https://www.scmp.com/rss/325898/feed The latest news on Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, including Saudi Arabian political news and updates. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Frank Chen Frank Chen Beijing is putting its power strategy under the microscope as China navigates the impact of a shipping crisis in the Strait of Hormuz that risks becoming a long-term economic liability. Calling energy security a pillar of national stability, Premier Li Qiang on Monday convened a high-level study session of the State Council, China’s Cabinet, according to Xinhua. The meeting, focused on coordinating energy security and the sector’s transformation, was the latest in a series of policy discussions... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350896/china-confronts-middle-east-supply-shock-state-council-mulls-energy-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350896/china-confronts-middle-east-supply-shock-state-council-mulls-energy-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 11:00:14 +0000 Holly Chik Holly Chik The Strait of Hormuz should remain open, Chinese President Xi Jinping said in a phone call with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia on Monday, according to state broadcaster CCTV. It was the first time the Chinese leader had called for the reopening of the strategically vital waterway, which has been repeatedly blockaded since US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28. “The Strait of Hormuz should remain open for normal passage, which aligns with the common interest of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350747/xi-jinping-says-strait-hormuz-should-be-open-call-saudi-crown-prince?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3350747/xi-jinping-says-strait-hormuz-should-be-open-call-saudi-crown-prince?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 10:36:05 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Gulf allies of the United States, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are urging President Donald Trump to continue prosecuting the war against Iran, arguing that Tehran has not been weakened enough by the month-long US-led bombing campaign, according to US, Gulf and Israeli officials. After private grumbling at the start of the war that they were not given adequate advance notice of the US-Israeli attack and complaining the US had ignored their warnings that the war would have... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348490/gulf-allies-want-trump-prolong-us-bombardment-iran-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348490/gulf-allies-want-trump-prolong-us-bombardment-iran-officials-say?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 06:16:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced confidence on Monday that Iran’s Islamic republic would eventually fall, though he again said that was not the objective of the US-Israeli war on the country. “I think this regime will collapse internally. But at the moment, right now, what we’re doing is just degrading their military capacity, degrading their missile capacity, degrading their nuclear capacity and also weakening them from the inside,” Netanyahu told conservative US broadcaster... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348461/irans-islamic-republic-will-collapse-internally-says-netanyahu?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3348461/irans-islamic-republic-will-collapse-internally-says-netanyahu?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 22:36:53 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday following failed negotiations and a crackdown on mass protests against the Islamic republic. Here are the key actors in the crisis: US President Donald Trump The president has sought to position himself as a global peacemaker, but on Iran he has taken a consistently hard line. Last year, his forces joined Israel’s war with the Islamic republic by conducting strikes on nuclear sites. During the mass protests that shook Iran... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344974/us-iran-israel-crisis-who-are-main-players?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3344974/us-iran-israel-crisis-who-are-main-players?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 09:44:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Bahrain and Egypt are attempting to mend ties between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, two sources said, weeks into a diplomatic rift between the Arab world’s most powerful countries. Saudi Arabia and the UAE had a public falling out in December, when the kingdom accused its neighbour of threatening its national security by supporting Yemeni separatists who orchestrated a brief land grab. A source close to the Saudi government insisted there was “no need for mediation” because direct... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343594/uae-saudi-rift-over-security-threats-push-arab-mediators-act?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3343594/uae-saudi-rift-over-security-threats-push-arab-mediators-act?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Feb 2026 13:22:44 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Prince William will begin his first official visit to Saudi Arabia with a meeting on Monday with host Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, as London seeks to deepen economic cooperation with the Gulf nation. The visit comes as daily revelations from the Jeffrey Epstein files continue to put pressure on King Charles III’s disgraced younger brother, the former Prince Andrew. The Saudi Crown Prince will give the heir to the British throne William a private tour of Unesco World Heritage site At-Turaif... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342936/prince-william-visits-saudi-arabia-uk-seeks-deeper-economic-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3342936/prince-william-visits-saudi-arabia-uk-seeks-deeper-economic-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 10:01:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Syria and Saudi Arabia signed deals on Saturday that include a joint airline and a US$1 billion project to develop telecommunications, officials said, as Syria seeks to rebuild after years of war. Saudi Arabia has been a major backer of Syria’s Islamist authorities who took power after toppling long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The new authorities in Damascus have worked to attract investment and have signed major agreements with several companies and governments, including Saudi... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342788/saudi-arabia-syria-sign-telecom-and-airline-deals-sanctions-lift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3342788/saudi-arabia-syria-sign-telecom-and-airline-deals-sanctions-lift?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 15:27:02 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Almost a decade after launching the Vision 2030 programme to diversify its oil-dependent economy, Saudi Arabia is redirecting its spending away from attention-grabbing futuristic urban projects into sectors that hold more promise to deliver results. Since last year, the programme has undergone a review following a US$8 billion writedown at the end of 2024. The kingdom’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has scaled down glitzy projects significantly, such as the US$500 billion 170km (105 mile) long... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3341914/saudi-arabia-set-redraw-economic-road-map-megaprojects-scale-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3341914/saudi-arabia-set-redraw-economic-road-map-megaprojects-scale-down?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 08:00:15 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Washington’s allies in the Middle East and beyond are facing the prospects of joining rival blocs in alignment with the different visions of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates following a rare clash between the two countries over war-torn Yemen. The Saudi bombing of an arms shipment reportedly provided by the UAE to separatists in southern Yemen last week has exposed the two Arab heavyweights’ divergent foreign policy approaches in the strategically important Red Sea and Horn of Africa,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339089/us-allies-saudi-arabia-uae-risk-split-middle-east-over-competing-visions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339089/us-allies-saudi-arabia-uae-risk-split-middle-east-over-competing-visions?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 04:00:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse For years, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia projected geopolitical and economic power across the Gulf and beyond, seemingly in tandem. But a growing rivalry and struggle for influence has come to a head - most recently in Yemen - following years of divergence over a tangle of competing interests that reach from regional waterways to the corridors of power in Washington, analysts say. The once-close relationship between Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE President Sheikh... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3338476/saudi-uae-rivalry-explodes-view-after-strike-war-torn-yemen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3338476/saudi-uae-rivalry-explodes-view-after-strike-war-torn-yemen?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 05:31:39 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Saudi authorities executed 356 people in 2025, according to an Agence France-Presse tally, setting a record for the number of inmates put to death in the kingdom in a single year. Analysts have largely attributed the surge in executions to Riyadh’s ongoing “war on drugs” launched in recent years – with many of those first arrested only now being executed, following legal proceedings and convictions. Official data released by the government said 243 people were executed in drug-related cases in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3338440/saudi-arabia-sets-executions-record-2025-putting-356-people-death?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3338440/saudi-arabia-sets-executions-record-2025-putting-356-people-death?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 18:01:02 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen Saudi Arabia has pledged to boost investments in America to nearly US$1 trillion, but according to analysts Riyadh could struggle to meet that target. Rather, they said the pledge – announced when Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman visited Washington last month – was more about the “political display” than a binding commitment. It was an increase to the US$600 billion that was promised in May, when US President Donald Trump visited Riyadh. The latest pledge comes as the rivalry intensifies between... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337792/why-saudi-arabia-might-not-fulfil-its-us-spending-pledge-and-china-factor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3337792/why-saudi-arabia-might-not-fulfil-its-us-spending-pledge-and-china-factor?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 10:00:12 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Saudi Arabia has quietly expanded access to its only store that sells alcohol, allowing wealthy foreign residents to buy booze in the latest step in the once-ultraconservative kingdom’s experiment in liberalisation. There has been no official announcement of the decision, but word has got out, and long queues of cars and people can now be seen at the discreet, unmarked store in the Diplomatic Quarter of the Saudi capital, Riyadh. The store opened in January 2024 for non-Muslim diplomats. The new... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3337222/saudi-arabias-discreet-alcohol-store-opens-doors-wealthy-foreigners?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3337222/saudi-arabias-discreet-alcohol-store-opens-doors-wealthy-foreigners?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Dec 2025 07:26:09 +0000 Zhao Ziwen Zhao Ziwen Saudi Arabia has pledged to deepen hi-tech cooperation with China in areas such as new energy and artificial intelligence (AI). “Saudi Arabia is willing to further deepen cooperation with China in areas including oil and gas, new energy, artificial intelligence and high technology, to bring greater benefits to the peoples of both countries,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The pledge comes at a time when the kingdom is facing growing... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336508/china-and-saudi-arabia-pledge-deeper-hi-tech-cooperation-despite-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3336508/china-and-saudi-arabia-pledge-deeper-hi-tech-cooperation-despite-us-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 11:15:21 +0000 David Dodwell David Dodwell We should call it the “Neom factor”: the force that transforms reasonable aggressive ambition into hallucinogenic fantasyland. It glared out at me last week in a Financial Times headline: “Three ‘Heathrows’ of growth: the unstoppable rise of Middle East airports”. In short, Dubai, Istanbul, Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi in aggregate have airport expansion plans to lift passenger capacity almost threefold to around 750 million a year over the coming decades. In the words of Paul Griffiths, chief... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335236/why-gulf-regions-dreams-aviation-domination-are-built-sand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3335236/why-gulf-regions-dreams-aviation-domination-are-built-sand?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 08:30:10 +0000 Kolette Lim Kolette Lim Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s sweeping effort to modernise Saudi Arabia’s economy draws direct inspiration from the Singapore model pioneered by Lee Kuan Yew, a senior Saudi political adviser has said. Mohammed Khalid Alyahya, an adviser to Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, described the late Singaporean leader’s pragmatic and results-driven governance as a template for Riyadh’s ambitions. “We have studied [Singapore] for 50 years – the way the country has invested in... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3334946/saudi-adviser-lauds-parallels-singapore-lee-kuan-yew-modernisation-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3334946/saudi-adviser-lauds-parallels-singapore-lee-kuan-yew-modernisation-efforts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 13:16:26 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain The US is poised to supply Saudi Arabia with its most advanced F-35 stealth fighter jets, a move that analysts say reflects a new era of Middle East policy in which countering Chinese influence is fast becoming as important for Washington as maintaining Israeli military superiority. It would make Saudi Arabia only the second country in the region, after Israel, to operate the fifth-generation jet. US President Donald Trump announced the decision following a meeting with Saudi Arabia’s visiting... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333936/china-factor-behind-trumps-sale-f-35s-saudi-arabia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3333936/china-factor-behind-trumps-sale-f-35s-saudi-arabia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 09:30:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters A Democratic lawmaker who served on Donald Trump’s National Security Council in his first term urged the White House on Friday to release a transcript of Trump’s 2019 call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s killing. “The Khashoggi family and the American people deserve to know what was in that call … the receipts will raise serious questions,” congressman Eugene Vindman told a news conference with Khashoggi’s widow, Hanan Elatr Khashoggi. In 2019,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333765/khashoggis-widow-and-democrats-demand-release-shocking-trump-saudi-call?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333765/khashoggis-widow-and-democrats-demand-release-shocking-trump-saudi-call?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Nov 2025 20:36:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters The White House on Thursday defended US President Donald Trump after he called a female reporter “piggy” as she questioned him about the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, saying the president’s remarks reflected his frankness and transparency. In the exchange aboard Air Force One last week, which has since gone viral, Trump leaned towards the reporter, pointed his finger and said “Quiet, piggy” as she pressed him about a recently released Epstein email in which the New York financier... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333610/white-house-defends-trump-calling-female-reporter-piggy-after-epstein-question?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333610/white-house-defends-trump-calling-female-reporter-piggy-after-epstein-question?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 23:13:35 +0000 Reuters Reuters The White House ratcheted up its attack on ABC News Wednesday, a day after US President Donald Trump criticised an ABC News correspondent for asking Saudi Arabia’s crown prince about the 2018 killing of a Washington Post columnist. The fresh critique came as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) said on Wednesday it was opening a review of agreements between national networks and local broadcast stations. Trump suggested the commission should move to revoke the broadcast licenses of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333585/trump-targets-disneys-abc-over-khashoggi-question-kimmel-comments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333585/trump-targets-disneys-abc-over-khashoggi-question-kimmel-comments?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 12:26:45 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump vowed Wednesday to end Sudan’s grinding civil war at the request of Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, condemning “tremendous atrocities” in a conflict he has previously overlooked. Trump admitted that the devastating war between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) was “not on my charts” before Prince Mohammed bin Salman pushed him to get involved. But Trump said he would now work to “stabilise” the conflict with regional powers, notably including the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3333465/trump-vows-end-sudan-war-sudden-pivot-thanks-saudi-crown-prince?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3333465/trump-vows-end-sudan-war-sudden-pivot-thanks-saudi-crown-prince?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 23:53:50 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo and billionaire Elon Musk were among the guests at a lavish White House dinner hosted by US President Donald Trump for the visiting Saudi crown prince on Tuesday. Ronaldo plays for Saudi club Al Nassr, one of a number of ageing players who have been attracted to the desert kingdom’s heavy spending on stars despite its rights record. The 40-year-old, whose contract with the Saudi club ends this summer, took his place near the head of Trump’s table a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333359/ronaldo-musk-attend-trumps-white-house-dinner-saudi-crown-prince?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333359/ronaldo-musk-attend-trumps-white-house-dinner-saudi-crown-prince?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 05:30:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Donald Trump ripped into a reporter from the US network ABC News on Tuesday, just days after calling another woman journalist “piggy” after she asked a question related to the convicted sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump threatened ABC’s broadcast license after reporter Mary Bruce posed questions during a White House visit by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The earlier incident involving Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey happened a few days ago on Air Force One, but only... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333327/trump-attacks-female-reporters-who-he-called-piggy-and-terrible?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333327/trump-attacks-female-reporters-who-he-called-piggy-and-terrible?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 01:09:26 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Mohammed bin Salman knew nothing about the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents, offering a fierce defence of the visiting Saudi crown prince that contradicted a US intelligence assessment. The controversy over the killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and US-based critic of the Saudi leadership, flared again in the Oval Office in front of cameras as the kingdom’s de facto ruler made his first White House visit in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333319/trump-insists-saudi-crown-prince-knew-nothing-about-khashoggi-killing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3333319/trump-insists-saudi-crown-prince-knew-nothing-about-khashoggi-killing?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 20:26:57 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump said on Monday he plans to approve the sale of US-made F-35 fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, speaking a day before he hosts Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for a day of diplomacy. “I will say that we will be doing that,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “We’ll be selling the F-35s.” A sale would mark a significant policy shift, potentially altering the military balance in the Middle East and testing Washington’s definition of maintaining Israel’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3333179/trump-says-planning-sell-f-35-fighter-jets-saudi-arabia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3333179/trump-says-planning-sell-f-35-fighter-jets-saudi-arabia?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 01:16:04 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House on November 18 and sign agreements on artificial intelligence, defence, nuclear cooperation and trade, according to a person familiar with the matter. It will be the first visit by Saudi Arabia’s 40-year-old de facto leader to the US since 2018. Bloomberg earlier reported that he planned to visit at some stage in November. Normalisation with Israel is expected to be discussed, though it’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329846/trump-host-saudi-arabias-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-white-house-november?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3329846/trump-host-saudi-arabias-crown-prince-mohammed-bin-salman-white-house-november?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Oct 2025 15:12:00 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow When Saudi Arabia and Pakistan signed a mutual defence agreement earlier this month, it was widely interpreted as a gesture of Muslim unity in a region roiled by crisis. But its reverberations are already being felt among policymakers in Pakistan’s perennial rival India, threatening to complicate New Delhi’s delicate diplomatic balancing act in the Gulf. The agreement, signed in Riyadh on September 17, declares that aggression against either signatory “shall be considered aggression against... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327211/pakistan-saudi-arabia-defence-pact-tests-indias-gulf-outreach?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3327211/pakistan-saudi-arabia-defence-pact-tests-indias-gulf-outreach?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 06:28:35 +0000 Meredith Chen,Dewey Sim,Zhao Ziwen,Seong Hyeon Choi Meredith Chen,Dewey Sim,Zhao Ziwen,Seong Hyeon Choi Saudi Arabia’s new mutual defence pact with nuclear-armed Pakistan underscores deepening doubts over Washington’s security commitments in the region amid its strategic rivalry with Beijing, according to observers. They said China was likely to view such diversified partnerships positively, which could also open new opportunities to expand arms sales, although the security dynamics in the region might become further complicated. The mutual defence pact signed late on Wednesday significantly... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3326200/new-saudi-pakistan-pact-signals-evolving-alliances-amid-us-china-tension-qatar-attack?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3326200/new-saudi-pakistan-pact-signals-evolving-alliances-amid-us-china-tension-qatar-attack?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 14:00:14 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain A week after Israel bombed Qatar, Saudi Arabia has signed a mutual defence pact with Pakistan in what analysts say will be an extension of Islamabad’s nuclear umbrella over the Gulf kingdom and is a clear signal to the United States for failing to intercept Israeli missiles during the attack. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the agreement in Riyadh on Wednesday, which stipulated that “any aggression against either country shall be... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325972/saudi-arabia-pakistan-pact-sends-nuclear-umbrella-signal-over-israels-attack-qatar?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325972/saudi-arabia-pakistan-pact-sends-nuclear-umbrella-signal-over-israels-attack-qatar?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Sep 2025 06:59:00 +0000 Reuters Reuters Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a mutual defence pact late on Wednesday, significantly strengthening a decades-old security partnership a week after Israel’s strikes on Qatar upended the diplomatic calculus in the region. The enhanced defence ties come as Gulf Arab states grow increasingly wary about the reliability of the United States as their long-standing security guarantor. Israel’s attack on Qatar last week heightened those concerns. Asked whether Pakistan would now be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3325923/saudi-arabia-and-pakistan-sign-defence-pact-amid-growing-wariness-over-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3325923/saudi-arabia-and-pakistan-sign-defence-pact-amid-growing-wariness-over-us?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Sep 2025 21:09:03 +0000 Reuters Reuters If Israel did not kill Hamas leaders in an air strike on Qatar on Tuesday, it would succeed next time, the Israeli ambassador to the United States said after the operation, raising concerns it would torpedo efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza. “Right now, we may be subject to a little bit of criticism. They’ll get over it. And Israel is being changed for the better,” Yechiel Leiter told Fox News’ Special Report programme late on Tuesday. Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3325086/israel-will-keep-hunting-down-hamas-leaders-despite-anger-over-qatar-strike-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3325086/israel-will-keep-hunting-down-hamas-leaders-despite-anger-over-qatar-strike-ambassador?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 13:28:08 +0000 Yang Xiaotong Yang Xiaotong The Silk Road once connected China and the Arab world, stretching from Cordoba to Canton. The network not only fostered trade, but also cultural and intellectual exchange. Today, as humanity stands on the brink of a new age of exploration, this time of the cosmos, the stage is set to revive this historic partnership. For Arab countries, especially the Gulf states, space exploration represents a way to diversify their economy and reinvent their image. They are investing billions in space... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3322274/china-and-middle-east-space-silk-road-written-stars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3322274/china-and-middle-east-space-silk-road-written-stars?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Aug 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Executions in Saudi Arabia surged last year to a record high, Amnesty International said on Monday, as activists increasingly warn about the kingdom’s use of the death penalty in non-violent drug cases. Saudi Arabia executed 345 people last year, the highest number ever recorded by Amnesty in over three decades of reporting. In the first six months of this year alone, 180 people have been put to death, the group said, signalling that the record likely will be broken again. This year, about... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3317242/saudi-arabias-executions-hit-record-high-driven-drug-cases-amnesty-says-living-terror?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3317242/saudi-arabias-executions-hit-record-high-driven-drug-cases-amnesty-says-living-terror?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Jul 2025 09:20:48 +0000 Reuters Reuters Saudi Arabia and Indonesia signed several deals and memorandums of understanding worth around US$27 billion between private sector institutions in fields including clean energy and petrochemicals, Saudi state news agency SPA reported on Wednesday. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto visited the Gulf kingdom on Wednesday and met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The two sides also agreed to bolster cooperation in the supply of crude oil and its derivatives, improve supply chains and their... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3316810/indonesia-saudi-arabia-ink-deals-worth-us27-billion-eye-clean-energy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3316810/indonesia-saudi-arabia-ink-deals-worth-us27-billion-eye-clean-energy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Jul 2025 08:43:02 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A prominent Saudi journalist who was arrested in 2018 and convicted on terrorism and treason charges has been executed, the kingdom said. Activist groups maintain that the charges against him were trumped up. Turki Al-Jasser was put to death on Saturday, according to the official Saudi Press Agency, after the death penalty was upheld by the nation’s top court. Authorities had raided Al-Jasser’s home in 2018, arresting him and seizing his computer and phones. It was not clear where his trial took... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3314525/saudi-arabia-executes-journalist-after-7-years-prison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3314525/saudi-arabia-executes-journalist-after-7-years-prison?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Jun 2025 13:14:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Israel pressed its intense bombardment campaign on Iran on Sunday, striking a defence facility and fuel depots as the arch foes kept up their most intense confrontation in history. It came after Iranian missile fire on Israel killed at least 10 people overnight, according to authorities, pushing the toll up to 13 since Iran began its retaliatory strikes on Friday. In Tehran, a heavy cloud of smoke billowed over the city after Israeli aircraft struck two fuel depots. For days, Iranians have... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3314485/israel-and-iran-launch-fresh-strikes-conflict-escalates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3314485/israel-and-iran-launch-fresh-strikes-conflict-escalates?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Jun 2025 22:21:16 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Opec+ has agreed to surge oil output by 411,000 barrels a day for the third month in a row, doubling down on a historic policy shift that has sent crude prices sinking. Key nations led by Saudi Arabia agreed during a video conference on Saturday to add that amount to the market in July, according to delegates. The surge follows equally sized increases scheduled for May and June, marking a clear break with years of efforts by the group to support global oil prices. “Opec+ isn’t whispering any... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3312596/opec-agrees-sharp-increase-july-oil-production-deepen-price-slump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3312596/opec-agrees-sharp-increase-july-oil-production-deepen-price-slump?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 May 2025 11:25:38 +0000 C. Uday Bhaskar C. Uday Bhaskar US President Donald Trump made his first overseas visit in his second term with a whistle-stop tour to the Middle East which took him to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The visit that concluded on May 16, apart from triggering a controversy over Qatar’s offer to give a luxury plane to Trump, has led to several presidential announcements that radically alter long-held US policies towards the region. If realised, these will result in a dramatic churn in regional... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3311122/his-historic-tour-trump-puts-us-power-back-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3311122/his-historic-tour-trump-puts-us-power-back-middle-east?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 May 2025 21:30:07 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain US President Donald Trump wrapped up a tour of three Gulf monarchies on Friday after laying out a dollar-driven agenda for peace in the Middle East and South Asia which analysts said contained measures that aimed to curtail Chinese influence in these regions. The highlight of Trump’s three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates was his decision to lift sanctions against Syria’s new administration at the behest of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Saudi Crown... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3310655/trump-caps-gulf-tour-america-first-policy-peace-middle-east-south-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3310655/trump-caps-gulf-tour-america-first-policy-peace-middle-east-south-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 May 2025 13:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump on Friday capped his Gulf tour in Abu Dhabi after signing another raft of multibillion-dollar deals, while also securing a US$1.4 trillion investment pledge from the United Arab Emirates. The eye-watering amounts of money in investments were accompanied also by historic overtures to Syria and renewed optimism over an Iran nuclear deal during the multi-day trip across the Gulf. On his first foreign tour of his second term, Trump oversaw a US$200 billion order from Qatar... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3310636/trump-wraps-his-middle-east-tour-deals-galore?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3310636/trump-wraps-his-middle-east-tour-deals-galore?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 May 2025 08:33:16 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said on Thursday a deal was close on Iran’s nuclear programme that would avert military action, sending oil prices tumbling, as he boasted of raising “trillions of dollars” on a Gulf tour. He made the remarks in Doha before flying on to the United Arab Emirates capital Abu Dhabi on the third and final leg of a Gulf tour that began in Saudi Arabia. “We’re not going to be making any nuclear dust in Iran,” Trump said. “I think we’re getting close to maybe doing a deal... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3310527/trump-says-getting-close-deal-avoid-iran-military-action?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3310527/trump-says-getting-close-deal-avoid-iran-military-action?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 May 2025 13:54:37 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li China and the United States have agreed to a temporary, partial truce in their unprecedented trade war, but their heated rivalry is far from over. As the dust settles in the wake of April’s frenzied tariff battle and Monday’s deal that saw import duties drop 115 per cent on both sides, the world’s two largest economies are actively courting emerging markets to gain the upper hand in the event tensions flare up again. As US President Donald Trump travelled to the Middle East for the first... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3310341/china-us-sign-duelling-deals-after-agreeing-trade-war-truce?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3310341/china-us-sign-duelling-deals-after-agreeing-trade-war-truce?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 May 2025 14:00:10 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The Trump administration is clearing a path for two key Persian Gulf allies to pursue their artificial intelligence (AI) ambitions – and some of the biggest US technology companies are seizing on that opening with plans to spend billions of dollars in the region. Under agreements with the US expected to be unveiled in the coming days, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are poised to win wider access to advanced AI chips from Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices that are considered the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3310323/trumps-mideast-visit-clears-path-advanced-ai-chip-deals-led-nvidia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3310323/trumps-mideast-visit-clears-path-advanced-ai-chip-deals-led-nvidia?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 May 2025 09:56:55 +0000 Reuters Reuters Four years ago, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman struggled to get an audience with then-president Joe Biden, who said he wanted to make the Gulf country a pariah after its leader allegedly ordered the murder of a Washington-based journalist. On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump lavished effusive praise on Saudi’s de facto ruler, calling him “an incredible man” and a “great guy”, and made no mention of human rights concerns in the country. “I like him a lot. I like him too much,” Trump... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3310237/bidens-pariah-trumps-great-guy-saudi-arabias-mohammed-bin-salman?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3310237/bidens-pariah-trumps-great-guy-saudi-arabias-mohammed-bin-salman?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 May 2025 01:43:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Saudi Arabia on Tuesday promised billions of dollars in deals with the United States from defence to artificial intelligence as it threw a lavish welcome for President Donald Trump on the first state visit of his second term. The Saudis escorted Air Force One into the kingdom with fighter jets before bringing out long-stretching guards of honour and sending flag-waving cavalry to accompany Trump’s motorcade to the palace. Under imposing chandeliers, Trump welcomed a promise by Saudi Arabia’s de... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3310152/trump-starts-middle-east-tour-saudi-arabia-seeking-big-deals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3310152/trump-starts-middle-east-tour-saudi-arabia-seeking-big-deals?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 May 2025 08:35:13 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The plunge in oil prices over the past two days following the twin shocks of President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the surprise boost in production from the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) has altered the global energy landscape with stunning speed. Brent crude, the global benchmark, tumbled 13 per cent through Thursday and Friday to just over US$66 a barrel, casting new doubts on Trump’s quest to aggressively boost US fossil fuel output and achieve “energy dominance.” Across... https://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/3305322/oil-price-crashed-13-two-days-will-freefall-reorder-global-energy-landscape?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/commodities/article/3305322/oil-price-crashed-13-two-days-will-freefall-reorder-global-energy-landscape?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Apr 2025 03:48:38 +0000 Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ahead of talks between Ukrainian and US officials that Washington hopes will deliver substantial progress towards ending Russia’s war with Ukraine. During the meeting in Jeddah, the crown prince underscored the kingdom’s support for international efforts to resolve Ukraine’s crisis and achieving peace, the Saudi state news agency SPA reported early on Tuesday. The United States, once Ukraine’s main ally, has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3301848/ukraines-zelensky-arrives-saudi-arabia-meet-prince-ahead-summit-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3301848/ukraines-zelensky-arrives-saudi-arabia-meet-prince-ahead-summit-us?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Mar 2025 17:24:03 +0000 Arab leaders met in Riyadh on Friday to craft a plan for Gaza’s post-war reconstruction to counter Donald Trump’s proposal for the United States to take over the territory without its Palestinian inhabitants. Trump’s plan has united Arab states in opposition to it, but disagreements remain over who should govern Gaza and how its reconstruction can be funded. A photo from the meeting showed the kingdom’s de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with the leaders of other Gulf Arab states,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3299717/arab-leaders-meet-craft-counter-trumps-gaza-plan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3299717/arab-leaders-meet-craft-counter-trumps-gaza-plan?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:01:06 +0000 Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has been on a whirlwind tour this past week, carrying a message of multilateralism that contrasts sharply with the approach to foreign policy taken by US President Donald Trump. After Wang’s return to his old portfolio in 2023, China’s diplomacy has pivoted from the combative “wolf warrior” style associated with his disgraced predecessor, Qin Gang. Under Wang, Beijing has sought to play the role of peacemaker, with notable efforts to promote resolutions to... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3299244/chinas-wang-yi-touts-multilateralism-face-us-rejection-globalist-model?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3299244/chinas-wang-yi-touts-multilateralism-face-us-rejection-globalist-model?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Feb 2025 09:02:15 +0000