Page 2 - Saudi Arabia

Turkey signals military support for Saudi Arabia against Houthi attacks

Ankara signals technical support under the Mecca alliance as Houthi strikes test regional security

Saudi Arabia exits China-backed mBridge cross-border currency platform

Saudi central bank says its participation ended after completing a planned proof of concept, amid scrutiny of cross-border payment systems that can reduce reliance on the dollar

Saudi confirms Houthis tried to attack its capital with ballistic missile

Saudi Arabia has confirmed that Yemen's Houthi rebels tried to attack its capital with a ballistic missile. The statement late Saturday by the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis came long after the morning attempt, which the coalition said was intercepted. It was the first attack targeting Riyadh since the escalation in fighting between the Iran-backed Houthis and Yemeni government forces backed by the Saudis. The statement also said the Houthis tried to attack civilian infrastructure in the Red Sea port city of Yanbu and in Taif, Baysh and Farasan but they were thwarted, giving no further details. The Houthis earlier claimed, without providing evidence, they had targeted "sensitive sites" in Riyadh and facilities of Saudi oil giant Aramco in Yanbu, causing "massive fires". Aramco, the world's largest oil company, did not respond to a request for comment. The growing conflict near another important global shipping corridor has brought new pressures for markets.

Saudi Arabia issues aerial threat alert after explosion heard in Riyadh

Saudi Arabia warned of a "hostile aerial threat" and issued a string of emergency alerts across the kingdom, including in its capital, late Friday and early Saturday. Also Saturday, Iran's state TV reported that a man was executed after being convicted on charges of spying for Israel's intelligence agency Mossad. Here is the latest news from the Middle East on Saturday. Alerts sound across Saudi Arabia for aerial threat ---------------------------------------------------- Saudi Arabia warned of a "hostile aerial threat" after issuing a string of emergency alerts across the kingdom late Friday and early Saturday, and at least one explosion was heard in the capital, Riyadh. The alert heard in Riyadh was first for the Saudi capital since the latest escalation with Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels. No casualties or damage were reported after the alerts were lifted. Saudi authorities didn't say what prompted the alerts or the cause of the audible explosions, but they previously repo

US Sanctions Bill: Determined to protect our trade interests, says MEA

MEA says attacks threatening navigation in Bab-el-Mandeb are unacceptable, while reiterating concerns over the impact of proposed US sanctions legislation on trade ties

Aramco to boost exports from Hormuz to 60 million bbl in Sept, Oct: Traders

Chinese ​and South Korean refiners are among the top buyers of the spot supplies, while some volumes will be ‌going to India and ​Japan

Trump moves ahead with F-35 sales to Saudi despite intelligence concerns

US intelligence agencies have warned in internal reports that China could acquire or steal US warplane technology if F-35 jets are sent to Saudi Arabia

Oil prices fall as Saudi crude cargoes ease fears of supply disruption

Brent crude fell 1.2 per cent to $104.59 a barrel, while WTI dropped 1.1 per cent to $101.29 as concerns over Middle East supply eased

Saudi calls attempted Mecca attack a 'red line', Houthis deny any role

Saudi Arabia accused Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels overnight of trying to attack Islam's holiest city, prompting condemnation from countries in the region but no sign of military support. The kingdom, a key US ally, declared Mecca a "red line" as it slid deeper into the new front of the Iran war. With the world's biggest oil exporter under fire from the rebels backed by the Saudis' regional adversary, Tehran, the kingdom needs a safe outlet for its crude as well as military support. However, a path to either one remains unclear. A crucial Saudi pipeline has reportedly been shut down for weeks as the Yemen-based Houthis have been attacking infrastructure in the kingdom as well as its shipping on the Red Sea. Iran is still targeting ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices remain above USD 100 a barrel. The Houthis denied firing drones toward Mecca, about 1,100 kilometres from Yemen's border. The Saudis said they intercepted and destroyed the drone before it entered the airspace

Saudi Arabia says it shot down Houthi drone near Mecca, Houthis deny claim

Riyadh says the drone was intercepted south of Mecca before entering restricted airspace, while the Houthis deny targeting the holy city as fighting with Saudi-backed forces intensifies

Saudi cancels some oil cargoes after pipeline hit, Poland seeks alternative

Supply disruption ​supported oil prices, with Brent oil futures trading near $108 a barrel and cargo prices in Europe's physical market even higher, with key benchmark dated Brent at $122 per barrel

US energy chief says Saudi's oil pipeline should be back online within days

The 1,200-km (745-mile) East-West Pipeline running across the Arabian Peninsula has served as the main route for global supplies of Middle Eastern oil for ‌the past six months

Houthi strikes on Saudi threaten Bab-el-Mandeb navigation, security: India

The Iran-backed Houthi militant group had attacked Saudi Arabia's East-West oil pipeline, which is considered very crucial for the supply of crude oil.

Saudi Arabia warns of 'potential danger' in Mecca, Taif and Jeddah

Saudi civil defence briefly issued danger alerts for Mecca, Taif and Jeddah amid the escalation with Yemen's Houthis

Saudi Arabia unveils 110-mn-tonne rare earth, uranium find as US ties grow

The discovery comes as Riyadh races to develop domestic critical minerals and a civilian nuclear energy programme, while seeking to build a broader value chain around uranium and rare earth elements

Saudi Arabia faces 'worst-case scenario' after being rebuffed by Trump

The kingdom is in a state of strategic shock after coming under attack from an emboldened Iran and failing to win more US military support, analysts say

What closure of Saudi's East-West pipeline means for global oil supplies

Saudi Arabia's closure of a major oil pipeline after a recent attack is raising fears that global energy markets in crisis because of the war with Iran could face even starker shortages, pushing prices higher for fuel and other essentials. The largest oil producer in the Middle East closed its East-West pipeline on Friday after the attack, which it blamed on drones from Iranian-backed militias in Iraq. Two regional officials told The Associated Press that repairs could take three to five weeks. The pipeline is crucial to getting some crude out of the Middle East by shipping it to the Red Sea rather than through the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil supply passed before the US and Israel attacked Iran in February. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have seized islands along key Red Sea shipping routes, further threatening Saudi exports. And while several limited alternatives remain, including trickles of tanker traffic in Hormuz, ..

Iran-backed Houthi rebels seize 2 strategic islands for shipping in Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi rebels have seized the strategic islands of Greater and Lesser Hanish in the southern Red Sea, bolstering the Iran-backed rebels' ability to control a key maritime shipping route. Meanwhile, repairs to a crucial Saudi Arabian oil pipeline that was struck in an attack last week could last three to five weeks, putting it mostly out of service, two regional officials said. Here's a look at the latest news in the Middle East. Full coverage can be found here. Houthis gain ground as oil prices face more pressure --------------------------------------------------------- Houthi officials said Monday that rebels had taken over the two islands just as Saudi-backed government forces tried to claw back territory from the rebels' swift advances around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a crucial shipping alternative to the Strait of Hormuz. Iran effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz -- through which a fifth of the world's traded oil and gas transits in peacetime -- in the opening days

Saudi Arabia's pipeline closure raises cost of India's crude haul

Closure of Saudi Arabia's East-West pipeline could constrain routing options for Indian refiners and raise landed crude costs as key transit routes face disruptions

Gulf states cancel Iran talks; Houthis attack Saudi Arabia again

Gulf states postponed talks with Iran on reopening the Strait of Hormuz as the Houthis attacked a Saudi airbase and Tehran sanctioned 77 ships over alleged protocol violations