MUST-READS

• Iran Negotiations
  Ahead of talks, Iran says West must drop ‘illogical’ nuclear demands

  Iran said world powers should abandon their "illogical demands" over its nuclear program, ahead of talks on Thursday to try to bridge wide differences in positions and end the decade-old dispute by late November. Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, one of Iran's chief negotiators, was speaking before a meeting in Vienna with senior officials from the three European members of the group of six world powers involved in the negotiations with Tehran.

• Israel-Palestine
  Israeli troops kill Palestinian during West Bank

  Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian on Wednesday during a raid on a West Bank refugee camp, Palestinian medics and the Israeli military said.

• Iraq and IS
  Kerry in Iraq to congratulate new premier, build alliance against Islamic State

  Kerry met with new Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and other senior officials. His visit is timed to precede President Obama’s speech Wednesday evening laying out a multi-pronged plan to confront militants who have seized large swaths of Iraqi and Syrian territory with stunning speed and battlefield prowess.

  • NPR - Obama To Push Military Campaign Against Islamic State Militants
  • Center for American Progress - Defeating ISIS: An Integrated Strategy to Advance Middle East Stability
  • The Hill - ISIS is spreading, experts warn
  • Defense News - Republican Leaders Want Clear Islamic State Plan from Obama
  • BBC News - John Kerry says world cannot watch IS evil spread
• Algosaibi
  Saudi’s Algosaibi Makes Restructuring Moves

  Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi & Brothers, a Saudi Arabian conglomerate that defaulted on its debts almost five years ago amid allegations of fraud, said a steering committee has been formed in a bid to advance its $6 billion restructuring.

• Saudi Arabia and Iran
  Iran and Saudi Arabia: Detente on the Horizon?

  After all, sabotage is the policy instrument of choice of the hardline faction in Tehran when it sets its mind to defending the status quo. For a brief moment, the hawks seemed hell-bent on sabotaging Rouhani’s Saudi initiative. The day Abdollahian arrived in Riyadh, Fars News—the mouthpiece of the IRGC—reported that an alleged Israeli drone shot down over Iran’s Natanz nuclear facility had been launched from a base in Saudi Arabia.

• Private Sector Growth
  Saudi private sector growth hits 3 year high in August

  Saudi Arabia's non-oil business activity grew in August at its fastest pace in more than three years, as rises in output, new orders and employment all gained momentum, a new survey has showed. The seasonally adjusted SABB HSBC Saudi Arabia Purchasing Managers Index rose to 60.7 points last month - the highest level since July 2011 - from 60.1 points in the previous month. Any reading above 50 points indicates expansion; anything below, contraction.

• Khamenei
  Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei has prostate surgery

  The Ayatollah's appearance on TV before the surgery and announcement of the news by himself is a clear change of approach. Either he knows that the critical situation in Iran and the region cannot bear another rumour of his death, or he has decided to be more open about his personal life, our reporter adds.

  • Huffington Post - Sports Diplomacy With Iran: Breaking Barriers, Bridging Differences
• Counter-Terrorism
  Top Saudi cleric urges Muslims to fight IS militants

  Saudi Arabia's top cleric has urged Muslims to confront the "oppressive" Islamic State militant group if it fights Muslims after seizing swathes of Iraq and Syria, media reports said Sunday (Sep 7).

  • Gulf News - Five female militants face trial in Saudi Arabia
• Islamic State
  Sunni Tribes Join Iraqi Forces in Battle Backed by U.S. Airstrikes

  Sunni tribes joined forces with Iraq's Shiite-dominated military, backed by U.S. airstrikes, in a coordinated assault on insurgents, an operation hailed by Iraqi politicians as a model for the cooperation needed to defeat Sunni extremists. The Sunni tribes had been fighting Islamic State militants for months around the town of Haditha, where a strategic dam is located. But they only succeeding in beating back the fighters...

  • WSJ - U.S. Launches Airstrikes in Haditha, Expanding Iraqi Bombing Campaign
  • New York Magazine - Meet the Female Recruiters of ISIS
  • Guardian - Obama says he will outline Isis strategy in speech on Wednesday
  • Juan Cole Blog - Top 5 Signs the US is de facto allied with Iran versus ISIL
  • AP - Arab League chief: Confront Islamic State group
• Saudi GDP
  How Big Is the Saudi Economy? Does the World Bank Know?

  The Bank (2012) now estimates the total size of the Saudi economy at $1,462 billion, yet as recently as 2010—if the data table posted to the left is accurate—it had assessed it instead at a mere $593 billion. As of 2013, both the IMF and the CIA provide figures that are closer to the World Bank’s earlier estimation than to its current figure ($937 billion US and $928 billion respectively).

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