Saudi | Pakistan

Saree says attack responds to Saudi strikes on Yemen, warns of deeper strikes inside Saudi territory if they continue

Saudi ambassador describes his stay in Pakistan as a 'deeply memorable and rewarding experience'

• Tankers in Red Sea switch off tracking to evade attacks; conflicting data clouds scale of export disruption • Tehran says no major progress in talks with Washington • Trump claims US has total control over Hormuz DUBAI: Saudi crude exports from the Red Sea are increasingly vanishing from view as tankers switch off tracking signals to avoid attacks by Yemen’s Houthis, with analysts saying all recent Yanbu loadings have been conducted “dark”. The Houthis declared a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia on July 20, targeting the US and allies in the Iran conflict. They’ve since claimed attacks on Saudi-linked tankers, Yanbu oil facilities, and Jazan refinery, leading vessels to turn off tracking signals. The increase in “dark voyages” is complicating the assessment of Houthi threat impacts on Saudi crude flows. Ship-tracking firms have produced widely differing export estimates — data used by the International Energy Agency, OPEC and traders to forecast market trends. In the week beginning Aug 3, data analytics fir...

Strikes by Houthi rebels on Sunday killed at least 11 people, a medical source in the Yemeni port city of Mokha told AFP, after an earlier drone salvo targeted a Saudi oil refinery on the Red Sea coast. A years-long truce in Yemen’s civil war between the Houthis and the internationally recognised government appeared to collapse last month as fighting between regional allies of the United States and Iran flared. The breakdown of the UN-backed 2022 accord came as the rebels announced a maritime blockade of Saudi Arabia, hitting Saudi tankers in the Red Sea and the kingdom’s oil infrastructure, in parallel with Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. A medical source in Mokha, held by Yemen’s internationally recognised, Aden-based government, said three civilians and eight military personnel had been killed in the Houthi attacks. A further 32 individuals were wounded, six of them civilians, the source added, explaining all the civilian casualties had been a result of strikes on Mokha’s port. Two military source...

Saudi energy ministry says a fire had broken out at refinery but was later extinguished with no injuries

US and Saudi Arabian forces said they struck “Iran-aligned terrorists” in Iraq on Wednesday in retaliation for recent attacks, following a short pause in Iran war hostilities. The combined air operation came as President Donald Trump met with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington for their first in-person talks since the Middle East war began in late February. Crude oil prices leapt more than four per cent as the fresh Middle East flare-up revived fears over global supplies usually shipped through the pivotal Strait of Hormuz. The US military said US and Saudi forces carried out precision strikes against “Iran-aligned terrorists” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) “directed to attack US forces and Saudi energy infrastructure”. “US and Saudi fighter aircraft struck multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq in a strong response to over 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours,” it said. “The IRGC and its terrorist proxies must cease these a...

US forces launched a fresh wave of strikes on Iran for the thirteenth consecutive day early on Friday after President Donald Trump vowed “major military punishment” for Tehran and its Houthi allies over attacks on two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea by the Yemeni rebels. The Houthi rebels, who control northern and western Yemen, said this week they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, which has diverted millions of barrels of oil per day by pipeline to the Red Sea to get around Iran’s blockade of Gulf oil through the Strait of Hormuz. Now, attacks in the Red Sea have extended the Middle East war to a second major shipping chokepoint. Fears that the disruption could widen to block another sea route sent global oil prices surging in one of the steepest rises of the war, which began with US-Israeli attacks on Iran in late February. Brent crude rose more than six per cent on Thursday, piercing the level of $100 a barrel for the first time since May. Early on Friday, Brent futures eased 72 cents, or 0....

ISLAMABAD - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday held a telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, wherein he expressed Pakistan’s condemnation, in the strongest possible terms, of the dastardly attacks carried out by the Houthi militia against Saudi oil.

PM slams Houthi attacks on Saudi tankers

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea in a telephone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “Such actions are unacceptable, violate international law, threaten freedom of navigation and undermine regional peace and security,” PM Shehbaz said in a post on the social media platform X. Hostilities in the Middle East flared on Thursday as Yemen’s Houthis said that they attacked two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in a military operation. A Saudi news agency confirmed one of the two vessels was ablaze after an assault while sailing in the Red Sea. In his post on X, PM Shehbaz said that he reaffirmed Pakistan’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia during the call with the crown prince. The premier said he conveyed that he, Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and the nation “stand firmly and resolutely with the Saudi leadership and the brotherly people of the kingdom at this critical time”. PM Shehbaz said ...

Hostilities in the Middle East flared on Thursday as the Yemen’s Houthis said that they attacked two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in a military operation, while the United States carried out strikes in Iran for a 12th consecutive night. A Saudi news agency confirmed one of the two vessels was ablaze after an assault while sailing in the Red Sea. The Saudi Arabian state news agency SPA, citing an official source at the General Transport Authority, said an attack caused a fire on the bow of the tanker Encelia but all crew members were safe. SPA did not say who had targeted the vessel. Authorities have secured the vessel and its crew and taken measures to protect the marine environment, describing the attack as a violation of international law, SPA reported, citing the source. In their statement, the Houthis said they attacked two tankers, the Encelia and Layla, saying the vessels had violated a naval blockade imposed by the group on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea. The Houthis said they targeted the tankers with a num...

15-year loan at 1% interest from SFD; total Saudi cash deposits up to $8b

$8.27b Saudi market offers major opening as PFC delegation explores joint ventures

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, following a phone conversation with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, said the two leaders agreed that the next phase of Iran-US negotiations must be “guided by a firm commitment to dialogue and diplomacy, and vigilance against any attempt to undermine the peace process”. On Thursday, a long-awaited peace deal was finally signed between the United States and Iran after a preliminary agreement was reached between the two sides earlier in the week, heralding an end to the bitter animosity that has afflicted the Middle East for months. In a post on his X handle, the premier said he held a “warm and most cordial” conversation with the Saudi crown prince and thanked him for the kingdom’s steadfast support for Pakistan’s peace efforts. The premier also congratulated the crown prince on the signing of the “Islamabad Peace Deal”. “His Royal Highness’s wise leadership and the Kingdom’s unwavering commitment to regional peace and stability remained vital guiding forces throughout th...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday invited Saudi investors to participate in the construction of the long-awaited Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway (M6) and two other major highway projects, as Islamabad sought to attract foreign capital into its expanding transport infrastructure sector. Once completed, the motorway is expected to provide uninterrupted motorway connectivity from Karachi Port to Peshawar and onward to Gilgit. The offer was extended by Federal Communications Minister Aleem Khan during a meeting with the Chairman of the Saudi-Pakistan Joint Business Council, Prince Mansour bin Muhammad Al Saud, who held high-level talks with the minister on promoting bilateral economic cooperation and investment. According to the Ministry of Communications, Aleem Khan presented investment opportunities in three strategic road projects: the M6 Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway, the M10 Karachi Port and the M13 Kharian-Rawalpindi motorways. The minister described the projects as commercially attractive ventures with strong potential ...

Over 1.5 million Muslims began filling a vast tent city in Makkah on Monday for the annual Haj pilgrimage. The white-robed pilgrims on buses or on foot arrived at the sprawling encampment in Mina after performing the tawaf. This year’s rites, drawing Muslim worshippers from across the world, including Iran, follow waves of attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbours. A Saudi security officer speaks to Muslim pilgrims at the Grand Mosque, ahead of the annual Haj pilgrimage, in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia on May 20, 2026. — Reuters Members of the Saudi security forces take part in a military parade in preparation for the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia on May 21, 2026. — Reuters Members of the Saudi security forces take part in a military parade in preparation for the annual Haj pilgrimage in the holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia on May 21, 2026. — Reuters Members of the Saudi security forces hold a demonstration during a military parade in preparation for...

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s decision to pause a US operation to escort commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz reportedly followed pressure from Saudi Arabia, according to an NBC News report citing two US officials. The operation, dubbed Project Freedom, was unexpectedly announced by Trump on social media on Sunday and began on Monday. However, US allies in the Gulf were reportedly surprised by the announcement. According to the officials, Saudi Arabia — one of Washington’s key regional partners— subsequently suspended the US military’s access to its bases and airspace needed to support the mission. “Trump surprised Gulf allies by announcing ‘Project Freedom’ on social media Sunday afternoon, the officials said, angering leadership in Saudi Arabia,” NBC News reported. “In response, the Kingdom informed the US it would not allow the US military to fly aircraft from Prince Sultan Airbase southeast of Riyadh or fly through Saudi airspace to support the effort.” Riyadh rejects media report on Tr...

State Bank receives $1b Saudi tranche

SBP receives $2 billion Saudi credit

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after he reached Jeddah on Wednesday alongside a high-level delegation on an official visit to the kingdom, the PM Office’s (PMO) said in a statement. The statement added that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar was also present at the meeting. Dar separately posted on X that the meeting was “marked by warmth, brotherhood, and a shared vision for a stronger Pakistan–Saudi Arabia partnership”. “The prime minister reaffirmed our deep-rooted ties, built on faith, trust, and mutual respect, and explored avenues to further enhance cooperation across all sectors,” he added. Dar further stated, “Saudi Arabia holds a special place in the hearts of Pakistanis, and we remain committed to strengthening this historic and fraternal relationship for generations to come.” Earlier, a post on the PMO’s X account said the premier was received by the Deputy Governor of the Makkah Region, Prince Saud bin Mushaal bin Abdulaziz, Saudi Ar...