Saudi Arabia

Economics

Energy

Politics

A unit of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund is bringing in consultants to review the feasibility of and suggest changes to The Line, a linear smart city contained within the larger Neom megaproject, Bloomberg reported on July 14.

Saudi Arabia: Consultants To Cut Aspects of The Line Megaproject

Saudi Arabia's government announced on July 8 that it will allow foreigners to own real estate in limited areas in Jeddah and Riyadh starting in 2026, with strong blocks remaining for Mecca and Medina, Bloomberg reported on July 9.

Saudi Arabia: Government Approves Limited Foreign Property Ownership

United States

Indonesia

Indonesia will sign a $34 billion deal with U.S. companies on July 7 to increase U.S. imports and investment in a bid to avoid the threatened 32% U.S. tariff rate on its exports before the July 9 deadline, Reuters reported on July 3.

Indonesia, U.S., Saudi Arabia: Jakarta Pursues Bilateral Deals To Mitigate, Hedge Against Tariff Risks

Bahrain

Iran

Israel

Kuwait

Oman

Qatar

United Arab Emirates

Military & Security

Gulf Arab states condemned Israel's June 13 attack on Iranian nuclear and military targets in a series of official statements, Al Jazeera reported on June 13. 

GCC, Israel: GCC Countries Condemn Israeli Attacks on Iran

Angola

Algeria

Iraq

Kazakhstan

Russia

OPEC+ agreed to increase oil production by 411,000 barrels per day in July, the organization announced in a May 31 communique.

Global: OPEC+ Approves Third Accelerated Production Hike, But Russia-Saudi Tensions May Rise

Brunei Darussalam

Cambodia

China

Laos

Malaysia

Myanmar

Philippines

Singapore

Thailand

Vietnam

Malaysia hosted the inaugural Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Gulf Cooperation Council-China trilateral summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Channel News Asia reported on May 27.

Asia-Pacific, MENA: ASEAN-GCC-China Inaugural Summit Marks Deeper Economic Alignment

Syria

Turkey

U.S. President Donald Trump said he would soon lift U.S. sanctions on Syria, though he did not mention specific demands Syria had met to earn such sanctions relief, Al Jazeera reported on May 13.

U.S., Syria: Trump Says U.S. Will Lift Sanctions on Syria

The White House announced that Saudi Arabia committed to investing $600 billion in the United States and signed other deals to expand trade and economic cooperation, especially in key areas such as artificial intelligence, transformative technologies and the U.S. healthcare sector, Reuters reported on May 13. 

U.S., Saudi Arabia: Governments Ink Deals, Investment Commitments on Trump Visit 

Columns

On Geopolitics

Vehicles drive along a main thoroughfare past a billboard that reads in Farsi and Hebrew: "A severe blow... The vile and villainous Zionist regime (Israel) has made a grave mistake,” in central Tehran on June 24, 2025. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The war has weakened Iran, but has also shifted regional perceptions of Israel as a destabilizing force, prompting Gulf states to reassess alliances, Turkey to emerge as a rival, and raising the risk of nuclear proliferation in the Middle East.

Assessing the Regional Impact of the Israel-Iran War, Part 2

Assessments

Global Trade

Over the next decade, Gulf Arab states will increase oil and gas exports to emerging Asian markets, seeking alternatives to the U.S. amid tariff uncertainty. But the region's military and tech ties with the U.S. will remain strong.

Geopolitics of Trade: Gulf Arab States Balance Diversification With Enduring U.S. Ties

An oil tanker is seen at Saudi Arabia’s port of Ras al-Khair. 

Despite the ceasefire, the risk of a renewed conflict remains, which could again drive oil prices higher if Iran and/or its proxies begin attacking regional oil infrastructure and shipping.

Assessing the Oil Market Volatility Caused by the Israel-Iran War

Palestinian Territories

Yemen

U.S. President Donald Trump (right) interacts with Oman Deputy Prime Minister Sayyid Asaad (second from right) as they prepare to pose for photos with leaders during the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Leaders' Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 14, 2025.

Despite Trump's recent sharp words on his predecessor's "forever wars," U.S. trade and energy interests will keep him engaged in the region, though in ways that rely more on economic and diplomatic leverage, as opposed to military campaigns.

Is the Era of U.S. Interventionism in the Middle East Over?

The OPEC logo is seen outside the bloc's headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on Oct. 4, 2022.

The production boost will further decrease oil prices, which will provide some financial relief for oil-consuming countries affected by U.S. tariffs, while further straining the budgets of poorer oil producers like Iraq. 

The Mixed Economic Impact of OPEC's Production Increase

A woman walks by anti-U.S. murals on the walls of the former U.S. embassy in downtown Tehran, Iran, on April 11, 2025. 

U.S.-Iran Relations

The U.S. will likely have to allow some Iranian uranium enrichment to ink a nuclear deal, likely resulting in Saudi Arabia seeking similar provisions for its own civilian nuclear program.

With Iran and Saudi Arabia, the U.S. Faces a Uranium Enrichment Dilemma

Yemeni soldiers stand guard during a protest against the United States on April 18, 2025 in Sanaa, Yemen. 

As intensified U.S. airstrikes fail to halt Houthi attacks on Israel and Red Sea shipping, Washington is increasingly likely to seek on-the-ground Yemeni partners to pressure the militant movement.


In Yemen, the U.S.'s Anti-Houthi Campaign Raises the Specter of a Government Ground Offensive

Somalia

Egypt

Europe

Philippe Lazzarini (C), the commissioner general for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, attends a humanitarian conference for Gaza in Cairo, Egypt, on Dec. 2, 2024, amid the continuing Israel-Hamas war.

Egypt's economic limitations will continue to restrain its assertiveness in foreign policy, constraining its ability to project power in the region.

Egypt's Economic Priorities Sideline Assertive Foreign Policy

Participants attend the annual Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Oct. 29, 2024. 

The kingdom is increasingly likely to continue to scale back less viable megaprojects while focusing on successful reforms.

As the Finish Line Approaches, Saudi Arabia Dials Back Its Vision 2030 Ambitions

A rally on Jan. 24 in Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital of Yemen. Should the United States attack Iranian ships and advisers supporting the Houthi rebel group, Houthi and Iranian retaliation would become likelier to extend beyond U.S. and Israeli targets to include regional oil and gas installations.

Should the United States also attack Iranian ships and advisers supporting the Yemeni rebel group, Houthi and Iranian retaliation would become likelier to extend beyond U.S. and Israeli targets to include regional oil and gas installations. 

U.S. Strikes on Houthis Risk Embroiling Iran and the Regional Energy Industry

Canada

South Korea

Ukraine

India

Canadian flags are seen outside a building in Ottawa. 

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Canada's Ruling Liberals Pick a New Leader, India and the EU Hold Trade Talks 

Lebanon

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan welcomes his Syrian counterpart Asaad Al-Shaibani before attending an Arab officials' meeting in Riyadh on Jan. 12, 2025.

Saudi Arabia's re-engagement with Lebanon, Syria and Iraq aims to counterbalance Turkey, Qatar and Iran but faces limits due to sectarian politics and foreign interference, which may make Riyadh more assertive over time.

Saudi Arabia Moves To Counterbalance Turkey and Qatar, Replace Iran in the Levant

Comprising a majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is surrounded by Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yemen.  The kingdom's main geographic challenges are controlling its sparsely populated territory and maintaining shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz.    Surrounded by vast deserts, the central Najd plateau is the core of Saudi Arabia and is home to the country's capital, Riyadh. Mecca and Medina, Islam's two holiest cities, are protected by mountains in the west and flanked by the Red Sea. The security of these cities is a key to the monarchy's legitimacy.    The collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I set the stage for the House of Saud to unify the territory that became Saudi Arabia in 1932. Oil and natural gas have been the country's main exports and source of wealth since their discovery in 1938.     A restive Eastern Province holds a majority of the kingdom's reserves and makes the country vulnerable to invasion from the north or the Persian Gulf. Cross border tribal ties also expose the kingdom to unrest in the south on the border with Yemen.    A scarcity of fresh water and a small population density limit Saudi Arabia's defensive capabilities. Since the vast majority of Saudi oil exports pass via the Strait of Hormuz chokepoint, the kingdom has historically relied on a foreign power to balance regional rival, Iran and keep the Strait open.    As global oil consumption continues to rise, Saudi Arabia will continue to play a dominant role in the Middle East despite its geographic challenges.

SITUATION REPORTS

Saudi Arabia: Consultants To Cut Aspects of The Line Megaproject

Saudi Arabia: Government Approves Limited Foreign Property Ownership

Indonesia, U.S., Saudi Arabia: Jakarta Pursues Bilateral Deals To Mitigate, Hedge Against Tariff Risks

GCC, Israel: GCC Countries Condemn Israeli Attacks on Iran

Global: OPEC+ Approves Third Accelerated Production Hike, But Russia-Saudi Tensions May Rise

Asia-Pacific, MENA: ASEAN-GCC-China Inaugural Summit Marks Deeper Economic Alignment

U.S., Syria: Trump Says U.S. Will Lift Sanctions on Syria

U.S., Saudi Arabia: Governments Ink Deals, Investment Commitments on Trump Visit

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