GCC Relations

The Saudi delegation meets with Vietnamese officials in Hanoi, Sept. 29, 2025.

After China, Saudi industry minister visits Vietnam in eastward economic push

Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef met with a number of Vietnamese officials on Monday as the oil-rich Gulf kingdom looks east to diversify its economic alliances.

The headquarters of the UAE's state oil company, ADNOC, Dubai, July 27, 2022.

Analysis

After $20B deals unravel, will Gulf oil majors scale back abroad?

International deals pursued by Saudi Aramco and the UAE's ADNOC have collapsed in recent weeks, adding fresh complications for both national oil companies amid their drive to grow in new markets.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Pakistani Prime Minister and Saudi crown prince

Analysis

Planned diversification or US doubts? Why Saudi Arabia inked Pakistan security pact

Saudi Arabia’s new defense pact with Pakistan signals growing Gulf doubts about US security guarantees.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Trump’s tariffs push India closer to UAE as non-oil trade soars 34%

UAE Minister of Foreign Trade Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi says that the two countries are on track to reach $100 billion in non-oil trade by the end of the decade.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

US, Saudi Arabia wrap up drone drill after Iran’s top security chief visits Riyadh

A US Army Mobile Low, Slow, Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System (MLIDS) vehicle equipped with counter-drone sensors and weapons. Similar systems were fielded during the Red Sands 2025 exercise in Saudi Arabia.

UAE’s MBZ meets Azerbaijan's Aliyev as Abu Dhabi expands South Caucasus footprint

UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan meets Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Karabakh, Sept. 16, 2025.

United Arab Emirates

Arab, Islamic leaders urge 'review' of Israel ties at emergency summit after Doha strikes

Reporters follow Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani's address at the media centre, during the opening of the 2025 Arab-Islamic emergency summit in Doha on Sept. 15, 2025.

Analysis

UAE bets big on Pakistan: Abu Dhabi’s infrastructure drive for Asia influence

Islamabad airport

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio walks with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani as they meet at the Department of State in Washington, on April 22, 2025.

Analysis

Damage control: Can US calm Gulf security concerns after Israel strikes?

Unprecedented Israeli air raids targeting Hamas negotiators in Doha have sown doubt among Gulf allies about Washington’s commitment to guaranteeing the oil-rich region's security.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Funeral prayers are held at the Mohammed bin Abdulwahab Mosque in Doha, on Sept. 11, 2025.

Qatari emir attends Hamas members’ funeral in Doha after Israeli strikes

The funeral for the Hamas members and the Qatari corporal killed in the Israeli strikes was held at a prominent mosque in Doha.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (L) welcomes Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) to Hamad International Airport in Doha, on Sept. 10, 2025.

UAE president visits Qatar, bans Israel from Dubai Airshow after Doha strikes

UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan threw his country’s support behind Qatar, saying the Israeli strikes on Qatari territory violated international laws.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi meets with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, Sept. 4, 2025.

Iran FM, Qatar emir meet as Doha holds talks with IAEA over Iran sanctions

The visit is Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s first to Qatar since Iran attacked US forces at the Al Udeid base.

HRH Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, president of the United Arab Emirates, in Riyadh, on Sept. 3, 2025.

UAE president meets Saudi crown prince ahead of UN Palestine conference

The UAE and Saudi Arabia have strengthened cooperation since the Gaza war began in 2023, though their rivalry over regional influence and economic leadership remains.

United Arab Emirates

People walk and drive past a billboard depicting as postage stamps the disputed Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb islands in Tehran on Oct. 26, 2024.

Iran-GCC clash over islands, nuclear talks underscores Tehran’s growing isolation

The Gulf Cooperation Council's renewed territorial claims on three Iran-controlled Persian Gulf islands come as Tehran is struggling under mounting international pressure and scrambling to rise from the ashes of its recent war with Israel.

His Excellency Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, president of the Federal Republic of Somalia (R), received His Excellency Sheikh Shakhboot bin Nahyan Al Nahyan, minister of state, at the start of a working visit to the Somali capital, Mogadishu, on Aug. 28, 2025.

Somalia, UAE hold talks as tensions simmer over Puntland, Somaliland

The visit occurred on the same day that Somalia's president met with Sudan’s intelligence chief.

United Arab Emirates

The Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces graduated the third class of THAAD anti-ballistic missile operators after its members completed the stages of specialized individual training at Fort Bliss military base in the United States.

US Army trains new Saudi anti-missile THAAD crew as Gulf air defense lags

Despite damage from Israel’s June air campaign, Iran’s ballistic missile arsenal continues to threaten Arab states and has in the past limited US military access to regional bases, testing the Pentagon’s ability to manage its global resources.

VistaJet Bombardier Bombardier Global 6000 is landing at Milano Malpensa international airport.

Saudi Arabia licenses charter operator VistaJet as first foreign airline for domestic flights

The Dubai-based private airline group looks to capitalize on the kingdom's growing super-rich luxury travel market.

Test firing of a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) at the Jiupeng base, Pingtung, Taiwan, May 12, 2025.

US to sell $500 million HIMARS rocket system to Bahrain

The short-range artillery system will not alter the basic balance of power in the Gulf region, Pentagon says.

Elon Musk (L) and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (C) are directed to greet the Saudi crown prince at the Royal Court in Riyadh, on May 13, 2025.

Starlink targets Saudi skies as Musk’s Middle East push rolls on

The satellite internet service operated by SpaceX had been on an expansion spree in the Middle East in 2025, most recently launching in Israel as it also targets a deal with Saudi Arabia's national airline.

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan (L) at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Artem Geodakyan / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ARTEM GEODAKYAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE president heads to Russia to meet Putin as ties grow: What to know

UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan is heading to Moscow on Thursday for an official visit, his second in less than a year as Russian-Emirati relations continue to develop rapidly.

United Arab Emirates