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Saudi Arabia

September 9, 2026

Riyadh 6:02 pm

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Brent crude sails past $100 as Middle East war intensifies

The Iran war escalated this week as Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked four southern Saudi Arabian cities and oil facilities.

Khaled ZIAD / AFP via Getty Images

73 wounded in Houthi strike on Saudi Arabia as Riyadh vows response: What to know

The World Health Organization said Monday that at least 728 people have been killed or wounded in Yemen since Aug. 24.

The entrance to the city of Qiddiya, south of the capital Riyadh, April 25, 2019.

Analysis

Iran war tests Gulf's theme park ambitions

Saudi Arabia is pressing ahead with multibillion-dollar projects as the conflict disrupts regional tourism and exposes weaknesses in the Gulf states' entertainment strategies.

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

Latest News

Analysis

Could Trump’s oil push in Venezuela upend OPEC’s energy order?

A man walks past a mural depicting oil pumps and the Venezuelan flag, with portraits of Venezuelan independence leader Simon Bolivar (L) and former late President Hugo Chavez (R), in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 3, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Saudi Arabia taps China’s MiniMax for Arabic AI model

Guests stand at the booth of Saudi artificial intelligence company Humain during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh, on Oct. 29, 2025.

Saudi oil exports hit nine-year low as tanker attacks threaten recovery

A commercial vessel passes through an international shipping lane off Yemen's Hanish Island in the Red Sea on July 27, 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

A member of the Iraqi security forces takes position during a patrol looking for militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) at the border between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, June 23, 2014. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met Iraq's prime minister in Baghdad on Monday to push for a more inclusive government, even as Baghdad's forces abandoned the border with Jordan, leaving the entire Western frontier outside government control. REUTERS/Mushtaq Muhammed (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS M

Saudi Arabia threatened by ISIS advance in Iraq

Despite their problems with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Saudi leaders consider the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) a threat to the kingdom.

Jordanian military helicopters fly near Ruweished, near Jordan's eastern border with Iraq, east of Amman June 23, 2014. Sunni tribesmen took control of a border crossing between Iraq and Jordan after Iraq's army pulled out of the area following clashes with rebels, Iraqi and Jordanian intelligence sources said on Monday. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY CONFLICT CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3V9QN

Israel sees Jordan as buffer against regional 'madness'

Most Israeli security officials wonder how much longer Jordan can cope with the threats on its other borders.

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (not pictured) before a meeting at the King's desert encampment in Rawdat al-Khuraim January 5, 2014. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/Pool (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS) - RTX172VS

Saudi king's short victory lap in Egypt

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz makes a rare visit to Egypt for Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's inauguration, as the threat from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) complicates its regional policies.

A Muslim prays at the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (The Mosque of the Prophet) before the early morning prayer of al-Fajr in the holy city of Medina January 16, 2014. Muslims marked Eid Mawlid al-Nabawi, or the birth of Prophet Mohammad, on January 14. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: RELIGION) - RTX17H44

Saudis debate Salafism and democracy

The recent growth of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has led to an extensive debate among Islamist groups in Saudi Arabia over the relationship between Salafism and governance.

An Iranian man holds a photo showing Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iran's late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, while listening to Iran's President Hassan Rouhani delivering a speech on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the death of Islamic revolutionary leader Khomeini, at Khomeini's mausoleum in a suburb of Tehran on June 3, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Khamenei rep blames Saudi Arabia, Qatar for Iraq insurgents

In a rare moment of directness, a representative of Iran’s supreme leader has directly named Saudi Arabia and Qatar as the cause of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham’s surge in Iraq.

A Palestinian boy stands next to an Israeli policeman at a police barrier in Jerusalem's Old City June 2, 2014. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY) - RTR3RW4G

Poll suggests Israelis could be sold on Arab League Initiative

A poll conducted ahead of a major Israeli political conference examined the extent of the Israeli public’s exposure to the Arab Peace Initiative, and findings indicate that most Israelis are ignorant of the details of the plan.

Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman attends a meeting with the business community in Uganda's capital Kampala, September 10, 2009. Lieberman, accompanied by business and military delegation, is on an official African visit to Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and Nigeria. REUTERS/James Akena (UGANDA POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR27O1U

Liberman outlines vision for 'regional arrangement' with Arab states

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman offers a plan for open contacts with "moderate" Arab states to deal with the threat from Iran and in pursuit of an agreement with the Palestinians.

Members of Saudi security forces take part in a military drill, in Jeddah City May 27, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Alhwaity (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: MILITARY) - RTR3R48T

Saudi Arabia shifts to more assertive defense doctrine

The kingdom is considering how to more effectively project its role and power in the region to compensate for the decline of Western influence.

Saudi Arabia's Prince Turki bin Abdullah al Saud, deputy governor of the Riyadh, meets Saudi Royal Force pilots during the inauguration of the Bahrain International Airshow held at the Sakhir Air Base, south of Manama, January 16, 2014. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed (BAHRAIN - Tags: ROYALS POLITICS TRANSPORT MILITARY) - RTX17GM3

Saudi king’s sons well-placed for transition

King Abdullah’s sons hold key positions of influence in the government as the kingdom transitions to the next generation of Saudi royals.

Israel should take Prince Turki's offer on Arab Peace Initiative

Prince Turki Al-Faisal Al-Saud spoke in Brussels with retired Gen. Amos Yadlin about the Saudi initiative for ending the conflict, saying, "Israel has nuclear weapons. … The Arabs aren’t crazy. We want to talk peace."

Saudi princes carry the coffin of Crown Prince Nayef inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca June 17, 2012. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Nayef, a hawkish interior minister who crushed al Qaeda in the world's top oil exporter, died on Saturday eight months after becoming heir to the throne, paving the way for a more reform-minded successor. REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS OBITUARY) - RTR33SCC

Changes in Saudi Defense Ministry a matter of family politics

The leadership of the Saudi Ministry of Defense is being reshuffled quickly, indicating an effort to concentrate power and influence in the hands of the sons of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal attends the opening of an Arab foreign ministers emergency meeting to discuss the Syrian crisis and President Bashar al-Assad's regime, at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, March 9, 2014. The Arab League on Sunday endorsed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's rejection of Israel's demand for recognition as a Jewish state, as U.S.-backed peace talks approach a deadline next month. The United States want Abbas to make the concession as part of effort

Saudi, UAE coordination signals differences with Qatar

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have formed a joint committee to coordinate their regional efforts, with Egypt and Libya topping the agenda.