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August 8, 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.

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

Saudi proof of vaccination required

Saudi Arabia to require vaccination proof for foreign tourists

Saudi Arabia has imposed some particularly strict travel measures recently amid regional concerns about coronavirus variants.

A cemetery worker digs grave holes for victims of the COVID-19 coronavirus at Setu Gede cemetery in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, on July 22, 2021.

Saudi Arabia to impose travel ban for visits to 'red list' countries

Citizens who travel to countries including the UAE, Indonesia and Turkey are at risk of penalties including a three-year ban on travel.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khalid describes 'great' meeting with Blinken

Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, is the most senior Saudi official to visit Washington under the Biden administration.

Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei speaks during a news conference in the capital Tehran on July 22, 2019.

Iran reports progress in talks with Saudi Arabia

Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said talks between the two regional powers will continue.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia plans second national airline in tourism push

The additional airline would help position the Gulf state as a global logistics hub, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said.

US President Joe Biden (R) speaks with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prior to a plenary session of a NATO summit at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels, on June 14, 2021.

The Takeaway: Pragmatism is the new watchword in US-Turkey relations

Plus: A fresh start for Israel; Iran’s hard-line front-runner on the issues; Egypt’s faltering Palestinian mediation; Saudi-Syria talks; Golani’s makeover.

Blinken in Cairo

The Takeaway: US ties with Egypt loom large again

Picking up the pieces in Gaza; the uneasy, uncertain peace between Israel and Hamas; PLO and Hamas still can’t find common ground; Russia on the diplomatic sidelines; desert kingdom looks to build forest; and more!

Saudi passengers arrive at King Khaled International airport in the capital, Riyadh, on May 17, 2021, as Saudi authorities lift travel restrictions for citizens immunized against COVID-19.

Vaccinated Saudis free to travel abroad as ban lifted

Saudi Arabia on Monday rolled back an international travel ban that has remained in place since March 2020.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saied Khatibzadeh speaks during a press conference in Tehran on Feb. 22, 2021.

Iran confirms talks with rival Saudi Arabia

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said the Iraq-mediated talks focused on bilateral and regional issues.

Sisi Erdogan and King Salman

Erdogan’s reset with Egypt and the Gulf won’t be smooth

The Turkish president wants a change in relations, but his efforts are seen as the result of a failed regional strategy and poor ties with the Biden administration.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia to require all workers get vaccinated

Workers in both the private and public sector must receive the vaccine before returning to their workplaces, according to the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Development.

A photo taken on May 3, 2021 shows a giant portrait of President Bashar al-Assad at the Umawiyin square in Syria's capital Damascus, ahead of this month's presidential elections.

Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief meets with Syrian counterpart in Damascus

The meeting takes place during the first official visit to Damascus by Saudi Arabia since 2012.