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August 8, 2026

Riyadh 5:09 am

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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.

Explainer

'A claim to be tested': Can Saudi Arabia-Turkey-Pakistan defense pact deter Iran?

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

OPEC

UAE sticks to OPEC+ production limits

The Biden administration is asking Gulf partners to increase production in response to rising oil prices, but so far the cartel is holding to its earlier agreement.

United Arab Emirates

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Oil prices, Saudi Aramco shares soar as Ukraine fighting continues

Saudi Arabia, Russia and other major oil producers have so far declined to increase production despite pleas from the United States.

electric car

Electric SUV race coming to Saudi Arabia’s NEOM

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has prioritized investing in new types of sports as part of his Vision 2030 initiative.

Saudi tourism

Emirates airline to boost Saudi tourism

The Dubai-based carrier has signed an agreement with the Saudi Tourism Authority to bring international travelers to Saudi Arabia.

AFP via Getty Images

Gulf foreign ministers, GCC chief visit China for talks

GCC Secretary General Nayef Falah Al-Hajraf said the five days of meetings will "contribute to enhancing GCC-Chinese relations."

Volunteers check IDs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Nov. 17, 2021. There are fears emergency measures are leading to the profiling of ethnic Tigrayans.

Ethiopia detaining Tigrayans deported from Saudi Arabia, rights group says

Human Rights Watch urged Ethiopia to release the arbitrarily detained Tigrayans and called on Saudi Arabia to stop its deportations.

ALEJANDRO PAGNI/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey's Erdogan says he'll visit Saudi Arabia in February

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's planned visit to Saudi Arabia comes as Ankara seeks to mend ties with several Gulf countries.

Airport workers inspect the damage at Sanaa International Airport on Dec. 21, 2021, following a reported airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition.

Yemen’s Houthis say Sanaa airport reopen to flights after bombing

The UN envoy for Yemen said the recent escalation was "among the worst" seen in the conflict in years.

Saudi-backed government troops repel a Huthi rebel offensive on oil-rich Marib, some 120 kilometres (75 miles) east of Yemen's rebel-held capital Sanaa, on Feb. 14, 2021.

Saudi-led coalition renews airstrikes against Yemen's Houthis

Riyadh-led airstrikes came after Yemen's Houthis launched a projectile into the southern Saudi province of Jizan, killing two people late last week.

Justin Lane/Getty Images

Saudi diplomat says Iran 'playing games' in regional talks

Abdallah Al-Mouallimi's comments came as Jordanian state news outlets reported on a "security dialogue" between the two countries in Amman.

An employee at the Saudi Aramco oil facility walks near a damaged silo at the plant in Saudi Arabia's Red Sea city of Jeddah on Nov. 24, 2020.

Senate fails to block missile sale to Saudi Arabia

The Biden administration has said the AIM-120C missiles are to help Saudi Arabia defend itself against hostile drone attacks from Yemen.

A Saudi boy poses for a photo with a camel at the King Abdulaziz Camel Festival in Rumah, March 29, 2017.

Camels disqualified from Saudi beauty pageant over Botox injections

More than 40 "enhanced" camels were barred from competing in the monthlong festival near Riyadh.