ElBaradei: The "Arab Collective Mind" Has Almost Ceased to Function

The former Vice President of Egypt and former Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, criticizing the "Arab collective mind," described it as "almost ceased to function" and warned that at a critical juncture when the global order is being reconstructed in geopolitical, economic, social, and technological dimensions, disagreements and divisions have paralyzed the Arab collective mind.

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Mohamed ElBaradei, the former Vice President of Egypt and former Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, wrote on his account on the X social network (formerly Twitter), "The Arab collective mind, at present, due to disagreements and divisions, at a critical juncture when the global order is being reconstructed in various geopolitical, economic, social, and technological dimensions, has almost ceased to function."

He continued, "We must immediately review our current reality comprehensively and honestly and must agree on a vision and strategy that encompasses all Arab thoughts and perspectives; before we face a new order that tramples our rights and interests even more, and we see the signs of such a situation already."

Previously, ElBaradei had also warned about the security situation in the Middle East region and, in a note, listed four factors that cause conditions to change "from bad to worse."

In that note, he wrote, "The region has now become a complex network of conflicting and ambiguous objectives, proxy wars, and temporary alliances. We are moving from a bad situation toward worse conditions."

Hamas condemns Netanyahu’s entry into Al-Aqsa compound

The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has slammed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's illegal entry into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East al-Quds, Palestine.

AhlulBayt News Agency: The Palestinian Hamas resistance movement has slammed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's illegal entry into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East al-Quds, Palestine.

On Sunday morning, Netanyahu released videos and photographs on social media showing his participation in a Jewish ceremony the night before in the tunnels lying underneath occupied East al-Quds’ bustling Old City and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

In a statement on social media, the Palestinian resistance ​​​​​group condemned Netanyahu's illegal entry into the Islamic holy site. 

Netanyahu's incursion “into the tunnels and excavation sites beneath the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Al-Buraq Wall, accompanied by provocative statements, constitutes a flagrant assault on its identity and status.” 

“Al-Aqsa Mosque – in its entirety including its courtyards, prayer halls, walls, and gates – will remain an exclusively Islamic mosque,” Hamas emphasized.

Hamas went on to state the factual evidence pointing to the Islamic identity of the holy site

“This is an established fact: the occupation’s excavations, incursions, rituals and attempts to impose its Biblical narrative will never succeed in altering the site’s identity – or obliterating its landmarks.”

Netanyahu, several ministers and thousands of Israelis entered the Western Wall yard in occupied East al-Quds amid tight security on Sunday.

The al-Quds governorate said in a statement that thousands of Israeli occupiers entered the yard after passing through Wadi Street in the Old City.

The governorate added that the entry was followed by calls for prayers and religious rituals at the Gate of Mercy, one of the gates of Al-Aqsa Mosque. It noted that large numbers of Palestinians had come to the area to pray at Al-Aqsa Mosque and shop in the Old City.

It encouraged Palestinians to come to Al-Aqsa Mosque to counter occupiers' incursions and "thwart the occupation's plans" as Yom Kippur, one of Judaism's major religious observances, approaches.

The Israeli regime forces control the Western Wall, citing its importance as a Jewish holy site repeatedly stormed by Israelis on various occasions.

The al-Quds Jerusalem Islamic Waqf Administration and the governorate say the Western Wall is part of the Islamic holy sites.

The Western Wall plaza, which Israeli authorities keep open around the clock, hosts religious ceremonies, prayers and official Israeli events. Security checks and searches are conducted at entrances.

The Western Wall, also known as the Wailing Wall (Ḥā'it al-Burāq in Arabic), is an ancient praying place for Jews.

However, the Zionists have been pushing a claim to actual ownership of the Wall.

Their claim is rejected, as the Wall is an integral part of the enclosure wall of the Haram al Sharif, and the yard in front of it is a public way and part of the premises of the Abu Midian Waqf.

Authorities always stop Jews from hanging anything on the Wall or placing benches or chairs in front of it, thus causing an obstruction in the public's way and implying ownership.

Some Jews insist on inserting slips of paper with prayers on them into the crevices between the stones in the wall, which has damaged the structure.

Palestinians have for centuries defended the al-Aqsa Mosque Compound's Islamic heritage.

The efforts by the Israeli regime and contemporary plots by Zionists for the division or Judaization of the holy Islamic site -- which is mentioned in the Muslim book, the Holy Quran, and known by Muslims as the first Qiblah -- have always been thwarted.

September 21 Revolution, Natural Continuation of Yemeni Revolutions

A member of the Supreme Political Council and Deputy Chairman of the General People's Congress of Yemen, in a message, congratulated the twelfth anniversary of the September 21, 2014 revolution to Sayed Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, Mahdi al-Mashat, the Yemeni nation, and the country's armed forces, and described this revolution as the natural continuation of Yemen's previous revolutions since 1962.

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Mohammed al-Mansour, a member of the Supreme Political Council and Deputy Chairman of the General People's Congress of Yemen, in a message congratulated the twelfth anniversary of the September 21, 2014 revolution to Sayed Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din al-Houthi, Mahdi al-Mashat, and the Yemeni nation and armed forces.

Dr. Bin Habtoor said in an exclusive interview with Al-Masirah Net, "All Yemeni political and social forces that resisted and preferred to remain in the homeland to confront the Saudi-American aggression deserve congratulations."

He explained, "This revolution is a revolutionary, spiritual, and political continuation of Yemen's previous revolutions; from the September 26, 1962 revolution, the October 14, 1963 revolution, November 30, 1967, and the day of the realization of Yemen's unity on May 22, 1990."

He added, "The most important goal of the revolution is the liberation of political decision-making from any foreign guardianship, and this is the essence of the new revolutionary thought."

Bin Habtoor noted, "We, amid the celebrations of this occasion, are at the peak of the readiness of the armed forces, security institutions, and the government's cultural and media institutions against Saudi aggression."

"The Saudis have gone very far in the air, sea, and land blockade of our nation and have tried to suffocate us economically, financially, and logistically so that the Yemeni nation would kneel."

He referred to the Saudi attack on Sana'a Airport, which was carried out to prevent the landing of a civilian aircraft carrying a national delegation.

This delegation was returning from the Islamic Republic of Iran after participating in the funeral ceremony of the martyred Imam Ali Khamenei and a number of martyrs of the nation who were martyred in the American-Zionist aggression against Iran on February 28, 2026.

He stated, "Why has the Saudi enemy closed Yemen's airports for more than 12 years? Why are patients, students, merchants, academics, workers, and those who want to go for Umrah and Hajj deprived of travel?"

He noted, "When the Islamic Republic provided a civilian aircraft to transport a number of Yemeni citizens, the Saudis became angry and attacked Sana'a Airport and destroyed the runways of our airports."

He asked, "Is this not a strange and astonishing contradiction that forces Arab and Muslim sages to deeply reflect on such sick and abnormal behavior of the rulers of the House of Saud and their dependent and subservient Yemeni mercenaries?"

He noted, "For the first time in Yemen's history and thanks to the September 21 revolution, the Yemeni army, with its hypersonic missiles and drones, was able to close the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea to the Israeli enemy; to the extent that the Port of Umm al-Rashrash in occupied Palestine was also closed, and Yemen's missiles reached the heart of the occupied Palestinian territories. These supports continued for two years and more, in revolutionary and brotherly solidarity with the Gaza Strip."

NYT: Persian Gulf Arab States Seek New Security Arrangements as US Guarantees Falter

The New York Times has reported that Arab countries that have realized they are not a priority for the United States are seeking a new security umbrella.

ABNA24 -The recent regional war, which began with US and Israeli aggression against Iran in late February and had far-reaching consequences for not only the region but the entire world following Iran’s forceful response, has prompted the Persian Gulf states to recognize major gaps and shortcomings in their security system, which was based largely on reliance on the United States.

In this context, Arab sources reported that over the past several months, some Persian Gulf countries have begun considering new arrangements to protect their security and are seeking to open channels for direct dialogue with Iran on issues including navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.

The US newspaper The New York Times reported in this regard that the Persian Gulf states have long relied on US security guarantees, but more than six months of repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks have clearly exposed the shortcomings of those guarantees.

The New York Times added that some US bases in the Persian Gulf countries have been almost completely destroyed in Iranian attacks, while energy infrastructure in these countries, including Saudi Arabia, has also sustained heavy damage. Against this backdrop, officials in the Persian Gulf states are now seeking alternative ways to protect their security, including turning to direct diplomacy with Iran.

The US newspaper, quoting analysts, wrote that regional leaders have no choice but to seek alternative security arrangements, as the US-Israeli war with Iran exposed the vulnerabilities of the Persian Gulf states and further increased Iran’s influence.

Bader Al-Saif, a professor of history at Kuwait University, told The New York Times about the situation facing the regional countries: “We are stuck at a point where, while preserving part of the past, we are trying to build something new. We need to break free from this obsession with external protection.”

The report goes on to say that the war has inflicted heavy losses on the United States and its regional allies, and that Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz represents a major strategic setback and an economic blow to energy exporters in the Persian Gulf states.

The New York Times stated that the inability of the US military to repel Iranian attacks represents another strategic failure that could have serious consequences for the Persian Gulf states and the ability of the United States to project power.

The US media outlet added that, nevertheless, Bahrain and other Persian Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, have no single, unified alternative to serve as a guarantor of their security.

The report further stressed that the Persian Gulf states have spent billions of dollars on advanced weapons, but their militaries are smaller and weaker than Iran’s, while China and Russia, despite their close relations with the Persian Gulf states, did not come to their aid.

Iraqi Scholar: Iraqi Government Distanced Itself from Neutrality, Leaned Toward the American Axis

The Baghdad Friday Prayer Leader and prominent professor at the Najaf Ashraf Seminary, criticizing the Iraqi government's approach to regional developments, emphasized that the government must defend Iraq's national interests and sovereignty and prefer national interests over foreign dependency. According to him, the Iraqi government has distanced itself from the position of neutrality and leaned toward the American axis.

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Ayatollah Sayed Yassin al-Moussawi, the Baghdad Friday Prayer Leader and prominent professor at the Najaf Seminary, in his political sermon on Friday, September 18, 2026, referring to regional and global developments, said, "Religious and national duty requires that a person state the truth and stand against oppression."

Referring to what he called competition and confrontation among different axes in the region, he added, "One of these axes is America and its allies, and the other axis is the resistance axis, which supports the oppressed nations in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Bahrain, and other areas."

The Baghdad Friday Prayer Leader, criticizing the performance of various Iraqi governments, especially the current government, stated, "The Iraqi government has distanced itself from the position of neutrality and leaned toward the American axis, and some official positions and statements are not compatible with defending the interests of the Iraqi people and sovereignty."

Ayatollah al-Moussawi expressed doubt about America's ability to create stability in the region and said, "America's wars and interventions in the region and the world show that real stability passes through the path of peace and the preservation of nations' rights, not through military bases and political domination."

Criticizing the reliance of some Persian Gulf states on American military bases, he added, "These bases have not provided the expected security for these countries and, at the same time, have contributed to the continuation of regional tensions."

The Baghdad Friday Prayer Leader went on to refer to the Yemen war and America's role in supporting Saudi Arabia's policies and warned about the consequences of America's military presence and interventions in the region.

Ayatollah al-Moussawi warned about accusations against the resistance in Iraq and said, "One cannot accuse resistance groups without providing evidence and documentation."

The prominent professor at the Najaf Ashraf Seminary, in reaction to government statements about the firing of missiles from Iraqi soil toward Saudi Arabia, also called for a careful investigation and examination of this issue before issuing statements and making hasty decisions.

The Baghdad Friday Prayer Leader also criticized the closure of Iraq's borders with Iran and said, "This decision has created many problems for Iraqi pilgrims, especially women, children, and the elderly."

In another part of his remarks, he emphasized the necessity of protecting Iraq's interests in the fields of oil, gas, and electricity and said, "Iranian gas plays a role in supplying Iraq's energy, and cutting economic cooperation can harm low-income and needy groups."

Ayatollah al-Moussawi also, referring to the economic consequences of closing the borders, said, "This action leads to an increase in the prices of goods and harm to merchants and citizens."

The Baghdad Friday Prayer Leader concluded by calling on the Iraqi government and the Coordination Framework coalition to fulfill their responsibility toward the people's rights and to avoid unjust decisions and attempts to impose military control.

He emphasized, "Creating a just government requires proper management, respect for citizens' rights, and preferring national interests over foreign dependency."

Bahraini Preachers Oppose, Issuance of Permits for Preaching, Sermons

Bahraini preachers, in a statement, announced their opposition to the decision regarding the organization and issuance of permits for preaching, sermons, and guidance, and considered it, in principle, an assault on the religious characteristics of the followers of the AhlulBayt (a.s.).

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Bahraini preachers announced in a statement that they oppose the decision regarding the organization of permits for preaching, sermons, and guidance, and considered this decision, in principle, an assault on the sanctity and religious characteristics of the followers of the AhlulBayt (a.s.).

The statement reads that Sharia has encouraged its followers toward preaching, sermons, and guidance and has permitted these matters for them; rather, it has established their performance at the level of a collective obligation. Sharia has also explicitly and without any ambiguity emphasized the independence of these matters from any institution other than the institution of Sharia.

Bahraini preachers added that mourning ceremonies and mourning processions in this country have been held on this basis for hundreds of years and emphasized that for matters that Sharia has permitted, there is no need to obtain a permit; just as no permit is sought for performing prayers, fasting, and other religious obligations and rituals.

The statement continues that any interaction with this decision, in any form, is absolutely rejected and is a sin that does not emanate from those who wear the garment of service to the AhlulBayt (a.s.).

Bahraini preachers also emphasized that they do not accept the issuance or receipt of any permit or official license of this type from any institution and will not even accept receiving such a permit.

The statement concluded by calling on all preachers, eulogists, and panegyrists to shoulder their grave responsibility in this regard.

From Oil to Weapons; How Does War Against Iran Erode America's Markets and Capacities?

The consequences of the US war against Iran have gone beyond the borders of the battlefield and affected energy markets, raw materials, and defense industries.

AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): When we assess the economic cost of the US war against Iran, oil tops the list. The International Energy Agency has described what happened as the largest disruption in oil supply in the history of the global market. To the extent that the cumulative reduction in supply by June exceeded 1.3 billion barrels. This crisis also prompted the International Energy Agency to coordinate an emergency drawdown of oil reserves. A volume more than double the amount of oil released after the start of the Ukraine war in 2022.

But Morgan Bazilian, director of the Payne Institute for Public Policy and former energy specialist at the World Bank, in an article in The Washington Post, believes that oil is only the first layer of a broader crisis. According to him, the war has shaken an interconnected chain of markets, from gas, helium, and chemical fertilizers to metals and precision industries. Many of these materials also lack strategic reserves that could be resorted to in the event of supply cuts.

On the other hand, Nadia Shadlow, a researcher, in an article in Foreign Affairs magazine, believes that erosion encompasses not only markets but also reveals the limitations of America's military model. A model that had long counted on short and decisive wars, while America's rivals now have greater capacity to turn confrontation into a long test of ammunition, industries, and political will.

Disruption in 6 Markets

Bazilian, in his article in The Washington Post, considers Qatar's Ras Laffan liquefied natural gas facility a small example of this entanglement. After Iranian missiles targeted two production lines of this facility in March, QatarEnergy predicted that exports of gas condensates would decrease by 24 percent, helium by 14 percent, liquefied gas by 13 percent, and naphtha and sulfur by 6 percent. Additionally, 17 percent of liquefied natural gas production capacity will also be lost.

The repair process may take between 3 to 5 years, and Doha has estimated the annual revenue loss from this situation at about 20 billion dollars.

According to Bazilian, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the disruption of Ras Laffan facility operations together have removed about one-fifth of the world's liquefied natural gas supply from the market. Unlike oil, gas transported by sea cannot be easily rerouted through pipelines. As a result, prices in Asia surged, and Japan and South Korea once again turned to increased reliance on coal. Thailand also increased its renewable energy targets and, for the first time, opened the way for the use of nuclear energy. A change that the country's energy minister directly linked to the US war against Iran.

This chain extends to materials that are less visible in news headlines. Helium is essential for MRI machines, the chip industry, and aviation, and unlike oil, it cannot be stored for long periods. Sulfur is also used in industries related to copper and silicon. Bazilian notes that the US Department of War needs these raw materials to rebuild radar systems that consume large amounts of copper.

Meanwhile, aluminum prices reached their highest level in four years after two of the largest smelting plants in the Persian Gulf region were targeted.

With propane prices surging, families in parts of South Asia and Africa once again turned from gas stoves to coal and open fires. At the same time, the price of urea, one of the most important fertilizers used for grains, increased from about $450 to about $700 per ton, and factories in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan were forced to reduce or halt their production.

Erosion as a Weapon

Militarily as well, Foreign Affairs places the Iran war within the framework of a broader pattern of wars of attrition. Wars in which the side with greater technological superiority does not necessarily win, but rather the side that can compensate for its losses and, at the same time, impose heavy costs on the rival.

America and the Zionist regime's superiority in the conventional balance of power is significant, but Iran has spent several decades creating tools to compensate for this imbalance. Shadlow says that Iran's network of proxy forces in the region, alongside relatively cheap missiles and drones, forces America and the Zionist regime to consume expensive interceptor missiles and use their advanced ships and aircraft at a high rate.

In such an equation, Tehran does not need to match its rivals technologically. It is enough to continue rebuilding and renewing its tools and increase the cost of countering them.

Foreign Affairs explains that military power is not measured solely by the size of GDP or defense budget, but also by the ability to continuously convert these resources into ammunition, interceptor missiles, and war-ready systems. The Ukraine war had also previously shown that Western defense industries, designed for peacetime conditions, face difficulty in rapidly compensating for equipment that a long war consumes.

In Iran, this dilemma is repeated in another form. According to Foreign Affairs, America has been able to inflict significant damage on Iran's military capabilities and target the country's fortified nuclear facilities, but has not achieved a truly decisive result.

Military weakening of one side does not necessarily mean reaching an agreement. When the objectives of both sides are broad and retreat from them is difficult, the confrontation shifts from an effort to achieve a decisive result to a competition to measure which side can endure longer.

A War Beyond the Battlefield

Therefore, Foreign Affairs warns that Washington may find itself embroiled in a type of war it would prefer not to. From Shadlow's perspective, the danger is not that America lacks the ability to enter a war of attrition. Rather, it is that this country continues to structure and prepare itself based on the assumption that it will not have to experience such a war.

Energy prices and other economic consequences may also test this assumption before the battlefields clarify its fate. Even the economic pressure campaign against Iran requires political will that can bear its costs over time. Meanwhile, according to this magazine, the most realistic outcome could be the continuation of the confrontation for a long time, without achieving a clear and decisive result.

Bazilian concludes by taking the scope of these developments beyond Iran itself. The world energy system before the war was based on the assumption that the Strait of Hormuz would remain open and that energy and raw materials would be transported through this route at predictable and reliable times. But this assumption has now been cracked, and several countries are accordingly readjusting their energy sources and supply chains.

This author believes the lesson Washington should learn from this situation goes beyond the price of oil or the cost of war inside America. The world has become so interdependent that an attack on one facility can spread its consequences across continents, industries, and multiple markets.

According to him, the US war against Iran will eventually end one day, but its effects on the global economy may last longer than the war itself.