 2024 war, the strip Israel occupied contained about 30 villages, implying that the new strip occupied by Israel will be broader. See map by @Stinky915846091 google.com/maps/d/u/1/emb…

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s condemnation of the U.S. and Israel’s attack on Iran initially made him an outlier in Europe. Now everyone wants in. politico.eu/article/spain-…

Sayyid Badr has long been worth listening to — the epitome of diplomatic subtlety and determination to preserve dialogue. (plus, Oman first established diplomatic relations with the US way back in the 19th C.) This is not some random functionary’s view…

@Futurical @MofaQatar_EN No it isn’t, actually. Not from Qatari or Omani territory, for sure.

@MofaQatar_EN "....not party to this crisis into the conflict zone."? Seriously? Why are you hosting US Military bases? Is not the US launching attacks on Iran from your borders?

Statement | Qatar Condemns, Denounces Blatant Iranian Attack on Ras Laffan Industrial City Doha | March 18, 2026 The State of Qatar expresses its strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Iranian attack targeting Ras Laffan Industrial City, which caused fires resulting in significant damage to the facility. It describes the attack as a dangerous escalation, a flagrant violation of state sovereignty, and a direct threat to its national security and regional stability. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that despite Qatar's policy of distancing itself from this war since its outset and its commitment to avoiding any escalation, the Iranian side continues to target it and neighboring countries in an irresponsible approach that undermines regional security and threatens international peace. The ministry stresses that Qatar has repeatedly called for the need to refrain from targeting civilian and energy facilities, including within the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in order to preserve the resources of the region's peoples and safeguard international peace and security. However, the Iranian side continues its escalatory policies that are pushing the region toward the brink and drawing countries not party to this crisis into the conflict zone. The ministry affirms that this attack constitutes a violation of UN Security Council Resolution No. (2817), renewing its call on the Council to assume its responsibilities in maintaining international peace and security and to take the necessary measures to stop these serious violations and deter their perpetrators. The ministry also reiterates that the State of Qatar reserves its right to respond in accordance with Article (51) of the United Nations Charter and the right to self-defense as guaranteed by international law, stressing that it will not hesitate to take all necessary measures to protect its sovereignty, security, and the safety of its citizens and residents. #MOFAQatar

My longer read for @DAWNmenaorg on the flawed US/Israeli assumptions when fighting a networked militia with a state "Israel and America are now at war with the largest militia network in the world — a network of networks engineered to endure attrition indefinitely" I am looking at how networks evolve and reshape, and what this means for the potential metamorphosis of the IRGC moving forward dawnmena.org/america-is-bog…

The leading Israeli scholars of the Holocaust and of genocide - Omer Bartov, Daniel Blatman, Amos Goldberg - all agree that Gaza is a genocide. So do Israel’s top human rights groups Btselem and Physicians for Human Rights-Israel. Give it up with the antisemitism smear.

Colossal stupidity indeed!