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Saudi Arabia

January 14, 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.

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

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

Many emerging venture markets contracted in 2025, but the Middle East and North Africa bucked the trend.

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

Analysis

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

Over the longer term, Washington’s bid to bring the world’s largest proven crude oil reserves firmly into its orbit raises questions for OPEC's strategy and the outlook for big-spending Gulf producers.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

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.

Meet Aidarus Zubaidi: Separatist leader at heart of Yemen’s power struggle

SALEH AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi SABIC sells $950M in overseas assets amid global chemicals slump

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

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

A supporter carries a campaign poster for Iranian presidential candidate Hassan Rohani on the streets of Tehran June 12, 2013. Picture taken June 12, 2013. REUTERS/ISNA/Mehdi Ghassemi (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTX10M6A

Iran-Saudi Relations Under Rouhani

President-elect Hassan Rouhani's expected pursuit of pragmatic foreign and regional policies should lead to improved relations and cooperation with Saudi Arabia.

Indonesian workers ready to fly to Saudi Arabia to work as maids wait at a shelter during a police inspection in Bekasi, Indonesia's West Java province, June 22, 2011. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono decide to apply a moratorium on sending Indonesian workers to Saudi Arabia be effect on August 1 after a 54-year-old Indonesian maid was beheaded on Saturday, convicted of murdering her Saudi employer, Yudhoyono said on Thursday on a live TV broadcast. Picture taken June 22, 2011. REUTERS/Sulth

Maid in Saudi Arabia

Human trafficking and abuse of domestic workers continue in the kingdom.

An Egyptian Air Force F-16 fighter jet flies low over thousands of anti-government protesters gathered at Tahrir square in Cairo January 30, 2011. Egyptian air force fighter planes buzzed low over Cairo on Sunday, helicopters hovered above and extra troop trucks appeared in a central square where protesters were demanding an end to President Hosni Mubarak's rule. REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTXXAH3

US Should Not Cut Aid to Egypt’s Military

US military aid can sustain American leverage and assist Egypt’s democratic transition.

Grooms take part in a mass wedding ceremony in Tabuk, 1500 km (932 miles) from Riyadh, May 2, 2012. Governor of Tabuk Prince Fahad Bin Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz and a local group organised the mass wedding for about 1600 couples to help youths who are unable to afford expensive ceremonies because of the rising cost of living. REUTERS/Mohamed Alhwaity (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTR31J6Q

Saudi Women in the Masculine State

A Review of "A Most Masculine State" by Madawi Al-Rasheed.

Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi waves at the end of his visit to the Mosque of Prophet Mohammed in Madinah July 12, 2012. REUTERS/Saudi Press Agency/Handout (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS RELIGION) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTR34VN8

Saudi Arabia Pleased With Morsi’s Fall

Saudi Arabia has a vested interest in the Muslim Brotherhood’s failure in Egypt and the message it sends to sympathetic audiences in the region.

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah speaks at the opening ceremony of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit in Mecca August 14, 2012. Leaders of Muslim countries are expected to suspend Syria's membership of the OIC at a summit in Mecca on Wednesday, despite the vocal objections of President Bashar al-Assad's main ally Iran. REUTERS/Hassan Ali (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS) - RTR36UIG

Untimely Test for Saudi Regime

Clashes in Saudi Arabia between Shiite youths and the authorities expose the vulnerability of the kingdom, amid explosive unrest in the region.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Hassan Rohani speaks with a Reuters correspondent during a private interview in Tehran February 6, 2005. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi RH/CJF/AA - RTRMHK5

Rouhani Win Could Reduce Iran-Saudi Tensions

While Iran's President-elect Hassan Rouhani has said that improving relations with Saudi Arabia will be among his top priorities, no one should expect their mutual hostility to end completely.

The body of Saudi Arabia's Prince Badr bin Abdul Aziz, former deputy commander of the National Guard is lifted during his funeral at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, April 2, 2013. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY ROYALS OBITUARY) - RTXY5U5

Saudi Arabia’s Quiet Transition

Although the ascension the next generation of Saudi Arabia's princes is not a sign of reform, it is a major transformation in the kingdom’s leadership.

Veiled women carry vegetables as they walk along a street at the neighbourhood of Shmeisy in Riyadh April 22, 2013. A royal decree in Saudi Arabia has shaken up the way in which the government allocates vast tracts of land, removing an obstacle to a $67 billion programme to ease the country's housing shortage. Picture taken April 22, 2013. To match Story SAUDI-HOUSING/ REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: BUSINESS REAL ESTATE POLITICS CONSTRUCTION) - RTXYY39

Social Divisions Hinder Saudi Rights Movement

Ideological and social polarization is preventing a strong Saudi rights movement from emerging.

Saudi Arabia King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz (R) meets with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani (C) and Lebanon's former prime minister Saad al-Hariri at the Royal Palace in Mecca August 13, 2012. REUTERS/Saudi Press Agency/Handout (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - R

Saudi-Qatar Honeymoon In Lebanon Is Over

Seemingly eager to turn the regional unrest to their advantage, both Qatar and Saudi Arabia are carefully strategizing their diplomatic efforts in the Mideast.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (2nd L) inspects a guard of honour during his ceremonial reception at India's presidential palace Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi April 9, 2012. Sheikh Hamad is on a three-day state visit to India. REUTERS/Stringer (INDIA - Tags: POLITICS) FOR BEST QUALITY IMAGE ALSO SEE: GM1E84H05M001 - RTR30ISQ

The Limits of Asia-Gulf Ties

Gulf-Asian economic relations will likely continue to grow while national security considerations are ignored.

Syrians wait to cross back into Syria at the Turkish Cilvegozu border, opposite the Syrian commercial crossing point Bab al-Hawa, in Reyhanli, Hatay province, May 14, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTXZLW2

No 'Good Guys' Or 'Bad Guys' in Syria

Saudi Arabia and Qatar need to support a diplomatic outcome in Syria.