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SPA RIYADH/ISLAMABAD, April 15 - Saudi Arabia will deposit $3 billion into Pakistan's central bank, Pakistani Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Wednesday, providing a significant financial boost as the country's economy faces strain from regional tensions linked to the conflict between the United States and Iran. Aurangzeb, who is in Washington for meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, said the support would strengthen Pakistan's financial

SABN RIYADH/WASHINGTON, April 14 - The U.S. Treasury Department has warned financial institutions in China, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates and Oman about the risks of doing business with Iran, and threatened secondary sanctions against banks that continue to support Iranian activities, according to a letter seen by the Associated Press. The letter accused the jurisdictions of allowing Iranian illicit financial activity to pass through their institutions and said Iran had

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, takes his seat, Saturday, April 11, 2026, in Islamabad, for a meeting with U.S. Vice President JD Vance about Iran. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool) RIYADH/ISLAMABAD, April 14 - Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif briefed President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday on recent talks between the United States and Iran and said he would visit Saudi Arabia and Turkey this week to support peace efforts, according to a statement from the pres

China's foreign minister Wang Yi attends a press conference for the fourth session of the 14th National People's Congress in Beijing on March 8, Iori Sagisawa/Pool/AFP/Getty Images RIYADH, April 14 - Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that blockading Iranian ports did not serve the international community's common interests and called for greater efforts to promote peace talks and preserve the ceasefire between the United States and Iran. In a phone call with Pak

RIYADH, April 13 - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi spoke with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Qatar on Monday to discuss what Tehran described as risks stemming from provocative U.S. actions to block Iranian ports, according to the Iranian Foreign Ministry. In his call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Araghchi said Iran had acted in good faith by accepting a ceasefire with the United States, but accused Washington of undermining negotiat

WAM RIYADH, April 13 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa in Bahrain on Monday, where the two leaders discussed bilateral ties and regional developments. The meeting focused on cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain and ways to strengthen relations in support of shared interests and development priorities. The two leaders also discussed developments in the Middle East and

RIYADH, April 12, 2026, Saudi Arabia Breaking News - Saudi Arabia has restored full pumping capacity through its East-West pipeline and recovered lost output at the Manifa oilfield following attacks that disrupted parts of the kingdom’s energy infrastructure, the Energy Ministry said on Sunday. The ministry said operational and technical teams had restored the pipeline’s full pumping capacity of about 7 million barrels per day within a short period, according to a statement c

U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner walk with Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for peace talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, April 11, 2026. Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Handout via REUTERS ISLAMABAD, April 11 (Reuters) - The United States has agreed to release Iranian frozen assets h

WAM ABU DHABI, April 9 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed Middle East developments, regional security risks and the impact of the conflict on maritime security, energy supplies and the global economy during talks in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. The two sides also addressed Iranian attacks targeting civilians and civilian infrastructure in the UAE and elsewhere in the region, with Starmer

REUTERS PARIS, April 9 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - Iran will allow no more than 15 vessels a day to pass through the Strait of Hormuz under its ceasefire agreement with the United States, Russia's TASS news agency reported on Thursday, citing a senior Iranian source. The move would leave tight restrictions in place on one of the world's most important shipping lanes after weeks of disruption linked to the conflict. The Strait of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman, is the main e

GIORGIA MELONI | INSTAGRAM ROME, April 9 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Thursday that Israel must halt its military escalation in Lebanon and guarantee the safety of U.N. peacekeepers after Israeli forces fired warning shots that damaged an Italian convoy serving with UNIFIL, drawing sharp condemnation from Rome. Meloni told parliament that Italy supported Lebanon's territorial sovereignty and efforts to disarm Hezbollah, while al

SABN TEHRAN, April 9 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned on Thursday that continued Israeli attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon would trigger "explicit costs and STRONG responses," as disputes over the scope of a fragile two-week ceasefire threatened to deepen regional tensions. Qalibaf said in a post on X that ceasefire violations would draw a strong response and urged that the fighting be stopped immediately. Iranian officials

SPA RIYADH, April 9 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan held a phone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Thursday, with the two sides discussing current developments and steps to reduce tensions and restore regional security and stability. The call came as regional diplomacy intensified around efforts to contain the fallout from the Iran war and prevent a wider escalation. It was the first publicly announced contact

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk speaks at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on February 23, 2026. Valentin Flauraud/AP/File GENEVA, April 8 - U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk condemned Israeli strikes across Lebanon on Wednesday, saying the scale of killing and destruction was putting severe strain on an already fragile push to contain the regional conflict. Türk’s comments came after a wave of Israeli attacks that Lebanon’

Beirut, Lebanon, April 8, 2026. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir RIYADH, April 8 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - Several Iranian media outlets reported on Wednesday that a ceasefire had been breached by Israel, warning of a possible response if military operations in Lebanon continue. Tasnim news agency, citing an unnamed source, said Iran would withdraw from the ceasefire agreement if attacks on Lebanon persist. It added that Iranian armed forces were identifying targets in response to

RIYADH, April 8 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday that nine drones had been intercepted and destroyed in the past hours, according to a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency. Ministry spokesperson Major General Turki Al-Malki made the statement without providing further details on the drones’ origin or target.

Hegseth at the Pentagon, April 8, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque "Iran's air force has been wiped out. Iran no longer has an air defense, any sort of a comprehensive air defense system. We own their skies. Their missile program is functionally destroyed. Launchers, production facilities and existing stockpiles depleted and decimated and almost completely ineffective. WASHINGTON, April 8 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that U.

U.S. president says Tehran accepted many elements of a 15-point plan, rules out uranium enrichment and says Washington will discuss tariff and sanctions relief. WASHINGTON, April 8 - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that Iran had agreed to “many” of the points in a U.S. ceasefire plan, hours after he declared a two-week truce and said Washington would work closely with Tehran. In a social media post, Trump said the United States would discuss tariff and sanctions

Pope Leo XIV on Tuesday denounced what he described as a threat against all the people of Iran, calling it “truly unacceptable” and warning that attacks on civilian infrastructure violate international law. Speaking to reporters as he left his country house in Castel Gandolfo, south of Rome, Pope Leo XIV delivered some of his strongest comments yet against the war. “Today as we all know there was this threat against all the people of Iran. This is truly unacceptable,” the pop

Vehicle traffic on the key bridge linking Saudi Arabia and Bahrain was suspended Tuesday evening following alerts issued by the National Early Warning Platform in the Eastern Province. SABN The King Fahd Causeway was closed on Tuesday for the second time as a precautionary measure following alerts issued by the National Early Warning Platform in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. The King Fahd Causeway Authority said on X on Tuesday evening that vehicle traffic on the bridge ha