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Saudi Arabia

April 25, 2026

Riyadh 8:23 am

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Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan (L) disembarks from an airplane upon his arrival at the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on Jan. 23, 2025.

In Lebanon, Saudi Arabia pursues quiet diplomacy as Trump pushes Israel normalization

Saudi Arabia has been engaged in intense diplomacy in Lebanon in recent days, leading up to the extension of a ceasefire with Israel.

A person walks past the closed Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center on Jan. 7, 2021, in New York City.

Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years.

A picture shows the Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar's principal site for production of liquefied natural gas and gas-to-liquid, administrated by Qatar Petroleum, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the capital Doha, on Feb. 6, 2017.

Analysis

Gulf energy deals face Iran war stress test as global expansion meets oil shock

ADNOC, Aramco and QatarEnergy have aggressively expanded their international portfolios in recent years, a strategy facing new constraints as the US-Israel-Iran war impacts Gulf production and exposes structural risks.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Syria’s Sharaa makes fourth visit to Saudi Arabia, first since Iran war: What to know

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives ahead of a meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street in central London on March 31, 2026.

MBS hosts Sudan's Burhan in Jeddah as $1.5B Saudi-backed arms deal stalls

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Jeddah, on April 20, 2026.

Analysis

Pakistan’s quiet fighter jet deployment to Saudi Arabia signals Gulf anxiety

Pakistan Air Force J-10 fighter jets over Islamabad, March 23, 2025.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks to AFP during an interview at the Iranian consulate in Jeddah on March 7, 2025.

Analysis

Iran's counterbalancing act: Araghchi in Saudi Arabia ahead of Trump tour

The Iranian foreign minister's visit is seen as Tehran's effort to rally Saudi support behind its position in the US-Iran nuclear talks amid escalating threats from American officials, which have fueled uncertainty about the fate of the fragile diplomatic initiative.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Joe Raedle/Getty Images

US eases foreign investment rules days before Trump Gulf visit: What to know

Gulf states are estimated to manage 40% of the world’s sovereign wealth and are some of the biggest investors in the United States.

Palestine Vice President Hussein Sheikh meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on May 8, 2025.

Saudi crown prince hosts Palestinian VP Sheikh days before Trump visit

The trip comes ahead of President Donald Trump's visit to the kingdom, as the Palestinian Authority eyes a role in postwar Gaza and Arab states push for a technocratic government in the enclave.

new delhi

Iranian, Saudi officials in India as more airlines halt service amid Pakistan row

Iranian and Saudi officials headed to New Delhi in separate visits following Indian airstrikes in Pakistan that raised fears of war between the neighboring countries.

Israeli army tanks are deployed at a position near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, on May 5, 2025. Israel was issuing orders to call up tens of thousands of reservists ahead of an expanded offensive in Gaza, Israeli media reported on May 3, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked truce mediator Qatar. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

As Trump heads to Gulf, Israeli security cabinet split over plan to 'conquer' Gaza

Some associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu campaign for a limited Gaza operation to increase military pressure on Hamas, while the extreme right ministers call for retaking the entire Strip.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives in the Cross Hall of the White House to deliver remarks during an event on "Investing in America" on April 30, 2025 in Washington, DC

Wall Street, Silicon Valley executives to join Trump in Saudi Arabia as US courts Gulf funds

US President Trump is visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates on May 13-15 in his first foreign visit since returning to the White House for his second term in January.

Nodding donkey rig pumping crude oil up from the ground of an oil field in the desert.

Goldman Sachs lowers oil forecast after OPEC+ boosts production: What to know

Saudi Arabia, Russia and other members of OPEC+ announced another major production increase, sending oil prices below $60 a barrel.

Brandon Bell/Getty Images

OPEC+ moves up meeting as oil prices continue to drop: What to know

Saudi Arabia has signaled it is willing to live with lower oil prices as US President Donald Trump calls for more production.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

China JV wins $1.13 billion contract to relocate Saudi university facilities

The KSU deal marks the latest in a series of large contracts awarded by the Diriyah Company, which is overseeing the city project.