Saudi Arabia
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Having announced the launch of an e-tourist visa and the expenditure of billions of dollars in new tourism projects and infrastructure, Saudi Arabia says it is opening up the kingdom to international tourists for a developmental purposes. The announcement came during a huge ceremony organized by the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage (SCTH)…
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In response to Boris Johnson’s statement that the UK would consider taking part in a US-led military coalition against Iran for allegedly attacking Saudi Arabia, Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, has denied any part in the attacks. Zarif said Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who claimed responsibility, “have every reason to retaliate” for the Saudi-led coalition’s…
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US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged that new sanctions would be imposed on Iran as he visited the UAE on Thursday. Mr Pompeo met Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, for talks on the regional situation and the attacks on oil centres in…
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Billions of dollars spent by Saudi Arabia on cutting edge Western military hardware mainly designed to deter high altitude attacks has proved no match for low-cost drones and cruise missiles used in a strike that crippled its giant oil industry. Saturday’s assault on Saudi oil facilities that halved production has exposed how ill-prepared the Gulf…
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Iran-backed Houthi rebels fighting for supremacy in Yemen, have accused Saudi Arabia of fabricating evidence claiming Iran was behind drone attacks on two of its oil facilities on Saturday. The BBC reports that Brig-Gen Yahya Sarea, a spokesperson for the rebels, said the damage to the two oil facilities were downplayed. According to the British broadcaster,…
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Saudi Arabia says its initial investigations indicate that Iranian weapons were used in attacks on key oil installations and it “will invite U.N. and international experts to view the situation on the ground and to participate in the investigations.” A statement from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday says, “The kingdom will take…
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For months Iranian officials have issued veiled threats, saying that if Tehran is blocked from exporting oil, other countries will not be able to do so either. However, Iran has denied a role in specific attacks, including bombings of tankers in the Gulf and previous strikes claimed by the Houthis. Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi…
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While Iran has denied blame for the attacks on two Saudi Arabia oil stations in Afif and Dawadmi, its Yemeni allies have promised more strikes to come. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group carried out Saturday’s pre-dawn attack with drones, including some powered by jet engines. “We assure the Saudi regime that our…
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An attack on Saudi Arabia that shut 5% of global crude output triggered the biggest surge in oil prices since 1991, after U.S. officials blamed Iran and President Donald Trump said Washington was “locked and loaded” to retaliate. The Iran-aligned Houthi movement that controls Yemen’s capital claimed responsibility for the attack, which damaged the world’s…
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The sweeping advances for Saudi women announced by Saudi Arabia will start to dismantle the country’s discriminatory male guardianship system, Human Rights Watch said Friday. The changes were announced while many of the women activists who championed these reforms remain on trial or in detention in retaliation for their rights advocacy. The legal changes, adopted by a Council of…
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Murtaja Qureiris, who was arrested at age 13 for participating in protests in eastern Saudi Arabia, is now facing execution at age 18. Saudi authorities arrested him three years after the 2011 Arab Spring protests, CNN reports. Qureiris has spent nearly four years in pretrial detention. He was 10 when at least one of the offenses…
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Four women held a topless protest in Sydney on Thursday to support runaway Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun as Australia began considering her bid to settle in the country as a refugee. Alqunun was on Wednesday deemed a refugee by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, after being detained in Bangkok en route to…
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Considering the economic and political benefits of America’s relationship with Saudi Arabia, Donald Trump insists that the Middle Eastern country will remain a “steadfast ally” despite allegations of human rights violation. Trump said Saudi Arabia’s investment in U.S. military equipment is worth several billions of dollars, adding that the business relationship is too big…
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United Nations human rights experts called on Saudi Arabia on Monday to halt the imminent execution of six men sentenced to death for activities related to the 2011 Arab Spring. They said that since the Saudis were all under age 18 at the time, imposing the death penalty on them would violate international law,…
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In a move that has come as a huge setback to ties between Spain and Saudi Arabia, the European nation has now confirmed that it has scrapped a deal over the sale of weapons to their Middle Eastern trade partner. In its official announcement, Spain said that it had cancelled its 2015 deal…
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A series of Saudi-led coalition air strikes in Yemen have killed at least 136 civilians since 6 December, 2017, a report from Reuters confirms. The United Nations (UN) also verified that a total of 87 civilians were severely injured across the capital Sana’a, Saada and Hudaydah. Image shows scene from a Saudi-led coalition air strike in Sanaa, Yemen…
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