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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi delivers a speech during the graduation ceremony at the National Defense Academy of Japan in Yokosuka, Japan, on Saturday. Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images TOKYO, March 16, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Japan is not currently planning to dispatch naval vessels to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Monday, after U.S. President Donald Trump called on allies to send ships to the region. “We have not ye

SPA Saudi Arabia Says 39 Drones Intercepted in Eastern Province Within About an Hour Early Monday RIYADH, March 16, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Saudi Arabia’s air defenses intercepted and destroyed 39 drones launched toward the Eastern Province in a series of incidents within about an hour early Monday, the Ministry of Defense said. The ministry’s official spokesperson, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, said the drones were intercepted and destroyed in six separate incid

SPA RIYADH, March 16, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – His Royal Highness Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, held a phone call with United Arab Emirates President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to discuss regional developments amid escalating military actions. During the call, the two leaders reviewed the situation in the region and its potential implications for regional and internation

SPA RIYADH, March 16, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said early Monday that air defenses intercepted and destroyed 18 drones launched toward the Eastern Province. The ministry’s official spokesperson, Major General Turki Al-Maliki, said seven drones were intercepted and destroyed in the region in the first incident. In two subsequent incidents shortly afterward, air defenses intercepted and destroyed six drones and five drones respectiv

WAM RIYADH, March 16, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi praised the readiness and professionalism of the armed forces of the GCC states in responding to Iranian attacks targeting the Gulf region. Albudaiwi made the remarks during a visit to the headquarters of the Unified Military Command of the GCC states in Riyadh, where he addressed personnel serving within the joint command structure. He said the perform

RIYADH, March 16, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Bahrain said its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 125 ballistic missiles and 212 drones that targeted the kingdom since the start of Iranian attacks. The General Command of the Bahrain Defence Force said the interceptions were carried out by the kingdom’s air defense systems, according to a statement carried by the Bahrain News Agency. The military said the use of ballistic missiles and drones to target civili

spa RIYADH, March 15, 2026 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) – Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah held a series of phone calls on Sunday with foreign ministers from Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar to discuss developments in the region and their implications for regional and international security. During a call with Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Ayman Safadi, the two sides discussed th

UK energy secretary Ed Miliband arrives for a Cabinet meeting in Downing Street, London on February 3, 2026. Lucy North/AP Riyadh, March 15, 2026 (SABN) - British energy secretary Ed Miliband said on Sunday that the United Kingdom was exploring “any options” to help secure the Strait of Hormuz and reopen the vital shipping route. “It’s a priority for the world that the strait is reopened. Obviously the best and simplest way to do that is to de-escalate the conflict,” Miliband

Riyadh, March 15, 2026 (SABN) - Aluminium Bahrain, known as Alba, said on Sunday it had begun shutting down three aluminium smelting lines representing 19% of its capacity to preserve business continuity amid ongoing disruption in the Strait of Hormuz. The move marks the latest impact on the Middle East aluminium sector, which accounts for about 9% of global supply, from the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Alba, which has aluminium smelting capacity of 1.62 million tonnes per year,

Riyadh, March 14 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps urged the United States on Saturday to move its industries out of the region and warned that facilities linked to American companies could become targets, as tensions rose after U.S. strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island. Reuters reported that the Revolutionary Guard had called on the United States to move industries out of the Middle East, while Iranian warnings also expanded to sites connected

Riyadh, March 14 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed three drones in the Eastern Province on Saturday evening, the Ministry of Defense said. Defense Ministry spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said air defenses intercepted and destroyed one drone in the Eastern Province. In a separate statement issued shortly afterward, the ministry said two additional drones were intercepted and destroyed in the same region. The interceptions were

Riyadh, March 14 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — Iran’s judiciary news agency Mizan said U.S. forces were located at several civilian ports in the United Arab Emirates and warned the facilities could become targets for Iranian attacks. The agency claimed that U.S. forces were present at the ports of Jebel Ali, Khalifa and Fujairah and described the locations as “legitimate targets.” Mizan urged people in and around the ports to evacuate immediately, saying the facilities could

Riyadh, March 14 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — French President Emmanuel Macron called on Israel to hold direct talks with Lebanon and urged the Israeli military to halt large-scale strikes amid the escalating conflict with Hezbollah. Macron said the Lebanese government had signaled its willingness to engage in direct discussions with Israel and urged Israel to seize the opportunity to launch talks and pursue a ceasefire. “All components of the country must be represented in

Abu Dhabi, March 14 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — UAE air defence systems intercepted nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones launched from Iran on Saturday, according to the Ministry of Defence. The ministry said the latest attack brought the total number of intercepted projectiles since the start of the conflict to 294 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,600 drones. The attacks have killed six people and wounded 141 others, according to figures carried by UAE-linked

SABN Riyadh, March 14 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — Ebrahim Azizi, head of Iran’s parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy, said on Saturday that Ukraine had become involved in the war by providing drone support to Israel and had become a target for Iran. Azizi made the remarks in a post on X, according to Iranian media reports and the statement you provided. The comments came days after President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Ukraine had sent air defence t

SABN Dubai, March 14 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — A fire broke out in the UAE’s Fujairah emirate on Saturday after debris fell during the interception of a drone, while some oil loading operations were suspended, Reuters reported, citing industry and trade sources and the emirate’s media office. The Fujairah media office said no injuries were reported and that civil defence forces were working to contain the fire. Authorities did not provide details on the reported suspensi

Dubai, March 14 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News)  — Iran’s military command threatened on Saturday to attack cities in the United Arab Emirates, alleging without evidence that U.S. forces had used locations in the Emirates to launch strikes on Iran’s Abu Musa and Kharg islands, according to Iranian state television. The Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said U.S. forces had launched attacks from “ports, docks and hideouts” within UAE cities and called on people to evacuate po

SPA Riyadh, March 14 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed six drones in the Eastern Province early Saturday, the Ministry of Defense said. Defense Ministry spokesperson Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki said air defenses intercepted and destroyed five drones in the Eastern Province. In a separate statement issued shortly afterward, the ministry said another drone was intercepted and destroyed in the same region. The interceptions were confirmed

Riyadh, March 14 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States carried out a major bombing raid on Iran’s Kharg Island, targeting military sites on the strategic island in the Persian Gulf. In a post on social media, Trump said the U.S. Central Command carried out what he described as one of the most powerful bombing raids in the history of the Middle East. Trump said the operation “totally obliterated every military target” on Kharg Island

Riyadh, March 13 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — An Israeli strike hit a health care center in the village of Burj Qalaouiyah in Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil district, killing 12 doctors, paramedics and nurses who were on duty, Lebanon’s health ministry said. The death toll was preliminary as rescue teams continued searching for missing people, the ministry said. In a separate incident hours earlier, another Israeli strike on the southern village of Souaneh killed two paramedics and w