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November 7, 2026

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses Turkish members of parliament during the opening of the parliamentary session at the Grand National Assembly of Turkey in Ankara, on Oct. 1, 2026.

Turkey’s parliament ratifies Mecca pact in boost to Saudi Arabia

Turkey will now decide the scope of military support for Saudi Arabia amid ongoing Iran-backed Houthi attacks on the kingdom.

Cristiano Ronaldo

Culture

What’s next for Cristiano Ronaldo after retirement from Portugal team?

The Portuguese superstar is signed to the Saudi side Al Nassr until 2027, but the Yemen war is impacting the sport in the kingdom.

Latest News

Aramco begins expansion of oil export route bypassing Hormuz

AFP via Getty Images

Oil tops $114 as traders brace for Iran escalation after US midterms

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange at the opening bell, New York City, Sept. 28, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Agnes Callamard (R), UN special rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, stands behind barriers in front of of the Saudi Consulate, in Istanbul, on January 29, 2019 during her visit as part of an inquiry into the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was reportedly killed inside the Saudi Consulate on October 2018. (Photo by Cemal YURTTAS / AFP) / Turkey OUT (Photo credit should read CEMAL YURTTAS/AFP/Getty Images)

Intel: How Turkey is responding to the UN probe of Khashoggi's murder

Onlookers look at a car burnt down by a blast in the war-torn southwestern city of Taiz, Yemen January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Anees Mahyoub - RC1FAD2F1FA0

Mattis departure risks US policy void as Yemen pact falls apart

Day-to-day responsibility for managing the Yemen conflict is being passed on to John Rood, the Pentagon’s No. 3 official.

Members of Saudi security forces take part in a military parade in preparation for the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca September 5, 2016. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah - S1AETZPDJXAA

Congress poised to put Saudi Arabia on the hook for millions in military training

Lawmakers estimate ending security assistance could cost Riyadh up to $30 million.

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert Catalanotti (R), director, Exercises and Training Directorate J-7, U.S. Central Command arrives to take part in the "Eager Lion" military exercises at the Jordan-Saudi Arabia border, 260 km (162 miles) south of Amman June 5, 2014. Around 12,500 participants from 20 countries will take part in Eager Lion. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN - Tags: MILITARY POLITICS) - GM1EA651SJJ01

Congress cuts deal on Middle East aid package

The latest spending bill contains big wins for Egypt and Turkey while shunning Saudi Arabia.

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani meets with Lebanon's President Michel Aoun as he arrives to attend the Arab Economic and Social Development summit meeting in Beirut, Lebanon January 20, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RC1CA2F76AB0

Qatar challenges Saudi influence in Lebanon

There has been a vacuum created by a decline of Saudi influence in Lebanon that Qatar now seeks to fill.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan speak during a ceremony to mark the completion of the sea part of the TurkStream gas pipeline, in Istanbul, Turkey November 19, 2018. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC12DCA255B0

Erdogan seeks lifeline from Putin in Syria

The Turkish president will discuss Syria with his Russian counterpart in Moscow this coming week, as Qatar's Sheikh Tamim takes spotlight in Beirut.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz meets with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (not pictured) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia January 14, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC1EB8EB4070

Four years into Salman's reign, Saudi Arabia more unpredictable than ever

Saudi Arabia seems to have taken a number of wrong turns since Salman took the throne four years ago; can he make the decisions to get the country back on track?

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to students at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, January 10, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC18BBC96000

Egyptians decry Pompeo's 'ode to Israel' from Cairo

In his recent speech in Cairo, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo failed to explain US policy on the Middle East, but he did voice support for Israel.

Iran plays Hamas card ahead of Israeli elections

Hamas insists on Qatari money; Iran offers training for Palestinian factions; Russia wrestles with its limits in Syria; UAE leads GCC rapprochement with Damascus.

Security guards stand in front of the United Arab Emirates embassy during its reopening in Damascus, Syria December 27, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - RC1F43BEB420

Gulf states slowly warm to Damascus

Gulf states are turning their backs on supporting armed groups in Syria and preparing to re-engage the government in Damascus.

This handout picture taken and released by Thai Immigration Bureau on January 7, 2019 shows 18-year-old Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed al-Qanun (2nd-L) is being escorted by the Thai immigration officer and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) officials at the Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok. - Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, seeking asylum has left Bangkok airport "under the care" of the UN refugee agency, a Thai official said Monday, following her desperate plea against deportation. (Ph

Gulf women activists still face persecution despite hopes of reform

Saudi Arabia's women still languish under the country's system of male guardianship, even as the case of Rahaf al-Qunun, who barricaded herself in a hotel room at the Bangkok airport, refusing to go back to Saudi, has brought renewed attention to the situation of women in the kingdom.

Can US Syria policy keep up with Trump?

The US president will need assistance from Vladimir Putin, Mohammed bin Salman and even Bashar al-Assad to close the deal with Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Syria.