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

Saudi Arabia cover image

Saudi Arabia

September 29, 2026

Riyadh 12:49 am

30°C

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed

UAE’s Sheikh Mansour to visit Saudi Arabia amid strained ties

The two Gulf countries have been at odds over Yemen, where Saudi Arabia backs Yemen’s internationally recognized government, while the UAE has supported the separatist Southern Transitional Council.

AFP via Getty Images

Shipping giants sail cautiously back into Red Sea despite Houthi threats

Hapag-Lloyd and Maersk announced earlier this month that three services under their shipping partnership would shift from the Cape of Good Hope route back to the Red Sea.

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) received His Excellency Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey (L), in Abu Dhabi on Sept. 28, 2026.

Turkey's FM in UAE to discuss Yemen war, Hormuz closure: What to know

The top Turkish diplomat was set to stress Ankara's support for a peaceful and “united Yemen” amid renewed Houthi advances.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud shakes hands with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio as they pose for photos before a meeting at the US State Department on Sept. 28, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Rubio meets Saudi FM as fight against Yemen's Houthis intensifies

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan's visit comes two days after Saudi Arabia said it intercepted multiple Houthi drones and ballistic missiles.

Latest News

Analysis

Why Turkey is drawing the line at defense in its support for Saudi Arabia

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (3rd R) with Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud (R) and Pakistan Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar (2nd R), Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman (C), Turkish Chief of the General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu (L), Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif (2nd R), Pakistani Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir (3rd R) at the first meeting of the Strategic Political and Defence Committee in relation to the

Ezgi Akin

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

What France’s military deployment means for Saudi Arabia’s fight against Houthis

France s President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Saudi Arabia s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he arrives for a State diner in his honor at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Aug. 24, 2026.

Explainer

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

A shipping vessel transits the Strait of Hormuz

Analysis

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

ANGELA WEISS / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

President of Iran Hassan Rouhani arrives during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 25, 2015, at the United Nations in New York. AFP PHOTO/Dominick Reuter (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)

Rouhani blasts Saudi 'ineptitude' for hajj tragedy

In a wide-ranging conversation with senior representatives of US media, Hassan Rouhani said the nuclear deal, if implemented, could be “something to build on” in US-Iran relations and efforts to resolve other regional conflicts, but offered no details.

Iranian officials call for change in hajj administration

After a stampede that killed at least 131 Iranians and with more than 300 still missing, Iranian officials have called for a review to change the administration of hajj pilgrimages for it to be put under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks during a news conference in Moscow, Russia, September 22, 2015. Amir-Abdollahian said on Tuesday his country had no troops or military advisers in Syria or Yemen, the RIA news agency reported. REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev - RTX1RTQL

Is Iran deal stopping regional cooperation?

Despite the nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers, it appears that an improvement in Saudi-Iranian relations in the short term is unlikely, if not impossible.

Muslim pilgrims walk on roads as they head to cast stones at pillars symbolizing Satan during the annual haj pilgrimage in Mina on the first day of Eid al-Adha, near the holy city of Mecca September 24, 2015. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood - RTX1S609

Khamenei condemns Saudi Arabia for hajj stampede

Iranian officials have blamed Saudi management of the hajj for the stampede that left at least 125 Iranians dead.

A soldier from the United Arab Emirates armed with a machine gun watches over Yemeni territory on a Chinook helicopter on the frontline conflict zone of Marib in central Yemen September 16, 2015. Armed with high-tech Western weaponry, Gulf Arab soldiers are fighting with newfound determination against what they see as the expanding influence of Iran, their non-Arab and Shi'ite Muslim arch-foe, in a war that has ravaged Yemen for six months. The oil-producing province of Marib has become a key battlefield be

The battle for Sanaa looms

If a cease-fire is not arranged, the battle for Sanaa will turn into a humanitarian disaster.

Why Iran, Saudi Arabia keep locking horns on Syria

The window of opportunity for regional dialogue provided by the Iran nuclear deal appears wasted as Tehran and Riyadh stick to their positions.

Is Saudi Arabia up to the task of protecting the 'House of God'?

With construction issues at the Grand Mosque and the threat of Islamist militants, the hajj presents a unique challenge to Saudi organizers every year.

Iranian authorities scramble to stop 'Beat the Arab'

An online game targeting Arabs and hosted on Iranian websites is prompting authorities to take action.

Syrian migrants walk towards the Greece border on a road near Edirne, Turkey, September 15, 2015. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTS165C

Why the Gulf isn't to blame for Syrian refugee crisis

Oil-rich Gulf states are defending their record in assisting Syrian refugees as world opinion grows more hostile to their perceived indifference.

Muslim pilgrims walk near a construction crane which crashed in the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia September 12, 2015. At least 107 people were killed when the crane toppled over at Mecca's Grand Mosque on Friday, Saudi Arabia's Civil Defence authority said, less than two weeks before Islam's annual haj pilgrimage. REUTERS/Mohamed Al Hwaity - RTSR3D

'Guests of God' pay high price

Has the commercialization of the pilgrimage to Mecca overshadowed the Saudi leadership’s goal of serving Muslims?

Will Iran reach truce with the Islamic State?

Some members of Iran’s foreign policy elite are suggesting that Iran reduce regional military intervention — a policy that could help US President Barack Obama's administration sell the Iran deal to skeptical traditional allies and their US supporters.

Yemen's African connection

Amid the withholding of the details of the Emirati death toll in Yemen, African soldiers are set to step up their role in Operation Restoring Hope.