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Saudi Arabia

April 30, 2026

Riyadh 6:02 am

20°C

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

UAE’s OPEC exit rattles cartel as Gulf alliances shift

OPEC's fourth-largest producer will leave the cartel on May 1, marking the most significant departure in the group’s history as the war changes Abu Dhabi's relationship priorities.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

MUMEN KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images

Why UAE's decision to leave OPEC is major shift for cartel

The UAE accounts for 12% of OPEC's output, but tensions had been simmering over intragroup rivalries and the country wanting to export more oil.

United Arab Emirates

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.

Latest News

Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

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

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.

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

Pro-Erdogan media targets Saudis after Trump's Jerusalem decision

Let's hope Turkey can afford its alienation of Saudi Arabia and Saudi allies for the cause of Jerusalem.

Saudi-Egyptian broadcast deal raises issue of censorship

In line with the reform campaign launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi TV has signed a contract to broadcast two Egyptian-produced series.

Istanbul summit exposes divisions within Arab world

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit exposed Arab differences and Arab-Islamic tensions, and the reactions to both the OIC summit and the Arab League meetings were similarly pessimistic.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Vidal - RC15BF174880

Israelis, Palestinians need European mediation

The Jerusalem proclamation by US President Donald Trump put an end to the American role as honest broker between Israel and the Palestinians.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley briefs the media in front of remains of Iranian "Qiam" ballistic missile provided by Pentagon at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, U.S., December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC1942011B60

Iran calls Haley's missile claim 'ridiculous'

Iranian officials view UN Ambassador Nikki Haley’s speech accusing Tehran of sending missiles to the Houthis in Yemen as politically motivated.

Houthis broach talks after Saleh slain, but war continues

Yemen's civil war demonstrates that despotism leads to more of the same, no matter who's in power.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley briefs the media in front of remains of Iranian "Qiam" ballistic missile provided by Pentagon at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, U.S., December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1F4A4BF4D0

US envoy to the UN points finger at Iran in Yemen war

Ambassador Nikki Haley vowed a tough US response after displaying what she called “concrete evidence” that Iran provided missiles that Houthi rebels used to target Saudi Arabia.

U.S. President Donald Trump displays an executive order after he announced the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, U.S. December 6, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1C3DD4DEC0

Iran's hard-liners aren't only ones empowered by Trump's Jerusalem move

Trump’s Jerusalem announcement is only the latest in a series of missteps that have empowered various camps in Iran, including that of Rouhani.

Iran's envoy in Jordan: Support for Hezbollah maintains Arab security

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Iranian Ambassador to Jordan Mojtaba Ferdosipour discusses regional developments, including accusations against Iran of supporting terrorism in the Arab world.

Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh talks to journalists at the beginning of an OPEC meeting in Vienna, Austria, November 30, 2017. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader - RC18ECEC9B80

Iranian oil minister moves to forge new regional partnerships

At the recent OPEC meeting, Iran moved to protect its oil production and forge new regional partnerships.

A masked Palestinian throws a stone at Israeli forces in front of a burned barricade during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, near the Jewish settlement of Beit El, near the West Bank city of Ramallah December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic - RC1AAB56ECF0

Jerusalem still trending topic on social media in Mideast

Activists around the Arab world have used social media to protest US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

United States ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley addresses the U.N. Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestine, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, U.S., December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RC1606383520

Has US given up on Middle East diplomacy?

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson calls on Saudis to "consider consequences" of actions; Is Lebanese President Michel Aoun making the right call on Hariri?