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Saudi Arabia

December 18, 2025

Riyadh 2:43 am

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Sudanese leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Dec. 15, 2025.

Saudi Arabia cements ties with Sudan during Burhan visit as UAE rivalry heats up

The Sudanese leader may be looking to increase Saudi support following losses on the battlefield as Riyadh weighs its security interests in the country.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 07: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (L) talks to U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump is meeting with Netanyahu to discuss ongoing efforts to release Israeli hostages from Gaza and newly imposed U.S. tariffs. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Exclusive

Inside Netanyahu’s pressure campaign to block Turkey, Saudi Arabia from acquiring F-35s

On Dec. 1, Netanyahu met in his Jerusalem office with Frank St. John, chief operating officer of Lockheed Martin, lead contractor for the F-35's production.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Latest News

Analysis

Iran’s China pivot deepens as Tehran's thaw with Saudi Arabia gets reality check

Waleed Al-Khuraiji, Saudi Arabia’s vice foreign minister, and Miao Deyu, China’s vice foreign minister, conclude the third Iran–China–Saudi trilateral meeting with talks alongside Iran’s foreign minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi in Tehran, Dec. 9, 2025.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Mideast funds back Paramount's $108B Warner Bros. takeover bid

Multiple exposure photograph of the Netflix and Warner Bros logos in front of a television screen at Kerlouan in Brittany in France, on Dec. 5 2025.

Saudi Arabia deepens footprint in Syria with four new oil and gas deals

An employee works at the Rmailan oil field in the northeastern Syria, near the border with Turkey, on Jan. 8, 2025.

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

Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

Muslim worshippers make their way towards the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine, at the Grand Mosque complex in in the holy city of Mecca to take part in morning prayers on the first day of Eid Al-Adha, the feast of the sacrifice, early on June 6, 2025.

Culture

In photos: Muslims kick off Eid al-Adha across the Middle East

The holiday’s arrival cast a spotlight on deepening humanitarian crises, leadership transitions and shifting regional dynamics.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Mideast airlines to deliver industry’s highest profit margins in 2025

The region's airlines are forecast to hit a profit margin of 8.7% in 2025, slightly lower than last year's figure of 8.9% but the highest in the industry.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud (R) receives his French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot, prior to their meeting in Riyadh on April 25, 2025.

Israel blocks Saudi, UAE and other FMs from West Bank visit: What to know

The move to block the visit comes amid heightened international pressure on Israel to end its military offensive in Gaza and make progress toward Palestinian statehood, a key condition for normalization with Riyadh.

The pilgrims' convoy departs from the city of Al-Dana, Syria, to Damascus Airport in order to set off to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj rituals on May 21, 2025.

Saudi Arabia releases Iranian cleric who criticized Hajj: What to know

Iran-Saudi Arabia relations have improved in recent years, including in Hajj-related cooperation, though tensions remain over Iran’s regional policies.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan meets with United States special envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack.

Tom Barrack talks Syria aid during Saudi Arabia, Jordan visits: What to know

The US and EU recently lifted numerous sanctions on Syria, and the country received a massive wheat shipment on Wednesday.

JAM STA ROSA/AFP via Getty Images

China expands visa-free policy to Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait

During a landmark summit in Malaysia, China announced an exemption for nationals from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain and Kuwait from the need for entry visas.

This picture shows a Syrian Arab Airlines Airbus A320-200 aircraft and the control tower at Damascus international airport as the new Syrian authorities prepare to reopen it, on December 16, 2024.

Saudi Arabia's flyadeal joins growing list of airlines flying to Syria

Several regional airlines have resumed or plan to resume flights to Syria.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (L) greets Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud as he arrives for the 2nd ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit after the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur on May 27, 2025.

Gulf states court China, ASEAN at landmark Malaysia summit: What to know

The Gulf Cooperation Council’s summit with the Southeast Asia bloc was expanded to include China, bringing the emir of Qatar and Saudi Arabia’s top diplomat to Malaysia.

US President Donald Trump and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (2nd R) attend a business forum in Abu Dhabi, May 16, 2025.

Analysis

What’s next for US-Gulf tech ties after Trump’s trillion-dollar tour?

Many agreements remain heavy on hype, light on detail, and trigger national security alarms, but if fruitful could remake the Gulf as a third AI center of power.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech