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Saudi Arabia

April 26, 2026

Riyadh 6:39 am

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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

Rob Stothard/Getty Images

Saudi crown prince unveils national strategy for esports, video games

Investment in video games is officially forming part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiative for economic diversification.

Guests attend the Global AI 2020 (Artificial Intelligence) Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 21, 2020.

Saudi Arabia plans new AI center

The agreement between the Saudi Authority for Data and Artificial Intelligence and King Abdullah University was made on the sidelines of an artificial intelligence summit in Riyadh.

AFP via Getty Images

Culture

Yemeni man arrested for dedicating pilgrimage to Queen Elizabeth

Saudi authorities said the Yemeni man seen in a video dedicating his umrah to the English queen was arrested simply for bringing a banner to a holy site.

Saudi economy

Saudi GDP quarterly growth rate reaches 10-year high

Saudi Arabia is investing in several sectors in its bid to diversify the economy, but oil remains a major driver of growth.

A general view of Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil processing plant on Sept. 20, 2019.

Oil prices fall following Saudi-backed OPEC+ production cut

The decrease in production could be a message from Saudi Arabia to the US over the Iran nuclear deal.

A general view during Netflix’s First Arabic Film “Perfect Strangers (ar) أصحاب … ولا أعز” on Jan. 17, 2022 at Bvlgari Yacht Club in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Culture

Gulf states warn Netflix over content that 'contradicts Islamic values'

The controversy follows some Gulf states cracking down on rainbow colors due to their resemblance to the LGBTQ pride flag, though the Gulf Cooperation Council did not mention what exactly the issue is with Netflix.

Hydrogen tank.

Saudi firm Alfanar to build green hydrogen plant in Egypt

Saudi Arabia is helping Egypt boost its renewable energy capabilities.

Saudi chemical

Saudi-India economic ties grow closer with mining agreement

Saudi Arabia is seeking to boost its mining sector, and India is a natural partner in this endeavor.

Saudi Arabia's army soldiers march during the Pakistan Day parade in Islamabad on March 23, 2022.

Saudi Arabia to invest $1 billion in Pakistan, following UAE and Qatar

Pakistan is seeking help from the Gulf amid its foreign currency reserves crisis.

A picture taken on Nov. 18, 2020, shows an electronic billboard bearing portraits.

Saudi Central Bank approves fintech companies Lean Technologies, Mod5r

Saudi Arabia recently launched a fintech strategy with the goal of becoming a regional hub for financial technology.

Negotiations between President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud took place in Jeddah Aug. 18, 2022.

Saudi Arabia strengthens ties with Uzbekistan via wind power, investment deals

Uzbekistan’s relations are also improving with the United Arab Emirates and Israel.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Saudi authorities find amphetamine pills in cleaning supplies

Smugglers continue to use creative methods to bring drugs into the kingdom, which struggles with amphetamine addiction.