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Saudi Arabia

June 30, 2026

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Saudi Arabia's FM heads to China amid differences with US on Iran war

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visit to Beijing comes as commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remains unstable.

A student attends a training seminar at the Tourism Ministry Training center in the city of Riyadh on August 30, 2022.

Interview

Saudi labor localization will take ‘generation or two': Armada CEO

Around 70% of Saudi Arabia's population is 35 years old or younger, according to the kingdom’s General Authority for Statistics, providing ample opportunity for an educated and technology-savvy national workforce in the coming decades.

Olivier Badard

CEO of Armada Holding

FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Gulf states push incentives for investors, expats after war dents image

Several Gulf states are working to recover their images as global havens of stability in the wake of the Iran war.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

Interview

Franco-Gulf investment holds firm despite Iran war, French official says

French Trade & Invest Commissioner for United Arab Emirates and Middle East and Business France's regional director for the Middle East Axel Baroux. — Business France

Axel Baroux

France’s trade and investment commissioner for the UAE and Middle East

Saudi Aramco's VC arm sees boom in emerging technologies, retail

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

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

Has Iran's award-winning actress left Iran to escape prosecution?

Appearing on a Saudi-funded TV show has led to speculations about the possible decision of Iranian actress Mahnaz Afshar not to go back to her home country.

(From L to R) Former Iranian foreign minister Kamal Kharazi, Omani Foreign Minister Yussef bin Alawi bin Abdullah and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attend the Tehran Security Conference on January 8, 2018, in Tehran. / AFP PHOTO / ATTA KENARE (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran's regional peace initiative faces major challenges

While Oman and Iran may have high hopes for the Hormuz Peace Endeavor, regional security arrangements have typically needed great-power backing to hold them together.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud arrives to address the Shura Council in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia November 20, 2019. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC22FD9FJP5B

US set to lean on Saudi Arabia in Florida shooting probe

The FBI will rely on Riyadh as it looks into last week's deadly shooting at a naval base.

Foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) arrive, ahead of an annual leaders summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 9, 2019. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2RRD9HRDDG

Underlying tensions still restrict full GCC reconciliation

While Qatar has been reinvited to the GCC party, the UAE appears to be spoiling for the role of party pooper.

Traffic on and off base is restricted after a member of the Saudi Air Force visiting the United States for military training was the suspect in a shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola, in Pensacola, Florida, U.S. December 6, 2019. REUTERS/Michael Spooneybarger - RC2ZPD90RRD7

Intel: Pentagon looks to continue Saudi air force training despite shooting

The Pentagon awarded a $15 million contract to a Virginia-based company to provide English-language training to Saudi Arabia’s air force at an air base in Riyadh, just hours after a Saudi national killed three people at a naval installation in Florida on Thursday.

The main gate at Naval Air Station Pensacola is seen on Navy Boulevard in Pensacola, Florida, U.S. March 16, 2016. Picture taken March 16, 2016. U.S. Navy/Patrick Nichols/Handout via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2RPD9BC4N8

Intel: How Florida base shooting could threaten US-Saudi training programs

President Donald Trump’s outraged allies in Congress are calling on the United States to reevaluate its training programs for Riyadh after a Saudi national killed three and wounded two others in a shooting at a Florida naval base on Friday.

China looks to boost its influence in Yemen

China is capitalizing on its ties with the various actors in Yemen's civil war to play a bigger role in investing in a post-conflict Yemen.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (C) welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and first lady Melania Trump (R) to a tea ceremony in the Royal Terminal after they arrived aboard Air Force One at King Khalid Airport International in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 20, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1E44EB6DF0

Intel: Saudi king calls Trump after Florida shooting

Brian Hook, U.S. Special Representative for Iran, speaks at a news conference in London, Britain June 28, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson - RC1B15C08920

In shift, State’s Hook says Yemen’s Houthis independent from Iran

A top Trump administration Iran official praised a de-escalation proposal by Yemen’s Houthi rebels amid apparent progress in Saudi-Houthi talks to end the war in Yemen.

Turkish flag flutters at Turkey's border gate, as pictured on Syria side, overlooking the ruins of buildings destroyed during fightings with the Islamic State militants in Kobani, Syria October 11, 2017. Picture taken October 11, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro - RC1E48BC4870

US pushes to reintegrate militants after Islamic State fight

A senior State Department official told Al-Monitor the administration is working to help Middle Eastern and African countries reintegrate thousands of fighters who joined the Islamic State and its affiliates.

Saudis' release of Houthis met with both hope, skepticism

Houthi senior officials welcomed Saudi Arabia's release of detainees, but much remains to be resolved in the bloody four-year battle.

Damage is seen at a school in the southwestern city of Taiz, Yemen December 18, 2018. Picture taken December 18, 2018. REUTERS/Anees Mahyoub - RC1BBCDB89D0

Yemen’s Taiz residents still drowning in woes despite deal

Yemeni citizens in Taiz doubt the power-sharing deal brokered by Saudi Arabia will help them overcome the major destruction and humanitarian disasters caused by the ongoing war and Houthi siege on their city.