Country Risk Rating

The government has tried to push through number of key economic policies of late. The planned al-Zour refinery, which was scrapped in March 2009, may be back on the table;

According to US Defense Secretary Robert Gates, the security situation would have to worsen significantly in the aftermath of March's parliamentary elections for the US to slow down... 2010-02-24

On February 23, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, chairman of the Assembly of Experts, lent his backing to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as he addressed the body. If... 2010-02-24

In late January, Iran executed two men accused of participating in anti-government protests following the disputed re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009. The executions... 2010-01-29

Shatha al-Musawi, an independent Iraqi MP, is challenging in a federal court the oil contract which BP and its Chinese partner CNPC had won to develop the giant Rumaila oilfield in... 2010-01-29

The Dubai World debt crisis highlighted the changing balance of power within the UAE federation, and Abu Dhabi's last minute bailout will have long-lasting political consequences.... 2010-01-28

Yemen's Shi'a rebel commander Abdul-Malik al-Houthi has announced that the group will withdraw its troops from Saudi territory to avoid any further bloodshed. However, he added the... 2010-01-28

Yemen's Shi'a rebel commander Abdul-Malik al-Houthi has announced that the group will withdraw its troops from Saudi territory to avoid any further bloodshed. However, he added the... 2010-01-28

Saudi Arabia has claimed victory in its conflict with Yemeni Houthi rebels after the army allegedly expelled the last infiltrators from Saudi territory (although the latter might... 2010-01-05

Bahrain and Iran have reinvigorated efforts to defrost bilateral relations following a diplomatic spat between the two countries in early 2009. Iranian lawmakers recently approved... 2010-01-05