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Militaryseverity 9

Kuwait seeking expanded defence agreement with Pakistan: Report

Kuwait seeking expanded defence agreement with Pakistan: Report Submitted by MEE staff on Fri, 07/17/2026 - 17:32 Kuwait is home to around 14,000 US troops, but has emerged as particularly vulnerable to attacks from Iran and its Iraqi partners Kuwait's new emir, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, salutes as he is sworn in as the country's 17th ruler at the Kuwaiti parliament, on 20 December 2023 in Kuwait City (Yasser al-Zayyat/AFP) Off Kuwait is negotiating an expanded defence agreement with Pakistan in exchange for energy cooperation and investment with the South Asian country, according to a Reuters report. A Pakistani official told Reuters that Kuwait wanted Islamabad to deploy "thousands of Pakistani troops on the ground, fighter jets, drones, an air defence system, and other defence-related facilities”. The talks, while at an early stage, underscore how the regional security landscape is being upended by the US-Israeli war on Iran. Oil-rich Kuwait has endured some of the most intense Iranian strikes in retaliation for the war. On Friday, Kuwait said a power and desalination plant had been seriously damaged by Iranian strikes. Kuwait’s outreach to Pakistan is notable because the Gulf state is home to around 14,000 US troops, more than any other country in the Middle East. The US also has two large bases there - Camp Arifjan and Ali al-Salem Air Base. Pakistan is a US security partner and enjoys particularly close ties with the Trump administration. It also has cordial ties with Iran, which has allowed it to carve out a key mediator role. The ceasefire that Pakistan and Qatar helped broker between Washington and Tehran is under serious pressure amid an escalation in fighting. But the talks with Kuwait reveal how Islamabad is becoming an alternative, or supplementary power, to the US in the Gulf. In September 2025, Saudi Arabia signed a mutual defence agreement with the Muslim world’s only nuclear-armed state. Kuwait's vulnerability During the height of Iran’s strikes on Gulf states, some Saudi commentators raised the defence pact with Pakistan, saying it places them under the latter’s nuclear umbrella. A US official told MEE at the time that Islamabad was wary of some of this language and discussed it with Saudi Arabia. 'Vulnerability exposed': War on Iran will change how the US bases troops in Gulf Read More » Pakistan has leaned on its cordial ties to Iran to lobby against strikes on the kingdom, including from Iran’s allies in Yemen, the Houthis. Reuters reported in May that Pakistan also deployed 8,000 troops, a fighter jet squadron and a Chinese air defence system to the kingdom. Pakistan and Kuwait signed a security agreement in 2023 that outlined mutual training and exercises, but expanding the agreement to include a mutual defence clause, similar to the Saudi deal, would likely carry greater risk for Islamabad. Saudi Arabia is the Arab world’s largest economy and home to the two holiest cities in Islam, Mecca and Medina. It has much more leverage over Iran than Kuwait, a country of just five million people. The US military only entrenched itself in Kuwait in the 1990s, after Saddam Hussein’s invasion. During the Ottoman era, Kuwait was part of a province that included Basra, Iraq. Kuwait’s geography in the Gulf has made it especially vulnerable to missile and drone attacks from both Iran and Iraqi militias during the war. Inside Kuwait News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0

July 29, 2026

Militaryseverity 9

UN chief condemns attacks on civilian sites

UN chief condemns attacks on civilian sites UN chief Antonio Guterres said Friday that attacks on civilian infrastructure are "unacceptable," after Iran accused the United States of targeting bridges and transport hubs. "The Secretary General remains deeply concerned by the continuing military escalation between Iran and the United States of America," spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters. "He's particularly concerned about attacks on civilian infrastructure in Iran and across the region. Such attacks are unacceptable," he added.

July 29, 2026

Socialseverity 6

July 29, 2026

Geopoliticalseverity 6

European Stocks Drop on Mideast Escalation Fears, Tech Selloff

European shares extended declines Friday as geopolitical tensions and a technology-stock selloff weighed on markets.

July 29, 2026

Socialseverity 6

San Antonio to Borrow $944 Million for Major Airport Expansion

San Antonio, one of the fastest-growing US metro areas, is tapping the bond market for almost $1 billion as part of an ambitious program to expand and improve its airport.

July 29, 2026

Geopoliticalseverity 8

The Spanish-language broadcaster has won over millions of US viewers with its energetic commentary during games Soccer fans looking to watch the 2026 World Cup on US television have been presented with two very different options this tournament. The first is Fox One , a cousin of Fox News owned by the same parent company and the sole network airing matches in English in the US. Audiences tuning in to Fox, which acquired the exclusive English broadcast rights in 2015, are met with coverage that reflects the network’s “America first” aesthetic, with promos for pro-Trump talkshows, advertising breaks during games and the frequent, grating presence of host Alexi Lalas. Continue reading...

July 29, 2026

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