Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia

While Saudi Arabia attempts to transform its economy and society and diversify away from dependence on oil, it has also embroiled itself in the conflict in Yemen, blockaded its neighbor Qatar, and led a crack down on dissenters such as murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The conservative Kingdom has also been confronted by an increasingly hostile Iran that threatens to pull the entire region into conflict. The challenges and opportunities mean that the US Saudi relationship remains strategically vital for US interests and for the stability of the region.

Featured commentary & analysis

US-Iran tensions reignite following another drone incident

MENASource
Apr 20, 2026

‘They have been exposed’: The Iran war upends Gulf states’ security and business model

By
Stefanie Hausheer Ali

The Iran war threatens the sense of security, prosperity, and opportunity that the Gulf states have spent years cultivating as they seek to diversify their economies away from oil.

Critical Infrastructure Policy
Geopolitics & Energy Security

US-Iran tensions reignite following another drone incident

MENASource
Apr 7, 2026

American AI leadership can open a new chapter for Middle East integration

By
Judd Olanoff

Countries will need access to cloud and compute like they need water and power plants. And they are turning to US companies to provide it.

Artificial Intelligence
Israel

US-Iran tensions reignite following another drone incident

Dispatches
Mar 2, 2026

The Gulf that emerges from the Iran war will be very different

By
Allison Minor

Iran’s decision to target the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and other countries in the Gulf will have far-reaching consequences.

Conflict
Iran

Learn more about the Middle East programs

Middle East Programs

Working with our allies and partners in Europe and the wider Middle East to protect US interests, build peace and security, and unlock the human potential of the region.

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Content

New Atlanticist

Jul 19, 2019

US-Iran tensions reignite following another drone incident

By David A. Wemer

As the number of attacks and close calls continues to climb in the volatile region, risks of wider conflict are mounting and soon could be difficult for all sides to control.

Drones Iran

IranSource

Jul 18, 2019

Trump’s Iran policy is undermining Gulf oil security

By Hadi Fathallah

How many oil tankers laden with Saudi or Emirati oil need to be attacked around the Strait of Hormuz for the US to use force in the Gulf? That is not an American problem, according to US President Donald Trump.

Iran Saudi Arabia

MENASource

Jul 3, 2019

Women’s World Cup 2019: Where is the Middle East?

By Sheva Tabatabainejad and Rana Abdulhadi

With all the excitement these past months have generated, it is hard not to notice a glaring discrepancy in representation. There is not one team from the Middle East that qualified.

Afghanistan Iran

In the News

Jul 2, 2019

Wald joins Bloomberg to discuss Saudi Aramco reviving its IPO

By Atlantic Council

Oil and Gas Saudi Arabia

In the News

Jun 21, 2019

Nabeel Khoury quoted in the Globe Post: Saudi Arabia, UAE Want a Dictator to Remain in Power in Sudan, Expert Says

By Nabeel Khoury

Read More Here

Saudi Arabia Sudan

New Atlanticist

Jun 21, 2019

Open source information as a tool in exposing authoritarian regimes

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Open source researches can steel themselves to combat disinformation fro authoritarian regimes by working with social media companies, Iyed el-Baghdadi says.

Disinformation Saudi Arabia

In the News

Jun 14, 2019

Cornell in Bloomberg Environment: Sovereign Wealth Fund Key to Saudis’ Renewable Energy

Read the full article here

Energy & Environment Energy Markets & Governance

IranSource

Jun 10, 2019

A non-subversion pact for the Persian Gulf?

By Barbara Slavin

A major complaint of those who rejected the 2015 Iran nuclear deal is that it did nothing to curb Iran’s regional interventions and actually may have spurred them.Iran, these opponents argue, remains a theologically driven hegemon out to subvert Arab states and turn them into states too weak to threaten Tehran. Thus they reject recent proposals […]

Iran Saudi Arabia

IranSource

May 23, 2019

Saudi Arabia and Iran are adapting to perpetual conflict

By Banafsheh Keynoush

When rogue intelligence officers at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018, an official of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) voiced concern over the surge of US media onslaught on Saudi Arabia. Echoing Iran’s conspiratorial views of the United States, the IRGC official questioned if Washington was planning to undermine Riyadh.

Iran Saudi Arabia

New Atlanticist

May 14, 2019

Attacks on Saudi oil stations raise tensions in volatile Gulf

By David A. Wemer

Drones purportedly flown by Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked Saudi oil pumping stations on May 14, creating a new flash point in a region already on edge over rising tensions between the United States and Iran.

Conflict Energy Markets & Governance
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Experts

Fellow

Stefanie Hausheer Ali

Nonresident Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs

Arabic Economy & Business

Fellow

Simin Kargar

Nonresident Fellow

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Cybersecurity Disinformation

Fellow

Carmiel Mahony

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Rafik Hariri Center & Middle East programs Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative

Civil Society Extremism