Explore Business Standard
Associate Sponsors
Co-sponsor
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to the King of Bahrain, Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, and the Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed Bin Salman, and condemned the recent attacks on the two countries in violation of their sovereignty and territorial integrity. During his telephonic conversations with the two leaders, Prime Minister Modi said that the earliest restoration of regional peace and stability is of utmost importance and thanked them for looking after the well-being of the Indian community living there in these difficult times. "Discussed the evolving situation in West Asia with Crown Prince and PM of Saudi Arabia, HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman. India condemns the recent attacks on Saudi Arabia in violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. "We agreed that earliest restoration of regional peace and stability is of utmost importance. I thanked him for looking after the well-being of the Indian community in these difficult times," Modi
Saudi Arabia's Ras Tanura oil refinery came under attack on Monday from drones, the kingdom's defense ministry said, with authorities downing the incoming aircraft. A Saudi military spokesman made the announcement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency. Online videos from the site appeared to show thick black smoke rising after the attack. Even successfully intercepted drones cause debris that can spark fires and injure those on the ground. Ras Tanura, near Dammam, has a capacity over half a million barrels of crude oil a day.
Saudi Arabia could have some form of uranium enrichment within the kingdom under a proposed nuclear deal with the United States, congressional documents and an arms control group suggest, raising proliferation concerns as an atomic standoff between Iran and America continues. US Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden both tried to reach a nuclear deal with the kingdom to share American technology. Nonproliferation experts warn any spinning centrifuges within Saudi Arabia could open the door to a possible weapons program for the kingdom, something its assertive crown prince has suggested he could pursue if Tehran obtains an atomic bomb. Already, Saudi Arabia and nuclear-armed Pakistan signed a mutual defense pact last year after Israel launched an attack on Qatar targeting Hamas officials. Pakistan's defense minister then said his nation's nuclear program "will be made available" to Saudi Arabia if needed, something seen as a warning for Israel, long believed to be the Middle East's ..
The Trump administration has approved a massive new series of arms sales to Israel totalling USD 6.67 billion and to Saudi Arabia worth USD 9 billion. Both sets of sales were announced by the State Department late Friday as tensions rise in the Middle East over the possibility of US military strikes in Iran. They were made public after the department notified Congress of its approval of the sales earlier Friday. The sales also were announced as President Donald Trump pushes ahead with his ceasefire plan for Gaza that is intended to end the Israel-Hamas conflict and reconstruct and redevelop the Palestinian territory after two years of war left it devastated, with tens of thousands dead. The Saudi sale is for 730 Patriot missiles and related equipment that "will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a Major non-NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in the Gulf Region," the ...
Saudi Arabia alleged Thursday that the United Arab Emirates smuggled a separatist leader in Yemen wanted for treason out of the country and flew him to Abu Dhabi. The UAE had no immediate reaction to the claim, which further escalates tensions between the neighbouring nations on the Arabian Peninsula as their partnership in the years-long war in Yemen breaks down. A Saudi military statement claimed Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of the Southern Transitional Council, fled Yemen by boat to Somalia. Then, UAE officials flew al-Zubaidi to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates, the statement said. The statement from Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki included him, naming a major general in the UAE as being involved in al-Zubaidi's alleged escape, along with identifying his nom de guerre something highly unusual in the typical clubby world of Gulf Arab relations. It also suggested an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft used in the operation had been used in conflict zones like Ethiopia, Libya and Somalia .
Yemen's separatist movement on Friday announced a constitution for an independent nation in the south and demanded other factions in the war-torn country accept the move in an escalation of a confrontation that has pitted Gulf powerhouses Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against each other. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council depicted the announcement as a declaration of independence for the south. But it was not immediately clear if the move could be implemented or was largely symbolic. Last month, STC-linked fighters seized control of two southern provinces from Saudi-backed forces and took over the Presidential Palace in the south's main city, Aden. Members of the internationally recognized government which had been based in Aden fled to the Saudi-capital Riyadh. On Friday, Saudi warplanes bombed camps and military positions held by the STC in Hadramout province as Saudi-backed fighters tried to seize the facilities, a separatist official said. It was the lates
Yemen's separatist movement on Friday announced a constitution for an independent nation in the south and demanded other factions in the war-torn country accept the move in an escalation of a confrontation that has pitted Gulf powerhouses Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against each other. The UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council depicted the announcement as a declaration of independence for the south. But it was not immediately clear if the move could be implemented or was largely symbolic. Last month, STC-linked fighters seized control of two southern provinces from Saudi-backed forces and took over the Presidential Palace in the south's main city, Aden. Members of the internationally recognized government which had been based in Aden fled to the Saudi-capital Riyadh. On Friday, Saudi warplanes bombed camps and military positions held by the STC in Hadramout province as Saudi-backed fighters tried to seize the facilities, a separatist official said. It was the late
Yemen's transport ministry, which is aligned with Emirati-backed southern separatist authorities, on Thursday said Saudi Arabia has imposed requirements mandating that flights to and from Aden International Airport undergo inspection in Jeddah. The ministry, which is affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council or STC, said in a statement that it was shocked by what it denounced as sudden procedures requiring international flights departing from or arriving in Aden to stop in Jeddah for inspection before continuing their journeys. When local officials sought clarification, Saudi authorities said the restriction applies only to flights operating between the Yemeni city of Aden and the United Arab Emirates, according to the ministry's statement. The reasons behind the measures reportedly imposed by Saudi Arabia remain unclear. The Saudi and Emirati foreign ministries didn't immediately respond to requests for confirmation and comment. In its statement, the ministry demanded an e