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July 10, 2026

Riyadh 12:22 am

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Oil tankers and cargo vessels are anchored off the coast of Oman after being stranded for days as congestion at Port Sultan Qaboos has prevented them from docking on June 23, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. The Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for the region's oil and gas, was effectively blockaded since the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran in late February. This week's provisional peace deal between the countries was meant to reopen the waterway to shipping traffic, but the pace of that reo

Oil prices ease as OPEC+ increases production, Hormuz traffic rebounds

Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 0.15% to $71.87 a barrel as of 8:07 a.m. EDT after dropping as low as $71.09 earlier in the session, its lowest level since before the US-Israel-Iran war began on Feb. 28.

A man walks past the flags of the countries attending the Gulf Cooperation Council summit at Bayan palace in Kuwait City on Dec. 5, 2017.

Analysis

How Iran war shaped divergent paths to security among GCC states

The Iran war left the Gulf more fragmented than united, with competing security strategies replacing any prospect of a common regional defense.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Oil drilling near Dakhiliyah in the desert region of Hasakah, Syria, Jan. 25, 2026.

Syria launches gas project with Saudi firm in latest Gulf energy partnership

The project is the latest in a series of Gulf-backed investments aimed at rebuilding Syria's energy sector after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Crude oil tankers, bulk carriers and vessels sit anchored around Qaboos Port on June 22, 2026, in Muscat, Oman.

Oil falls below $71 as US-Iran talks continue, Gulf exports rebound

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in an X post on Wednesday that Iran and the United States had made "positive progress."

Latest News

Explainer

Saudi FM concludes China visit amid Trump-MBS friction: What to know

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud before a family photo for the attendees of a meeting of foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim-majority nations at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing on November 20, 2023. The international community must take urgent action to stop the "humanitarian disaster" unfolding in Gaza, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told visiting diplomats from Arab and Muslim-majority nations on Novembe

Saudi Arabia's FM heads to China amid differences with US on Iran war

PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

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

Conference for Iraq draws investors instead of donors

The reported success — and failure — of a fundraising effort for Iraq could become a political football in the May general elections.

Army soldiers arrive at a street after suicide bombers attacked a Christian neighbourhood in Khyber Agency near Peshawar, Pakistan, September 2, 2016. REUTERS/Fayaz Aziz - S1AETYZAEYAB

Pakistani guard returns to Saudi Arabia

Although the small force is officially there on a train-and-assist mission, the arrangement is reminiscent of a military practice from decades ago designed to protect the Saudi royal family from domestic and foreign threats.

Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi attends the Dialogue of Emerging Market and Developing Countries in Xiamen in southeastern China’s Fujian Province, Sept. 5, 2017. REUTERS/Mark Schiefelbein/Pool - RC171B1A3CC0

What’s behind Sisi’s recent trip to Oman?

While Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is calling on Tehran and Riyadh to cool their tensions, Egypt is strengthening its ties to Oman, which has become a stable and trustworthy ally.

A construction worker transports bricks for the reconstruction of destroyed building in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq August 5, 2017. REUTERS/Marius Bosch - RC14F63418D0

Saudis see opportunities in helping to rebuild Iraq

Riyadh's role in restoring Iraq's war-torn areas will play up Saudi Arabia's presence there and, the Saudis hope, help stop the spread of Iran's influence.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman attends the Annual Horse Race ceremony, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 30, 2017. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC195E3B23D0

MBS plans first US visit since becoming Saudi crown prince

Saudi Arabia’s economic transformation is high on the agenda for the upcoming trip.

Saudi, UAE involvement in eastern Yemen unsettles Oman

Reports that Saudi Arabia is planning to militarize its presence in Yemen’s easternmost governorate have raised security concerns in neighboring Oman.

Supporters of the southern Yemeni separatists demonstrate against the government in Aden, Yemen January 28, 2018. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman - RC1127F111A0

Advancing separatists could restore South Yemen

There are now two rebellions against the internationally recognized government of Yemen: one by the Houthis in the north and a second by secessionists in the south who now have control of Aden.

Saudi Arabia uses aggression abroad to calm clerics at home

Saudi Arabia's leaders have become more sectarian and anti-Iran than ever, much to the pleasure of the Wahhabi clerical establishment, which has remained quiet about sweeping social reforms.

A Turkish military tank is seen near Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 23, 2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC17EC8A27B0

GCC's silence on Turkey’s Afrin adventure is telling

The Sunni Gulf states have failed to make a unified statement on Turkey's Operation Olive Branch in Syria, a sign of their competing interests.

Lebanon’s crisis allows Hezbollah to consolidate power once again

Hezbollah's support base seems to be divided on Saad Hariri's sudden resignation from Riyadh and the visit of Asaib Ahl al-Haq leader Qais al-Khazali to Hezbollah members in south Lebanon.

As Yemeni riyal is in free fall, worst may be yet to come

The Yemeni riyal's loss of more than 15% of its value in a matter of days will make establishing peace more difficult by exacerbating inequality.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey watch Iran-Iraq oil rapprochement warily

The oil swap deal between Iran and Iraq represents an opportunity to counterbalance Saudi-Iraq ties.