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Saudi Arabia

January 16, 2026

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President of Syria Ahmed al-Shara arrives for the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at UN Headquarters on Sept. 23, 2025 in New York City. — Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images

Syria’s Sharaa heads to Davos, ending years of global isolation

The World Economic Forum begins on January 19 and ends on January 23, hosting a cohort of around 400 political leaders.

This picture shows a battery of Israel's Iron Dome air defence system in the southern city of Ashdod on May 12, 2023, as Israel's army and Gaza militants traded heavy cross-border fire. Israel and Gaza militants traded heavy fire today as hopes faded of securing a truce to end days of fighting that have killed dozens, all but one of them Palestinian. (Photo by Jack Guez / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel holds drills, prepares missile defenses for possible Iran attack: What to know

Israel is on high alert over the possibility of an American strike on Iran, which could trigger Iranian retaliation against the Jewish state.

Latest News

MidEast VC funding hits record $3.8B in 2025, driven by strong Gulf showing

The skyline of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 31, 2023.

Analysis

How Trump’s Venezuela oil grab could test OPEC’s power, Mideast energy models

A pump jack stands near an oil spill at a facility in Venezuela.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Amid Saudi-UAE rivalry, Turkey courts Riyadh without crossing Abu Dhabi

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) gestures as he welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman (R) during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

US envoy pushes for Sudan truce in meeting with UAE’s MBZ after talks in Saudi Arabia

US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos (L) meets with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, Jan. 8, 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

Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

Why Saudi Arabia's powerful crown prince still needs his father

The influential, yet polarizing, Mohammed bin Salman still relies on his father King Salman's legitimacy and credentials as the country faces challenges at home and abroad.

Architects from Middle East, beyond tear down barriers in Venice

Turkey’s national pavilion and other entries from the region are among the highlights at this year’s Venice Architecture Biennale, whose theme "Freespace" has prompted curators to investigate national boundaries, the human toll of migration and the concept of freedom.

Is Riyadh really pushing for control of Jerusalem holy sites?

Saudi Arabia is boosting its efforts to take over Jordan's administration of Jerusalem's holy sites, and many think the pressure is coming from Saudi efforts to drum up support for the US peace plan for the Mideast.

A tank belonging to Turkish soldiers and Ankara-backed Syrian Arab fighters is seen in the Kurdish-majority city of Afrin in northwestern Syria after they took control of it from Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) on March 18, 2018.
Turkish-backed rebels have seized the centre of Afrin city in northern Syria, Ankara said, as they made rapid gains in their campaign against Kurdish forces. A civilian inside Afrin said that rebels had deployed in the city centre and that the Kurdish People's Protection Un

Turkey’s Kurdish policies provoke backlash everywhere

The US-Turkish deal on Manbij sparks a Damascus opening to Syrian Kurds; Iran scolds Turkey on PKK operations in Syria; the HDP faces violence and an “uneven” playing field in elections; Iran is caught in the middle between Russia and Saudi Arabia.

MOSCOW, RUSSIA - JUNE 14: Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, FIFA President Gianni Infantino and President Wladimir Putin of Russia look on during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group A match between Russia and Saudi Arabia at Luzhniki Stadium on June 14, 2018 in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Amin Mohammad Jamali/Getty Images)

Iran may become third wheel in Saudi-Russian relationship

Saudi Arabia and Russia have been overlooking their differences, focusing instead on their mutual energy interests, but it might prove hard to ignore the elephant in the room indefinitely.

Is the GCC dead?

The Gulf Cooperation Council is broken and may not be fixable.

Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia June 14, 2018. Yuri Kadobnov/Pool via REUTERS - RC1F6D500190

Saudi crown prince, Putin boost energy cooperation in Moscow meeting

The recent meeting between the Russian president and the Saudi crown prince appears to have moved the two countries closer to a grand bilateral energy deal.

Trump's Israel-Palestine deal targets Saudi alliance, not peace

President Donald Trump knows that in order to get the Saudis into a regional alliance with Israel against Iran, he must first present a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.

Does latest Gulf aid to Jordan come with strings?

Analysts wonder whether a Gulf aid package to help Jordan deal with its current economic crisis is in fact an attempt to pressure the kingdom into accepting the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan being developed by the United States.

Workers inspect damage at the site of an air strike on the maintenance hub at the Hodeida port, Yemen May 27, 2018. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad - RC1CB0640040

Congress seeks to hamstring US support for assault on Yemen port

The Trump administration denies supporting the UAE’s offensive on Hodeidah, but lawmakers are skeptical.

Smoke rises from a warehouse of the World Food Programme as fire engulfs it in Hodeida, Yemen March 31, 2018. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad - RC1F6A979000

US gives 'yellow light' to UAE assault on Yemen port

A top United Arab Emirates official urged the international community to pressure the Houthi rebels to withdraw from the key Yemeni port city.

Saudi Arabia bails out Jordan

In light of Jordan's latest protests that toppled the prime minister, Saudi Arabia initiated a summit June 10 where a $2.5 billion five-year aid program was agreed on to help the Hashemite Kingdom regain a position of stability in the region.