Saudi Arabia

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen attends an event at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem, May 17, 2023. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

June 26, 2023, 1:07 am

Foreign minister says Israel ‘very optimistic’ on normalization deal with Saudis

Eli Cohen notes ‘window of opportunity’ for deal before March 2024, after which US likely to focus more on presidential election cycle

By ToI Staff and Jacob Magid

Muslim pilgrims pray around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, June 25, 2023. (AP/ Amr Nabil)

June 25, 2023, 9:50 pm

Massive crowds converge at Mecca’s Grand Mosque as annual hajj begins in Saudi heat

Islam’s holiest site to host more than 2 million worshipers from 160 countries, in what Saudi authorities expect to be the largest pilgrimage in history

By Haitham el-Tabei

A Saudi family distributes free tea to pilgrims, as Muslims from around the world arrive to attend the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in the holy Saudi city of Mecca on June 23, 2023. (Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)

June 25, 2023, 11:24 am

‘God’s guests’: Saudis safeguard hajj hospitality tradition

Residents of Mecca sustain annual pilgrim multitudes with food and water, a custom they maintain even in an era of luxury accommodation for tourists

By Haitham el-Tabei

Fahad Nazer, spokesman for Saudi Arabia's embassy in Washington, speaks to Arab News in an interview published June 13, 2023. (Screenshot: YouTube; used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

June 13, 2023, 10:31 am

Saudi embassy in US: No normalization with Israel without Palestinian state

Diplomatic mission’s spokesman says Riyadh’s position ‘has been clear and has been consistent for many years,’ noting 2002 peace offer still stands

By ToI Staff

An honor guard member is covered by the flag of Saudi Arabia, in Washington, on March 22, 2018. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)

June 11, 2023, 7:54 pm

Saudi Arabia executes three convicted of slaying officer, founding ‘terrorist cell’

Kingdom accused men of killing officer in Riyadh, then setting fire to vehicle with body inside; authorities have executed 52 people since start of year

By AFP

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jeddah on June 7, 2023. (Amer Hilabi/Pool Photo via AP)

June 7, 2023, 10:18 pm

Saudi-PGA golf deal marks dazzling turnaround for former pariah crown prince

MBS accused of ‘sportswashing’ in latest and perhaps most dramatic move by to wield his kingdom’s oil wealth in advancing its economy and influence

By Ellen Knickmeyer

June 7, 2023, 12:55 am

Blinken visits Saudi Arabia to rebuild strained ties, promote Israel normalization

Top US diplomat discusses expanding Abraham Accords with MBS in Jeddah, will travel to Riyadh for GCC event; State Department official says ‘tremendous amount of work to be done’

By AFP, ToI Staff and Jacob Magid

Women walk past the closed Iranian embassy in the diplomatic quarter of the Saudi capital Riyadh, on April 11, 2023. (Fayez Nureldine / AFP)

June 5, 2023, 5:39 pm

Iran embassy in Riyadh set to reopen after seven years

Tehran says new ambassador Alireza Enayati will be on hand for Tuesday ceremony at compound, shuttered in wake of 2016 attacks on Saudi missions in Iran

By AFP

A photographer takes pictures of the Khurais oil field during a tour for journalists, 150 km east-northeast of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, June 28, 2021. (AP/Amr Nabil)

June 5, 2023, 5:15 am

Saudi Arabia to sharply slash oil output in bid to pump up prices

In surprise move, OPEC+ decides to cut supply from Riyadh by a million barrels per day in hopes of sending gas prices soaring again after 10% drop since April

By KIYOKO METZLER

Syrian President Bashar Assad is pictured during the Arab League summit in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, May 19, 2023. (Saudi Press Agency (SPA) via AP)

June 4, 2023, 11:23 pm

Syrian opposition figures call for fresh talks with Assad regime

Move comes less than a month after regional leaders welcomed Bashar Assad back to the Arab League following decade of diplomatic isolation

By AFP

Jordan's Crown Prince Hussein and Saudi Rajwa Alseif wave to well-wishers during their wedding ceremonies in Amman, Jordan, June 1, 2023. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

June 1, 2023, 9:21 pm

Jordan’s crown prince marries scion of Saudi family in star-studded wedding

Royals including Britain’s William and Kate and other VIPs like Jill Biden on hand to watch Hussein tie knot with Rajwa Alseif

By Isabel Debre

Crown Prince Hussein attends a celebration a day before his wedding to Saudi architect Rajwa Alseif, in Amman, Jordan, on May 31, 2023, (Royal Hashemite Court via AP)

June 1, 2023, 12:35 pm

Jordan’s royal wedding kicks off as Britain’s William and Kate make surprise arrival

Crown Prince Hussein to marry Saudi Arabian aristocrat Rajwa Alseif, in event seen as introducing prince to global audience and cementing ties between kingdoms

By Isabel Debre

This is a locator map for Saudi Arabia with its capital, Riyadh. (AP Photo)

May 29, 2023, 4:59 pm

Saudi Arabia executes two Bahraini men convicted of belonging to militant group

The two were detained in May 2015 for belonging to an unidentified group that allegedly smuggles explosives into country

By AP

Smoke billows in Khartoum amid ongoing fighting between the forces of two rival generals in Sudan on May 6, 2023. (AFP)

May 28, 2023, 10:47 am

US, Saudi Arabia make joint effort to extend ceasefire in Sudan

Hundreds have been killed and 1.3 million people have fled their homes since the RSF militia and the Sudanese military started battling for control of the country in April

By AP

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia takes his seat ahead of a working lunch at the G20 Summit, November 15, 2022, in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP, File)

May 25, 2023, 10:09 am

Canada, Saudi Arabia restore ties 5 years after spat over women’s rights activists

Countries’ foreign ministries say rapprochement stemmed from conversation between PM Justin Trudeau and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in November

By Rob Gillies