US expects more countries to cut Iran trade, Syria clears major economic hurdle and Parkin expands regionally

In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, the US has announced sweeping new sanctions against Iran, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expects other countries to take similar action as Washington steps up its campaign to economically isolate Tehran. We also look at the US decision to remove Syria from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, clearing a major obstacle to Damascus's economic recovery. And leading Palestinian artist Sliman Mansour has died, aged 79, after more than five decades shaping a visual language of Palestinian identity. Abu Dhabi’s Lulu Island is set for a major transformation under developer Eagle Hills Properties, while Dubai’s public parking operator Parkin is expanding its smart parking services into Bahrain and Egypt. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.