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Saudi Arabia

November 12, 2026

Riyadh 11:23 am

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ankers are seen at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in the Sharjah Emirate, along the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes, on June 23, 2025.

Explainer

UAE selling Saudi oil highlights new Gulf energy realities

News surfaced on Nov. 10 that the UAE has reportedly marketed 1.87 million barrels of Saudi crude salvaged from a damaged supertanker for sale, marking an exceptional example of energy cooperation between Gulf rivals.

United Arab Emirates

ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP via Getty Images

GCC to build military command center in Kuwait as region simmers: What to know

GCC countries have stepped up their joint defense efforts with the announcement of a new forward command center to be headquartered in Kuwait, as tensions between Iran and the US continue to escalate.

Latest News

Analysis

Syria denies sending troops to fight Houthis in return for Saudi loans

Saudi Arabia's Deputy Foreign Minister Waleed el-Khereiji (R) speaks with Syria's interim foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Iraq, Saudi Arabia face attacks as Trump pursues Iran deal

Samuel Corum/Getty Images

Analysis

Gulf’s $3 trillion US investment drive faces post-midterm Trump reckoning

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 18: Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during a dinner in the East Room at the White House on November 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. Trump is hosting the Crown Prince for meetings aimed at strengthening economic and defense ties, including the U.S. sale of F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

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.

A Boeing 737 MAX plane is seen during a media tour of the Boeing plant in Renton, Washington December 7, 2015. Orders for long-lasting U.S. manufactured goods surged in April on strong demand for transportation equipment and a range of other products . REUTERS/Matt Mills McKnight/File Photo - RTX2EBUC

Boeing deal would reverse 1993 decision to sell to Saudis, not Iran

A $17 billion deal by Boeing to sell Iran more than 100 civilian airplanes has major ramifications for US-Iran relations, say American and Iranian analysts.

Is it Eid or not? Muslims take step toward resolving calendar dispute

Religious representatives from Islamic countries agree to embrace a common calendar to overcome a long-standing conflict on the start of Ramadan, but their past record inspires little optimism for a genuine compromise.

(FILE) A picture taken on January 14, 2014 through the window of an airplane shows the Red Sea's Tiran (foreground) and the Sanafir (background) islands in the Strait of Tiran between Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and Saudi Arabia.
Saudi King Salman on April 11, 2016 wrapped up a landmark five-day visit to Egypt marked by lavish praise and multi-billion-dollar investment deals, in a clear sign of support for President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's regime. Egypt also agreed during the visit to demarcate its maritime bord

Is Sisi selling Egypt to Saudis?

Egyptian lawyers and activists voice concerns over President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s decision broadening the rights of Saudi nationals to own real estate in Egypt.

Why was hajj for Iranian pilgrims canceled this year?

After failing to resolve differences with Saudi Arabia, Iranians will be unable to attend the hajj pilgrimage this year.

Saudi Arabia's post-oil plan enters slippery slope

Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 plan, which foresees a post-oil economy for the kingdom, contains many contradictions.

Is Saudi Arabia bringing sexy back?

The Saudi government's recent decision to open entertainment venues to promote internal tourism is drawing some solid applause, but critics say there are more pressing domestic issues to resolve.

Presidential candidate Hamdeen Sabahi (C) waits to cast his vote during the presidential election in Cairo, May 26, 2014. Egyptians began voting on Monday in a presidential election expected to sweep former army chief Abdel Fatah al-Sisi into office, reviving rule by strongman three years after Hosni Mubarak's downfall. Voters cast ballots at heavily guarded polling stations from 9.00 a.m. (0600 GMT). Sisi, who deposed the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohamed Mursi last July, faces only one challenger in the two-da

Two-time presidential candidate says Egypt losing its role in region

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Hamdeen Sabahi, a former presidential candidate and head of the Egyptian Popular Current, speaks about his decision to stage a sit-in and his views on the political situation in the country.

Has Iran-Saudi cyberwar already started?

After an Iranian website was hacked, some Iranian websites are speculating as to whether or not an Iranian-Saudi cyberwar has begun.

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 01: U.S. Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) (C), speaks about the sex slave industry while flanked by (L-R), U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) (R) and U.S. Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD) during a news conference on Capitol Hill, August 1, 2013 in Washington, DC. The bi partisan members of Congress discussed a plan to end the sex trafficking trade in the United States. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Saudi takes rare turn on congressional hot seat

Riyadh's support for extremist clerics is under scrutiny as Congress debates whether to allow terror victims to sue the kingdom.