Becky Anderson

Diplomacy vs. conflict: I asked @mashabani if the powerful players in Iran are all on the same page. He says the objectives are the same, but the question is how to achieve them.

With no end in sight to disruption in the Strait of Hormuz, the UAE is scaling up pharmaceutical production. I spoke to @BurjeelHoldings CEO about the impacts and resilience of the healthcare system here:

What would a workable U.S.-Iran deal look like for the UAE and its regional allies? @AlOraibi weighs in.

“We’re not on the same page in the Gulf,” @bmalsaif tells me about the UAE’s deepening cooperation with Israel.

@ICRC After visiting Gaza in February, @ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric says she was "shattered" by the scale of destruction and "inhumane" living conditions. She estimates more than 60% of goods are banned from entry -- which holds up any efforts to rebuild the enclave.

.@ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric decries the "deplorable" situation for more than one million people in Lebanon who have been displaced by fighting:

"What I saw in Iran is a vast population, 90 million people, they're in a constant anticipation of the next war and that defines the daily decisions." @ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric tells me after her trip to Tehran

The IRGC posted a map declaring Iranian military control over a wider area of the Strait of Hormuz, including Fujairah here in the UAE. But @JAParker29 tells me it’s more of an “information operation rather than a physical military control.”

The Pentagon insists the US-Iran ceasefire is not over, but could Trump still restart the war? @jasmineelgamal gives me her take:

Told @BeckyCNN that Trump's escalation appears driven by frustration that his blockade has failed, but if he truly brings US naval ships into the Persian Gulf, he will give Iran more targets and risk US casualties in a manner that he had managed to avoid during the war itself.

The Strait of Hormuz closure has disrupted global food supply. Here's how, according to @fertiglobe CEO @aelhoshy. (2/2)

How does the Middle East's largest fertilizers producer navigate the Strait of Hormuz closure? @fertiglobe CEO @aelhoshy tells me about the company's workaround. (1/2)

Emirati business tycoon @mohamed_alabbar spoke to me about why he believes the UAE remains a global safe haven.

A stroke of a pen in a Finance Ministry. But aid cuts don’t stay on paper. In Somalia, they mean less food and medicine – and clinics further away. My interview with @BeckyCNN:

.@UNReliefChief tells me his teams on the ground “are choosing which kids to save and which kids not to save.” He stresses this is yet another example of how the Iran war is worsening an already dire situation in Somalia.

The fragile political construct in #Lebanon will not allow Netanyahu & Aoun to meet in the White House anytime soon. The ceasefire is set to come apart, as Hezbollah takes advantage of Trump publicly putting the cabash of Bibi. Hezbollah’s purposeful attacks on northern #Israel, not just occupation in the south, are a pressure cooker. ⏳💥 With @BeckyCNN

“The GCC politically is dead,” @FirasMaksad tells me, suggesting the UAE’s exit from OPEC isn’t just economic, it signals deeper Gulf fractures.

In his testimony against @OpenAI, Elon Musk compared training AI to raising a “child.” @ShellyPalmer can only shake his head at this analogy. Here’s why:

Speaking to @BeckyCNN on @CNNConnect, CGEP senior research scholar @ProfessorKaren says the Gulf is no longer moving as one, with the war creating clear winners and losers. ▶️ Watch here: cnn.com/2026/04/27/bus…