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Saudi Arabia

September 6, 2026

Riyadh 7:36 pm

37°C

The entrance to the city of Qiddiya, south of the capital Riyadh, April 25, 2019.

Analysis

Iran war tests Gulf's theme park ambitions

Saudi Arabia is pressing ahead with multibillion-dollar projects as the conflict disrupts regional tourism and exposes weaknesses in the Gulf states' entertainment strategies.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

A man walks past a mural depicting oil pumps and the Venezuelan flag, with portraits of Venezuelan independence leader Simon Bolivar (L) and former late President Hugo Chavez (R), in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 3, 2026.

Analysis

Could Trump’s oil push in Venezuela upend OPEC’s energy order?

Washington’s growing role in controlling the Latin American country's crude riches could help reshape an energy order centered on OPEC as the Hormuz crisis pressures Gulf exports.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Guests stand at the booth of Saudi artificial intelligence company Humain during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh, on Oct. 29, 2025.

Saudi Arabia taps China’s MiniMax for Arabic AI model

The development signals that the kingdom continues deepening AI ties with China while simultaneously pursuing major US technology partnerships, keeping the Gulf state at the center of an intensifying technology race between the superpowers.

Latest News

Saudi oil exports hit nine-year low as tanker attacks threaten recovery

A commercial vessel passes through an international shipping lane off Yemen's Hanish Island in the Red Sea on July 27, 2026.

Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan set Mecca Alliance into motion

Mecca Alliance

Iraq reinforces Saudi border security amid militia tensions: What to know

Iraqi army troops patrol the Iraq-Saudi Arabia border

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

Lebanese bartender Hadi Ghassan prepares a drink behind the counter at "Meraki Riyadh", a pop-up bar offering non-alcoholic bellinis and spritzes, served in chilled cocktail glasses, in Riyadh on January 23, 2024. The bar's success highlights widening acceptance of more daring non-alcoholic fare even as booze itself remains strictly off-limits in the Gulf kingdom, home to Islam's holiest sites. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

What does Saudi's first-ever alcohol store say about new Gulf culture?

Alcohol-free 'mocktails' are also becoming increasingly popular across the region.

Saudi FM

Saudi FM: No Israel normalization without ‘irreversible path’ to Palestinian state

Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the kingdom would not finance the rebuilding of the enclave unless there is a viable path to a two-state solution.

Foreign labourers work on the construction of new luxury houses in the Saudi capital Riyadh on April 13, 2019. - Housing is a potential lightning rod for public discontent in a country where affordable dwellings are beyond the reach of many, posing a key challenge for Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as he seeks to overhaul the oil-reliant economy. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP) (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia bolsters expat incentives as war complicates efforts to lure foreign talent

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu attends the funeral for First Sergeant Major Gal Meir Eisenkot in Herzliya, Dec. 8, 2023.

Analysis

'Hallucination' or realpolitik? Netanyahu's long shot at Israel-Saudi normalization

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu still hopes to normalize ties with Saudi Arabia after rejecting US proposals for Palestinian control of Gaza and the West Bank.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Spain's Rafael Nadal hits a return against Austria's Dominic Thiem during their men's singles match at the Brisbane International tennis tournament in Brisbane on January 2, 2024. (Photo by William WEST / AFP) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE -- (Photo by WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia nabs Rafa Nadal as its star tennis ambassador amid criticism

Spanish tennis legend Rafael Nadal has become an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation, leading to criticism from some fans and furthering the kingdom’s tennis ambitions.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Davos 2024: Reaching net zero without space tech 'wishful thinking,' says Saudi minister

On the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha told Al-Monitor that technology will help countries deliver on climate promises.

A man stands outside the Canadian Embassy in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on August 7, 2018.

Saudi Arabia, Canada reestablish business council as ties warm

Saudi Arabia and Canada resumed diplomatic relations last year following a row over Ottawa’s criticism of the treatment of women in the kingdom.

Jordan Henderson of Al Ettifaq and Roberto Firmino of Al Ahli battling for the ball during the Saudi Pro League match.

Key players want out of Saudi soccer league: reports

The Saudi Pro League landed several top stars last year with lucrative deals, but now some players may be looking to leave the kingdom.

A Saudi mine worker pours a stream of molten gold from the furnace into moulds to produce gold ingots during a press tour at the Al-Amar Gold Mine, 195kms southwest of the Saudi capital Riyadh, on May 28, 2008.

Will Saudi Arabia see mining gold rush in 2024?

The kingdom plans to take advantage of the growing demand for critical minerals to power the green transition.

Ons Kayanee

Tunisia's Ons Jabeur reps Saudi fitness brand Kayanee at Australian Open

Jabeur has expressed support for Saudi investment in tennis in the past as the kingdom seeks to boost its sports holdings.

A Eurofighter jet of the TacticalAir Force Wing 71 "Richthofen" of the German Armed Forces Bundeswehr approaches during the Hannover Shield exercise at the airport in Hannover, northern Germany, Nov. 27, 2023.

Germany reverses, to greenlight Eurofighter jets to Saudi Arabia

Germany stopped selling arms to Saudi Arabia following the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul in 2018, but has since come under increasing pressure to allow the sale of the jets to the Gulf country.

An Iran Air Boeing 747 passenger plane sits on the tarmac of the domestic Mehrabad airport in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Jan. 15, 2013.

Why has Iran Air abandoned plans to relaunch Saudi Arabia flights despite detente?

The Iran Air flights to Saudi Arabia were intended to transport pilgrims to Jeddah and were scheduled to take off from Tehran, Mashhad and Isfahan on Wednesday.