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Gulf

UAE President, Iranian FM Discuss Regional Developments

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received on Thursday Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Abu Dhabi (WAM)
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received on Thursday Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Abu Dhabi (WAM)
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UAE President, Iranian FM Discuss Regional Developments

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received on Thursday Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Abu Dhabi (WAM)
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received on Thursday Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Abu Dhabi (WAM)

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met on Thursday with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Abu Dhabi, where the two sides shared views on enhancing bilateral trade and economic cooperation.

The UAE President and the Iranian Foreign Minister also exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues, and they discussed the importance of building on positive developments to benefit the people of the region and enhance regional stability and prosperity, according to the Emirati news agency, WAM.

During the meeting, which took place at Al Shati Palace in Abu Dhabi, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and ways to enhance cooperation.

The meeting was attended by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Presidential Court, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ali Mohammed Hammad Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for National Security, Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Minister of State; and Saif Mohammed Al Zaabi, UAE Ambassador to Iran.

Later, UAE FM Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan held talks with his Iranian counterpart on ways to develop collaboration paths between the two countries to achieve their best interest and contribute to enhancing security and stability of the region.

The discussions also tackled a number of issues of mutual interest, the situation in the region, as well as the latest regional and international developments.

Sheikh Abdullah emphasized that the UAE believes in the significance of establishing an international approach to multilateral action based on cooperation and partnership to meet the aspirations of peoples for development, progress and prosperity.

He also indicated that commitment to the principles of good neighborliness and positive and constructive dialogue among the countries of the region represents the basis for their stability, prosperity and leadership.

In Tehran, the official news agency, IRNA, stated that the Iranian top diplomat conveyed the invitation of President Ebrahim Raisi to the President of the UAE to visit Iran.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, for his part, expressed his gratitude and welcomed the invitation.

He reciprocally conveyed his invitation to the Iranian President to visit the UAE.

IRNA said that the two men also discussed various issues of bilateral relations in political, economic, commercial, cultural and consular spheres.

In another development, the UAE and Iran signed an air transport services agreement on Thursday, WAM reported.

The agreement aims to organize air transportation between the two countries.

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Gulf

Empty Quarter: Reservoir of Energy and Graveyard for Drones

The Empty Quarter lies atop two of the world’s largest oil and gas fields (SPA)
The Empty Quarter lies atop two of the world’s largest oil and gas fields (SPA)
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Empty Quarter: Reservoir of Energy and Graveyard for Drones

The Empty Quarter lies atop two of the world’s largest oil and gas fields (SPA)
The Empty Quarter lies atop two of the world’s largest oil and gas fields (SPA)

Stretching across the southern Arabian Peninsula, the Empty Quarter desert spreads like an endless sea of sand. It covers three Saudi administrative regions and extends across four countries, accounting for more than 67% of Saudi Arabia’s sand accumulations and about 22% of the Kingdom’s total land area.

Occupying nearly a fifth of the Arabian Peninsula, the vast desert is viewed by observers as both a reservoir of energy and a graveyard for drones targeting Saudi Arabia. Saudi defense authorities frequently announce interceptions of attacks headed for oil installations in the desert.

The Empty Quarter, one of the world’s largest sand seas, is also among its harshest environments, with temperatures reaching unbearable levels.

National Geographic describes it as a land “tamed only by the most resilient and wise of men despite its harshness,” a testament to the endurance of nomadic Bedouin tribes who forged unique bonds of kinship and marriage across generations.

Beneath the harsh landscape lie immense riches. The Empty Quarter sits atop some of the world’s largest oil and gas reserves. Nearby lie giant fields such as Shaybah, among the world’s largest crude oil fields on the desert’s edge, and Jafurah, Saudi Arabia’s largest unconventional gas field discovered to date. Jafurah alone holds an estimated 200 trillion standard cubic feet of gas and more than 60 billion barrels of condensate.

The Jafurah oil field. Aramco

The result is a striking contrast: a silent desert resting above resources that help drive the global economy.

Since March 5, the Empty Quarter has taken on another, unexpected role — a graveyard for drones targeting Saudi Arabia.

In just one week, its sands swallowed more than 63 drones as Saudi defenses carried out 27 interception and destruction operations, preventing them from striking the Shaybah field and reinforcing confidence in the Kingdom’s ability to protect energy supplies and ensure their delivery to global markets.

Ironically, three countries across which the Empty Quarter stretches — Saudi Arabia, which holds about 80% of the desert, along with Oman and the United Arab Emirates to the east, have faced Iranian drone, ballistic missile and cruise missile attacks.

The Shaybah oil field. Reuters

While many civilian and military sites have been affected, the attempt to target Shaybah marked what analysts described as an escalation threatening global energy sources.

A recent study by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) found that the Empty Quarter was once far different from the barren landscape it is known for today.

In the distant past, it was home to lakes, rivers and green plains that supported rich ecosystems and helped early human populations spread across the Arabian Peninsula.

Today it is among Saudi Arabia’s hottest and driest regions, with average rainfall of less than 50 millimeters a year and summer temperatures exceeding 50°C.

But researchers say these harsh conditions followed a wetter climate period known as “Green Arabia,” which lasted between 11,000 and 5,500 years ago in the late Quaternary era.

During that time, strong monsoon rains from Africa and India — driven by orbital climate shifts — fueled vegetation and wildlife across the region.

The desert’s name reflects both its scale and isolation. Saudi sources say it was called the “Empty Quarter” because it occupies roughly a quarter of the Arabian Peninsula and lacks permanent human settlement, aside from a small number of nomadic Bedouins, with limited wildlife and vegetation.

Some sources also refer to parts of the desert as “Al-Ahqaf,” believed to apply mainly to its southern reaches between Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Yemen.

Tradition links the area to the ancient people of ‘Ad and the legendary city of Iram, said to lie buried beneath the sands.

The Empty Quarter is more than a vast expanse of desert. It is a landscape where extremes meet — immense natural wealth beneath a silent sea of dunes, and a remote terrain that has quietly become a shield protecting vital energy supplies.

Gulf

Saudi Foreign Minister Discusses Regional Escalation with Spanish Counterpart

Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Foreign Minister Discusses Regional Escalation with Spanish Counterpart

Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Foreign Minister (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah received a phone call on Thursday from his Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares.

During the call, they discussed the regional escalation and the efforts being exerted in this regard.

Gulf

Pakistani Prime Minister Arrives in Jeddah

Pakistan's Prime Minister arriving in Jeddah - SPA
Pakistan's Prime Minister arriving in Jeddah - SPA
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Pakistani Prime Minister Arrives in Jeddah

Pakistan's Prime Minister arriving in Jeddah - SPA
Pakistan's Prime Minister arriving in Jeddah - SPA

Pakistan's Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and his accompanying delegation arrived in Jeddah on Thursday, SPA reported.

At King Abdulaziz International Airport, the Pakistani prime minister was welcomed by Deputy Governor of Makkah Region Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, and several other officials.