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July 17, 2026

Riyadh 1:49 am

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A ship sails off the coast of Ajman on July 10, 2026.

Interview

Why Strait of Hormuz no longer rattles oil markets as much: IMF

The fund's Middle East director, Jihad Azour, told Al-Monitor that the big Gulf energy producers now have more capacity to absorb the shock.

Jihad Azour

Jihad Azour

Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund

Latest News

Yemen’s Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of striking Sanaa airport: What to know

Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Saudi-UAE payment blocks could imperil billions in trade: What to know

A man crosses a street while returning home from work, in Dubai on June 23, 2026. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP via Getty Images)

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Carney bets on Saudi Arabia to help reduce dependence on US: What to know

Canada's Mark Carney (L) and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) met on the heels of the NATO summit in Riyadh on July 9, 2026.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

How Iran war could impact oil markets in 2027

Igor IVANKO / 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

The body of Saudi Arabia's Prince Badr bin Abdul Aziz, former deputy commander of the National Guard is lifted during his funeral at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, April 2, 2013. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY ROYALS OBITUARY) - RTXY5U5

Saudi Arabia’s Quiet Transition

Although the ascension the next generation of Saudi Arabia's princes is not a sign of reform, it is a major transformation in the kingdom’s leadership.

Veiled women carry vegetables as they walk along a street at the neighbourhood of Shmeisy in Riyadh April 22, 2013. A royal decree in Saudi Arabia has shaken up the way in which the government allocates vast tracts of land, removing an obstacle to a $67 billion programme to ease the country's housing shortage. Picture taken April 22, 2013. To match Story SAUDI-HOUSING/ REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: BUSINESS REAL ESTATE POLITICS CONSTRUCTION) - RTXYY39

Social Divisions Hinder Saudi Rights Movement

Ideological and social polarization is preventing a strong Saudi rights movement from emerging.

Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz (R) meets with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani (C) and Lebanon's former prime minister Saad al-Hariri at the Royal Palace in Mecca August 13, 2012. REUTERS/Saudi Press Agency/Handout (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - R

Saudi-Qatar Honeymoon In Lebanon Is Over

Seemingly eager to turn the regional unrest to their advantage, both Qatar and Saudi Arabia are carefully strategizing their diplomatic efforts in the Mideast.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (2nd L) inspects a guard of honour during his ceremonial reception at India's presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi April 9, 2012. Sheikh Hamad is on a three-day state visit to India. REUTERS/Stringer (INDIA - Tags: POLITICS) FOR BEST QUALITY IMAGE ALSO SEE: GM1E84H05M001 - RTR30ISQ

The Limits of Asia-Gulf Ties

Gulf-Asian economic relations will likely continue to grow while national security considerations are ignored.

Syrians wait to cross back into Syria at the Turkish Cilvegozu border, opposite the Syrian commercial crossing point Bab al-Hawa, in Reyhanli, Hatay province, May 14, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZLW2

No 'Good Guys' Or 'Bad Guys' in Syria

Saudi Arabia and Qatar need to support a diplomatic outcome in Syria.

Israeli Air Force F-16 war planes fly in formation over the Mediterranean Sea as part of celebrations for Israel's Independence Day, marking the 65th anniversary of the creation of the state, April 16, 2013. REUTERS/Amir Cohen (ISRAEL - Tags: TRANSPORT MILITARY ANNIVERSARY) - RTXYO3U

US Arms Sales All About Iran

The novelty of the latest US arms sales to Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates was not their scale or content, but the sign of a US realignment of allies to deter Iran, explains Jean-Loup Samaan.

A protester holds up a picture of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr during a rally at the coastal town of Qatif, against Sheikh Nimr's arrest July 8, 2012. Sheikh Nimr, a prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric who was wanted by the police, was detained in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province on Sunday over calls for more rights for the minority Muslim sect in the Sunni monarchy, his brother and an activist said. REUTERS/Stringer (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: CIVIL UNREST RELIGION POLITICS) - RTR34QU9

Saudi Arabia Clamps Down On Dissent

Haytham Mouzahem asks whether recent Saudi actions are tied to efforts to quell sectarian dissent and contain any spillover from either the Shiite-based uprising in Bahrain or the Syrian crisis.

Lebanon Hezbollah parliament members Ali Ammar (C) and Sayyed Nasrat Kashakesh talk to the families of kidnapped Lebanese Shi'ite pilgrims, during a sit-in in Beirut's suburbs May 23, 2012. The kidnap by Syrian gunmen of Lebanese Shi'ite pilgrims caused international allies and adversaries of President Bashar al-Assad to sound an alarm on Wednesday about a spread of sectarian violence across Syria's borders. REUTERS/ Jamal Saidi (LEBANON - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CRIME LAW) - RTR32IXJ

Iran Counters Saudi Diplomacy In Lebanon

The competition between the Saudi and Iranian axes in Lebanon is high as the alleged Saudi “openness” toward Hezbollah proved to be less than it appeared, writes Jean Aziz.

Pictures of Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah (R) and Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri are seen on key rings at a gift shop in the port city of Sidon, southern Lebanon, January 19, 2011. Saudi Arabia has abandoned its mediation efforts in Lebanon, saying the situation was "dangerous," Al Arabiya television said on Wednesday, citing Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal. REUTERS/ Ali Hashisho (LEBANON - Tags: POLITICS) - RTXWRZE

What Are Saudi Arabia’sIntentions in Lebanon?

Saudi Arabia has increased its diplomatic efforts in Lebanon, and Jean Aziz asks what exactly Riyadh’s intentions are.

Lebanon's former Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri (L) speaks to Prince Mansour bin Saud bin Abdul Aziz as they arrive for the funeral of Prince Badr bin Abdul Aziz, former deputy commander of the National Guard at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, April 2, 2013. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS) - RTXY5TQ

Syria Civil War Causes Return Of Saudi Influence to Lebanon

Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, there has been a resurgence in Saudi Arabian influence in Lebanon, as the desert kingdom attempts to fill the vacuum left by Syria, Nasser Chararah writes.

People enter and leave Riyadh's general court October 20, 2008. A Saudi court began formal legal proceedings on Monday against around 70 militant suspects ahead of the first trials of al Qaeda sympathisers who waged a campaign of violence in the U.S.-allied monarchy. REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed (SAUDI ARABIA) - RTX9QIH

Saudi Executions Spur Internal Debate

The execution of seven men by firing squad last week has ignited debate within the conservative kingdom on its approach to capital punishment, Ahmed al-Omran writes.

Women Challenge Saudi State Within a State

Women's protests against Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior have brought to light the extraordinary power this ministry enjoys in the kingdom, Madawi al-Rasheed writes.