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Saudi Arabia

April 24, 2026

Riyadh 6:50 am

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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.

Analysis

Gulf energy deals face Iran war stress test as global expansion meets oil shock

ADNOC, Aramco and QatarEnergy have aggressively expanded their international portfolios in recent years, a strategy facing new constraints as the US-Israel-Iran war impacts Gulf production and exposes structural risks.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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.

Syria’s Sharaa makes fourth visit to Saudi Arabia, first since Iran war: What to know

The visit comes in light of the deepening economic relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia post-Assad.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets with Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in Jeddah, on April 20, 2026.

MBS hosts Sudan's Burhan in Jeddah as $1.5B Saudi-backed arms deal stalls

Sudan’s army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan traveled to Jeddah Monday for a visit that could be aimed at salvaging a $1.5 billion Pakistani arms deal Riyadh has reportedly blocked.

Latest News

Analysis

Pakistan’s quiet fighter jet deployment to Saudi Arabia signals Gulf anxiety

Pakistan Air Force J-10 fighter jets over Islamabad, March 23, 2025.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

What LIV Golf’s woes suggest about Saudi Arabia’s economic headwinds

Bryson DeChambeau of Crushers GC plays his shot from the 17th tee prior to LIV Golf Mexico City at Club de Golf Chapultepec on April 15, 2026, in Mexico City.

Saudi stocks hit 2026 high, bucking global war-driven volatility

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

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

A Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) Boeing 737-700 aircraft (background L) is seen past an AirAsia plane at Langkawi International Airport on the Malaysian resort island of Langkawi on March 2, 2024, ahead of the expected departure of Norway's King Harald V who has been hospitalised on the island. Norway's King Harald V, aged 87 and in poor health, is expected to return in "a few days" from Malaysia where he is hospitalised, the royal household said February 29. (Photo by Mohd RASFAN / AFP) (Photo by MOHD RASFAN/

Malaysia courts Gulf investment and economic ties, but Saudi relations remain question mark

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Goldman Sachs first Wall Street bank to get green light for Saudi Arabia HQ

The US-headquartered investment bank received a license from the Saudi Ministry of Investment to set up its regional headquarters in the capital, Riyadh.

A Saudi Aramco car with visiting journalists is seen outside the company's Natural Gas Liquids plant in Saudi Arabia's remote Empty Quarter near the United Arab Emirates, on May 10, 2016. Despite collapsed global oil prices, production is expanding at Shaybah, as it is in other units of the company at the centre of the kingdom's Vision 2030 drive for diversification away from oil. The Saudi government plans to sell less than five percent of the company in what officials say will be the world's largest-ever

Why natural gas supply is critical to Saudi economic transformation

Gerald Kepes

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy trends

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz (2nd R) shakes hands with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) after they joined heads of states and international organizations for a "family photo" during the G20 Summit in Brisbane on Nov. 15, 2014.

India’s Modi ‘deeply concerned’ about Saudi King Salman’s health

The 88-year-old king has faced health setbacks in recent weeks, prompting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to cancel a trip to Japan.

Royal Saudi Air Force Panavia Tornado and F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft fly over during an airshow marking Saudi Arabia's 93rd National Day celebrations in Riyadh on September 23, 2023. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

Behind scenes of Israel-Saudi deal, Pentagon works Arab air defense shield

The Biden administration is taking advantage of a lull in regional tensions to advance air and missile defense talks with GCC states, but the danger isn't over yet, as Pentagon officials worry Yemen's Houthi rebels can now reach the Mediterranean.

SHARM EL SHEIKH, EGYPT - FEBRUARY 24: King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia during talks with UK Prime Minister Theresa May while they attend the first Arab-European Summit on February 24, 2019 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Leaders from European and Arab nations are meeting for the two-day summit to discuss topics including security, trade and migration. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Saudi crown prince cancels Japan trip over King Salman's health concerns

The Saudi Press Agency reported Sunday that the crown prince’s 88-year-old father, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, was suffering from lung inflammation and will be treated at the Al Salam Palace in Jeddah.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives at presidential Elysee Palace to meet France's President in Paris on July 28, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron host Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for talks in Paris on July 28, 2022, outraging rights groups and the fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Photo by Bertrand GUAY / AFP) (Photo by BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images)

In Japan, Saudi Arabia's crown prince eyes expansion of energy, defense ties

In an upcoming visit to Tokyo, the Saudi crown prince will have an audience with the Japanese prime minister, among others, to discuss a "broad range" of issues.

Juergen Schmidhuber in an undated photo. @SchmidhuberAI

Interview

AI pioneer Schmidhuber bets on Saudi Arabia for trillion-dollar breakthrough

Juergen Schmidhuber, a pioneering AI researcher told Al-Monitor that Gulf players have opportunities to take on traditional tech powerhouses in this high stakes AI race.

Juergen Schmidhuber

Juergen Schmidhuber

AI computer scientist

A military band welcomed the President with the Russian national anthem, and the Russian tricolor was hoisted over Tiananmen Square.

Saudi cautious as Iran looks to make gains from Putin’s China visit

As Putin was making his way to Beijing, Alexie Miller, chair of Russia’s Gazprom, was in Tehran, where he met First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber and Oil Minister Javad Owji, the company said.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 24: National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan talks to reporters in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on April 24, 2024 in Washington, DC. Sullivan fielded questions about legislation President Joe Biden signed that morning for $80 billion in foreign aid, abortion arguments at the Supreme Court and other topics. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Jake Sullivan to visit Saudi Arabia, Israel amid regional tension

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan's trip comes as the Biden administration is urging Israel to consider alternatives to a full-scale invasion of Rafah.

Qatar's Finance Minister Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari (L) listens as his Saudi counterpart Mohammed Al-Jadaan speaks during a session at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha on May 14, 2024.

Saudi Arabia 'conservative' on oil revenue as it pares back Vision 2030 plans

Mohammed Al-Jaadan warned that being a resource-rich country was a curse as well as a blessing because being dependent on one commodity such as oil can hold a country "hostage" to the volatility of global demand and prices.

This photograph taken on January 12, 2024, shows an oil refinery in the desert between Shubaytah and Shubaytah, of the Dakar rally 2024, in Saudi Arabia, on January 12, 2024. (Photo by PATRICK HERTZOG / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK HERTZOG/AFP via Getty Images)

What's behind Saudi Arabia's increase in crude oil prices for Asian market?

The kingdom wants to restrain oil production to keep demand up, but the increase in prices to Asian customers is more related to refining values, says one expert.