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Saudi Arabia

April 24, 2026

Riyadh 9:56 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

A woman sits with her German shepherd at the Barking Lot cafe in Saudi Arabia.

Culture

In cultural shift, Saudi Arabia allows pets on public transportation

Pet owners can now bring their pets onto buses, boats and trains in the kingdom, but only under certain conditions.

Meloni MBS

Italy and Saudi Arabia in talks for major deals as ties grow under Meloni

The government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which came into power in October 2022, has been working to deepen ties with energy- and cash-rich states in the Middle East and North Africa.

TOPSHOT - France's President Emmanuel Macron greets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he arrives at presidential Elysee Palace in Paris, on June 16, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron hosts Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for talks in Paris, seeking to nudge the de-facto leader of the oil-rich kingdom into more full-throated support of Ukraine against the Russian invasion. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)

What Saudi crown prince's call to stop weapons exports means for Israel

The crown prince’s comments come amid persistent opposition to Israel’s strikes against Hamas in Gaza in the Arab world.

A woman looks at an instructional sticker on a bank door, showing how to distinguish genuine yuan banknotes from counterfeits, in Beijing on Aug. 16, 2019.

What $6.9B China-Saudi currency swap means for Beijing’s efforts to globalize yuan

China’s increasing economic influence and the high price of the US dollar, which has increased amid increasing interest rates to tame inflation, have led some economies to switch to cheaper yuan-denominated transactions.

Saudi Finance Minister

Saudi Arabia to sign more than $500M in deals with African countries

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih said the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, will make some “game changing” investments in Africa.

Tourists and locals visit the Dubai Mall aquarium in downtown Dubai, January 2, 2019.

What the Gulf states new unified visa means for Saudi, UAE, other citizens

The new Schengen-like visa — allowing seamless travel between members Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — will be introduced during 2024-25.

TikTok

Saudi campaign to boycott TikTok spreads to private sector

Many Saudis are calling for a boycott of the popular social media platform over it allegedly removing pro-Saudi content.

AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia’s PIF in talks to inject $250M into Chinese car maker

The kingdom is looking to develop its electric vehicle market as its economy diversifies away from oil.

Saudi energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman

Oil prices rise after Saudi Arabia, Russia extend output cuts

The Kingdom has maintained its oil output cut of 1 million barrels per day since July in an attempt to stabilize the market and prop up prices amid weakened demand.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin welcomes Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman to the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on November 1, 2023. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi defense chief concludes US trip, seeks security assurances as Gaza rages

Prince Khalid bin Salman’s preplanned trip included meetings with top US officials. Saudi Arabia is concerned that the war between Israel and Hamas could hurt its interests.

QatarEnergy

Saudi Aramco, QatarEnergy, UAE’s Emirates among Fortune Arabia top 10

The list of 500 companies from 22 Arab countries posted around $1.6 trillion in revenues in 2022, yielding a net profit of $343 billion.

Riyadh

Saudi Arabia's oil cuts weigh heavy on economy, GDP tanks by 4.5%

The kingdom's economy shrunk by the most since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 due to energy measures.