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Saudi Arabia

September 26, 2026

Riyadh 12:21 am

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A shipping vessel transits the Strait of Hormuz

Explainer

Saudi Arabia’s return to Hormuz puts oil transfer network to the test

For months, Saudi Arabia had been eschewing the Strait of Hormuz, but the kingdom has now resorted to ship-to-ship transfers through the vital waterway.

ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Can Netanyahu turn Israel's UN isolation into strength at home?

The absence of a Trump meeting would have been awkward for Netanyahu, who has long portrayed himself to Israeli voters as uniquely close to the US president.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Latest News

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 reinforcement convoy of Yemen's Security Belt Force dominated by members of the the Southern Transitional Council (STC) seeking independence for southern Yemen, heads from the southern city of Aden to Abyan province on November 26, 2019, amid tensions with the forces of Saudi-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. - Saudi Arabia brokered on November 5 a power sharing agreement between Yemen's internationally recognised government and southern separatists of the STC, in a bid to end infighting that had d

Can new mechanism advance stalled Riyadh Agreement in southern Yemen?

Neither the Riyadh Agreement nor the mechanism for accelerating it can fundamentally end the conflict in southern Yemen, but will rather help suspend it and control its rhythm, according to analysts.

Despite dispute with Riyadh over Kashmir, Saudi-Pakistan ties remain strong

Security and economic bonds mean that Islamabad’s recent disputes with Riyadh are unlikely to impact overall bilateral ties.

What are vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris' views on the Middle East?

Joe Biden's running mate has views on Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Syria that fall in line with the Democratic party establishment.

State Department legally skirted Congress freeze on Saudi arms sales, inquiry finds

An inspector general's report redacted by the State Department says that while the department found ways to legally bypass congressional restrictions on arms sales to Saudi Arabia, measures that Congress had called for were not taken.

TOPSHOT - A photo taken on March 18, 2018, shows a Yemeni child looking out at buildings that were damaged in an air strike in the southern Yemeni city of Taez. / AFP PHOTO / Ahmad AL-BASHA (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-BASHA/AFP via Getty Images)

Yemen’s southern separatists abandon self-rule to pursue power-sharing plan

The news comes three months after the Southern Transitional Council announced self-rule in parts of southern Yemen.

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Saudi Arabia jails Yemeni blogger over video calling for LGBT rights

A Saudi court sentenced Mohamad al-Bokari to 10 months in prison over a social media post encouraging gay rights.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud attends a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry (unseen) after their meeting in the capital Cairo, on July 27, 2020. (Photo by Mohamed el-Shahed / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP via Getty Images)

Intel: Saudi Arabia backs Egypt on Libya

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said his government supports Egypt’s calls for a cease-fire in Libya after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo.

A handout picture provided by the Saudi Ministry of Media shows members of the hajj staff gathering around the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque in the holy city of Mecca, on July 26, 2020, amid preparations for the Hajj pilgrimage season. (Photo by - / Saudi Ministry of Media / AFP) (Photo by -/Saudi Ministry of Media/AFP via Getty Images)

16 fined for trespassing on Saudi holy sites ahead of restricted hajj

The violators were each fined 10,000 riyals ($2,666), authorities announced.

Saudi new King Salman stands during the arrival of US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on January 27, 2015. Obama landed in Saudi Arabia to shore up ties with new King Salman and offer condolences after the death of his predecessor Abdullah. AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB / AFP / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi King Salman hospitalized in Riyadh

The 84-year-old monarch suffered from gallbladder inflammation, according to a statement from the royal court.

Employees wearing protective equipment work at the production line of Russia's biotech company BIOCAD, which is developing its own vaccine against the new coronavirus and working on another one in cooperation with the country's virus research centre in Siberia, Vektor, in Strelna on May 20, 2020. (Photo by OLGA MALTSEVA / AFP) (Photo by OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia considers Saudi Arabia as trial site for COVID-19 vaccine

The two countries are also discussing having Saudi Arabia manufacture the drug.

Saudi Arabia permanently cancels license of Qatar's beIN Sports

The popular Doha-based sports network had been officially blocked in Saudi Arabia since the 2017 diplomatic row between the two Gulf countries.

Saudi Arabia announces steep fines for hajj trespassers

Fines of 10,000 riyals will be issued to anyone entering the holy sites without a permit.