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Saudi Arabia

April 27, 2026

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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

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.

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

Saudi Arabia has been engaged in intense diplomacy in Lebanon in recent days, leading up to the extension of a ceasefire with Israel.

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

Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years.

Latest News

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

Syria’s Sharaa makes fourth visit to Saudi Arabia, first since Iran war: What to know

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrives ahead of a meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street in central London on March 31, 2026.

MBS hosts Sudan's Burhan in Jeddah as $1.5B Saudi-backed arms deal stalls

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Jeddah, on April 20, 2026.

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

Intel: Saudi arms sale probe factored in Trump's firing of watchdog

President Donald Trump fired State Department Inspector General Steve Linick last week in part because of an investigation into an $8 billion emergency arms sales for Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, a source on Capitol Hill told Al-Monitor.

Iraqi series produced by Saudi Arabia sparks controversy

Some TV programs on Saudi-funded channels have sparked controversy among Iraqis.

Gulf’s megaprojects face delays, reassessment

Saudi Arabia has cut capital expenditure for a number of Vision 2030 projects amid a drop in oil prices and Chinese investment. Will other Gulf states follow suit?

TOPSHOT - Fighters from of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) fire towards the positions of Saudi-backed government forces during clashes in the Sheikh Salim area in the southern Abyan province on May 11, 2020. (Photo by Nabil HASAN / AFP) (Photo by NABIL HASAN/AFP via Getty Images)

South Yemen in tumult as Yemen government, separatists face off in Abyan

Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen launched an offensive in the southern province of Abyan against UAE-backed southern secessionists who declared self-rule in the southern governorates last month.

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry (DDG 52) launches a Tomahawk missile in support of Operation Odyssey Dawn in the Mediterranean Sea in this handout photo March 19, 2011. This was one of approximately 110 cruise missiles fired from U.S. and British ships and submarines that targeted about 20 radar and anti-aircraft sites along Libya's Mediterranean coast. Joint Task Force Odyssey Dawn is the U.S. Africa Command task force established to provide operational and tactical command and contr

Intel: US contracts Boeing to build new cruise missiles for Saudi Arabia, Qatar

The US Navy awarded Boeing a nearly $2 billion contract Wednesday to provide Saudi Arabia with 650 new land attack cruise missiles, as well as to upgrade existing ones by the end of 2028.

An investor walks past a screen displaying stock information at the Saudi Stock Exchange (Tadawul) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia June 29, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - S1AETMRJVXAC

Have taxes killed GCC economic integration?

Saudi Arabia's recent decision to increase its value-added tax by 200% could spell the end of chances for regional economic integration and policy coordination.

A delivery man wearing a protective face mask rides his bicycle, amid fear of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Sanaa, Yemen April 10, 2020. REUTERS/Mohamed al-Sayaghi - RC2Q1G92ES6L

Report: Yemen has more coronavirus cases than official numbers show

Houthi authorities have not reported test results for many suspected coronavirus cases, news organizations say.

An employee rides a bicycle next to oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - RC23VF99O3SV

Saudi Aramco first-quarter revenues fall

The state-owned company still had a profit of $16.7 billion and gave its shareholders a big payout.

Yemeni government vows to confront southern rebellion

Yemen's internationally recognized government pledged to respond to any attacks from the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in the country's south.

Medical workers wait for mock victims to arrive by ambulance to Chaim Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv during a drill simulating a biological attack January 13, 2010. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL - Tags: HEALTH) - GM1E61D1ME901

Coronavirus offers Israel opportunity to strengthen ties with Gulf states

Despite recent condemnation by Gulf states of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to annex parts of the West Bank this summer, there are signs that Israeli-Gulf ties might benefit from shared concern over COVID-19.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks with U.S. troops in front of a Patriot missile battery at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia October 22, 2019. REUTERS/Idrees Ali - RC1642C0F3F0

Intel: US to withdraw Patriot missile systems from Saudi Arabia

The Pentagon is set to pull Patriot missile defense systems from Saudi Arabia amid internal pressure to transfer military assets to counter China.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a coronavirus response event in the Blue Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 1, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RC2WFG9ZBEP0

Trump blasts Republicans who voted for Iran war powers bill as Senate fails to override veto

President Donald Trump laid into some of his close Senate allies for siding with Democrats on an Iran war powers bill even as Congress failed to override his veto.