Iran’s biggest Gulf Arab neighbors are considering joining the US-Israeli war against Iran, and could be pushed to if Tehran attacks their critical infrastructure, according to several people with knowledge of the situation.

The Gulf’s most powerful states, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, in particular, are losing patience with Iranian strikes that have already hit ports, energy facilities and airports, said these people, who requested anonymity in order to speak freely. But they would only join the war if Tehran makes good on its threats to attack vital Gulf power and water infrastructure — a high threshold, the people added. (Bloomberg – Continue Reading)

Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been pushing President Trump to continue the war against Iran, arguing that the U.S.-Israeli military campaign presents a “historic opportunity” to remake the Middle East, according to people briefed by American officials on the conversations.

In a series of conversations over the last week, Prince Mohammed has conveyed to Mr. Trump that he must press toward the destruction of Iran’s hard-line government, the people familiar with the conversations said.

Prince Mohammed, the people familiar with the discussions said, has argued that Iran poses a long-term threat to the Gulf that can only be eliminated by getting rid of the government. (NY Times – Continue Reading)

Foreign ministers from Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan gathered before dawn Thursday in Riyadh for talks aimed at finding a diplomatic off-ramp to the war in Iran.

But there was one big problem, according to Arab officials involved in the discussions: finding a counterpart in Iran to negotiate with. Earlier that week, Israel killed Iran’s national security chief, Ali Larijani, who had been considered a viable partner who could engage with the West. (WSJ – Continue Reading)

The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025” (OBBBA), signed into law July 4, 2025, is a sweeping tax-and-spending package that could reshape federal fiscal policy for decades to come. In a new paper, we provide a comprehensive but, of course, preliminary analysis of the Act. Ultimately, its effects will be better understood as more evidence accumulates over time.

The Act permanently extends the temporary individual income and estate tax provisions enacted in the Tax Cut and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 and expands several of those provisions. It also introduces new targeted temporary deductions for tip income, overtime pay, and senior taxpayers; enacts large business tax cuts, most notably by providing permanent full expensing of many forms of investment; and increases spending on border security and defense. These changes are partially financed by cuts in clean energy incentives and Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and other programs that serve low-income households. (Brookings – Continue Reading)

Managers in Germany are expected to express less optimism about their lot as the Iran war continues to foster economic and logistical uncertainty.

An economists’ poll said the headline business climate index for Germany due Wednesday from the country’s Ifo economics institute was forecast to drop to 86.3 points from February’s reading 88.6.

The expectations measure of the index for the coming six months is projected to decline to 86.6 points from 90.5, with March’s current assessment reading set to ease to 86.2 versus 86.7 in the previous month. (LiveSquawk – Continue Reading)