Saudi Arabia - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Saudi Arabia cover image

Saudi Arabia

September 1, 2026

Riyadh 2:46 am

32°C

Mecca Alliance

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan set Mecca Alliance into motion

The three countries are moving to formalize military coordination under the newly named Mecca Alliance amid renewed hostilities between Iran and the US.

Iraqi army troops patrol the Iraq-Saudi Arabia border

Iraq reinforces Saudi border security amid militia tensions: What to know

Iraq is sending the reinforcements in response to Iran-backed militia attacks and as it looks to build security ties with Riyadh.

Latest News

France, Saudi Arabia announce more than $10B in deals on MBS visit

France's President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shake hands

Houthis claim strike on Saudi oil tanker off Yanbu: What to know

Supporters of Yemen's Houthi rebel movement carry a mock rocket as they demonstrate in the capital, Sanaa, to denounce a reported air strike by the Saudi-led coalition on a prison in the country's rebel-held north, on Jan. 21, 2022.

Saudi crown prince heads to France as ties deepen: What to expect

LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images

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

Justin Rose of England and his caddy look on, on the 9th hole during Day Four of the Saudi International.

Saudi Arabia to launch new sports investment group: report

The Financial Times report follows the merger between the Saudi-funded LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, but challenges remain as the kingdom eyes investment in golf, tennis and possibly American football.

A man walks near an autonomous 10-seater car during a trial run along Mohammed bin Rashid Boulevard on Sept. 1, 2016.

UAE awards China’s WeRide first license to operate self-driving cars

The UAE permit will allow the Guangzhou-based driving technology company to test its level 4 human-free and fully autonomous vehicles on public roads throughout the emirates.

United Arab Emirates

JOE KLAMAR/AFP via Getty Images

At OPEC, Saudi Arabia defends oil cuts with Russia despite mild market reaction

The kingdom's energy minister called for more industry transparency, despite several news organizations being prohibited from reporting on the OPEC conference he was speaking at.

Saudi Arabia leads AI global index for strategy as Israel tops Mideast rankings

Saudi Arabia topped the global chart for AI government strategy, which measures the depth of national spending commitments and strategies, while other Middle East and North Africa (MENA) states lagged further behind, beginning in 23rd place.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (R) shakes hands with his Saudi counterpart, Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, in Baghdad on Feb. 2, 2023.

Saudi Arabia, UAE invest $6 billion in Iraq operations

The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia will join together to boost trade and commerce in Iraq.

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Abdulaziz bin Salman looks on during a press conference after the 45th Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee and the 33rd OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting, Vienna, Austria, Oct. 5, 2022.

Saudi Arabia extends oil production cut in attempt to increase prices

Russia also moved to tighten supply, announcing it would reduce oil exports to 500,000 bpd in August.

Visitors use an augmented reality mask on the Saudi Arabia company STCs stand at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry's biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona on February 27, 2023. (Photo by Thomas COEX / AFP) (Photo by THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images)

Gulf investors shape US-China tech competition, from Silicon Valley to Shenzen

Facing a funding drought, big name US venture capitalists have been descending on the Gulf in search of fresh funds.

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Supporters of Iraq's Sadrist movement gather outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on June 30, 2023 for a second day of protests against a Koran burning outside a Stockholm mosque that outraged Muslims around the world. The protest came a day after an Iraqi citizen living in Sweden, Salwan Momika, 37, stomped on the Islamic holy book and set several pages alight in front of the capital's largest mosque. Swedish police had granted him a permit in line with free-speech protections, but authorities later said

As protests continue against Sweden, OIC to meet in Saudi on Quran burning

Member states are set to discuss measures to be taken against attacks on the Muslim holy book.

People walk past the main gate to the campus of the American University of Beirut (AUB) in the heart of the Lebanese capital, on January 13, 2022. - Power shortages and soaring petrol prices mean many Lebanese students can neither afford to reach their classes nor study from home, a conundrum that is ravaging a generation's future. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

9 Middle East universities, 3 in Saudi Arabia make world’s top 300 schools

Nearly 150 universities from the MENA region are featured in a list of the world’s top universities.

West Bank violence

Blinken: US warned Israel that West Bank tensions could undermine Saudi normalization

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said it would be tough, if not impossible, to deepen and expand the Abraham Accords if the violence continues in the West Bank.

Muslim pilgrims crowd Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat,also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy, during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage on June 27, 2023. The ritual is the high point of the annual pilgrimage, one of the five pillars of Islam, that officials say could be the biggest on record after three years of Covid restrictions. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP) (Photo by SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Millions of Muslims mark Eid al-Adha in Saudi Arabia after hajj pilgrimage

Muslims in the region are celebrating Eid al-Adha despite soaring prices.

OXCCU

British sustainable fuel startup eyes Middle Eastern market

OXCCU looks to lower the cost of sustainable aviation fuel to make it a more attractive option for airlines to buy instead of fossil fuels.