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August 7, 2026

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Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) welcomes Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman (R) during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on June 22, 2022.

Breaking | Last Updated: August 7, 2026, 8:00 am

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan sign joint defense agreement

The pact commits the three countries to collective defense, bringing together NATO's second-largest army, the Muslim world's only nuclear power and the guardian of Islam's holiest sites.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) welcomes Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (L) upon his arrival during an official ceremony at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on June 22, 2022.

Turkey’s Erdogan heads to Saudi Arabia for talks with MBS, Pakistan’s Sharif

The visit comes as the three countries ramp up coordination to weather the regional fallout from the Iran war.

Khaled ZIAD / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Iran-Oman deal spurs Hormuz hopes as Red Sea threats evolve

Iran has signaled that an agreement was reached with Oman establishing a Hormuz shipping route even as Houthi attacks in the Red Sea expand.

Latest News

Oil falls 5% after Trump calls off Iran strikes, says Hormuz deal agreed

SAEED KHAN / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Amid realignment with Egypt, Turkey steps up support for Sudan’s Burhan

Sudan's de facto leader and armed forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan greets supporters in Port Sudan, Dec. 29, 2024.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

How strike on Damietta port exposes Egypt's energy infrastructure risks

An Egyptian man looks at the Qatari Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) carrier "Duhail" as its passes through the Suez Canal near the Egyptian port city of Ismailia on April 1, 2008. The vessel has a capacity of 210,100 cu.m making it one of the largest LNG carriers constructed to date. AFP PHOTO/STR (Photo credit should read -/AFP via Getty Images)

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

Russia's Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev arrives to attend an expanded meeting of the Russian Defence Ministry Board at the National Defence Control Centre in Moscow, on December 21, 2022. - Russian President described today the conflict in Ukraine as a "shared tragedy" but placed blame for the outbreak of hostilities on Ukraine and its allies, not Moscow. (Photo by Sergey Fadeichev / Sputnik / AFP) (Photo by SERGEY FADEICHEV/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian interior minister visits Saudi Arabia in Zelenskyy's wake

The Ukrainian president criticized the Russian invasion during his surprise trip to Saudi Arabia to attend the Arab League summit.

Rayyanah Barnawi

Meet Rayyanah Barnawi, Saudi Arabia's first female astronaut to go to space

Rayyanah Barnawi said she’ll be taking Arabic coffee with her to drink aboard the International Space Station, teaching children, and practicing zero-gravity space flips with her colleagues.

Biden Saudi Arabia

Analysis

Biden gives priority to Israel-Saudi normalization

All three parties want a deal, and 2024 is an election year; Syrian Kurdish leader expects little from Arab League normalization with Syria.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud (L) shakes hands with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

Germany, Italy hold talks with Saudi Arabia, Qatar to strengthen energy ties

Italy is looking for capital from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund for a new fund Rome is setting up to help domestic companies in strategically important sectors.

Volodymyr Zelensky at Arab League Summit

Ukraine’s Zelensky in Saudi Arabia for Arab League summit

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who's also attending, is expected to discuss the drug trade and Syrian refugees at his first summit since Syria was readmitted to the Arab League.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in Damascus on April 18, 2023. - Saudi Press Agency

Syria's Assad lands in Saudi Arabia seeking financial incentives at Arab summit

Robert Ford, the last US ambassador to Syria, said the Jeddah summit will likely end with “nice promises” in front of the cameras but a different outcome in reality as normalization with Assad, overriding sanctions and the return of refugees face mounting hurdles.

S President Joe Biden (3-L) takes part in a working session with the Saudi crown prince (not pictured) at the Al-Salam Royal Palace in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, on July 15, 2022. - US President Joe Biden landed in Saudi Arabia, sealing a retreat from his campaign pledge to turn the kingdom into a "pariah" over its human rights record (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli-Saudi normalization efforts top Ronen Levy's agenda in Washington

An Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on Tuesday that "the key to an Israeli-Saudi agreement lies in Washington... it is on President Biden's desk and not buried deep in a side drawer.”

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

Saudi Arabia increases stake in EA gaming by 55%

The PIF held 16.01 million shares in Electronic Arts (EA) before Q4 2022, but after Q1 2023, it held 24.81 million shares.

Joe Biden in Saudi Arabia

Analysis

For Israel, normalization with Saudi Arabia not impossible

Israel is cautiously optimistic about US efforts to push Saudi Arabia towards normalization.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Dubai port

Dubai’s DP World signs deals with China seaport companies in latest push

Ningbo-Zhoushan port said it will boost its Dubai station project as part of China’s Road and Belt Initiative.

United Arab Emirates

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman prior to a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 20, 2019. - Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received a warm welcome in India on February 20, with Riyadh eager to demonstrate it is not an international pariah after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October. (Photo by MONEY SHARMA / AFP) (Photo credit should read MONEY SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images)

In Saudi, US embraces a West Asia architecture with India, UAE

New relationships across the continent may promote both economic development and security.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Saudi Aramco, high-value IPOs face impending pressure in 2023

The United Arab Emirates saw the world’s largest IPO of first quarter 2023, with ADNOC Gas PLC raising $2.5 billion on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.

By Salim A. Essaid