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May 7, 2026

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Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, May 6, 2026.

Saudi FM in Turkey as Ankara, Riyadh step up coordination amid Iran war

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visit to Ankara comes amid rapidly expanding Turkish-Saudi coordination as the fallout from the Iran war reshapes Gulf security dynamics.

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

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Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia, Egypt are wary of Turkey’s proposed 4-way defense pact with Pakistan

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.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

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.

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.

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

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al-Saud talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (not pictured) before a meeting at the King's desert encampment in Rawdat al-Khuraim January 5, 2014. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/Pool (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS) - RTX172VS

Saudi king's short victory lap in Egypt

Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz makes a rare visit to Egypt for Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's inauguration, as the threat from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) complicates its regional policies.

A Muslim prays at the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (The Mosque of the Prophet) before the early morning prayer of al-Fajr in the holy city of Medina January 16, 2014. Muslims marked Eid Mawlid al-Nabawi, or the birth of Prophet Mohammad, on January 14. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: RELIGION) - RTX17H44

Saudis debate Salafism and democracy

The recent growth of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has led to an extensive debate among Islamist groups in Saudi Arabia over the relationship between Salafism and governance.

An Iranian man holds a photo showing Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and Iran's late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, while listening to Iran's President Hassan Rouhani delivering a speech on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the death of Islamic revolutionary leader Khomeini, at Khomeini's mausoleum in a suburb of Tehran on June 3, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Khamenei rep blames Saudi Arabia, Qatar for Iraq insurgents

In a rare moment of directness, a representative of Iran’s supreme leader has directly named Saudi Arabia and Qatar as the cause of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham’s surge in Iraq.

A Palestinian boy stands next to an Israeli policeman at a police barrier in Jerusalem's Old City June 2, 2014. REUTERS/Ammar Awad (JERUSALEM - Tags: POLITICS SOCIETY) - RTR3RW4G

Poll suggests Israelis could be sold on Arab League Initiative

A poll conducted ahead of a major Israeli political conference examined the extent of the Israeli public’s exposure to the Arab Peace Initiative, and findings indicate that most Israelis are ignorant of the details of the plan.

Israel's Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman attends a meeting with the business community in Uganda's capital Kampala, September 10, 2009. Lieberman, accompanied by business and military delegation, is on an official African visit to Ethiopia, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and Nigeria. REUTERS/James Akena (UGANDA POLITICS BUSINESS) - RTR27O1U

Liberman outlines vision for 'regional arrangement' with Arab states

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman offers a plan for open contacts with "moderate" Arab states to deal with the threat from Iran and in pursuit of an agreement with the Palestinians.

Members of Saudi security forces take part in a military drill, in Jeddah City May 27, 2014. REUTERS/Mohamed Alhwaity (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: MILITARY) - RTR3R48T

Saudi Arabia shifts to more assertive defense doctrine

The kingdom is considering how to more effectively project its role and power in the region to compensate for the decline of Western influence.

Saudi Arabia's Prince Turki bin Abdullah al Saud, deputy governor of the Riyadh, meets Saudi Royal Force pilots during the inauguration of the Bahrain International Airshow held at the Sakhir Air Base, south of Manama, January 16, 2014. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed (BAHRAIN - Tags: ROYALS POLITICS TRANSPORT MILITARY) - RTX17GM3

Saudi king’s sons well-placed for transition

King Abdullah’s sons hold key positions of influence in the government as the kingdom transitions to the next generation of Saudi royals.

Israel should take Prince Turki's offer on Arab Peace Initiative

Prince Turki Al-Faisal Al-Saud spoke in Brussels with retired Gen. Amos Yadlin about the Saudi initiative for ending the conflict, saying, "Israel has nuclear weapons. … The Arabs aren’t crazy. We want to talk peace."

Saudi princes carry the coffin of Crown Prince Nayef inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca June 17, 2012. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Nayef, a hawkish interior minister who crushed al Qaeda in the world's top oil exporter, died on Saturday eight months after becoming heir to the throne, paving the way for a more reform-minded successor. REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS OBITUARY) - RTR33SCC

Changes in Saudi Defense Ministry a matter of family politics

The leadership of the Saudi Ministry of Defense is being reshuffled quickly, indicating an effort to concentrate power and influence in the hands of the sons of King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal attends the opening of an Arab foreign ministers emergency meeting to discuss the Syrian crisis and President Bashar al-Assad's regime, at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, March 9, 2014. The Arab League on Sunday endorsed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's rejection of Israel's demand for recognition as a Jewish state, as U.S.-backed peace talks approach a deadline next month. The United States want Abbas to make the concession as part of effort

Saudi, UAE coordination signals differences with Qatar

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have formed a joint committee to coordinate their regional efforts, with Egypt and Libya topping the agenda.

An Egyptian soldier stands near the Egyptian national flag and the Israeli flag at the Taba crossing between Egypt and Israel, about 430 km (256 miles) northeast of Cairo, October 26, 2011. Israel and Egypt said on Monday they have struck a deal to swap 25 Egyptians in Israeli custody for a U.S.-Israeli dual national accused by Cairo of espionage, in a step seen as easing strains between the strategic neighbors. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El-Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR2T7XN

Israel-Egypt anti-terrorism cooperation at zenith

Israel adapts to a new alliance structure based on common security interests, and in anticipation of a nuclear Middle East.

Supreme leaders of Iran, the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L) and Ayatollah Ali Khameni (R), are seen on the top of a hill from the Turkish side of the border near the Esendere crossing between Turkey and Iran on June 25, 2012 in Yuksekova, a district of the Turkish province of Hakkari. AFP PHOTO/BULENT KILIC (Photo credit should read BULENT KILIC/AFP/GettyImages)

Turkey locked in regional rivalry with Iran, Saudi Arabia

Differences over Egypt and Syria are far from resolved, despite some feints at strengthening regional cooperation.