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

Saudi Arabia cover image

Saudi Arabia

July 7, 2026

Riyadh 10:36 pm

33°C

Oil tankers and cargo vessels are anchored off the coast of Oman after being stranded for days as congestion at Port Sultan Qaboos has prevented them from docking on June 23, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. The Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for the region's oil and gas, was effectively blockaded since the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran in late February. This week's provisional peace deal between the countries was meant to reopen the waterway to shipping traffic, but the pace of that reo

Oil prices ease as OPEC+ increases production, Hormuz traffic rebounds

Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 0.15% to $71.87 a barrel as of 8:07 a.m. EDT after dropping as low as $71.09 earlier in the session, its lowest level since before the US-Israel-Iran war began on Feb. 28.

A man walks past the flags of the countries attending the Gulf Cooperation Council summit at Bayan palace in Kuwait City on Dec. 5, 2017.

Analysis

How Iran war shaped divergent paths to security among GCC states

The Iran war left the Gulf more fragmented than united, with competing security strategies replacing any prospect of a common regional defense.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

Oil drilling near Dakhiliyah in the desert region of Hasakah, Syria, Jan. 25, 2026.

Syria launches gas project with Saudi firm in latest Gulf energy partnership

The project is the latest in a series of Gulf-backed investments aimed at rebuilding Syria's energy sector after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Crude oil tankers, bulk carriers and vessels sit anchored around Qaboos Port on June 22, 2026, in Muscat, Oman.

Oil falls below $71 as US-Iran talks continue, Gulf exports rebound

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in an X post on Wednesday that Iran and the United States had made "positive progress."

Latest News

Explainer

Saudi FM concludes China visit amid Trump-MBS friction: What to know

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud before a family photo for the attendees of a meeting of foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim-majority nations at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing on November 20, 2023. The international community must take urgent action to stop the "humanitarian disaster" unfolding in Gaza, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told visiting diplomats from Arab and Muslim-majority nations on Novembe

Saudi Arabia's FM heads to China amid differences with US on Iran war

PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

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

Pope Francis greets Mohammad bin Abdul Karim Al-Issa, Secretary General of the Muslim World League, during a meeting at the Vatican, September 20, 2017. Osservatore Romano/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. - RC168FEBB020

Saudi leader of Muslim World League: Interfaith partnerships during pandemic ‘religious, moral duty'

Mohammad bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa says, “We try to lead by example, and show that we are all in this together.”

A soldier walks at the site of a Houthi missile attack on a military campís mosque in Marib, Yemen January 20, 2020. REUTERS/Ali Owidha - RC2OJE90YU7S

Coronavirus cease-fire offers pause in Yemen war

Despite a cease-fire among the parties to Yemen's civil war, the Saudi-led coalition announced it had downed three Houthi drones.

U.S. Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX) arrives at Trump Tower to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in New York, U.S., November 29, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar - RC17792FFC10

Intel: Republicans dial up pressure on Saudis to end oil price war with Russia

Republicans are throwing their weight behind the Donald Trump administration’s push to get Saudi Arabia to end its oil price war with Russia, which has increasingly squeezed American energy companies as the coronavirus runs rampant throughout the United States.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo takes part in a meeting with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, September 18, 2019. Mandel Ngan/Pool via REUTERS - RC114A0F4CE0

Intel: How the US is relying on Riyadh to reassure global markets

In a phone call with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Saudi Arabia to “rise to the occasion” as the escalating coronavirus crisis and the kingdom’s standoff with Russia continue to hammer global markets.

Turkey charges 20 Saudis in Khashoggi murder

Turkey will hold a trial in absentia for the 20 suspects it says participated in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A general view shows an empty street after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, March 23, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri - RC2TPF91BJRT

Saudi Arabia declares nationwide coronavirus curfew

Saudi Arabia has announced a nationwide curfew for the next three weeks in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19.

After bragging about being virus-free, first COVID-19 cases confirmed in Gaza

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip had been shrugging off a lockdown announced by PA, saying Gaza had no virus cases.

Russia hoping to outdo Saudis over time in coronavirus-hit oil market

Russia opted for an approach based on uncertainty in its decision to leave the OPEC-plus deal, but is it punching above its weight?

Houthi troops ride on the back of a police patrol truck after participating in a Houthi gathering in Sanaa, Yemen February 19, 2020. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RC2M3F90W6HV

Yemen conflict leaves impact on judiciary

A Houthi-run court in Sanaa sentenced to death 35 parliamentarians on charges of treason, which risks further dividing society in Yemen.

Will Marib province survive Houthi offensive after fall of al-Jawf?

An offensive on Marib province is looming but may not be imminent as analysts say they think Marib will likely remain in a state of ebb and flow following the battles in al-Jawf and Nihm.

U.S. President Donald Trump boards Air Force One ahead of a trip to Tennessee, at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, U.S., March 6, 2020. REUTERS/Tom Brenner - RC2GEF9TB41R

Anti-war movement looks to take Trump to court to stop war with Iran

Anti-war groups are lobbying Congress to take President Donald Trump to court on Iran war powers.

Saudi women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul is seen in this undated handout picture. Marieke Wijntjes/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC14DBE1A650

Trial of detained Saudi women's activist postponed in Riyadh

A court hearing for Saudi women's rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul is delayed for a week.