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Saudi Arabia

September 6, 2026

Riyadh 8:44 am

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Guests stand at the booth of Saudi artificial intelligence company Humain during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh, on Oct. 29, 2025.

Saudi Arabia taps China’s MiniMax for Arabic AI model

The development signals that the kingdom continues deepening AI ties with China while simultaneously pursuing major US technology partnerships, keeping the Gulf state at the center of an intensifying technology race between the superpowers.

A commercial vessel passes through an international shipping lane off Yemen's Hanish Island in the Red Sea on July 27, 2026.

Saudi oil exports hit nine-year low as tanker attacks threaten recovery

The country’s oil exports were around 3 million barrels per day in August.

Latest News

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan set Mecca Alliance into motion

Mecca Alliance

Iraq reinforces Saudi border security amid militia tensions: What to know

Iraqi army troops patrol the Iraq-Saudi Arabia border

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

Oman's Interior Minister Saud bin Ibrahim al-Busaidi attends the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Interior Ministers' Conference in Manama November 28, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (BAHRAIN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX15WB1

Omani rejection of GCC union adds insult to injury for Saudi Arabia

The Omani stance may force the kingdom to pause in its regional policies.

U.S. President Barack Obama listens during his meeting with Lebanon's President Michel Sleiman (not pictured) at the United Nations General Assembly in New York September 24, 2013.

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX13XUK

Is US letting down allies in Lebanon with Iran deal?

There is a growing belief among traditional US allies in Lebanon that the recent Iranian nuclear deal will be at their expense.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif after a ceremony at the United Nations in Geneva November 24, 2013. Iran and six world powers reached a breakthrough agreement early on Sunday to curb Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief, in a first step towards resolving a dangerous decade-old standoff. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY) - RTX15QLU

Iran and the nuclear agreement: Trust but verify

Three senior former diplomats from the United States and Iran write that the interim agreement with Iran can lead to progress not only on the nuclear file but also in Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (4th L) attends a meeting for the 2nd Joint High Committee in Kuwait City on December 1, 2013. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee (KUWAIT - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX15ZK7

Iran nuclear deal may be start of new era in Persian Gulf

The Iran nuclear deal could be a breakthrough on regional ties.

An Israeli-Saudi axis? Not likely

Saudi Arabia has long been willing to work behind the scenes with Israel against common foes, but the kingdom is uninterested in anything more than the occasional clandestine connection.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.

An Iranian worshipper holds portraits of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei while attending a demonstration to support the people of Bahrain after Friday prayers in Tehran September 9, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST RELIGION TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR2R0B3

Iran’s diplomatic surge extends to Gulf

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is considering an invitation from Bahrain to attend the IISS Manama Dialogue Regional Security Summit, as UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan visits Tehran.

Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara November 26, 2013. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX15TO8

Iran nuclear accord requires secular 'reset' of Turkey's foreign policy

In the aftermath of Iran's nuclear accord, Turkey can only play an effective regional role if it adopts a secular foreign policy.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks to the media about the deal that has been reached between six world powers and Iran at the International Conference Centre of Geneva in Geneva November 24, 2013. Iran and six world powers reached a breakthrough deal early on Sunday to curb Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief, in what could be the first sign of an emerging rapprochement between the Islamic state and the West. REUTERS/Carolyn Kaster/Pool (SWITZERLAND - Tags: POLITICS EN

Obama going big in the Middle East

The "first step agreement" with Iran is a giant step toward recasting the strategic landscape in the Middle East for the better, including for US allies Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Women mourn during a funeral of a victim killed in a bomb attack, in Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, November 14, 2013. A suicide bomber blew himself up during a Shi'ite Muslim religious ritual in the eastern Iraqi city of al-Sadiya on Thursday, killing at least 35 people and wounding 75, a senior official and security sources said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which came on the day of Ashura, a holy ritual when Shi'ites commemorate the death of Imam Hussein, a gra

Where is 'Democracy Brigade' to fight sectarian terrorists?

The proliferation of sectarian violence overwhelms the region, which needs a democratic backlash.

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah (R) meets Lebanon's President Michel Suleiman in Riyadh in this June 1, 2012 handout picture released by the Saudi Press Agency. REUTERS/Saudi Press Agency/Handout (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: POLITICS ROYALS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTR32YK4

The Syrian shadow on Lebanon-Saudi ties

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman reviews Lebanon-Saudi ties in an official visit to Riyadh.

Saudi film captivates Israeli moviegoers

"Wadjda" opens a window into Saudi society and the phenomenon of feminism there, unknown to the Israeli public.

Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) (C) speaks next to European Parliament leader of the Civil Liberties Committee Inquiry Claude Moraes (L) and German Member of the European Parliament and the current Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs Elmar Brok (R) about a closed door meeting on NSA surveillance on U.S. allies while on Capitol Hill in Washington, October 28, 2013. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)

House Intel Committee Chairman worried about bad deal on Iran

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, says Congress should pass further sanctions on Iran.