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20 September 2023; MEMO: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi yesterday said the US should prove its “goodwill and determination” to revive the 2015 nuclear pact as months of indirect talks between the long-time foes have led nowhere, Reuters reports.

20 September 2023; MEMO: Kuwait’s Foreign Petroleum Exploration Company (KUFPEC) signed an agreement with a Shell subsidiary to acquire 40 per cent of Egypt’s Nile Delta offshore block 3, KUNA reported today.

The Kuwaiti news agency quoted Mohammad Al-Haimar, KUFPEC’s CEO, saying the move was in line with the approach to expand operations with “our international partners that are active in special exploration basins.”

21 September 2023; MEMO: Egypt is in talks with an Abu Dhabi-based bank for a loan facility that would finance wheat purchases from Kazakhstan, three traders told Reuters.

The move could give Egypt a cheap alternative to grain from Russia, which has supplied an increasing share of Egypt’s wheat since last year but recently blocked a deal for a purchase below an unofficial price floor for wheat purchases, traders say.

21 September 2023; MEMO: Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, said he does not agree with the negative approach other leaders are showing towards his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, Turkish broadcasters quoted him as saying on Thursday, Reuters reports.

15 September 2023; MEMO: Palestinian Finance Minister Shukri Bishara yesterday stressed the need for the donors’ meeting to produce serious results and work mechanisms that would exert pressure on the Israeli occupation government to release Palestinian funds that have been withheld since 2019, and which currently amount to around $800 million.

15 September 2023; MEMO: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken yesterday revealed that Saudi Arabia has made it clear to the United States that issues related to the Palestinians will be an essential part of any future agreement with Israel.

“It is also clear from what we hear from the Saudis that if this process is to move forward, the Palestinian piece is going to be very important too,” Blinken said, adding, “Normalisation cannot come at the expense of the Palestinian cause.”

15 September 2023; MEMO: The Biden administration, on Thursday, imposed sanctions on five Turkish companies and a Turkish national, accusing them of helping Russia evade sanctions and supporting Moscow in its war against Ukraine, Reuters reports.

According to the report, the companies are accused of helping repair sanctioned vessels tied to Russia’s Defence Ministry and helping the transfer of “dual-use goods”.

16 September 2023; MEMO: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged that Israel lift its restrictions on the Palestinian economy and occupied territories to give way for improving investment opportunities.

12 September 2023; MEMO: Fifteen Democratic senators are urging the Biden administration to refrain from including Israel in the US Visa Waiver Program due to its failure to provide equal treatment to Palestinian-Americans seeking entry into the nation.

12 September 2023; MEMO: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi agreed on Monday to expand trade and security ties between the two nations, Anadolu news agency has reported.