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November 7, 2026

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses Turkish members of parliament during the opening of the parliamentary session at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on Oct. 1, 2026.

Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia

Turkey will now decide the scope of military support for Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Culture

What’s next for Cristiano Ronaldo after retirement from Portugal team?

The Portuguese superstar is signed to the Saudi side Al Nassr until 2027, but the Yemen war is impacting the sport in the kingdom.

Latest News

Aramco begins expansion of oil export route bypassing Hormuz

AFP via Getty Images

Oil tops $114 as traders brace for Iran escalation after US midterms

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the opening bell, New York City, Sept. 28, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Juergen Schmidhuber in an undated photo. @SchmidhuberAI

Interview

AI pioneer Schmidhuber bets on Saudi Arabia for trillion-dollar breakthrough

Juergen Schmidhuber, a pioneering AI researcher told Al-Monitor that Gulf players have opportunities to take on traditional tech powerhouses in this high stakes AI race.

Juergen Schmidhuber

Juergen Schmidhuber

AI computer scientist

A military band welcomed the President with the Russian national anthem, and the Russian tricolor was hoisted over Tiananmen Square.

Saudi cautious as Iran looks to make gains from Putin’s China visit

As Putin was making his way to Beijing, Alexie Miller, chair of Russia’s Gazprom, was in Tehran, where he met First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber and Oil Minister Javad Owji, the company said.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 24: National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan talks to reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. Sullivan fielded questions about legislation President Joe Biden signed that morning for $80 billion in foreign aid, abortion arguments at the Supreme Court and other topics. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Jake Sullivan to visit Saudi Arabia, Israel amid regional tension

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan's trip comes as the Biden administration is urging Israel to consider alternatives to a full-scale invasion of Rafah.

Qatar's Finance Minister Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari (L) listens as his Saudi counterpart Mohammed Al-Jadaan speaks during a session at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha on May 14, 2024.

Saudi Arabia 'conservative' on oil revenue as it pares back Vision 2030 plans

Mohammed Al-Jaadan warned that being a resource-rich country was a curse as well as a blessing because being dependent on one commodity such as oil can hold a country "hostage" to the volatility of global demand and prices.

This photograph taken on January 12, 2024, shows an oil refinery in the desert between Shubaytah and Shubaytah, of the Dakar rally 2024, in Saudi Arabia, on January 12, 2024. (Photo by PATRICK HERTZOG / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK HERTZOG/AFP via Getty Images)

What's behind Saudi Arabia's increase in crude oil prices for Asian market?

The kingdom wants to restrain oil production to keep demand up, but the increase in prices to Asian customers is more related to refining values, says one expert.

TOPSHOT - US President Joe Biden (C-L) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (C) arrive for the family photo during the Jeddah Security and Development Summit (GCC+3) at a hotel in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah on July 16, 2022. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden’s grand bargain between Saudi Arabia and Israel hangs by a thread

Diplomatic sources briefed on the discussions suggest it would likely fall short of Article 5 of the United States’ 1960 treaty with Japan, but would likely go beyond the benefits of major non-NATO ally.

This picture taken December 12, 2019 shows a man monitoring the board at the Stock Exchange Market (Tadawul) bourse in Riyadh. - Energy giant Saudi Aramco's market value soared above $2 trillion as its share price surged again on its second day of trading. The valuation milestone was sought by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman when he first floated the idea of selling up to five percent of Aramco, the world's largest oil firm, about four years ago. Aramco shares jumped another 9.7 percent to 38.60 riya

Mideast passes stress test as Iran-Israel trade blows, but economic challenges remain

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) speaks with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan (R) as they walk past portraits of the founding leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council during the Joint Ministerial Meeting of the GCC-US Strategic Partnership discussing the humanitarian situation in Gaza, at the GCC Secretariat in Riyadh on April 29, 2024. (Photo by EVELYN HOCKSTEIN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia 'very, very close' to US security pact tied to Palestinian state

In separate comments on Monday, the Saudi and US top diplomats said bilateral agreements on security and defense cooperation — which Riyadh is seeking if it agrees to normalize ties with Israel — were imminent.

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - APRIL 02: The many pylons that provide power to Dubai are seen in the desert on April 2, 2007 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Commerce and Industry is currently thriving in Dubai and Indian and Pakistani expatriot workers are the backbone of the workforce, sending money back to their families at home. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

Gulf telcos flexing investment might amid drive to become global brands

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

An Austrian soldier guards the entrance to the OPEC headquarters on October 4, 2022 on the eve of the 45th Meeting of the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee and the 33rd OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting held on October 05, in Vienna, Austria. - The OPEC+ oil cartel will meet in Vienna for the first time since Covid curbs were introduced in 2020. The face-to-face meeting of the 13 OPEC members led by Saudi Arabia and its 10 allied members headed by Russia will be the first in the Austrian capital si

Can OPEC survive the energy transition?

Kate Dourian

In Dubai, reporting on energy

Saudi-UK tech hub

Interview

Saudi Arabia's giga-projects to offer 'testing ground' for British technology

Saudi startups and fintech firms are looking to tap into the United Kingdom's $1 trillion tech market.

Matt Jones

Matt Jones

Saudi British Joint Business Council Project Officer

(L to R) EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud during a plenary session titled "Transforming for a New Era", during the Doha Forum in Qatar's capital on March 26, 2022. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

What does EU visa relaxation for Saudi, Bahraini, Omani citizens mean?

Under the new rules, Bahraini, Omani and Saudi Arabian nationals will be eligible for multiple-entry visas, allowing them to visit the Schengen area (the EU’s 27 member states as well as Bulgaria and Romania) and move freely between them.