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May 9, 2026

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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

A picture taken on April 21, 2016 shows US President Barack Obama (C-L) attending a meeting with Saudi King Salman (C) and Saudi Defence Minister and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (C-R) during the US-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh, on April 21, 2016.
During a meeting with Gulf leaders in Saudi Arabia Obama said that "No country has an interest in 'conflict' with Iran".

/ AFP / Jim Watson (Photo credit should read JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Will IS attacks bring about change in Saudi foreign policy?

The three attacks across Saudi Arabia on July 4 revived dark memories of al-Qaeda's campaign of terror in the mid-2000s.

General view of security personnel in front of a mosque as police stage a second controlled explosion, after a suicide bomber was killed and two other people wounded in a blast near the U.S. consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in this still frame taken from video July 4, 2016. REUTERS/REUTERS TV TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2JKFT

What wave of suicide attacks means for Riyadh's anti-terror efforts

July 4 saw three consecutive attacks against Saudi Arabia, suggesting an infrastructure of terrorism has developed inside the kingdom that authorities must confront.

(L-R) Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Saudi King Salman, and Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stand together as Saudi Arabia's cabinet agrees to implement a broad reform plan known as Vision 2030 in Riyadh, April 25, 2016. To match Insight SAUDI-PLAN/PRINCE Saudi Press Agency/Handout/File Photo via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. - RTX2CU2M

Who’s next in line for Saudi throne? Don’t ask

Speculating about Saudi royal succession can result in confusion — and jail time.

Palestinian members of al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, pray before a military parade marking the 27th anniversary of Hamas' founding, in Gaza City December 14, 2014. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY ANNIVERSARY RELIGION) - RTR4HY0R

Why Hamas resumed ties with Iran

In light of its worsening financial crisis and need for military support, Hamas has resumed relations with Tehran, which have been strained since the start of the Syrian revolution.

Shi'ite Bahraini men sit on a wall with graffiti that reads ''People want self-determination", as they attend a rally held by the Wefaq opposition party, in the village of Boori, south of Manama, October 14, 2011, to mark the 8-month anniversary of the February 14 uprising. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed (BAHRAIN - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS) - RTR2SO9O

What Bahrain’s opposition crackdown means for country’s Brotherhood

Manama’s exclusion of popular political groups from Bahrain’s political scene, accompanied by a wide crackdown on opposition figures, could lead to militancy gaining broader power and appeal in the Shiite opposition.

Lawyer and former presidential candidate Khaled Ali (2nd L) leaves a hearing for a lawsuit filed against the government to stop the transfer of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, at the State Court in Cairo, Egypt May 17, 2016. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RTSENLX

Why an Egyptian court is challenging Sisi on islands handover

Egypt’s decision to transfer ownership of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia sparked public outrage, now a Cairo court has taken a stance on the issue.

Why this Ramadan TV comedy inflames, yet entertains

The second season of the Saudi show "Selfie" is winning popular praise but riling up critics during the particularly sensitive holy month.

Is Mohammed bin Salman gaining upper hand in Saudi Arabia?

Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed's visit to Washington this month has some observers believing he might be the man behind all the major decisions in Saudi Arabia.

Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani attends the opening meeting of the Arab Summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, in the South Sinai governorate, south of Cairo, March 28, 2015. Arab League heads of state are holding a two-day summit to discuss a range of conflicts in the region, including Yemen and Libya, as well as the threat posed by Islamic State militants. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RTR4V93X

Can Saudis ease Egypt-Qatar tension after Al Jazeera death sentences?

Saudis want to bridge the divide between Qatar and Egypt so that its Sunni coalition can focus on Iran.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks during a news conference in Moscow, Russia, September 22, 2015. Amir-Abdollahian said on Tuesday his country had no troops or military advisers in Syria or Yemen, the RIA news agency reported. REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev - RTX1RTQL

Why was this influential Iranian deputy minister replaced?

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs since 2011, has been replaced.

Salman's Saudi Arabia more ambitious than ever

The new Saudi Arabian king's first year and a half has been a time of aggressive expansion of power and territory — at tremendous cost and risk.

Former Egypt FM says US election outcome won't dictate US-Arab ties

In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy says that "the future of Arab-American affairs is 70% controlled by the Arab world and 30% in the hands of the United States," and hence does not depend on the next US president.