Saudi Arabia plans to monetize all minerals, including by selling uranium, Saudi energy minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said on Monday. “We will enrich it and we will sell it and we will do a ‘yellowcake,’” Prince Abdulaziz told a conference in Dhahran, referring to a powdered concentrate of the mineral used to prepare uranium…
The new Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said on Saturday his first official overseas trip would be to Saudi Arabia during a call with the Kingdom’s Crown Prince, the president’s office said. Lawmakers elected the 61-year-old army chief on Thursday, bringing to an end two years without a president for the multi-confessional, crisis-wracked country. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed…
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani met Syria’s new ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus Friday, state media said, in the latest such visit from a European diplomat since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. State news agency SANA did not give further details about Tajani and al-Sharaa’s discussions, just over a month after the opposition seized Damascus…
Syria’s new rulers said on Sunday that US sanctions on Syria were an obstacle to the war-torn country’s rapid recovery and urged Washington to lift them during a visit by Syrian officials to Qatar. “These sanctions constitute a barrier and an obstacle to the rapid recovery and development of the Syrian people who await services and…
Saudi Arabia’s Prince Faisal bin Farhan has met with US Envoy to Lebanon Amos Hochstein where the two discussed current regional issues, including developments in Lebanon. The meeting was held at the ministry’s headquarters in Riyadh, the Kingdom’s foreign ministry said in a statement early on Monday. The visit comes as Israel and Hezbollah accused…
The top diplomat in Syria’s new leadership said Friday he will make official visits to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan this week, having just been to Saudi Arabia on his first trip in office. “This week, I will represent my country, Syria, on an official visit to our brothers in Qatar, the United…
The State Department approves the possible sale of 20 MK 54 MOD 0 Lightweight Torpedoes to Saudi Arabia for $78.5 million, according to the Pentagon. “The proposed sale will improve Saudi Arabia’s capability to deter current and future threats by upgrading its anti-submarine warfare capabilities,” the Pentagon says. Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin has repeatedly reaffirmed to Saudi…
International condemnation poured in Wednesday for the attack on a crowd of New Year’s Eve revelers in New Orleans, which killed at least 15 people and wounded dozens more. Here is a round-up of global reactions. Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia “condemns and denounces” the attack, its foreign ministry said in a statement on X. France “New Orleans,…
A high-level Syrian delegation, led by newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday in its first official visit abroad, Syrian state news agency SANA reported, citing a foreign ministry source. According to Al Arabiya’s correspondent, Saudi Deputy Foreign Minister Walid al-Khuraiji welcomed the Syrian delegation, which included the Foreign Minister, the Defense…
Syria’s newly appointed foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, announced on Monday that his first official visit abroad will be to Saudi Arabia, following an official invitation from his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan. “I have received an official invitation from His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mr. Faisal…
Saudi Arabia on Sunday condemned as “sabotage” of Syria an Israeli plan to double the population of the occupied and annexed Golan Heights. In a statement, the Saudi foreign ministry expressed “condemnation and denunciation” of the plan, which it called part of “continued sabotage of opportunities to restore security and stability in Syria” after opposition forces overthrew…
Israel agreed on Sunday to double its population on the occupied Golan Heights while saying threats from Syria remained despite the moderate tone of opposition leaders who ousted Bashar al-Assad a week ago. “Strengthening the Golan is strengthening the State of Israel, and it is especially important at this time. We will continue to hold onto it,…
Top diplomats from eight Arab countries, meeting in Jordan on Saturday, called for a peaceful transition in Syria with UN and Arab League support following Bashar al-Assad’s ouster. In a final statement after the talks in the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba, foreign ministers from Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates,…
FIFA on Wednesday officially confirmed Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2034 men’s World Cup. The FIFA Congress meeting also confirmed Morocco, Spain and Portugal as hosts of the 2030 World Cup with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay hosting celebratory games. The congress made the vote in a virtual online meeting. Saudi Arabia announced its intention…
French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday that he and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman would co-chair a conference on the establishment of a Palestinian state in June. “We have decided to co-chair a conference for the two states in June next year,” Macron said, referring to Israel and a potential Palestinian state. “In…
