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

Saudi Arabia cover image

Saudi Arabia

September 6, 2026

Riyadh 8:40 am

33°C

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 Arabia taps China’s MiniMax for Arabic AI model

The development signals that the kingdom continues deepening AI ties with China while simultaneously pursuing major US technology partnerships, keeping the Gulf state at the center of an intensifying technology race between the superpowers.

A commercial vessel passes through an international shipping lane off Yemen's Hanish Island in the Red Sea on July 27, 2026.

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

The country’s oil exports were around 3 million barrels per day in August.

Latest News

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan set Mecca Alliance into motion

Mecca Alliance

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

Iraqi army troops patrol the Iraq-Saudi Arabia border

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

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.

Saudi Arabia Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (2L) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (R).

Top Saudi officials travel to China to attend 'Summer Davos' as ties deepen

The kingdom’s economy minister and other top officials will participate in the so-called Summer Davos as China-Saudi ties continue to gain momentum.

This photograph taken on June 21, 2023, shows an Airbus A321 XLR airplane.

Analysis

More Middle East aircraft orders expected after quiet Paris Air Show

The IBA industry consultancy firm had expected an order from Turkish Airlines, but the carrier delayed its plans at the last minute by two months.

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

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is greeted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia last April.

Saudi Crown Prince MBS meets Egypt's Sisi in France

Egypt has looked to Saudi Arabia for help during its ongoing economic crisis.

Omani Police

Oman seizes 6 million pills in Captagon bust with Saudi Arabia

A video shared by the Royal Oman Police shows agents unloading what appears to be white cardboard boxes filled with bags of Captagon tablets encased in moss-colored bricks.

Technicians work at the headquarters of the Israeli company 1MRobotics, in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv on, January 11, 2023. - Behind a seemingly ordinary storefront in Tel Aviv, the Israeli company is speeding up online shopping by replacing staff with robots that manoevure around small, streetside storerooms. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

The Middle East joins the global supercomputer competition

While most of the Middle East is not competing in the supercomputing race, Israel is one of a handful of countries that include Saudi Arabia and the UAE that have the high-tech aspirations, financial resources and local talent to be players

David Rosenberg

David Rosenberg

In Tel Aviv, reporting on business and tech

Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah (R) meeting with Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (L), in Kuwait City

Iran's FM visits Kuwait, then UAE in latest Gulf charm offensive

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian arrived in Oman on Tuesday to meet with Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi as part of his Gulf tour that began in Doha.

United Arab Emirates

France's President Emmanuel Macron greets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he arrives at presidential Elysee Palace in Paris, on June 16, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron hosts Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for talks in Paris, seeking to nudge the de-facto leader of the oil-rich kingdom into more full-throated support of Ukraine against the Russian invasion. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Saudi-France business ties flourish as Macron woos MBS

Trade between the two countries came to $12 billion in 2022, a growth of 47% compared with 2021.

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

N'Golo Kante

N’golo Kante transfers to Saudi’s Al-Ittihad, soccer club confirms

The 32-year-old Frenchman’s contract at Stamford Bridge expires at the end of June and he will join the Saudi side after on a three-year contract.