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Saudi Arabia

May 8, 2026

Riyadh 9:55 am

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Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in Ankara, May 6, 2026.

Saudi FM in Turkey as Ankara, Riyadh step up coordination amid Iran war

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan’s visit to Ankara comes amid rapidly expanding Turkish-Saudi coordination as the fallout from the Iran war reshapes Gulf security dynamics.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

UAE’s OPEC exit rattles cartel as Gulf alliances shift

OPEC's fourth-largest producer will leave the cartel on May 1, marking the most significant departure in the group’s history as the war changes Abu Dhabi's relationship priorities.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Why UAE's decision to leave OPEC is major shift for cartel

MUMEN KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia, Egypt are wary of Turkey’s proposed 4-way defense pact with Pakistan

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan hosted the third meeting of the foreign ministers of Turkey, Egypt, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia on the margins of the 5th Antalya Diplomacy Forum, on April 17, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

In Lebanon, Saudi Arabia pursues quiet diplomacy as Trump pushes Israel normalization

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan (L) disembarks from an airplane upon his arrival at the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on Jan. 23, 2025.

Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

A person walks past the closed Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center on Jan. 7, 2021, in New York City.

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

Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA: Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan arrives at the ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council, held 03 June 2006 in Riyadh. The ministers discussed the crisis of the Iranian nuclear program and called for a diplomatic solution to this issue. AFP PHOTO/FAHD SHADEED (Photo credit should read FAHD SHADEED/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey-UAE rift may have unintended spillover

The conflict between Ankara and Abu Dhabi may spill over into Turkey's ties with Saudi Arabia and the United States.

'Don't send us to our death' Saudi sisters beg Turkey

Two sisters from Saudi Arabia are fighting deportation from Turkey, where they fled violence back home, but the court order still stands.

A view of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen August 16, 2017. Picture taken August 16, 2017. To match Special Report YEMEN-SAUDI/BLOCKADE REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad - RC11826AF340

US says Saudis agree to lift blockade on key Yemen port

The Saudis announced they will lift a blockade on a key Yemen port after growing pressure from the Trump administration.

Pro-Erdogan media targets Saudis after Trump's Jerusalem decision

Let's hope Turkey can afford its alienation of Saudi Arabia and Saudi allies for the cause of Jerusalem.

Saudi-Egyptian broadcast deal raises issue of censorship

In line with the reform campaign launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi TV has signed a contract to broadcast two Egyptian-produced series.

Istanbul summit exposes divisions within Arab world

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit exposed Arab differences and Arab-Islamic tensions, and the reactions to both the OIC summit and the Arab League meetings were similarly pessimistic.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Vidal - RC15BF174880

Israelis, Palestinians need European mediation

The Jerusalem proclamation by US President Donald Trump put an end to the American role as honest broker between Israel and the Palestinians.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley briefs the media in front of remains of Iranian "Qiam" ballistic missile provided by Pentagon at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, U.S., December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC1942011B60

Iran calls Haley's missile claim 'ridiculous'

Iranian officials view UN Ambassador Nikki Haley’s speech accusing Tehran of sending missiles to the Houthis in Yemen as politically motivated.

Houthis broach talks after Saleh slain, but war continues

Yemen's civil war demonstrates that despotism leads to more of the same, no matter who's in power.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley briefs the media in front of remains of Iranian "Qiam" ballistic missile provided by Pentagon at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling in Washington, U.S., December 14, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1F4A4BF4D0

US envoy to the UN points finger at Iran in Yemen war

Ambassador Nikki Haley vowed a tough US response after displaying what she called “concrete evidence” that Iran provided missiles that Houthi rebels used to target Saudi Arabia.

U.S. President Donald Trump displays an executive order after he announced the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House in Washington, U.S. December 6, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1C3DD4DEC0

Iran's hard-liners aren't only ones empowered by Trump's Jerusalem move

Trump’s Jerusalem announcement is only the latest in a series of missteps that have empowered various camps in Iran, including that of Rouhani.

Iran's envoy in Jordan: Support for Hezbollah maintains Arab security

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Iranian Ambassador to Jordan Mojtaba Ferdosipour discusses regional developments, including accusations against Iran of supporting terrorism in the Arab world.