Saudi Arabia
The latest news and views about Saudi Arabia
Report: Saudi coalition carries out fresh rounds of strikes on Yemen in violations of truce
The Saudi-led coalition has reportedly violated the UN-brokered Yemen ceasefire 160 times in the last 24 hours by conducting more air raids on the war-ridden country.
US approves multibillion-dollar arms sales to Saudi Arabia and UAE
The United States has approved massive arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates worth more than $5 billion. It comes amid criticism of the Arab states' ongoing military aggression in Yemen which has inflicted heavy civilian casualties.
French rights groups: Saudi crown prince accomplice in Khashoggi murder
Rights groups have filed a criminal complaint with the Judicial Court of Paris, asking French authorities to investigate Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's involvement in the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Biden disputes Saudi official’s account of meeting with MbS
US President Joe Biden hints the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia was not truthful in his account of the US leader’s meeting with the kingdom’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman (MbS).
Expert: Connecting Iraq to Saudi electricity network aimed at distancing it from Iran
The director of Iraq’s al-Ittihad Strategic Research Center has said connecting the country to Saudi Arabia’s electricity network will not solve any problem and it’s only a political move to distance Iraq from Iran.
Biden says he raised Khashoggi murder with MbS
US President Joe Biden says he raised the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during his meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and that he told the Saudi leader he believed him to be responsible for Khashoggi’s death.
Biden’s tour of region insignificant to us: Iran MP
An Iranian parliamentarian has shrugged off US President Joe Biden’s visit to the West Asia region, saying “This trip is not important to us.”
Nasrallah says Biden to push Saudis for increasing oil production
Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said US President Joe Biden is visiting the region with the aim of getting Saudi leaders to pump new crude supplies into the world oil market.
Report: US mulls lifting weapons sale ban to Saudi Arabia
The administration of US President Joe Biden is discussing the possible lifting of its ban on US sales of offensive weapons to Saudi Arabia, but any final decision is expected to hinge on whether Riyadh makes progress toward ending the war in neighboring Yemen, according to four people familiar with the matter.
Biden defends Saudi Arabia trip amid criticism ovor Riyadh rights record
US President Joe Biden has defended his plan to visit Saudi Arabia, saying engagement with Riyadh is paramount for countering “Russia’s aggression,” achieving “greater stability” in the Middle East, and ensuring Washington’s ability to “outcompete China.”
White House: US officials discussing air defense capabilities with Arab nations
US officials are discussing air defense capabilities with the Persian Gulf leaders in the face of "a threat from Iran", a White House spokesman says.
Report: Saudi dissidents ‘sexually assaulted and murdered’ in prison
Prisoners held for opposing the government in Saudi Arabia are being murdered, sexually assaulted and inflicted with “sheer” brutality, according to a new report.
Report: US developing ‘normalization roadmap’ for Saudi Arabia, Israel
The White House has been working on a “road map for normalization” between Israel and Saudi Arabia ahead of US President Joe Biden’s visit to the Middle East next month, according to four US sources briefed on the issue.
MbS visits Turkey for first time since Khashoggi murder
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrived in Turkey on Wednesday for the first time in years for talks with President Tayyip Erdogan aimed at fully normalising ties that were ruptured after the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Analyst: Biden using Saudi trip as platform to win 2nd term
US President Joe Biden, who as a presidential candidate had vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah”, is pursuing a multi-pronged agenda by embarking on a controversial trip to the kingdom, an Iranian political analyst says.
Expert: US needs oil, Biden sinking
The high inflation and the soaring fuel prices in the US are gnawing away at President Joe Biden’s popularity, so he is going back on his election campaign promises to find new financial resources, a political expert says.
Families of 9/11 victims press Biden over Saudi meeting
A group representing the families and loved ones of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks wrote an open letter to President Joe Biden over his reported upcoming visit to Saudi Arabia.
Report: Saudi Arabia likely to boost oil production
Saudi Arabia may agree to boost oil production to cool skyrocketing prices if Russia’s output falls significantly under the new EU sanctions, according to a report.
US officials in Saudi Arabia for talks over Iran, energy
Two senior US officials visited Saudi Arabia this week for talks that included global energy supplies, Iran and other regional issues, the White House announced on Thursday.
Activist: Reports of Saudi transfer of power fabricated
Reports that suggest the transfer of power in Saudi Arabia from the ailing king to the de factor ruler is imminent, are baseless and meant to test public opinion, says a Saudi dissident and political activist.
Saudi Arabia executes two Shia youths
Saudi authorities have executed two young men from the Shia-populated Qatif region over trumped-up allegations of involvement in terrorist activities.
Saudi king admitted to hospital for ‘examinations’
Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz has been admitted to hospital for unspecified medical tests, state media reported Sunday.
Report: CIA chief met with MbS in Jeddah
US President Joe Biden’s CIA director reportedly had an unannounced meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last month in Jeddah.
Erdogan: Turkey, Saudi Arabia striving to increase all-out relations
Ankara and Riyadh are striving to increase all kinds of political, military and economic relations to start a new era, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said early Friday.
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia rekindle ties with Lebanon
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait returned their ambassadors to Beirut in a move that slowly thaws a diplomatic crisis that has strained Lebanon since last October, sparked by critical comments of the Saudi-led coalition’s war in Yemen. Recent improvements in relations between Lebanon and the two Persian Gulf states have relieved the cash-strapped country’s politicians.