MUST-READS

• Iran Negotiations
  Iran and the P5+1: Getting to “Yes”

  As in 2005, when now President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif were last in charge of the nuclear portfolio, negotiators are bogged down in a worn-out debate over exactly why Iran insists on uranium enrichment; its economic logic or lack thereof; whether Iran should be subject to restrictions beyond those imposed on other members of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT); and how to calculate the time Iran would need to enrich enough uranium for one weapon – which, assuming other abilities are present, measures its “breakout capacity”.

  • Reuters - Iran's foreign minister hopes for nuclear accord 'in short time left' till deadline
  • Asharq Alawsat - Opinion: Iran’s foreign policy is shifting
• Islamic State
  Islamic State Militants in Syria Now Have Drone Capabilities – Blog

  While the drone may not have been critical in taking the base, it gave militants situational awareness they wouldn’t have had otherwise, Clarke said. “Any small advantage helps. I’d say it’s kind of a force multiplier,” he said. “Any time you can get advanced information by scouting out a position before attacking it is helpful because it helps you plan exactly what kind of resources you are going to need.” For now, it appears that ISIS does not have access to a more advanced armed UAV, though that is not entirely out of the question, Clarke said.

  • Reuters - Video shows Islamic State executes scores of Syrian soldiers
  • LA Times - Terrorism experts see long, tough battle to contain Islamic State
  • BBC - UN demands peacekeepers' release
  • Washington Post - Captives held by Islamic State were waterboarded
• Libya
  Libya’s interim government resigns under pressure – Your Middle East

  Libya's toothless interim government, led by prime minister Abdullah al-Thani, announced late Thursday it had tendered its resignation to the elected parliament, days after a rival Islamist administration was created.

• MERS
  Study finds little spread of MERS-CoV in Saudi households

  The standard thinking on MERS-CoV is that it doesn't spread very easily, other than in healthcare settings with weak infection control precautions. A new study looking for transmission of the virus in the households of Saudi Arabian patients in 2013 seems to fit well with that view, though it has some limitations.

• Oil
  Saudi crude exports fall in June as domestic demand rises

  Saudi crude exports fell in June to their lowest levels in almost three years as oil use in the country’s power sector rose and local refineries processed high volumes, official data showed.

• Pakistan
  Pakistan’s Khan looks isolated as crisis reaches crossroads

  Pakistani opposition politician Imran Khan appeared isolated in his struggle to bring down the prime minister on Thursday after a fellow protest leader announced he was ready to allow thousands of anti-government demonstrators to go home. Pakistan has been gripped by mass rallies for two weeks, with thousands of protesters led by Khan, a cricketer-turned-politician, and cleric Tahir ul-Qadri camped outside parliament demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

• Football
  Prince Alwaleed gives cash incentive for Hilal players

  Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, chairman of Kingdom Holding Company (KHC), awarded each player of Al Hilal SR20,000 after the Riyadh-based football club qualified for the semifinals of the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Champions League.

• SAMA
  SAMA net foreign assets rise to $730 billion

  Saudi Arabia’s M3 money supply growth accelerated to a three-month high of 13.2 percent year-on-year in July from 12.3 percent in the previous month, central bank data showed on Wednesday. Bank lending growth to the private sector slowed to a three-month low of 11.8 percent in July from 12.3 percent in June.

• Syria War Crimes
  How all sides are committing war crimes in Syria

  A report published Wednesday by a United Nations-appointed commission on Syria indicates that both the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and rebel factions seeking its overthrow, including the extremist Islamic State, are guilty of war crimes amid the country's ongoing, brutal civil war. Last week, the U.N. said at least 191,000 Syrians have died since hostilities broke out in 2011.

• Iraq Airstrikes
  U.S. relies on Persian Gulf bases for airstrikes in Iraq

  The U.S. military is relying on bases in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere in the Middle East to carry out airstrikes in Iraq but is masking the locations and other details about the units and aircraft involved to avoid embarrassing partners in the region.

  • Washington Post - Here's everything the U.S. military has hit with airstrikes in Iraq
  • WSJ - Islamists in Iraq Rely on Mines, Booby Traps in Battlefield Strategy
  • NYT - U.S. Mobilizes Allies to Widen Assault on ISIS
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