GCC Relations

Deputy chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Sultan Ali al-Aradah

Interview

Resumption in Yemen's oil exports 'possible' with security measures: VP

Deputy chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council Sultan Ali al-Aradah expressed confidence in US President Donald Trump's approach to the Houthis and Iran, though a military campaign against the group may face limitations.

moke rises from a high-rise building following a drone attack in Kuwait City on March 8, 2026.

Analysis

Can Kuwait secure a Saudi-style defense pact with Pakistan?

Kuwait and other GCC states are looking to Pakistan, among other countries, for alternate security arrangements and multilayered deterrence.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

US President Donald Trump (L) and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia pause for photographs along the West Wing Colonnade at the White House on Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington.

Analysis

Saudi nuclear deal adds new wrinkle if Iran talks resume

Should the United States and Iran return to the negotiating table, the newly reached US-Saudi nuclear deal could give Tehran fresh leverage.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

YASSER AL-ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

Kuwait hands citizen life sentence for spying for Iran, Hezbollah: What to know

A Kuwaiti court has convicted a citizen of of spying for Iran and sentenced him to life in prison.

Latest News

Dozens killed in Yemen clashes as Houthis escalate threats against Saudi Arabia

Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

How US bid prevailed over China, France, Russia in Saudi nuclear deal

Win McNamee/Getty Images

US, Saudi Arabia set to sign nuclear agreement: What to know

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Iran strike damages Kuwait power, desalination plant: What to know

The sun sets behind overhead power lines in Kuwait City, June 19, 2024.

View of an oil field at a base near Bentiu, South Sudan.

UAE company agreed to loan $13B to South Sudan in exchange for oil

A $13 billion loan to South Sudan, funded by Hamad Bin Khalifa Department of Projects, marks the largest-ever cash deal for the country.

United Arab Emirates

Saudi-UK tech hub

Interview

Saudi Arabia's giga-projects to offer 'testing ground' for British technology

Saudi startups and fintech firms are looking to tap into the United Kingdom's $1 trillion tech market.

Matt Jones

Matt Jones

Saudi British Joint Business Council Project Officer

(L to R) EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud during a plenary session titled "Transforming for a New Era", during the Doha Forum in Qatar's capital on March 26, 2022. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

What does EU visa relaxation for Saudi, Bahraini, Omani citizens mean?

Under the new rules, Bahraini, Omani and Saudi Arabian nationals will be eligible for multiple-entry visas, allowing them to visit the Schengen area (the EU’s 27 member states as well as Bulgaria and Romania) and move freely between them.

ncreased tensions in the region benefit Gulf states' bottom lines in the short term, while undercutting their longer-term economic visions.

Soaring regional tensions boost Gulf budgets, threaten long-term goals

Most of the Gulf’s economic diversification plans still rely heavily on oil and gas revenues, especially in Saudi Arabia, where the most speculative parts of Vision 2030 face a lack of interest by foreign investors.

Sebastian Castelier

By Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Abul Gheit, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir attend the 8th Ministerial Meeting of China-Arab States Cooperation Forum at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on July 10, 2018.

Will China-Arab States Cooperation Forum summit help boost Beijing’s ties with Mideast?

The 10th session of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum is due to be held on May 30 in Beijing — will it result in even stronger China-Arab relations?

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

UK-Saudi deal allows kingdom to tap into Britain’s $1T tech market

The kingdom spent $5.1 billion on research and development in 2022, a 32.7% from the previous year’s $3.9 billion.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ( L) stands beside Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud upon his arrival at the Aden Abdulle international airport in Mogadishu on Jan. 25, 2015.

Beyond Ethiopia & Somaliland, Turkey-Somalia defense deal fuels UAE rivalry

The latest deal between Ankara and Mogadishu emerges as a potential friction point for Turkey and the UAE as they vie for influence in Somalia.

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and his wife Brigitte Macron (R) greet Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (C) during an official visit to the Elysee Palace, in Paris on February 27, 2024. Macron and the Emir of Qatar take stock of current efforts to secure a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza, as well as ways of speeding up the implementation of a Palestinian state in order to bring a lasting end to the conflict. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty

Qatar to pump nearly $11B into French start-ups, funds until 2030

The new investments will target key areas, including the aerospace, energy, semiconductor, artificial intelligence, digital, health, hospitality and cultural sectors.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy in Saudi Arabia to talk prisoners, Russia war

Saudi Arabia has taken an increasingly active role in mediating the Ukraine-Russia war while maintaining friendly relations with both states.

An oil tanker waits near the Marathon Anacortes Refinery, operated by Marathon Petroleum, in Anacortes, Washington, March 8, 2022.

US sanctions UAE entities for allegedly violating Russian oil price cap

The US Treasury Department also moved to crack down on entities buying diamonds from Russia, a key revenue stream for Moscow amid its war against Ukraine.

United Arab Emirates

Milkor 380 drone.

South Africa’s Milkor gets go-ahead to produce drones in Saudi Arabia

The Gulf country is bolstering its defense capabilities amid increasing instability in the Middle East.

Photo illustration of a selection of front pages from UK daily national newspaper coverage, London, Jan. 18, 2024.

Analysis

UAE-backed fund's planned Telegraph takeover raises press freedom fears

Members of parliament and former state security figures have raised concerns about what it would mean for an entity with close ties to a foreign government to own one of the United Kingdom’s most influential newspapers.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech