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May 10, 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

Egyptian activists shout slogans against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and his government, during a demonstration protesting the government's decision to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia, in front of the Press Syndicate in Cairo, Egypt, April 13, 2016. The sign reads, "We will not surrender and will not sell, we will not let our rights be lost". REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX29S7P

Cairo tries to reassure citizens and Israel amid island controversy

The announcement that Egypt would be ceding control of two disputed Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia has provoked outrage domestically and raised concerns in Israel.

Is Israel forming an alliance with Egypt and Saudi Arabia?

Israel estimates that strengthening Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and maintaining a dialogue with Saudi Arabia are key elements for the region's stability.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan (R) and Saudi King Salman shake hands during a ceremony in Ankara, Turkey April 12, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX29KUO

Erdogan courts King Salman as new BFF

Even if Saudi King Salman Abdul-Aziz Al Saud fails to broker a rapprochement between Egypt and Turkey, he still shares many commonalities with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, not least their irritation with the US leadership.

What Hollande’s visit means for Lebanon

French President Francois Hollande is expected to visit Lebanon on April 16 as a part of a tour in the Middle East, although the trip will not achieve a breakthrough in the presidential crisis.

Turkey plays both sides in Iran, Saudi conflict

Does Turkey courting Iran and Saudi Arabia simultaneously mean Ankara is moving away from Sunni-based policies?

People tour a graveyard for Houthi fighters killed in recent fighting, during the first day of a ceasefire in Yemen's capital Sanaa April 11, 2016. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX29GQ9

US, UN welcome Yemen cease-fire

US officials welcomed a Yemen truce that went into effect April 11 after quiet Saudi-Houthi negotiations had already reduced violence in the year-old conflict, and urged the parties to find a political resolution at April 18 peace talks in Kuwait.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry gives a thumbs-up to Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir after a check of his translation headset before their remarks to reporters alongside the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) ministerial meeting in Manama, Bahrain April 7, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSE25F

Will US-Saudi 'special relationship' last?

Despite what many observers see as a strain in US-Saudi relations over very different if not completely opposite foreign policy postures, the two countries' shared interests remain a firm and unchanging foundation for their cooperation.

Saudi-Iran rivalry spills into UN Human Rights Council

While Iran was unhappy with the renewal of Ahmed Shaheed’s mandate as special rapporteur for Iran, it appears to be even more irritated over how Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar voted in favor of the measure at the UN Human Rights Council.

A handout picture provided by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on April 3, 2016 shows Saudi Interior Minister Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef (L) meeting with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Riyadh.
Modi is on a visit to Saudi Arabia where he will discuss energy, security and trade cooperation with leaders of the world's largest crude exporter.

/ AFP / SPA / STRINGER (Photo credit should read STRINGER/AFP/Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia tilts toward India

Pakistan, after refusing to supply troops for Saudi Arabia's war against Yemen, finds the Gulf kingdom improving relations with Pakistani archenemy India.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari speaks during a news conference with Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin in Baghdad, Iraq February 11, 2016. REUTERS/Khalid al Mousily - RTX26I5W

Why Iraqi-Saudi ties are backsliding yet again

After Iraq’s foreign affairs minister defended Hezbollah, which is considered a terrorist group by the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League, Gulf-Iraqi ties may worsen.

A Saudi policeman (R) stands watch as muslims touch and pray at the door of the Kaaba and touch and kiss the al-Hajr al-Aswad "Black Stone" during their Umrah Mawlid al-Nabawi "Birthday of Prophet Mohammad" in the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia January 18, 2016. Picture taken January 18, 2016. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh - RTX25AB8

Will Saudi block Iranians from hajj this year?

Iran claims that Saudi officials have refused to issue visas for Iranian officials in order to conduct preparatory talks for Iranian pilgrims.

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al Khalid al Sabah, Qatar's Foreign Minister Khaled al-Attiyah, Oman's Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa and UAE'S Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (L-R) pose for a group photo during an extraordinary meeting in Riyadh January 9, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Al N

How united is the GCC?

While Gulf states may all be united under the Gulf Cooperation Council name, their individual policies on foreign intervention vary greatly.