Nine files on a region in motion

Background

The Gulf Cooperation Council was founded in 1981 and has its secretariat in Riyadh. From June 2017 to January 2021 Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt boycotted Qatar.

Saudi position

The Kingdom presented the AlUla Declaration of 5 January 2021 as restoring Gulf unity and full diplomatic relations with Qatar.

Other positions

From December 2025 the UAE and Saudi Arabia diverged openly over southern Yemen and Sudan; the UAE left OPEC and OPEC+ with effect from 1 May 2026. Each government has described its own position; analysts at AGSI and the UK House of Commons Library have documented the divergence.

The minister’s role

Announced the AlUla outcome at a press conference with the GCC Secretary-General; received Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in Riyadh on 19 August 2026.

Background

After the Houthi movement took control of Sana’a, a Saudi-led coalition intervened on 26 March 2015 at the request of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. A UN-mediated truce began on 2 April 2022; it formally lapsed in October 2022 but broadly held for years. On 23 December 2023 the UN envoy announced roadmap commitments by the parties.

Saudi position

The Kingdom welcomed the UN roadmap in December 2023. In Moscow on 8 September 2026 the foreign minister said the Kingdom would use all available means to defend itself, while saying that the road to diplomacy was not closed (Asharq Al-Awsat).

Other positions

After the Houthi attacks of September 2026, Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE, Russia and Pakistan condemned them; Russia’s Sergey Lavrov called them “unacceptable”. The World Health Organization reported 728 people killed or wounded in Yemen between 23 August and 7 September 2026.

The minister’s role

Public statements of the Kingdom’s position, including the Moscow press conference of 8 September 2026. The Houthi delegation that visited Riyadh in September 2023 was received by the Defence Minister.

Background

Saudi Arabia cut relations on 3 January 2016 after its embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad were attacked. Iraq- and Oman-hosted talks from 2021 led to the Saudi–Iranian–Chinese joint statement of 10 March 2023 restoring relations. On 28 February 2026 the United States and Israel began strikes on Iran, and Iran retaliated against Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia.

Saudi position

The ministry said the Kingdom had not allowed its airspace to be used for attacks on Iran and affirmed its right to take all necessary measures to safeguard its security and sovereignty. On 21–22 March 2026 Riyadh declared Iran’s military attaché and four embassy staff persona non grata; the ambassador remained.

Other positions

A ceasefire mediated by Pakistan was reported in April 2026, and a US–Iran memorandum was reported in June; reference sources report that the ceasefire broke down in July. Their chronology is still being established, and this archive has not confirmed it from primary texts.

The minister’s role

Follow-up meetings after 2023 in Beijing, Tehran and Riyadh; hosted the consultative meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers on Iranian attacks in Riyadh on 18–19 March 2026, where he said Gulf patience was “not unlimited” (Al Jazeera).

Background

The Arab League suspended Syria on 16 November 2011; Saudi Arabia closed its embassy in 2012. Syria was readmitted on 7 May 2023. The government of Bashar al-Assad fell on 8 December 2024.

Saudi position

“We stressed the importance of lifting unilateral and international sanctions imposed on Syria,” the minister said after the Riyadh meetings of 12 January 2025. On 7 February 2026 Saudi and Syrian parties signed investment agreements in Damascus.

Other positions

The United States announced in May 2025, during President Trump’s visit to Riyadh, that it would lift sanctions, and repealed the Caesar Act in legislation signed on 18 December 2025.

The minister’s role

Visited Damascus on 18 April 2023; chaired the Jeddah ministerial meeting that welcomed Syria back to the League (17 May 2023); convened the Riyadh meetings on Syria (12 January 2025); visited Damascus on 24 January and 31 May 2025.

Background

After a period of strained relations, Joseph Aoun was elected President on 9 January 2025 and Nawaf Salam formed a government on 8 February 2025.

Saudi position

At Davos on 21 January 2025 the minister called the election of a president “a very positive development” (MOFA).

Other positions

On 2 March 2026 Prime Minister Salam announced a ban on Hezbollah military activity. Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon escalated in August 2026 despite a ceasefire (Al Jazeera).

The minister’s role

His visit to Beirut on 23 January 2025 was the first by a Saudi foreign minister in about fifteen years.

Background

Relations were severed after Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The Saudi embassy in Baghdad reopened in 2015 and the Saudi–Iraqi Coordination Council first met on 22 October 2017. Iraq later hosted Saudi–Iranian talks.

The minister’s role

Visits to Baghdad in February 2023 and August 2024; talks with Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Amman on 5 August 2026 on the next Arab summit and navigation through Hormuz (Iraqi MFA).

Background

War between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces began on 15 April 2023. A UN fact-finding mission reported in February 2026 that the RSF’s actions in El Fasher bore “hallmarks of genocide”.

Saudi position

The Kingdom rejects the RSF-led “parallel government” and unilateral steps outside Sudan’s official institutions (Arab News). At the UN in 2024 the minister reaffirmed a “staunch position to preserve peace and stability”.

Other positions

The US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt issued a Quad statement on 12 September 2025 proposing a humanitarian truce and a transition to civilian rule through the Jeddah process; the African Union and IGAD welcomed it.

The minister’s role

Diplomatic contacts as the Jeddah talks opened in May 2023; participation in the Quad ministerial meeting in September 2025.

Background

The charter of the Council of Arab and African States bordering the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden was signed in Riyadh on 6 January 2020. Houthi attacks on shipping began in late 2023.

Context

Al-Monitor reported that disruption to Hormuz shipping forced greater use of the East–West pipeline to Yanbu, a route then affected by the Houthi “blockade” declared on 20 July 2026. Saudi crude output reported for August 2026 was the lowest since 1990.

The minister’s role

Discussed navigation through Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab with Japan’s foreign minister on 20 August 2026 and the reopening of Hormuz with the UK in May 2026.

Because the question of Palestine runs through almost every part of the minister’s diplomacy, it has its own research file, with background, the Saudi position, international positions and a detailed timeline.

Open the file: Middle East peace and the two-state solution