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November 7, 2026

Riyadh 7:57 pm

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WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 18: Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a dinner in the East Room at the White House on November 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump is hosting the Crown Prince for meetings aimed at strengthening economic and defense ties, including the U.S. sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Analysis

Gulf’s $3 trillion US investment drive faces post-midterm Trump reckoning

A sweeping midterm election victory by Democrats on Nov. 3 is cause for concern among Gulf states that eagerly embraced Trump's White House and pledged huge investment commitments.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

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

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal (L) and Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu (R) attend the Fourth Ministerial Meeting of Turkey-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in Istanbul January 28, 2012. REUTERS/Osman Orsal (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2WZJV

The Saudi-Turkey cold war for Sunni hegemony

Saudi Arabia views Turkey's mix of democracy and Islam as a threat to its own regional role.

People walk past the site of Tuesday's car bomb attack on al-Muthna bridge at Taji, north of Baghdad March 26, 2014. At least nine people were killed and 25 others wounded when a suicide bomber drove a truck packed with explosives to an army checkpoint late Tuesday, police said. REUTERS/Ahmed Saad (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR3IMQG

Iraq-Saudi ties need strategic context

While Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has accused Saudi Arabia of supporting terrorist groups, Baghdad should instead work on establishing effective channels of communication to cooperate in anti-terror efforts.

U.S. President Barack Obama (R) meets with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington June 29, 2010. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR2FX4D

Will Lebanon be on Obama's agenda in Saudi Arabia?

Given the long history of external influence in Lebanon, some in Lebanon are speculating that US President Barack Obama’s upcoming talks in Riyadh could include a discussion on the next Lebanese president.

An illustration picture shows the log-on icon for the Website Twitter on an Ipad in Bordeaux, Southwestern France, January 30, 2013. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau (FRANCE - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY BUSINESS) - RTR3D6NN

Saudi Arabia cracks down on Twitter

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has turned its attention to political dissent on Twitter.

Palestinians Hamas supporters take part in a protest in front of the Egyptian embassy in Gaza March 7, 2014, against a recent rule by Egyptian court which banned all the activities of Hamas movement in Egypt. An Egyptian court on March 4, 2014 banned all activities of Hamas in Egypt in a further sign that Cairo's military-backed government aims to squeeze the Palestinian Islamist group that rules neighbouring Gaza, regarding it as a security threat. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST

Hamas seeks to retain Saudi ties despite Brotherhood ban

Hamas is hoping to escape the anti-Brotherhood wave sweeping the Gulf and is trying to stay on good terms with Saudi Arabia.

People attend a rally called "We are together" to support the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea to Russia in Red Square in central Moscow, March 18, 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin, defying Ukrainian protests and Western sanctions, signed a treaty on Tuesday making Crimea part of Russia but said he did not plan to seize any other regions of Ukraine. The flags display portraits of Russia's President Vladimir Putin and read "We are together!" REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF T

US-Russia confrontation could drift to Mideast

The question is whether Iran, Egypt, or Saudi Arabia, in particular, will change their policies in the context of the US-Russia standoff.

A general view shows Dubai's cityscape September 24, 2013. Dubai's government is working on new rules to protect its real estate market and prevent any excessive rise of property prices that could end in a crash, a senior official said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Tags: REAL ESTATE BUSINESS CITYSCAPE) - RTX13Y0C

Al-Monitor launches Gulf Pulse

With the launch of its Gulf Pulse, Al-Monitor is expanding its coverage of the region.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki speaks at the opening day of a counter-terrorism conference in Baghdad, March 12, 2014. REUTERS/Karim Kadim/Pool (IRAQ - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3GRM5

Baghdad holds international anti-terrorism conference

According to the conference organizers, Saudi Arabia and Qatar were invited, but didn’t attend, despite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's accusing of them of supporting terrorism.

Egyptian expatriates living in Qatar wait for their turns to vote at a polling station at the Egyptian embassy in Doha May 12, 2012, during an early voting ahead of Egypt's presidential election. Egypt's presidential election, set to be the freest it has ever had, began for citizens abroad on Friday after a caustic televised debate between two candidates that produced no clear favourite to lead the most populous Arab nation. With no obvious winner for now, the fewer than 1 million expatriates registered to

Egypt fears backlash if it cuts ties with Qatar

Egypt is hesitating to join the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and cut ties with Qatar, because the government fears the repercussions such a step would have for the many Egyptians working in Qatar.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy (L) speaks with Army chief Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) during their meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, February 13, 2014. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - RTX18QBK

Egypt caught between Russia, Saudi Arabia

Egypt is struggling to find a way to leverage its ties with both Russia and Saudi Arabia to its own advantage.

A damaged armoured carrier that belonged to forces loyal to president Bashar al-Assad are seen along a deserted street in Homs March 8, 2014 REUTERS/Thaer Al Khalidiya (SYRIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT) - RTR3G99W

Watch Trendlines “Blowback?: Ukraine and the Middle East"

The next PBS NewsHour-Al-Monitor web special will focus on the implications of the crisis in Ukraine for US policy in the Middle East.

What next for Qatar and the GCC?

Following the decision by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to withdraw their ambassadors from Qatar, will Doha reassess its foreign policy to ensure it can continue playing the vital role of mediator in thorny regional issues?