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Saudi Arabia

May 4, 2026

Riyadh 4:00 am

24°C

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

UAE’s OPEC exit rattles cartel as Gulf alliances shift

OPEC's fourth-largest producer will leave the cartel on May 1, marking the most significant departure in the group’s history as the war changes Abu Dhabi's relationship priorities.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

MUMEN KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images

Why UAE's decision to leave OPEC is major shift for cartel

The UAE accounts for 12% of OPEC's output, but tensions had been simmering over intragroup rivalries and the country wanting to export more oil.

United Arab Emirates

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted the third meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the margins of the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, on April 17, 2026.

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia, Egypt are wary of Turkey’s proposed 4-way defense pact with Pakistan

The proposed framework faces major hurdles and fault lines, ranging from NATO constraints to Israeli opposition and weak military integration.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

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

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.

Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

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

Analysis

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

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.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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 Mohammad Javad Zarif attends the annual Munich Security Conference February 2, 2014. REUTERS/Lukas Barth (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX184O0

Iran Foreign Ministry welcomes Saudi overture

Iranian officials have lauded the invitation of Iran's foreign minister to visit Saudi Arabia, but improving relations will take much more than diplomacy.

Fighters from Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) burn confiscated cigarettes in the city of Raqqa April 2, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT RELIGION SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3JP4Z

Saudis fear Syria blowback after discovering ISIS cell

Fears of jihadist blowback from the Syrian war are starting to be realized after Saudi's discovery of a terrorist cell planning attacks on its soil.

Saudi Prince al-Waleed bin Talal (R) and his wife Princess Amira al-Taweel attend a ceremony for the opening of housing units in the al-Dhafir village, west of Sanaa May 24, 2009. The houses were built by al-Waleed for victims of the December 28, 2005 landslide in al-Dhafir. The landslide killed 65 people and destroyed 27 of the village's 31 houses. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah (YEMEN POLITICS ROYALS SOCIETY) - RTXMPSM

Saudi Royal Court focus of twitter crossfire

The appointment of Prince Muqrin to deputy crown prince has reportedly angered some of the grandchildren of the kingdom’s founder.

A member of Saudi security forces attends Abdullah's Sword military drill as a jet flies by in Hafar Al-Batin, near the border with Kuwait REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: MILITARY) - RTR3N4AM

What message is Saudi Arabia sending with war games?

Saudi Arabia has just finished its largest war games in recent history, signalling its intent to develop its military capabilities in an increasingly unstable region.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (4th L) is pictured after receiving the "King Faisal International Prize" from Saudi King Abdullah (3rd L) in Riyadh March 9, 2010. REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2BFMZ

Saudi Wahhabi leaders see Turkish threat over caliphate

Saudi Wahhabi leaders have gone on the attack to promote what they believe is the sole, Saudi claim to the restoration of the caliphate.

U.S. President Barack Obama waves after addressing Israeli students at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem March 21, 2013. Obama appealed directly on Thursday to the Israeli people to put themselves in the shoes of stateless Palestinians and recognise that Jewish settlement activity in occupied territory hurts prospects for peace. REUTERS/Baz Ratner (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3FA2G

The myth of Obama’s failure in the Middle East

US diplomacy is actively engaged on all fronts in the region, while the president’s critics offer no feasible alternatives.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and U.S. President Barack Obama are greeted upon their arrival on Marine One for a meeting with Saudi King Abdullah at Rawdat al-Khraim (Desert Camp) near Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, March 28, 2014.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3J176

US can help heal GCC rifts

The United States is leading efforts to resolve the dispute between Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but uncertainty over the future of the Gulf Cooperation Council remains.

U.S. President Barack Obama (2nd L) is escorted from Marine One to Air Force One as he departs Saudi Arabia to return to Washington March 29, 2014. Obama sought to reassure Saudi King Abdullah on Friday that he would support moderate Syrian rebels and reject a bad nuclear deal with Iran, during a visit designed to allay the kingdom's concerns that its decades-old U.S. alliance had frayed. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3J2HK

US, Saudi drifting apart despite Obama visit

The core pillars that sustained the US-Saudi alliance for decades are crumbling, as changing geopolitical, energy and regional dynamics strain relations.

The Saudi succession question

Although Saudis welcomed the elevation of Prince Muqrin, 68, as deputy crown prince, many wonder whether a younger, more energetic leadership might be better equipped to handle future economic and development challenges.

Saudi students gather at an outdoor cafe at King Saud University in
Riyadh October 30, 2002. The university is one of several major
educational institutions turning out thousands of graduates every year
in search of jobs. The government is stepping up efforts at
"Saudization" in a country where a third of the workforce is foreign
and unemployment among Saudis is running anywhere between eight to 12
percent. REUTERS/Ali Jarekji

AJ/WS - RTRD1E3

Marginalized Saudi youth launch virtual protests

Some Saudi youth have taken to social media to express their grievances with Saudi government policies.

Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said (R) walks with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani upon Rouhani's arrival in Muscat March 12, 2014. REUTERS/Sultan Al Hasani (OMAN - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS) - RTR3GQAH

Gulf states should form regional bloc with Iran

Arab Gulf states can no longer ignore Iran’s vital role in bringing stability to the Gulf region, and should work on establishing a security and economic arrangement with Tehran.

Supporters of deposed President Mohamed Mursi demonstrate as they slow drive through central London August 17, 2013. Supporters of Mursi fought a gunbattle with security forces in a Cairo mosque on Saturday, while Egypt's army-backed government, facing deepening chaos, considered banning his Muslim Brotherhood group. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor (BRITAIN - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS RELIGION) - RTX12OXK

Will UK list Muslim Brotherhood as terror group?

Britain’s announced inquiry into the Muslim Brotherhood’s activities might be an attempt to appease its Gulf allies without offering any tangible changes.