Key Takeaways:

  1. Iran and the P5+1 reached a final nuclear agreement limiting Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sweeping sanctions relief on July 14. President Hassan Rouhani praised the deal as signaling “a new page of relations with Iran.” The deal will inject a large cash windfall into Iran’s ailing economy.
  2. The recent successes of local anti-al Houthi forces in regaining control of territory, particularly in Aden city, may help in negotiating an overall deal between Yemeni stakeholders as the al Houthis and their partners come under pressure, but may also prove to be a future challenge to a unified Yemeni state. Many of the resistance forces now in control are also part of anti-government movements.
  3. Libyan groups loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and al Sham (ISIS) are consolidating territorial gains in and around the coastal city of Sirte, between Benghazi and Misrata. ISIS in Libya recently lost its sanctuary in Derna city, which was a significant setback for the group.