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Saudi Arabia

April 24, 2026

Riyadh 7:22 pm

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

Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

The deal, announced as a nonbinding memorandum of understanding last September, would have seen the PIF inject up to $200 million into the opera institution over the next eight years.

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.

Latest News

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

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

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.

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

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Davos 2024: Reaching net zero without space tech 'wishful thinking,' says Saudi minister

On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha told Al-Monitor that technology will help countries deliver on climate promises.

A man stands outside the Canadian Embassy in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on August 7, 2018.

Saudi Arabia, Canada reestablish business council as ties warm

Saudi Arabia and Canada resumed diplomatic relations last year following a row over Ottawa’s criticism of the treatment of women in the kingdom.

Jordan Henderson of Al Ettifaq and Roberto Firmino of Al Ahli battling for the ball during the Saudi Pro League match.

Key players want out of Saudi soccer league: reports

The Saudi Pro League landed several top stars last year with lucrative deals, but now some players may be looking to leave the kingdom.

A Saudi mine worker pours a stream of molten gold from the furnace into moulds to produce gold ingots during a press tour at the Al-Amar Gold Mine, 195kms southwest of the Saudi capital Riyadh, on May 28, 2008.

Will Saudi Arabia see mining gold rush in 2024?

The kingdom plans to take advantage of the growing demand for critical minerals to power the green transition.

Ons Kayanee

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur reps Saudi fitness brand Kayanee at Australian Open

Jabeur has expressed support for Saudi investment in tennis in the past as the kingdom seeks to boost its sports holdings.

A Eurofighter jet of the TacticalAir Force Wing 71 "Richthofen" of the German Armed Forces Bundeswehr approaches during the Hannover Shield exercise at the airport in Hannover, northern Germany, Nov. 27, 2023.

Germany reverses, to greenlight Eurofighter jets to Saudi Arabia

Germany stopped selling arms to Saudi Arabia following the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018, but has since come under increasing pressure to allow the sale of the jets to the Gulf country.

An Iran Air Boeing 747 passenger plane sits on the tarmac of the domestic Mehrabad airport in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Jan. 15, 2013.

Why has Iran Air abandoned plans to relaunch Saudi Arabia flights despite detente?

The Iran Air flights to Saudi Arabia were intended to transport pilgrims to Jeddah and were scheduled to take off from Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan on Wednesday.

People attend the International E-Sport Gamers forum Next World in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Sept. 7, 2022.

Saudi PIF invested $31.6B in 2023, record in global sovereign wealth funds

The PIF is estimated to have nearly $800 billion in assets and wants to become the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund by 2030.

Wang Yi speaks during a UN Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East and the Israel-Hamas war at the United Nations headquarters on Nov. 29, 2023.

With confidence at all-time high, can China emerge as Mideast peace broker?

China is riding a wave of support since its Iran-Saudi agreement, but experts say the Palestinian-Israeli brokerage is a different matter.

An employee of the Saudi Arabian Mining Company (Ma’aden) is pictured in this undated image.

Saudi mining firm Ma’aden announces gold discovery

Saudi Arabia seeks to boost its mining sector, including via investment at home and abroad.

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

What does Saudi Arabia's CICA membership mean for its Asia pivot?

The kingdom’s achievement of observer status in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia follows similar moves with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS.

Ronald Al Nassr

Analysis

2023 in review: The year Saudi Arabia became sports superpower

The kingdom has been laying the groundwork to become a sporting leader for decades, but this year marked a turning point as investment ramped up.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech