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☆ As Xi Befriends World Leaders, He Hardens His Stance on the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( David Pierson | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

And he has talked on the phone with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, offering well wishes for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. But even as Mr. Xi has offered a glad hand to those and other world leaders in recent weeks, it has been only the cold shoulder for the United States. China has rebuffed attempts by the Biden administration to restart high-level talks and lower tensions over Taiwan. And Mr. Xi’s government has intensified a campaign of ridicule and criticism of the United States and Western democracy. And it has lent urgency to concerns that the two powers are on a collision course that could lead to dangerous accidents, or even war, over Taiwan and other geopolitical flash points.

☆ Israel PM cautions Saudi Arabia about Iran after China-brokered deal, urges greater U.S. presence
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The China-brokered March 10 détente between long-term rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran has dealt a blow to Netanyahu's diplomatic crusade of pursuing Tehran's political isolation. I think that Saudi Arabia, the leadership there, has no illusions about who are their adversaries, and who are their friends." Before that, footage of Israeli forces beating worshippers in Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque during the Arabic holy month of Ramadan drew international condemnations, including from Saudi Arabia. "We'd like very much to have peace with Saudi Arabia. watch nowNarrowing down to just the potential of a relationship with Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu said, "I think the sky's the limit.

☆ China is succeeding in the Middle East because it learned from watching the US fail there for 20 years
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Natalie Armbruster | Defense Priorities | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Conversely, China is clear-eyed about its interests in the Middle East and, more importantly, their limits. In fact, most of China's Belt and Road Initiative investments in the Middle East hinge on ensuring free trade in the Middle East and a steady energy supply, not security. As international scrutiny builds surrounding the Uyghur crisis, China is particularly keen on finding partners in the Middle East who will exchange silence for investment. With Saudi Arabia, which has its own skeletons in its closet, such a trade is tempting. Instead of resorting to undue threat inflation, the United States may benefit from a corrective course on its history in the Middle East thus far.

Brokering a reconciliation deal between Palestinian factions is a longer-term goal for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman, Saudi officials say. Senior Saudi officials were planning to meet with leaders of the Palestinian militant and political group Hamas on Sunday to discuss renewing diplomatic ties which have been cool since 2007, part of a diplomacy spree led by Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman that has seen Riyadh move closer to Iran. Re-establishing ties between Iran-backed Hamas, which is a U.S. designated terrorist group, and the Saudi kingdom would mark a setback for efforts by the U.S. and Israel to establish a military alliance between Israel and other Sunni-majority countries against Iran and its allies. They also complicate Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ’s goal of normalizing relations with Riyadh, with opposition to Iran as their primary shared interest.

☆ Saudi Aramco 4% stake transferred to PIF's Sanabil
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Hadeel Al Sayegh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI, April 16 (Reuters) - A 4% stake in oil major Saudi Aramco (2222.SE) has been transferred from state ownership to Sanabil Investments, which is wholly owned by the Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said on Sunday. The state remains Aramco's biggest shareholder, owning 90.18% of the company. Riyadh-based Sanabil is an investment company that commits approximately $3 billion a year to private transactions, its website says. The transfer will solidify PIF’s strong financial position and credit rating, the crown prince's statement said of the fund that is responsible for the bulk of projects aimed at transforming the Saudi economy to reduce its reliance on oil revenue. Reporting by Hadeel Al Sayegh Editing by David GoodmanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Saudi stocks gain on rising oil prices; Qatar falls
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Ateeq Shariff | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 16 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's stock markets ended higher on Sunday after Friday's rise in oil prices, although the Qatari index extended losses for a second session. Saudi Arabia's benchmark index (.TASI) gained 0.6%, led by a 1.2% increase in Al Rajhi Bank (1120.SE), while oil giant Saudi Aramco (2223.SE) added 0.8%. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman launched on Thursday four new Special Economic Zones in Saudi Arabia, state media reported on Thursday after the market had closed, citing a statement. In Qatar, the index (.QSI) fell 0.4%, extending losses for a second session, with petrochemical maker Industries Qatar (IQCD.QA) losing 1.5%. Reporting by Ateeq Shariff in Bengaluru; Editing by Sharon SingletonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Sen. Lindsey Graham, who once called Saudi Arabia's crown prince 'toxic' and refused to set foot in the country, is now heaping praise on the country after a recent visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Sarah Al-Arshani | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Sen. Lindsey Graham said he wouldn't do business with Saudi Arabia in 2018. ABC 'This Week' host Johnathan Karl on Sunday asked Graham about his recent visit to Saudi Arabia and meeting with the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In 2018 in the aftermath of Khashoggi's death, Graham said he wouldn't do business with Saudi Arabia or visit the country. "If you get nothing else out of this interview, things in Saudi Arabia are changing very quickly for the better. He noted that Saudi Arabia bought $36 billion worth of 787 Boeing jets made in Charleston, South Carolina, his home state.

☆ White House hails Yemen steps after meeting with Saudi crown prince
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Trevor Hunnicutt | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

April 14 (Reuters) - Senior aides to U.S. President Joe Biden on Friday hailed progress toward resolving conflict in Yemen after "constructive" talks in Saudi Arabia with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman. The meetings included Biden's top Middle East adviser, Brett McGurk, and his Yemen envoy, Tim Lenderking, and took place on Thursday and Friday, said Adrienne Watson, a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council. "The U.S. side confirmed its support for the defense of Saudi Arabia against threats from Yemen and elsewhere." The White House summary did not mention the surprise decision earlier this month by Saudi-led OPEC+ to cut oil production. Yemen's war is seen as one of several proxy battles between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

☆ Lindsey Graham chatted and smiled with Saudi Arabia's crown prince, who he previously called an 'unhinged' murderer he'd never work with
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham was pictured meeting Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman. In a tweet Tuesday, Graham said he had just had a "very productive, candid meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince and his senior leadership team. "This guy has got to go," Graham said in a 2018 Fox News interview, and said the crown prince had Khashoggi "murdered." "Saudi Arabia, if you're listening, there are a lot of good people you can choose," Graham said. President Joe Biden had pledged to make the crown prince a "pariah" while seeking election in 2020, but as president has instead chosen to maintain an alliance.

☆ Qatar and Bahrain say they will resume diplomatic ties
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

CAIRO, April 12 (Reuters) - Qatar and Bahrain will resume their diplomatic ties, both Bahrain news agency (BNA) and the Qatari foreign ministry said on Wednesday. The move comes over two years after an Arab boycott of Qatar was lifted. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt in January 2021 ended a 3-1/2-year embargo of Qatar but all but Bahrain restored travel and trade links in 2021. Regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia has led efforts to rebuild ties with Qatar and, along with Egypt, re-established diplomatic relations. Bahrain, a Sunni Muslim-ruled monarchy with a restive Shi'ite population, has deep unease over Qatar's relations with Iran.

[1/2] White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks during a daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., November 10, 2022. REUTERS/Tom BrennerWASHINGTON, April 11 (Reuters) - U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday and discussed Iran and steps aimed at ending the war in Yemen, the White House said. The foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia met in Beijing last week after agreeing to end their diplomatic rift following years of hostility that fuelled conflicts across the Middle East. Mr. Sullivan reaffirmed President (Joe) Biden’s unwavering commitment to ensure Iran can never acquire a nuclear weapon," the White House said in a statement late on Tuesday. Yemen's war is seen as one of several proxy battles between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

☆ Kuwaiti prime minister selects new cabinet - state news agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

April 9 (Reuters) - Kuwait's Prime Minister Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah has selected a new cabinet, state news agency KUNA reported on Sunday without giving further details. Sheikh Ahmad was re-appointed as prime minister by the crown prince in March, more than a month after the government resigned due to renewed friction with parliament. Reporting by Hatem Maher; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: In Middle East, once improbable ententes set new tone
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Some U.S. allies had concluded their interests are not best served by a highly polarised Middle East, he added. The agreement between leading Sunni Arab power Saudi Arabia and the Shi'ite Islamist government in Tehran could defuse tensions and conflicts such as the Yemen war. Saudi Arabia has turned to China at a time of strain in its historic alliance with the United States. Saudi Arabia took the lead in rebuilding ties in 2021, declaring an end to the boycott of Qatar. Sources say Syria and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reopen embassies.

☆ Podcast: Saudi bypasses Biden and recession fears re-ignite
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Why Saudi Arabia’s crown prince is looking to Beijing not Washington as he goes into diplomatic overdrive. More violence at a Jerusalem holy site puts the Middle East on edge for Passover and Ramadan. U.S. recession fears stalk investors. Join us on the high seas with a migrant rescue ship in Europe. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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☆ China brokering a deal between the Saudis and Iran is a message for the US: Change your strategy or get left behind
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Hassan El-Tayyab | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced they had normalized relations in a deal brokered by China. Hassan El-Tayyab is legislative director for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation. By mediating the Saudi-Iran deal, China has demonstrated its ability to play a constructive role in resolving conflicts impartially, rather than relying on arms sales to keep nations in America's corner in geopolitical disputes. There have been some positive signs for diplomacy in Yemen since the Saudi-Iran deal was announced. Hassan El-Tayyab is the legislative director for Middle East policy at the Friends Committee on National Legislation.

☆ Saudi Arabia’s Oil Production Cuts Reflect Cost of Reshaping Economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Summer Said | Stephen Kalin | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI—An oil production cut by Saudi Arabia and its allies demonstrated how Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is willing to set aside U.S. concerns to pursue a nationalist energy policy aimed at funding an expensive makeover of his kingdom. This weekend’s move came as a surprise after Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman told industry analysts privately in February that the kingdom would tolerate oil prices slipping to around $65 or $70 a barrel, according to analysts and Saudi officials familiar with the matter. Brent crude, the international benchmark, was trending downward since late last year on global recession fears, nearing $70 a barrel last month. On Monday, oil prices posted their steepest one-day increase in more than a year, rising 6.3% to $84.93 a barrel.

☆ Analysis: Saudi crown prince acts to realign Mideast dynamics amid concern over US support
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Aziz El Yaakoubi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"Saudi Arabia is moving from disengagement towards engagement to allow it to focus on pushing ahead on Vision 2030," said Saudi analyst Abdulaziz Sager. A Saudi official said the United States and China are both very important partners for Riyadh. Washington and Riyadh are working on addressing common security challenges, he said. "The Saudis don’t want to be in a shooting war between Iran and the United States. Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Institution in Washington said Saudi Arabia's view that the U.S. is increasingly disengaged from the region is not entirely wrong.

☆ Saudi money is flowing to US media and entertainment, from Live Nation to LIV Golf, 5 years after Jamal Khashoggi's murder: 'The ice has thawed'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Claire Atkinson | Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +20 min

Sovereign funds and other entities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are pouring millions into US media and entertainment. Insider identified some key people connecting Middle East investors with American companies. Saudi Arabia is trying to pitch itself to the world as a cultural and economic reformer and spur tourism. Vince McMahon's WWE has a long-term partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with a major live WWE event there slated for May. Vince McMahon's WWE was one of the first US companies to create unique events in Saudi Arabia.

The de facto leader of the world’s main oil producer club sent crude prices spiking on Monday after proposing a further cut to crude production. Bank collapses on both sides of the Atlantic sent oil prices down by 15% to $73 a barrel in March. More importantly, while a Chinese post-Covid demand recovery should boost oil prices, it’s not totally clear by how much. Unlike Europe and the U.S., Chinese oil consumption is more led by industry than travel, and the former has yet to properly pick up. The U.S. administration said on April 2 the surprise oil output cuts were not “advisable”.

☆ 9 Middle Eastern funds and investors pouring money into US media, sports, and entertainment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Lucia Moses | Claire Atkinson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Governments and investors in the Middle East are pouring money into Western media and entertainment. Sovereign funds and other entities in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE are pouring millions into US media and entertainment, and they're finding plenty of takers. The channels for money from Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East are complex. Insider broke down the key entities — their owners, leaders, and high-profile investments and joint ventures — in the top three Middle Eastern nations pouring money into US entertainment and media. It describes itself as the largest media company in the Middle East and North Africa and runs one of the largest TV news channels, Al Arabiya.

☆ Egypt's Sisi visits Saudi Arabia amid financial pressure, regional realignment
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

RIYADH, April 2 (Reuters) - Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi visited Saudi Arabia on Sunday, Saudi state news agency SPA said, as Cairo seeks financial inflows to ease pressure on its currency and bolster a faltering economy. The trip also comes amid a major diplomatic realignment in the region, with moves by Saudi Arabia and Egypt to ease tensions with Syria, Iran and Turkey. Other Saudi and Egyptian officials, including Saudi national security adviser Musaad bin Mohammed al-Aiban and Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, attended the meeting, it added. Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have repeatedly come to Egypt's help since Sisi led the ouster of Mohamed Mursi of the Muslim Brotherhood a decade ago. When Egypt's financial difficulties were exposed and exacerbated by the fallout from the war in Ukraine last year, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar made deposits in Egypt's central bank and pledged major new investments.

☆ UAE's ruler breaks with tradition and appoints his son as crown prince
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUAE's ruler breaks with tradition and appoints his son as crown princeUAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan passed over his brothers, promoting them to senior roles and effectively pushed them out of the succession. CNBC's Hadley Gamble reports.

☆ UAE leader breaks with tradition, appoints son as crown prince
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE leader's eldest son, is now the oil-rich Middle Eastern country's crown prince, effectively next in line for its leadership. Sheikh Tahnoon was already named chair of the $790 billion Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the emirate's main sovereign wealth fund, earlier in March. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. He described the decision as "formalizing the leverage Abu Dhabi has over Dubai, and how little Dubai will be allowed to say in foreign policy." Prime Minister and Vice-President of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum attends the Global Women's Forum in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, February 16, 2020.

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