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Saudi Arabia

April 26, 2026

Riyadh 3:50 am

21°C

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.

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

Saudi Arabia has been engaged in intense diplomacy in Lebanon in recent days, leading up to the extension of a ceasefire with Israel.

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

Latest News

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

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.

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

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

View

Saudi Arabia establishes open banking framework

Saudi Arabia wants to grow its fintech sector in line with its diversification plan, but finding the right talent could be a challenge.

Delegations attend the 46th ordinary session of the Council of Arab Central Banks and Monetary Authorities Governors, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 18, 2022.

Gulf banks raise interest rates in response to the Fed, Kuwait stays put

Saudi Arabia could be in store for a liquidity crunch, according to a leading credit rating agency. Kuwait has a history of not following the trend on interest rates.

Aramco exhibition section at the Misk Global Forum on innovation and technology held in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on Nov. 13, 2019.

Saudi Aramco continues to reap big profits

The Saudi oil giant has been investing in futuristic technology as it benefits from high oil prices.

Senator calls for investigation into Saudi Twitter ownership

Saudi Prince Alwaleed is the second-largest stakeholder in Elon Musk's Twitter, which has earned him criticism from Sen. Murphy. But the prince’s investment in the company is not new.

Twitter

Saudi prince to retain stake in Twitter after Musk takeover

Prince Alwaleed previously criticized Elon Musk’s plan to buy the social media giant, but later changed his tune.

GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

Trump hosts final Saudi LIV Golf tournament in Miami

Victims of the September 11 attacks continue to voice opposition to the former president’s relationship with the Saudi Public Investment Fund-backed league.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Aramco launches sustainability fund

The more than $1 billion new Saudi fund will invest in hydrogen, ammonia and other alternative fuels to oil.

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Abdulaziz bin Salman.

Saudi Arabia criticizes Biden over oil reserve release

The US president recently announced that he would sell some emergency oil reserves in response to the Saudi-backed oil supply cut.

MIKE NELSON/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi sovereign wealth fund to create decarbonization company

Saudi entities have also announced green hydrogen projects in recent weeks.

Hydrogen tank.

Saudi company to develop green hydrogen in South Africa

The kingdom has shown a particularly strong interest in both South Africa and green hydrogen in general this year.

AMER HILABI/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi, Chinese energy leaders pledge further cooperation

While the United States is upset at Saudi Arabia over its decision to decrease oil production, the kingdom’s energy ties with China are improving.

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on energy.

Biden announces release of oil reserves following Saudi-backed oil cut

One analyst said the move will not elicit a reaction from Saudi Arabia, which is in a dispute with the Biden administration over the recent OPEC+ oil production decision.