Saudi Arabia Underscores Commitment to Yemen Truce

Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman. (Reuters)
Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman. (Reuters)
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Saudi Arabia Underscores Commitment to Yemen Truce

Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman. (Reuters)
Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman. (Reuters)

Saudi Arabia stressed on Friday its commitment to the truce in Yemen, while accusing the Iranian regime of manipulating the war-torn country for its own goals.

Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman said: “Saudi Arabia positively welcomes the truce, which is what the Kingdom has always called for.”

He also demanded that it be implemented effectively on the ground.

Moreover, he tweeted that the Iranian regime’s talk of the truce and linking it to its attempts to end its own crises is a “cheap attempt to manipulate Yemen and its people.”

Tehran is exploiting the crisis to escape blame from its terrorist acts, said Prince Khalid.

“It is time for the Yemenis, all Yemenis, and us with them to stand united against the Iranian regime’s agenda of chaos, strife and destruction,” he stressed.

Furthermore, he slammed Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif for blaming the Yemeni people for the attack last month on Saudi Aramco’s Abqaiq and Khurais oil facilities.

In a televised interview with CNN in September, Zarif said that Tehran was not behind the attack.

The Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen had claimed responsibility for the attack, a claim that has been dismissed by Saudi Arabia, the United States and Europe, who have pinned blame on Tehran.

Asked by CNN if he believes that the Houthis were behind the attack, Zarif said that the militias had claimed to have carried it out.

"I cannot have any confidence that they did it because we just heard their statement," he added. "I know that we didn't do it. I know that the Houthis made a statement that they did it."



Saudi Interior Minister, Singapore's Coordinating Minister for National Security Discuss Regional Security Development

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Interior Minister, Singapore's Coordinating Minister for National Security Discuss Regional Security Development

The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi flag. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz received a phone call on Sunday from Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs of the Republic of Singapore K Shanmugam.

During the call, the two officials discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and current security developments amid the Iranian attacks targeting regional security and stability, SPA reported.

They also affirmed the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation and coordination in support of regional security and stability, in addition to discussing a number of topics of mutual interest.

Shanmugam expressed his country's condemnation of the Iranian attacks targeting the Kingdom and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, affirming Singapore's solidarity with the Kingdom and the GCC states in all measures aimed at enhancing security and stability.


Saudi Arabia Condemns Riots Targeting UAE Embassy in Damascus

Saudi Arabia called for the protection of diplomatic missions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia called for the protection of diplomatic missions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Arabia Condemns Riots Targeting UAE Embassy in Damascus

Saudi Arabia called for the protection of diplomatic missions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia called for the protection of diplomatic missions. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Saudi Arabia condemned on Sunday the riots, assaults, and attempted vandalism that targeted the Embassy of the United Arab Emirates and the residence of its head of mission in Damascus.

A Foreign Ministry statement said the Kingdom also slammed the “unacceptable offenses directed at the national symbols of the brotherly UAE.”

The ministry stressed the Kingdom’s “rejection of these attacks and all forms of violence against diplomats, stressing the need to ensure the protection of diplomats and diplomatic missions in line with relevant international laws and conventions.”

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Albudaiwi also slammed the attack against the UAE embassy in Damascus, urging Syrian authorities to hold those responsible to account.


Oman, Iran Hold Talks on Strait of Hormuz

Traffic passing a huge political billboard reading in Persian "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed", in Enghelb square in Tehran, Iran, 05 April 2026. (EPA)
Traffic passing a huge political billboard reading in Persian "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed", in Enghelb square in Tehran, Iran, 05 April 2026. (EPA)
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Oman, Iran Hold Talks on Strait of Hormuz

Traffic passing a huge political billboard reading in Persian "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed", in Enghelb square in Tehran, Iran, 05 April 2026. (EPA)
Traffic passing a huge political billboard reading in Persian "The Strait of Hormuz will remain closed", in Enghelb square in Tehran, Iran, 05 April 2026. (EPA)

Oman and Iran held talks on easing passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the Omani state news agency reported Sunday, with the key shipping chokepoint effectively closed due to war in the Middle East.

"Oman and Iran held a meeting at the deputy ministers level in the foreign ministries of the two countries, with the attendance of specialists from both sides, during which the possible options were discussed regarding ensuring the smooth passage through the Strait of Hormuz," the news agency posted on X.

"The experts from both sides put forward a number of visions and proposals regarding it," it added.