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Gulf

Erdogan: Saudi Arabia, Türkiye Eye Joint Investment in KAAN Fighter Jet

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Riyadh (Turkish Presidency). 
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Riyadh (Turkish Presidency). 
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Erdogan: Saudi Arabia, Türkiye Eye Joint Investment in KAAN Fighter Jet

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Riyadh (Turkish Presidency). 
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Riyadh (Turkish Presidency). 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said work has begun on a defense cooperation agreement between Türkiye and Saudi Arabia that includes joint investment in the production of the fifth-generation KAAN fighter jet.

Erdogan said Türkiye’s progress in defense industries is being closely followed by Saudi Arabia, as well as by other countries, adding that Ankara is preparing to conclude significant agreements with Riyadh in this field.

Speaking to a group of Turkish journalists on his return from a regional tour that included Saudi Arabia and Egypt, with his remarks published on Thursday, Erdogan said: “We have received many positive comments on the Turkish fighter KAAN, and discussions are under way on joint investment with Saudi Arabia in this regard.”

He stressed that KAAN is not merely a combat aircraft but a symbol of Türkiye’s engineering capabilities and its determination to maintain an independent defense posture. He added that cooperation with Saudi Arabia in this area is likely to expand, including through joint investments.

In February 2024, Türkiye announced the successful first flight of its domestically produced fifth-generation fighter jet, KAAN, manufactured by Turkish Aerospace Industries. With this milestone, Türkiye became one of only five countries capable of producing fifth-generation fighter aircraft and aims to export the jet.

KAAN is designed to carry out air-to-air combat missions and conduct precision strikes from internal weapons bays at supersonic speed.

Erdogan said he held “highly productive” talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to Riyadh on Tuesday, noting that Saudi Arabia holds a special place for Türkiye in defense industries, transport, healthcare, investment, and construction services. Bilateral trade reached $8 billion in 2025, while Turkish contractors have completed more than 400 projects in the Kingdom worth a total of $30 billion.

He added that Saudi Arabia and Türkiye share aligned views on regional issues, stressing that both countries oppose any new war in the region and favor peace, stability, and calm, which he said would benefit all parties.

 

 

 

 

 

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Gulf

Qatar PM Condemns Iran Attacks in Call with Foreign Minister

The skyline of Doha, Qatar, 04 March 2026. (EPA)
The skyline of Doha, Qatar, 04 March 2026. (EPA)
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Qatar PM Condemns Iran Attacks in Call with Foreign Minister

The skyline of Doha, Qatar, 04 March 2026. (EPA)
The skyline of Doha, Qatar, 04 March 2026. (EPA)

Qatar's prime minister condemned Iran's attacks on Gulf states in a call with Tehran's foreign minister Wednesday, the first high-level contact since the Islamic republic launched its missile and drone campaign. 

Qatari premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani accused Iran of seeking to "harm its neighbors and drag them into a war that is not theirs", on the call with Iran's Abbas Araghchi, according to a statement by Qatar's foreign ministry. 

Gulf countries have borne much of Tehran's response since the US and Israel launched a massive air campaign against Iran over the weekend with an 11-year-old girl killed in Kuwait on Wednesday by falling shrapnel. 

Thirteen people, seven of them civilians, have been killed in countries around the Gulf since the war began. 

The Pentagon has announced the deaths of six US servicemen since Saturday, four of them in Kuwait. 

The Qatari prime minister urged "an immediate halt to these attacks" on the call and said Iran had "struck civilian and residential areas" despite Araghchi's assertion "the Iranian missile attacks were directed at US interests and did not target the State of Qatar". 

"These attacks cannot pass without a response," Sheikh Mohammed added. 

Kuwait's health ministry said "resuscitation was performed in the ambulance while the girl was being transported to the hospital," adding attempts continued for nearly half an hour at Al-Amiri Hospital but she "passed away due to her injuries". 

The United Arab Emirates and Qatar said they had intercepted Iranian drone and missile barrages, with the UAE reporting it engaged three ballistic missiles and intercepted 121 of 129 drones, while Qatar said it shot down 10 drones and two cruise missiles. 

- Stocks drop - 

Earlier, Kuwait's military said it detected incoming projectiles and was working to intercept the missiles and drones in its airspace. 

Bahrain said residents could register as volunteers to aid war efforts in sectors including health. 

In Saudi Arabia, the defense ministry said two cruise missiles were intercepted over an area south of the capital Riyadh, which is also home to the sprawling Prince Sultan air base, and several drones were destroyed after entering its airspace. 

Saudi Arabia said on Wednesday it intercepted a drone targeting its massive Ras Tanura refinery on the Gulf coast, days after a Monday strike on the complex forced some operations to halt following a fire. 

"Initial estimates indicate that the attack was carried out by a drone and did not result in any damage," the ministry said in a statement. 

The war continued to rattle the Gulf elsewhere with stocks dropping sharply in the United Arab Emirates on the Dubai and Abu Dhabi exchanges after a two-day trading suspension. 

The main Dubai index fell 4.7 percent, while Abu Dhabi's dropped nearly two percent. 

Qatar authorities also announced they had dismantled two spy cells linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, its official press agency reported. 

"Close surveillance made it possible to arrest 10 suspects: seven were tasked with spying and gathering information about vital and military infrastructure in the country, and three were meant to carry out sabotage operations," the agency said. 

Iranian missiles and drones have slammed Gulf states' cities and infrastructure, upending relations with Tehran and placing the neighbors on a potential course for greater military confrontation. 

Gulf

Saudi FM Discusses Regional Developments with Indian, Indonesian Counterparts

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
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Saudi FM Discusses Regional Developments with Indian, Indonesian Counterparts

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah
Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah

Saudi Minister of Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah received a phone call from Indian Minister of External Affairs Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

During the call the two sides discussed the latest developments in the region and their repercussions on regional and international security and stability.

In another call with this Indonesian Counterpart he also discussed the latest developments in the region and ongoing efforts to address them.

Gulf

UAE and Qatar Say Intercepted Drone, Missile Barrages

Vehicles drive along a highway, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 4, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Rula Rouhana
Vehicles drive along a highway, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 4, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Rula Rouhana
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UAE and Qatar Say Intercepted Drone, Missile Barrages

Vehicles drive along a highway, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 4, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Rula Rouhana
Vehicles drive along a highway, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 4, 2026. Picture taken with a mobile phone. REUTERS/Rula Rouhana

The United Arab Emirates and Qatar separately said Wednesday they had intercepted drone and missile barrages.

The UAE's Ministry of Defense said its air defenses "successfully engaged today (March 4, 2025) with 3 ballistic missiles and detected 129 drones, of which 121 drones were intercepted while 8 fell on state territory.”

Qatar's military said it was targeted "at dawn today, by 10 drones and 2 cruise missiles” coming from Iran, with all of the projectiles intercepted by its forces.