Saudi Arabia announces maritime defence coalition as Houthi attacks threaten Red Sea route.
Ahmed Al Omran
@alomran.me
Saudi correspondent for @financialtimes.com. @ahmed on Twitter and Instagram.
📉 Saudi GDP shrank by 4.8% in Q2 as the US-Israeli war on Iran takes its toll on the Arab world’s largest economy.
Saudi-led coalition launches strikes against Houthi sites in Hodeida after the Iran-backed rebels target tankers in the Red Sea.
Trump says nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia contingent on joining the Abraham Accords, no enrichment.
🇸🇦 Saudi civil defence issues warnings for threats over al-Kharj and Yanbu as Iran expands attacks across the Gulf. 🇰🇼 Kuwait suffers one of the most intense nights since the conflict began 🇧🇭 Bahrain repeatedly targeted
Yemen’s Houthi rebels accuse Saudi Arabia of striking Sana’a airport and vow to retaliate, threatening to unravel a four-year truce between the kingdom and the Iran-backed group. https://www.ft.com/content/cf774813-aed0-486d-be4e-c2c4174d8161
Counter-point: Arab football commentators like Chaouali are unnecessarily loud and shouty, often try to manufacture drama that sometimes does not exist
Unofficial Guardian (UK) Bot@guardian-uk-rss.bsky.social · last mo.‘You’re history itself!’: how Arab World Cup commentators fuel fans’ passions
Saudi PIF warns that EU regulations are “hurting” international investors and preventing them from injecting more money into Europe.
🇸🇦🇱🇧 Saudi Arabia lifts ban on Lebanese imports to help stabilise the fragile state at a critical period as the Salam government struggles to rein in Hizbollah and Israel launches daily strikes on the country.
Saudi Arabia’s PIF embarks on leadership overhaul at some of its companies, replacing foreign executives with local talent as the fund tightens spending and shifts focus towards domestic projects ahead of hosting Expo 2030 and the 2034 World Cup.
🕋 30,000 Iranian pilgrims travelled to Saudi Arabia on 131 flights for this year’s Hajj 🔢 That is roughly one-third of the country’s regular quota of 86,000 pilgrims 💵 Iranian officials attributed the shortfall to the war and restrictions caused by US sanctions on fund transfers
🚨 Saudi military spending increases by 26% in Q1 2026 as the kingdom defends itself against Iranian attacks.
AI models from Google, OpenAI and Anthropic lost money betting on football matches over a Premier League season.
Working through conflict: staff across Middle East adapt to war - as.ft.com/r/dd892471-f... via @FT
Working through conflict: staff across Middle East adapt to war
[FREE TO READ] As ordinary routines are shattered, employees find new ways to pursue their jobs
as.ft.com
📺 Unclear whether a final decision has been made to air the show. MBC initially announced that the first episode of the series would be released TODAY, but a label on the show’s listing now only says “coming soon”.
Ahmed Al Omran@alomran.me · 4mo ago🚨 My latest: Long-delayed Saudi TV series about diplomats who were held hostage in Iran is being revived as ties between Riyadh and Tehran sour.
🚨 My latest: Long-delayed Saudi TV series about diplomats who were held hostage in Iran is being revived as ties between Riyadh and Tehran sour.
🔀 Gulf states consider new oil pipelines to avoid Strait of Hormuz as the strategic value of Saudi Arabia’s 1,200km East-West pipeline became clear during this war.
❌ Saudi Arabia terminates two major construction contracts for Trojena ski resort.
🏎️ Ferrari flies personalised supercars to super-rich Middle East buyers as the war in Iran threatens demand and sea freight is disrupted.
New by me and Andrew England: Gulf leaders opposed a strike, but they are now caught between wanting the conflict to end and fear that — if Trump suddenly stops — the war will leave a wounded, emboldened and more hardline Iran.
Saudi Aramco is the world’s biggest oil producer and is responsible for about a tenth of global supply. The company’s CEO today warned of “catastrophic consequences” for the world economy if the US-Iran war drags on.
Saudi Aramco warns of ‘catastrophic consequences’ if Iran war drags on
Oil producer is racing to restore 70% of normal shipments, says CEO
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🚨 Qatar’s energy minister warns the war could “bring down the economies of the world”, predicting that all Gulf energy exporters would shut down production within weeks and drive oil to $150 a barrel.
🛢️ Gulf’s biggest oil producers are facing a race against time to resume exports before their storage tanks fill up.
Gulf oil producers face race to resume exports before storage fills up
Analysts estimate Saudi Arabia has roughly two weeks before it would need to start cutting crude output
ft.com
🔊 I was on @financialtimes.com News Briefing podcast this morning to talk about the first few days of the US-Iranian conflict in the Gulf www.ft.com/content/68ea...
Gulf states caught in the middle of US-Iran conflict
American allies including Saudi Arabia are trying to withstand the Islamic republic’s retaliatory strikes
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Israeli intelligence had information about Khamenei’s location from hacked traffic cameras and deeply penetrated mobile phone networks. The Americans had something even more concrete — a human source.
☎️ Saudi Arabia will not allow its airspace or territory to be used for military actions against Iran, Crown Prince tells Pezeshkian in telephone call —SPA