JON GAMBRELL

Gulf and Iran news director

Gambrell is the news director for the Gulf and Iran for The Associated Press. He has reported from each of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Iran and other locations across the world since joining the AP in 2006.

This photo released by The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), shows displaced children from el-Fasher at a camp where they sought refuge from fighting between government forces and the RSF, in Tawila, Darfur region, Sudan, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (NRC via AP)

UN secretary-general says Sudan’s war is ‘spiraling out of control’

The United Nations secretary-general is warning that the war in Sudan is spiraling out of control. Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called for an immediate ceasefire after a paramilitary force seized the besieged Darfur city of el-Fasher last week.

Storage tanks are seen at the North Jeddah bulk plant, an Aramco oil facility, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on March 21, 2021. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, File)

Saudi Aramco reports $26.9B profit in third quarter, down slightly over lower oil prices

Saudi oil giant Aramco is reporting a $26.9 billion profit in the third quarter, down slightly from last year as global energy prices remain depressed over concerns of too much oil being on the market.

CORRECTS NAME SPELLING - U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum speaks during the inaugural session of annual Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (ADIPEC), in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Nov. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Abu Dhabi hosts oil summit as OPEC+ halts production hikes planned for first quarter of 2026

Abu Dhabi has opened a major oil summit with optimism about rising energy prices. Officials believe power demands for artificial intelligence and global aviation will drive this increase.

This photo released by The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) shows displaced families from el-Fasher at a displacement camp where they sought refuge from fighting between government forces and the RSF, in Tawila, Darfur region, Sudan, Friday, October. 31, 2025. (NRC via AP)

Top diplomats from Germany, Jordan and the UK call for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan war

Foreign ministers from Germany, Jordan and the United Kingdom have called for an immediate ceasefire in Sudan.

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard speaks during a roundtable on criminal cartels with President Donald Trump in the State Dining Room of the White House, Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

US national intelligence director says former American strategy of ‘regime change’ is over

U.S. national intelligence director Tulsi Gabbard says America’s former strategy of “regime change or nation building” has ended under President Donald Trump.

A sub-surface atomic test is shown March 23, 1955 at the Nevada Test Site near Yucca Flats, Nev. (U.S. Atomic Energy Commission via AP, File)

Trump’s comments on nuclear testing upend decades of US policy. Here’s what to know about it

President Donald Trump has suggested the U.S. will restart nuclear weapons testing, a move that upends decades of American policy.

Donald Trump Jr. stands near the Oval Office after a ceremony to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom for Charlie Kirk to his widow Erika Kirk in the Rose Garden of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Donald Trump Jr. mocks ‘No Kings’ protests and praises father’s approach to Mideast at Saudi summit

Donald Trump Jr. has mocked protesters involved in “No Kings” demonstrations across the United States while praising his father’s business approach to the Middle East.

Maryam al-Khawaja holds a picture of her father, the imprisoned activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, outside the embassy of Bahrain in London, Sept. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File)

Imprisoned Bahrain activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja starts hunger strike over his detention

Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, a prominent activist in Bahrain, has started a new hunger strike to protest his detention.

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo)

Amnesty says US strike on a Yemen prison that killed dozens of African migrants may be a war crime

Amnesty International says a U.S. airstrike in April that killed 60 detained African migrants should be investigated as a possible war crime.

A woman holds a poster of the Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as portraits of the late Iranian armed forces commanders, who were killed in Israeli strike in June, are seen at background, during a commemoration marking the first death anniversary of Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, who were killed in Israeli airstrikes in Beirut, in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Analysis: Iran faces ‘a permanent state of crisis’ as time wanes and sanction pressure grows

Iran faces significant challenges as its economy struggles and sanctions are reimposed. Despite these pressures, the government hasn’t taken major actions to address the situation or restart nuclear talks with the West.

This frame grab from video shot in October 2016 by Saudi state television shows Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan, whom the kingdom named as its grand mufti on Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025. The graphic on screen in Arabic reads: "Al-Fawzan: The Houthis claim to be Muslims, but God exposed them with this heinous crime." (Saudi state television via AP)

Saudi Arabia appoints Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan as kingdom’s new grand mufti

Saudi Arabia has appointed Sheikh Saleh bin Fawzan al-Fawzan as the new grand mufti, the kingdom’s top religious scholar.

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo)

A fire aboard a gas tanker off the coast of Yemen kills 2 mariners

A fire aboard a Cameroonian-flagged gas tanker in the Gulf of Aden has killed two mariners. Authorities said on Monday that the ship, named Falcon, remains adrift off Yemen’s coast.

This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows an airstrip built on Zuqar Island, Yemen, in the Red Sea on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

A mysterious airstrip built on a Yemeni island comes as Houthi rebels are increasingly squeezed

Satellite images reveal a new airstrip under construction on Yemen’s Zuqar Island in the Red Sea, likely by forces opposed to the country’s Houthi rebels.

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo)

Burning ship loaded with gas abandoned in Gulf of Aden off Yemen as 1 mariner missing

A Cameroonian-flagged ship has caught fire in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen. At least one mariner was missing Saturday and another still likely abroad the burning tanker after the rest of the crew abandoned the vessel.

This image made from undated video released by Yemen's Houthi rebels shows Maj. Gen. Muhammad Abdul Karim al-Ghamari, who the group acknowledged on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, had been killed. (Ansar Allah Media Office via AP)

Chief of staff of Yemen Houthi rebel’s military dies from wounds suffered in Israeli airstrike

Israel says an airstrike in August killed the chief of staff of Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The group on Thursday acknowledged the death of Maj. Gen.

Iranian worshippers wave Palestinian and Iranian flags in front of a banner showing the late commander of the Iran's Revolutionary Guard expeditionary Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, left, and two late Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah, center, and Hashem Safieddine, during an anti-Israeli rally after the Friday prayers at the Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) square, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

AP Analysis: Iran out in the cold as Mideast unites in support of Gaza ceasefire

Iran finds itself at one of its weakest moments since its 1979 Islamic Revolution even as the wider Middle East broadly welcomes a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

This is a locator map for Iran with its capital, Tehran. (AP Photo)

Iran executes 6 death-row inmates it alleges carried out attacks on behalf of Israel

Iran has executed six inmates accused of carrying out attacks in the oil-rich southwest on behalf of Israel. The executions follow a 12-day Iran-Israel war in June.

Damage is seen after an Israeli strike targeted a compound that hosted Hamas' political leadership in Doha, Qatar, Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

Trump signs an executive order vowing to defend Qatar in the wake of Israel’s strike

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order pledging to defend Qatar, including using U.S. military action if necessary.

In this Jan. 12, 2025, photo from Mark Prummel, the Netherlands-flagged cargo ship Minervagracht is seen off Delfzijl, the Netherlands. (Mark Prummel via AP)

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim missile attack on Dutch-flagged ship in the Gulf of Aden

Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for the attack that left a Dutch-flagged cargo ship ablaze and adrift in the Gulf of Aden this week.

In this Jan. 12, 2025, photo from Mark Prummel, the Netherlands-flagged cargo ship Minervagracht is seen off Delfzijl, the Netherlands. (Mark Prummel via AP)

Missile attack on cargo ship off Yemen wounds 2 and prompts crew to abandon vessel

Officials say a missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels set a Dutch-flagged cargo ship ablaze in the Gulf of Aden, wounding two mariners.

This is a locator map for Iran with its capital, Tehran. (AP Photo)

Iran hangs a man accused of spying for Israel in a wave of executions

Iran has executed a man accused of spying for Israel, the latest a major wave of executions. Iran identified the man as Bahman Choobiasl.

Iranian lawmakers attend an open session of parliament in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran weighs confrontation or diplomacy after UN sanctions reimposed over its nuclear program

Iran faces renewed UN sanctions over its nuclear program, escalating tensions with the West. The sanctions freeze Iranian assets, halt arms deals and penalize ballistic missile development.

Two women walk past a huge banner showing the late commander of the Iran's Revolutionary Guard expeditionary Quds Force, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. drone attack in 2020, and two late Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah, center, and Hashem Safieddine, who were killed in Israeli airstrikes in 2024, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) square, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

UN imposes ‘snapback’ sanctions on a hungrier, poorer and more anxious Iran

The United Nations has reimposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program. That further squeezes the Islamic Republic as its people increasingly find themselves priced out of the food they need to survive and worried about their futures.

This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows a scorched launch pad at Iran's Imam Khomeini Spaceport in Semnan province, Iran, on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Iran has likely carried out an undeclared missile test, satellite photos analyzed by the AP show

Iran has likely carried out an undeclared missile test at its Imam Khomeini Spaceport, according to satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press.

Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian holds up a book while speaking during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Iran’s president blasts US, Israeli attacks for dealing ‘grievous blow’ to peace as sanctions loom

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian took the stage at the U.N. to blast Israeli and U.S. attacks in June as inflicting “a grievous blow upon international trust and the very prospect of peace in the region.”

This satellite photo from Planet Labs PBC shows reconstruction efforts at Iran's Parchin solid propellant plant outside of Tehran, Iran, Aug. 28, 2025. (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

Fearing another war with Israel, Iran begins rebuilding missile sites, but key component is missing

Iran has begun rebuilding missile-production sites targeted by Israel during its 12-day war in June.

Sheikh Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, the Saudi grand mufti, listens to a speech of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at the Consultative Council in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, March 24, 2009. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti, Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, dies

Saudi Arabia’s grand mufti has died. Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh was believed to be in his 80s.

In this photo released on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2025, by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a televised speech. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)

Iran’s supreme leader rejects direct nuclear talks with US as European negotiations remain unmoved

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rejected direct negotiations with the United States over his country’s nuclear program.

This is a locator map for Yemen with its capital, Sanaa. (AP Photo)

A ship comes under attack off the coast of Yemen as Houthi rebels continue to threaten vessels

A ship traveling off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden has come under attack. The British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said the attack happened early on Tuesday.

The Iranian flag flies in front of a U.N. building where closed-door nuclear talks take place at the International Center in Vienna, Austria, on June 18, 2014. (AP Photo/Ronald Zak, File)

What to know about Iran’s nuclear program as UN reimposes ‘snapback’ sanctions

United Nations sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program have been reimposed. This puts Tehran under new pressure as tensions remain high in the wider Mideast over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.