Khashoggi

An undated image of Saad Ibrahim Almadi.

Saudi Arabia lifts travel ban on US citizen Saad Almadi

Almadi's release comes during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's visit to Washington.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Analysis

Saudi Arabia's MBS on 'comeback tour' in first US visit since Khashoggi murder

President Donald Trump will host Saudi Arabia's de facto leader for talks focused on deepening US-Saudi ties, Gaza diplomacy and reciprocal investments.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

comedy fest

Culture

Saudi comedy festival draws A-list performers, backlash: What to know

The star-studded festival highlights Riyadh’s push to brand itself as a cultural hub even as critics accuse Saudi Arabia of whitewashing its repressive reputation.

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 20: President Donald Trump (R) holds up a chart of military hardware sales as he meets with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Oval Office at the White House on March 20, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

Saudi Arabia to pursue two-track approach for Trump presidency

Riyadh is likely to compartmentalize business dealings with incoming President Donald Trump separately from its foreign policy engagements, where there is likely to be disagreement.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Latest News

What to expect at Saudi Arabia's eighth Davos in the Desert

Attendees take part in the annual Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, Oct. 25, 2022.

2 American activists jailed in Saudi Arabia return home after travel ban

Can be credited "Courtesy of the Middle East Democracy Center"

2023 in review: Israel-Hamas war puts human rights in focus as pattern of double standards persists

University students protesting.

US unveils visa restriction policy tied to Saudi fugitive case

Blinken

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

A demonstrator holds a poster picturing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and a lit candle during a gathering outside the Saudi Arabia consulate in Istanbul, on Oct. 25, 2018.

Saudi agents who killed Khashoggi received training in the US: NYT

The New York Times reports that four members of the Saudi team that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi received training under a contract approved by the State Department.

A security guard stands in front of Istanbul's courthouse on July 3, 2020, during the trial of 20 Saudi suspects accused in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 in Istanbul. The trial in absentia of 20 Saudi suspects accused of the murder, including two former aides to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, began in Istanbul on July 3, 2020.

Turkey’s good words not worth much to Saudi Arabia

Turkey’s efforts to mend ties with the Gulf bloc don't pass Riyadh's tacit preconditions.

Awwad Alawwad

Saudi official denies threatening UN investigator over Khashoggi killing

Awwad Alawwad said he did not make menacing comments toward UN investigator Agnes Callamard after she said an unnamed Saudi official threatened to have her "taken care of" during a meeting.

Agnes Callamard

UN investigator in Khashoggi case says she was threatened by Saudi official

Agnes Callamard told The Guardian that a UN colleague informed her a visiting Saudi official threatened to have her "taken care of" during a meeting in Geneva in January 2020.

US State Department spokesman Ned Price gestures as he speaks during the daily press briefing at the State Department in Washington, DC, on February 25, 2021. (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM / POOL / AFP) (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

US 'focused on future conduct’ amid calls to sanction MBS

State Department spokesperson Ned Price responded to criticism that the administration has failed to hold Saudi Arabia's crown prince accountable for Jamal Khashoggi's murder.

Pentagon: ‘No changes’ so far to US-Saudi military relations after Khashoggi report

US military officials have taken point on maintaining ties with Middle Eastern leaders as the Biden administration talks tough on human rights.

US report assesses Saudi crown prince 'approved' Khashoggi operation

The four-page report based its conclusion, in part, off of "the Crown Prince's support for using violent measures to silence dissidents abroad."

Friends of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi hold posters bearing his picture as they attend an event marking the second-year anniversary of his assassination in front of Saudi Arabia Istanbul Consulate, on October 2, 2020. - Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist, was killed and dismembered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, in an operation that reportedly involved 15 agents sent from Riyadh. His remains have not been found. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via

Biden calls Saudi king as US readies report on Khashoggi killing

Reuters reports the US intelligence assessment concluded "the crown prince approved and likely ordered the murder of Khashoggi.”

Intel: Biden’s pick for top intelligence official vows to report to Congress on Jamal Khashoggi murder

Avril Haines says the Biden administration will release to lawmakers an unclassified intelligence assessment on who was behind the murder of the Saudi dissident journalist.

This picture taken early on November 19, 2020, shows a projection on the Louvre Museum in Paris by Amnesty International members depicting jailed Saudi human rights activists including Loujain Al-Athloul (C) and reading "Mr Macron, demand their release", ahead of the upcoming virtual G20 summit. (Photo by THOMAS COEX / AFP) (Photo by THOMAS COEX/AFP via Getty Images)

Biden’s national security adviser criticizes Saudi Arabia for jailing women’s rights activist

Jake Sullivan called the sentencing of activist Loujain al-Hathloul "troubling."

Saudis say Biden’s threats are ‘election talk'

Although there are political tensions on human rights issues, the US-Saudi relationship could be vital for the United States to address Russian and Chinese influence in the Middle East region.

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - OCTOBER 22: Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden checks his watch during the final presidential debate against U.S. President Donald Trump (shown in reflection) at Belmont University on October 22, 2020 in Nashville, Tennessee. This is the last debate between the two candidates before the election on November 3. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Elections weigh on US-Gulf economic relations

Investments worth billions of dollars in the US market and currencies pegged to the greenback leave Gulf states heavily exposed to the American economy.