In the Middle East, it was a week of the center trying to hold off more anarchy being loosed upon the world. Mustafa Saadoon reports on clandestine efforts from Iraq’s prime minister to keep local Iranian-backed militias on the sidelines of the Iran-Israel fight. Meanwhile, as Asrar Chbaro notes, the U.S. is trying to push Syria into helping disarm Hezbollah, and Pakistan’s leadership is working to center its country as a stabilizer in the region.
Stateside, the World Cup is finally here, and MBN will report from across the U.S. on how the world’s biggest tournament is playing out in a time of high conflict. MBN will take you beyond the goals and into the stories, featuring an American twist on this global experience.
Welcome again to the MBN Friday Briefing, the weekly roundup of our best reporting on stories shaping developments in the Middle East and Washington.
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This Week on MBN
Iraqi Militias Warned to Keep Quiet
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Zaidi is working behind the scenes to stop Iran-backed militias in Iraq from joining the latest confrontation between Iran and Israel, says MBN’s Mustafa Saadoon. The Iraqi government has launched intensive talks with key faction leaders while warning that any group acting outside state authority could face legal action and be branded as a terrorist group. The government has received tentative assurances that some of the most powerful militias are leaning toward restraint, say Saadoon’s sources. However, officials remain cautious because of their close ties to Tehran.
Read the article here
Will Syria Help Disarm Hezbollah?
Syrian soldiers sit atop a tank as they head toward the Syrian-Lebanese border following clashes with Lebanese soldiers and armed groups, in Qusayr, Syria, March 17, 2025. Reuters/Karam al-Masri. Pictures of the Day.
President Donald Trump said Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa “would want to help” reach an agreement over the conflict in Lebanon, reviving speculation about a possible Syrian role in the push to disarm Hezbollah. MBN’s Asrar Chbaro explores what that role could actually look like and examines Syria’s strategic calculations and Lebanon’s deep unease over any renewed Syrian involvement in Lebanon.
Read the article here
The New ME Power Broker
Vehicles move past a billboard of the Chief of Defense Forces of Pakistan, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in the background, in Karachi, Pakistan, May 21, 2026. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
Pakistan’s military chief, Asim Munir, is trying to turn his country into a major player in the Middle East, writes MBN’s Abubakar Siddique. Instead of focusing only on India, he’s building alliances with Saudi Arabia, expanding defense ties, and seeking a bigger diplomatic role. But experts warn that this strategy could drag Pakistan into regional wars while its own security and economy remain fragile.
Read the article here
China’s Next Move Starts with Taiwan
China sees Taiwan as the key to outflanking Japan and the Philippines, Matt Pottinger, former deputy national security advisor, told MBN’s Min Mitchell and Leila Bazzi. He also said China’s influence in the Gulf runs through energy, Iran, tech, and surveillance. Pottinger argued that the U.S. needs a much bigger defense budget to keep up.
Watch the video here
China’s Shadow Fleet
Hundreds of Chinese vessels have been moving in organized formations near Japan, reports MBN’s Randa Jebai. Alhurra’s tracking found repeated deployments involving thousands of ships in the East China Sea. The vessels look like fishing boats, but data suggests they are being directed by the Chinese navy itself. Some are equipped with radar and sonar tools that can feed intelligence to China’s navy. Beijing denies a military role, but the investigation points to a highly organized maritime militia.
Watch the video here
The Lost Ottoman Spirit
Turkey’s annual celebrations of the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople have become a source of pride at home and controversy abroad. But MBN Magazine writer Mustafa Akyol argues that the real Ottoman legacy is not triumphalism or nationalism—rather, pluralism. The Ottoman Empire survived by managing diversity, not by imposing a single identity, says Akyol. His message is simple: modern Turkey and its neighbors need more of the Ottoman spirit of tolerance—and less nationalist chest-thumping.
Read the article here
Closer: I Call the Shots
“He won’t have any choice. I call the shots. I call all the shots. He doesn’t call the shots.”
—President Trump referring to Israeli PM Netanyahu, June 8, 2026
