Saudi Arabia Stresses Int'l Community's Role in Establishing Peace in Palestine

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Jeddah. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Jeddah. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia Stresses Int'l Community's Role in Establishing Peace in Palestine

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Jeddah. (SPA)
Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chairs the cabinet meeting in Jeddah. (SPA)

The Saudi government stressed on Tuesday the role of the international community in ending the “catastrophic consequences” of the Israeli assault on the Palestinian people, as well as “protecting innocent civilians, and creating a new reality where Palestine can enjoy peace” in line with international resolutions.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in Jeddah.

At the outset of the meeting, the cabinet expressed gratitude to God Almighty for the honor bestowed upon the Kingdom in serving the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque, and for the continued success achieved during last year's Hajj.

Over 1.6 million pilgrims were facilitated in performing their rituals with ease and tranquility, as the Kingdom dedicated all its resources and efforts under the constant guidance of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, it added.

The cabinet praised the efforts of the Supreme Hajj Committee and all personnel involved in serving the pilgrims for their effective implementation of security, preventive, organizational, and health plans. These efforts have established the Kingdom as a global model in crowd management and in providing high-quality services to visitors of the Two Holy Mosques and the holy sites.

The cabinet reviewed the efforts of the relevant authorities in meeting the needs of pilgrims from Iran and securing hundreds of flights and overland journeys to ensure their safe return home amid its brief war with Israel. It stressed that serving and caring for pilgrims remains one of the Kingdom's highest priorities and most important responsibilities.

Crown Prince Mohammed briefed the cabinet on the contents of messages received by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques from Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, Vietnam's President Luong Cuong, and Angola's President Joao Manuel Goncalves Lourenco. The messages addressed bilateral relations with the Kingdom and ways to support and strengthen them across various fields.

Moreover, the cabinet reviewed regional and international developments, reiterating the Kingdom's positions, as expressed by the Crown Prince in his communications with leaders of brotherly and friendly countries, and its continued support for international efforts to promote regional and global peace and security, address crises, ease tensions, and advance dialogue through diplomatic means as an effective path to resolving disputes.

The cabinet underlined the statement issued by the Kingdom that expressed solidarity with Qatar and the categorical rejection of any infringement on its sovereignty or any threat to its security and stability.

The cabinet reiterated that the Kingdom welcomes the signing of the peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, hoping that it will fulfill the aspirations of both nations' peoples for development and prosperity, while upholding regional and international security and stability.

Furthermore, the cabinet highlighted the commencement of operation of the Global Water Organization (GWO) from its headquarters in Riyadh as a reaffirmation of the Kingdom's commitment to boosting international initiatives. This development underscores Saudi Arabia's eagerness to strengthen cooperation among countries by supporting collaborative efforts to address the growing challenges related to water, as an essential resource for life.

The cabinet noted Saudi Arabia's election as vice chair of the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board as well as its selection as a member of the High-Level Group for Partnership, Coordination, and Capacity-Building for Statistics for the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (HLG-PCCB).

Additionally, it highlighted the inclusion of the Uruq Bani Ma'arid Protected Area in the Green List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The cabinet welcomed the concluding statement issued by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) experts regarding the 2025 Article IV consultation with Saudi Arabia. The statement praised the Saudi economy's high resilience in the face of global economic challenges, the expansion of non-oil economic activities, the containment of inflation, and the unemployment rate reaching historic lows, aligning with the objectives of Saudi Vision 2030.

Moreover, the cabinet highlighted the results of the 7th King Abdulaziz Quality Award, lauding the commitment of the winning entities to adopting the principles of institutional excellence and enhancing performance quality, which contributes to improved outcomes and helps achieve national objectives.



Qatari Prime Minister Arrives in Riyadh

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani is welcomed upon his arrival in Riyadh. (SPA)
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani is welcomed upon his arrival in Riyadh. (SPA)
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Qatari Prime Minister Arrives in Riyadh

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani is welcomed upon his arrival in Riyadh. (SPA)
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani is welcomed upon his arrival in Riyadh. (SPA)

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani arrived in Riyadh on Wednesday.

He was received by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Waleed Elkhereiji at King Khalid International Airport.


UAE Halts All Trade, Financial Dealings with Iran after Attack

Tuesday's announcement is the latest measure against Iran by the UAE after it recalled its ambassador early in the conflict. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Tuesday's announcement is the latest measure against Iran by the UAE after it recalled its ambassador early in the conflict. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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UAE Halts All Trade, Financial Dealings with Iran after Attack

Tuesday's announcement is the latest measure against Iran by the UAE after it recalled its ambassador early in the conflict. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Tuesday's announcement is the latest measure against Iran by the UAE after it recalled its ambassador early in the conflict. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The United Arab Emirates has said it is suspending all trade and financial dealings with Iran after reporting an Iranian missile attack directed at its ships.

The announcement comes after a period of relative calm in the UAE, with no Iranian missiles aimed at the country since May after it bore the brunt of attacks in the early weeks of the Middle East war.

Abu Dhabi has however accused Tehran of repeatedly targeting its tankers at sea in recent weeks.

"In light of regional escalations... all trade, commercial exchanges, and financial transactions with Iran have been halted until further notice," said UAE foreign ministry communications director Afra Al Hameli.

The UAE is home to a sizeable Iranian community and has been a major trading partner for US-sanctioned Iran, at least before the war.

Tuesday's announcement is the latest measure against Iran by the UAE after it recalled its ambassador early in the conflict.

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Abu Dhabi on Tuesday accused Iran of firing two ballistic missiles towards the country, the first such attack since May.

It later said the salvo was directed at shipping, but Tehran denied firing missiles at the UAE.

"UAE air defenses detected two ballistic missiles launched from Iran towards the country, with the first falling outside the country's territorial waters, while the second fell within the territorial waters," the UAE ministry said in a statement posted to social media.

A second statement released later said the missiles "were targeting maritime navigation and fell into the sea".

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei "categorically rejected the United Arab Emirates' claim that Iran had launched a missile towards that country", calling it harmful to regional trust and security efforts.

The first UAE statement came nearly two hours after a phone alert that warned residents of a "potential missile threat".

It was the first such alert since a false alarm in June and an alert in July for an attack that ultimately did not enter UAE territory.

Before that, the last missile warning came in early May.

However, tankers belonging to the UAE's state-owned oil company ADNOC have been repeatedly targeted in the past few weeks.

When the Middle East war began on February 28, the UAE bore the brunt of Iran's attacks, with nearly 3,000 missiles and drones directed at the country -- more than anywhere else in the region.

After a memorandum of understanding between Iran and the United States came into effect in June, which has since collapsed, the UAE reported no attacks, unlike other Gulf states.


MWL, GCC Condemn Israeli Airstrikes on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase

A man rides a motorbike in the town of Abu al-Duhur, Syria, August 18, 2026. (Reuters)
A man rides a motorbike in the town of Abu al-Duhur, Syria, August 18, 2026. (Reuters)
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MWL, GCC Condemn Israeli Airstrikes on Syria’s Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase

A man rides a motorbike in the town of Abu al-Duhur, Syria, August 18, 2026. (Reuters)
A man rides a motorbike in the town of Abu al-Duhur, Syria, August 18, 2026. (Reuters)

The Muslim World League (MWL) strongly condemned on Tuesday the Israeli airstrikes targeting Syria’s Abu al-Duhur Military Airbase, saying they are a violation of all international laws and norms.

In a statement, MWL Secretary-General and Chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars Sheikh Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulkarim Al-Issa slammed “the aggression against the sovereignty and resources of Syria”, reiterating the league's “full solidarity” with the country in confronting threats to its security, sovereignty and people.

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi also strongly condemned the attack.

“The brutal Israeli targeting of Syrian territory is an unacceptable violation of its sovereignty and territorial sanctity, contradicting international rules and norms that prohibit infringing upon state sovereignty,” he said.

Such continued practices raise tension and escalation and undermine regional and international efforts aimed at achieving security and stability in the region, he warned.

Albudaiwi called on the international community to assume its responsibilities, take a firm stance against these violations, and work to halt Israeli attacks on Syrian territory to safeguard its security and stability.

He reiterated the GCC states' solidarity with Syria, and support for its sovereignty and territorial integrity.