The U.S. is extending its pressure on Iran beyond sanctions and the naval blockade, reports Hamza Al Soud. A new U.S. Central Command task force is going after the overland routes and the Caspian Sea waterways Tehran uses to supply its missile and drone programs. But Iran’s long borders and ties to Russia and China mean Washington may struggle to close every route.
MBN has also unearthed a multimillion-dollar oil theft operation siphoning off Iraqi oil for a Tehran-backed group. Next, we catch you up on the Israeli elections, the political maneuvering and why Arab voters could hold the key to ending Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s dominance. Finally, we look at the high-stakes world of AI and national security amid the fallout of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s resignation over an affair with a Chinese executive suspected of links to Beijing’s intelligence services.
Welcome back to the MBN Friday Briefing, our roundup of the best stories on MBN in Arabic and English. Read us in Arabic here. Please subscribe here or send a comment: thebriefing@mbn-news.com.
This Week on MBN
Iraq’s Stolen Oil
The area believed to house an improvised oil facility under construction in Jurf al-Sakhar. (Source: classified Iraqi intelligence report)
A classified Iraqi intelligence report, obtained by MBN, shows how Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, has been stealing Iraqi oil since 2021. The multimillion-dollar operation is based in Jurf al-Sakhar, an area the group controls. It siphons oil from government pipelines, stores it in makeshift refineries and underground tanks, and then transports it to Baghdad in tanker trucks. The operation has continued largely beyond the Iraqi state’s reach, writes Mustafa Saadoon.
Iran Taps Quds Force General for Baghdad Ambassadorship
The Iranian Embassy building in Baghdad, July 9, 2009. REUTERS
In defiance of the U.S. and the Iraqi prime minister, Iran has picked a senior Quds Force commander to become its next ambassador to Iraq, MBN reveals in an exclusive report. The Quds Force is the foreign operations arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which the U.S. designates as a terrorist organization, and is responsible for operations and networks beyond Iran’s borders. By nominating a high-ranking IRGC officer, Tehran is doubling down on its control of Iraqi affairs and trying to shield its militia allies from pressure to disarm. Brig. Gen. Abdolreza Meskarian, the nominee, previously oversaw coordination with Iraqi Shiite armed factions. The nomination comes as Washington pressures Baghdad to distance itself from Tehran and curb the influence of Iran-backed armed groups.
Squeezing Iran’s War Machine
Iranian weapons on display at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran. REUTERS
The U.S. is squeezing Iran’s supply routes beyond the naval blockade, seeking to make it harder for Iran to secure the components, technology and equipment needed to keep its military industries running. It is now targeting overland routes and shipping networks across the Caspian Sea, reports Hamza Al Soud. These moves could slow Iran’s missile and drone programs, disrupt its military supply chains and drive up the cost of rebuilding its weapons industry. But Iran’s geography, extensive borders and ties with Russia and China make it difficult for the U.S. to cut off all supply routes.
Eisenkot’s Coalition Puzzle
Israeli President Isaac Herzog hands Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, the mandate to form a new government Nov. 8, 2026. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Gadi Eisenkot, tasked with forming Israel’s next government, faces a tough political test. After an election that left no clear majority, Eisenkot has three main options: rely on outside support from Arab parties, bring ultra-Orthodox parties into his coalition, or form a unity government with Likud, the party Netanyahu has led since 1993. Each option comes with major political costs, from disagreements over military service and civil rights to divisions over Netanyahu’s political future, reports Mustafa Khatib. The biggest challenge is bringing together opposition parties that agree on removing Netanyahu but little else.
Israel’s Arab Voters Offer a Way Out
Israeli demonstrators in Tel Aviv, June 2025, Reuters.
In an MBN Magazine opinion piece, Ezzedine Fishere argues that Israel’s election has opened a rare opportunity for the country to reshape its political system and move beyond Netanyahu’s dominance. With their newly won 19 seats, Arab parties hold significant leverage in determining the next government, writes Fishere, who urges Eisenkot to consider a genuine political partnership with them. Such an arrangement would not erase deep historical grievances or disputes over national identity and security, but it could give Arab citizens a real stake in governing the country.
Beijing’s AI Honey Trap?
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang / REUTERS/File photo
China may not need direct access to America’s most powerful tech executives to get close to them. It can target the people around them, making its intelligence operations harder to detect. Speaking to MBN, former CIA counterintelligence analyst Peter Mattis explains how this strategy may have played out around Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, who resigned Thursday after revelations about an affair with a Chinese executive suspected of links to Beijing’s intelligence services. The real prize, Mattis says, may not have been chip secrets but Huang’s influence over President Donald Trump and U.S. export controls.
Quote of the Week: U.S.-Iran Talks
We see that mediation efforts are continuing and there is positive discourse from both sides regarding a diplomatic solution.
— Qatar’s Foreign Ministry statement on U.S.-Iran talks, Nov. 10, 2026
