Saudi FM Denounces in Moscow Iran's Interventions in Middle East

FILE PHOTO: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan speaks during the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) 40th Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 10, 2019. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri
FILE PHOTO: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan speaks during the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) 40th Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 10, 2019. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri
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Saudi FM Denounces in Moscow Iran's Interventions in Middle East

FILE PHOTO: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan speaks during the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) 40th Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 10, 2019. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri
FILE PHOTO: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan speaks during the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) 40th Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 10, 2019. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Thursday denounced Iran's interventions in the Middle East region, after a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Speaking at a joint news conference in Moscow with Lavrov, broadcast on Saudi TV, the Saudi minister said Tehran's proxy militias were obstructing a solution for the war in Syria.

He also accused the Iran-aligned Houthi group of obstructing peace efforts in Yemen.

Farhan further indicated that he discussed cooperation with Russia in various fields, noting that previous coordination with Russia under OPEC+ helped stabilize the oil markets.

“We discussed extensively ways to develop and strengthen relations between the two countries in various fields, the most important of which are investment, development and exchange of technical expertise based on the historic visit of King Salman to Russia and President Putin’s visit to the Kingdom,” he noted.

For his part, Lavrov said Russia supports the Saudi position in refusing foreign intervention in the region.

He also hailed AlUla Summit, saying that Moscow welcomed its outcomes, stressing that it reunited the region.



Saudi, Bahraini FMs Discuss Regional Developments

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, Bahraini FMs Discuss Regional Developments

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 his Bahraini counterpart, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Tuesday.

During the call, the two sides discussed the latest developments in the region, and the continuation of bilateral coordination and consultation to promote security and stability, SPA said.


Bahrain Sentences 12 to Prison for Supporting Iran’s ‘Terrorist’ Acts

A view of Bahrain's financial district in the capital city of Manama. (Reuters file)
A view of Bahrain's financial district in the capital city of Manama. (Reuters file)
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Bahrain Sentences 12 to Prison for Supporting Iran’s ‘Terrorist’ Acts

A view of Bahrain's financial district in the capital city of Manama. (Reuters file)
A view of Bahrain's financial district in the capital city of Manama. (Reuters file)

Bahrain’s High Criminal Court sentenced on Monday 12 people to ten years in jail for “supporting and endorsing Iran's terrorist attacks against the kingdom”.

They were also accused of “obtaining and disseminating prohibited sensitive data, capturing images of restricted sites, and spreading false news and rumors through social media platforms during the Iranian aggression against the kingdom,” reported Bahrain’s state news agency BNA.

The court also imposed fines of BD2,000 on some of the accused and ordered the confiscation of seized materials.

“The Public Prosecution had received several reports from the Cyber Crime Directorate regarding social media accounts containing images, videos and comments expressing support for the Iranian terrorist attacks targeting Bahrain”, added the report.

The content also included the publication of sensitive data, the capturing images of restricted sites, and the dissemination of false news and rumors “intended to undermine public morale, spread panic among the public, and harm public security during the Iranian aggression against the kingdom”.

Investigations led to the identification of the individuals behind the accounts. Upon receiving the reports, the Public Prosecution immediately launched investigations, questioning the defendants, hearing witness testimony, and assigning technical experts to examine the seized digital devices. The examinations confirmed the defendants' involvement in the offences attributed to them.

Accordingly, the Public Prosecution referred the defendants to the High Criminal Court. The cases were heard over several sessions during which all legal guarantees were observed, including the attendance of defense counsel and the defendants' right to present their defense, culminating in the issuance of Monday’s rulings.


Kuwait Court Sentences Former Interior Minister to 3 Years in Prison

Former Interior Minister Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. (KUNA)
Former Interior Minister Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. (KUNA)
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Kuwait Court Sentences Former Interior Minister to 3 Years in Prison

Former Interior Minister Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. (KUNA)
Former Interior Minister Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah. (KUNA)

Kuwait's Court of Cassation on Monday sentenced former Minister Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to three years in prison.

The court also fined him 3,000 dinars ($9,700) after convicting him of incidents related to secret expenditures.

Sheikh Talal Khaled Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, 59, served as First Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister of Interior from October 16, 2022, to January 17, 2024. Prior to that, he held the position of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense from March 9, 2022, to October 16, 2022.

On January 14, 2025, Kuwait's Ministers Court sentenced Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled to 14 years in prison for embezzlement of expenditures from both the Ministries of Defense and Interior, ordering him to return around 10 million dinars and fining him 20 million dinars.

In the first case, concerning Ministry of Defense expenditures, Sheikh Talal was sentenced to seven years in jail, ordered to return 500,000 dinars, fined one million dinars, and dismissed from his post. An expatriate that was also charged with him, was sentenced to four years, fined 294,000 dinars and expelled from Kuwait.

In the second case, related to Ministry of Interior expenditures, Sheikh Talal Al-Khaled was sentenced to seven years in prison, ordered to return 9 million dinars, and fined 19 million dinars.