Saudi Monarch

Iran, Russia, Turkey to call for int’l conference on Syria

Rouhani, Putin and Erdogan say the end of the war in Syria is at hand [PPIO]
The Presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey have concluded a tripartite summit on Syria in Sochi and say there is a real chance for peace now that the Islamic State has been largely defeated.
With IS forces routed in Syria (and Iraq), a cessation of hostilities in full effect, and hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees returning home, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that there is a real chance a political settlement will end the seven-year civil war.

Analysis: Alliances shift in the Middle East as all roads lead to Moscow

The Saudi monarch is in Moscow, as Iranian and Turkish leaders meet in Tehran
The visit of the Saudi monarch to Moscow all but cements Putin as the central figure in Middle Eastern politics [PPIO]
As US media continues to speculate on the motives behind the tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas and the press in the UK critique Prime Minister Theresa May’s latest policy speech, there have been significant changes in Middle Eastern alliances.