GECF Summit in Moscow
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian is in Moscow to attend the 8th summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum and hold talks with Russian and Qatari leaders. Pezeshkian is expected to address the summit, where discussions will focus on global gas markets and energy cooperation. Before departing for Moscow, the Iranian president said talks will also revolve around securing transit routes and ensuring uninterrupted energy supplies. He is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin to discuss bilateral relations and expanding cooperation between Tehran and Moscow. Pezeshkian is also due to sit down with the Qatari Emir on the sidelines of the summit.
Saudi aggression against Yemen
A senior Yemeni official has rejected Saudi Foreign Ministry's claims about de-escalation in the region, saying the statement contradicts the regime’s continued aggression against Yemen. Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, said the real action that Saudi Arabia must take is to stop its aggression, lift the blockade, and withdraw from the entire territory of Yemen. He said Yemen wants an end to Saudi aggression, the lifting of the blockade, and compensation for the destruction done to the country since 2015. He also touched on the so-called Mecca Defence Alliance, saying it is an attempt to portray Saudi Arabia as being keen on peace in the region while it continues the aggression against Yemen. Al-Houthi stressed that Yemenis are not afraid of any alliances, emphasizing that such alliances must be directed towards confronting the Israeli enemy. He said the so-called Mecca alliance only serves American and Israeli hegemonic projects in the region. He called on the alliance's members to withdraw from it and do not engage in any act of aggression against Yemen.
Europe energy crisis
Natural gas prices have skyrocketed to a four-year high in Europe, amid rising supply fears over reports of another US-Israeli aggression against Iran. Wholesale gas prices hit 97 euros on Monday, with dropping temperatures triggering higher demand. That’s a record high since the beginning of Russia’s war against Ukraine in 2022. Another aggression against Iran is feared to add to the current plunge in supplies, after the US-Israeli war on Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. The closure of the key energy chokepoint has already left European gas reserves at their lowest pre-winter levels in a decade. Disruptions at Hormuz have also shot up oil prices to near-record levels of 115 dollars a barrel, leading to a major cost-of-living crisis in the Western world, including Europe.
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