President Donald Trump is continuing to fill his diplomatic roster, and many ambassador roles in countries around the world are still up for grabs.
Here, The National takes a look at who Mr Trump has chosen for ambassadorships in the Middle East and North Africa, and which roles have yet to be filled.
Israel: Mike Huckabee
Mr Huckabee is a former governor of Arkansas. Since leaving office in 2007, he has hosted political television and radio shows and been a commentator on others. He has frequently expressed great love for Israel and led several tour groups to the country over the years. He has in the past referred to the area as “Judea and Samaria”, the biblical terms settlers use to describe the West Bank, and has said there is no way to negotiate with Hamas.
Turkey: Tom Barrack
Mr Barrack is a billionaire and a long-time friend of Mr Trump. The grandson of Lebanese-Christian immigrants, Mr Barrack founded the private equity firm Colony Capital. He was the chairman of Mr Trump's first inaugural committee in 2017, and two years ago was acquitted of federal charges of unlawful lobbying. Mr Barrack also serves as special envoy to Syria. The US had previously not had an ambassador in Syria since 2014.
Lebanon: Michel Issa
Mr Issa is a Lebanese-American businessman and philanthropist who is reported to be a golfing buddy of Mr Trump. In his announcement of his nomination on Truth Social, the President called him "an outstanding businessman, financial expert, and leader with a remarkable career in banking, entrepreneurship, and international trade".
Tunisia: Bill Bazzi
Mr Bazzi is the mayor of Dearborn Heights, Michigan, which has a large Arab-American community. He endorsed Mr Trump during his 2024 campaign. Mr Trump described Mr Bazzi as a decorated US marine who served the country for 21 years. Before he was elected mayor, he worked at Boeing as a quality manager and at Ford as a product development engineer.
Kuwait: Amer Ghalib
Mr Ghalib is the mayor of Hamtramck, Michigan. The Yemeni-American mayor endorsed Mr Trump during his presidential campaign. The President credited Mr Ghalib with helping him to secure victory in Michigan.
Jordan: James Holtsnider
Mr Holtsnider serves as principal deputy in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs at the State Department. He is a career diplomat with the rank of counsellor who has served in positions at embassies in Iraq, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Somalia and Italy. Before joining the Foreign Service, Mr Holtsnider served for six years in the US Marine Corps.
Morocco: Richard Duke Buchan
Mr Buchan is the founder and chief executive of Hunter Global Investors and most recently served as the National Finance Chairman of the Republican National Committee. He previously served as ambassador to Spain and Andorra.
Holdovers from Biden administration
Yemen: Steven Fagin
Mr Fagin began his tenure in 2022. A career member of the foreign service, he has held a wide range of positions in embassies and consulates throughout the world, including Iraq and Egypt. As ambassador, Mr Fagin has grappled with the rise in attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on international shipping that have precipitated US strikes on sites in Yemen.
Egypt: Herro Mustafa
Ms Mustafa acceded to the ambassadorship in 2023. She previously served as ambassador to Bulgaria, and before that held various posts in the foreign service around the world. Ms Mustafa is originally from the Kurdish region of Iraq, and her family fled the country in the 1970s for the US. She has served as ambassador during a complicated time for Egypt, as it navigates the fallout of the Israel-Gaza war.
Oman: Ana Escrogima
Ms Escrogima took up the position in 2023. She previously served as the State Department’s UAE-based Arabic-language spokeswoman, and was office director for Regional and Multilateral Affairs in the Near Eastern Affairs Bureau.
Bahrain: Steven Bondy
Mr Bondy has been ambassador to Bahrain since 2021. Before that, he was chargé d’affaires and deputy chief of mission at the embassy in the UAE. His accession to the ambassadorship follows a stint as political/economic counsellor at the embassy in Bahrain.
Algeria: Elizabeth Moore Aubin
Ms Moore Aubin has been her current role since 2021. She previously served in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and was also deputy chief of mission in Algiers.
Positions to be filled
There are still several Middle Eastern countries that Mr Trump has yet to name ambassadors for. The ambassadors to the UAE (Martina Strong) and Saudi Arabia (Mike Ratney) have left or announced they would leave their posts after Mr Trump entered office.
The ambassador to Iraq, Alina Romanowski, left her role in December. John Godfrey, the ambassador to Sudan, left his post in February last year.
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The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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