Jesse Dollemore: Trump Announces He’s Taking Orders from Saudi Arabia

May 20, 2026

TW: Very strong language alert!

The Trump presidency is nothing but a SHITSHOW! — © Mark Alexander

Has the Iran War Destroyed Saudi Arabia’s Mega Project "Vision 2030"? | DW News

May 12, 2026 | Saudi Arabia promised its citizens a new kingdom - glass cities in the desert, ski slopes in the mountains, and an economy no longer dependent on oil. But one by one, the mega projects are being scaled back, suspended, or quietly buried. Now, with the Iran war closing the Strait of Hormuz and oil exports down, the kingdom is bleeding revenue while its deficits grow. Ole Alsaker talks to Karen Elliott House, a journalist who knows the Kingdom better than almost anyone - to ask whether Vision 2030 was ever real, and what happens if it fails.

Saudi Arabia Is Lifting the Alcohol Ban for Wealthy Foreigners

BBC: Saudi Arabia has quietly started to allow wealthy foreign residents to buy alcohol, a huge change after a 73-year ban. Commentators expect that the relaxation will eventually be extended to tourists, as Sameer Hashmi reports from Riyadh.

For decades, Riyadh's Diplomatic Quarter has stood apart from the rest of the capital city – an affluent enclave of embassies and upscale residences, with shaded walkways, greenery and a café culture that draws young Saudis and expatriates alike.

Now, tucked inside a discreet, unmarked beige complex within the exclusive neighbourhood, a small store has become a discrete testing ground for one of Saudi Arabia's most sensitive policy shifts – the controlled sale of alcohol to wealthy non-Muslim foreigners.

Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's two holiest sites, banned the sale of alcohol in 1952. But as part of a broader effort to reshape its image, the kingdom has rolled out sweeping social and economic reforms in recent years, presenting itself as a more moderate and investment-friendly society.

Under the leadership of crown prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, the kingdom has reopened cinemas, hosted major music festivals, lifted the ban on women driving, and curtailed the powers of the once-feared religious police.

But the quiet expansion of legal alcohol sales is arguably the boldest experiment yet.

The liquor shop first opened in Riyadh in January 2024, but entry was initially restricted to non-Muslim diplomats. Under new rules introduced without announcement at the end of 2025, wealthy, non-Muslim foreign residents can now also go there to purchase beer, wine and spirits.

To be eligible, an expat must either hold a Premium Residency permit, which costs 100,000 Saudi riyals ($27,000; £19,300) a year; or show that he or she earns at least 50,000 riyals per month.

The Premium Residency scheme has varying eligibility criteria, and is typically open to senior foreign executives, investors, and professionals with specialised skills.

In both the case of permit holders and those without, they will have to show their residence ID card to security guards at the door. This details their religion and residency status. » | Sameer Hashmi | Thursday, February 5, 2026

Saudi Arabia Breaks Bad News to Trump - The US Military Can’t Use Their Airspace | David Satterfield

May 7, 2026 | "Saudi Arabia is reported to have told him its airspace cannot be used for operations."

Donald Trump has suffered a major operational setback as he has been reportedly told by Saudi Arabia that the US cannot use their airspace, says former US assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, David Satterfield.

Being Gay in Saudi Arabia: The Hidden Truth No One Talks about

Aug 25, 2025 | Saudi Arabia is opening its doors to the world with futuristic cities, luxury resorts, and ambitious visions of modernization. But behind the glossy image lies a stark reality: for LGBTQ+ people, Saudi Arabia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world.

In this video, Truth Travels dives deep into what it means to be gay in Saudi Arabia. From strict laws based on Sharia, to social pressures, underground LGBTQ+ communities, and the risks faced by both locals and travellers, we uncover the truth about life in the kingdom.

Iran Has Attacked Saudi Arabia's Jubail Petrochemical Complex, IRGC Says

REUTERS: RGC says attacks in response to strikes on Iran's Asaluyeh plants / Smoke and flames rising from the direction of Saudi's Jubail

April 7 (Reuters) - Iran on Tuesday attacked Saudi Arabia's Jubail petrochemical complex, the heart of the kingdom's downstream sector, its Revolutionary Guards said, the latest evidence of Tehran's ability to strike back in response to U.S.-Israeli attacks ahead of a U.S. deadline to open the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran said the attack was in response to attacks against its Asaluyeh petrochemical plants, which are connected to its massive South Pars gas field and were reportedly hit by multiple explosions overnight.

U.S. President Donald Trump's ultimatum to Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz oil chokepoint by ⁠the end of Tuesday or face bombing of civilian infrastructure would be the biggest escalation yet of the war. Iran has warned it would target similar infrastructure in the Gulf. Hormuz's closure has sent global energy prices surging.

Iran has shown it retains the ability to strike targets in neighbouring countries and effectively shut transit through the Strait, previously a conduit for a fifth of global oil supply.

Jubail, a sprawling industrial city, houses multi-billion dollar joint ventures between state-backed oil giant Saudi Aramco and its petrochemical subsidiary SABIC, and Western energy majors.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the attacks were "in response to the enemy's crimes in the aggression against (Iran's) Asaluyeh petrochemical plants," which had reportedly been hit by ⁠several explosions overnight.

It was not immediately clear which facility or facilities were hit in Saudi Arabia. Video footage verified by Reuters showed smoke and flames rising from the direction of Jubail. » | Reuters | Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Being Gay in Saudi Arabia: The Hidden Truth No One Talks About

Aug 25, 2025 | Saudi Arabia is opening its doors to the world with futuristic cities, luxury resorts, and ambitious visions of modernization. But behind the glossy image lies a stark reality: for LGBTQ+ people, Saudi Arabia is one of the most dangerous countries in the world.

In this video, Truth Travels dives deep into what it means to be gay in Saudi Arabia. From strict laws based on Sharia, to social pressures, underground LGBTQ+ communities, and the risks faced by both locals and travellers, we uncover the truth about life in the kingdom.

Ukraine Signs Deal with Saudi Arabia Offering Drone Expertise

BBC: President Volodymyr Zelensky says Ukraine has signed a deal with Saudi Arabia to share its drone defence expertise and technology.

Zelensky said Saudi Arabia was facing the same type of ballistic missile and drone attacks from Iran that Ukraine had been resisting for more than four years from Russia.

"We are ready to share our expertise and systems with Saudi Arabia and to work together to strengthen the protection of lives," he said in a post on X.

Ahead of a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Zelensky posted that the defence deal laid the foundation for future contracts, technological cooperation and investment.

"Saudi Arabia also has capabilities that are of interest to Ukraine, and this cooperation can be mutually beneficial," the Ukrainian president added.

Zelensky said he had also discussed with Mohammed bin Salman reports that Russia was assisting Iran's regime, as well as developments in the fuel market and energy co-operation.

On Thursday, in a video message to the Joint Expeditionary Force, a security alliance which held a summit meeting in Helsinki, Zelensky said: "The key is not only producing new weapons - especially drones - not just technology, but also real experience in using it, and integrating it with radars, aviation, and other air defence systems. We have this experience," he added.

Zelensky said that in exchange he would be looking for assistance in defending Ukraine against the ongoing Russian invasion. » | Vitaly Shevchenko | Reporting from Kyiv | Thursday, March 26, 2026

Saudi Arabia Urging US to Ramp Up Iran Attacks, Intelligence Source Confirms

THE GUARDIAN: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is said to view US-Israeli war as ‘historic opportunity’ to remake Middle East

Screenshot taken from this Guardian article. | Mohammed bin Salman has urged Trump not to cut short war, according to New York Times report confirmed by a Saudi intelligence source. Photograph: AP
Saudi Arabia has urged the US to ramp up attacks on Iran, a Saudi intelligence source has confirmed, while it is weighing a decision on whether to join the fight directly.

The Saudi source confirmed reporting in the New York Times, which said the kingdom’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has urged Donald Trump not to cut short his war against Iran, and that the US-Israeli campaign represented a “historic opportunity” to remake the Middle East.

The intelligence source said Riyadh was not just calling for the military campaign to be continued, but to be intensified. Trump appeared to confirm the report about the crown prince’s role, telling journalists on Tuesday: “Yeah, he’s a warrior. He’s fighting with us.”

There are no reports of active Saudi military involvement in the nearly four-week-old war so far, but a Saudi political analyst said the kingdom was likely to take that step if current peace efforts led by Pakistan failed.

“What matters now is Iran’s decision,” Mohammed Alhamed, a Saudi geopolitical analyst, said. “If Iran engages seriously, there is still a path to contain escalation. If it rejects the conditions and continues its attacks, the threshold for Saudi action will be crossed.”

Alhamed added that Saudi Arabia “is not reacting impulsively”. » | Julian Borger and Aram Roston in Washington | Friday, March 27, 2026

Wallahi! as a Muslim might say. So much for brotherhood in Islam! Calling in the infidel to fight your brothers and sisters in Islam!

Actually, this should not surprise us. Not at all! This is a clear manifestation of the Sunni-Shia divide in Islam. Saudi Arabia is predominantly Sunni, though not exclusively. The Eastern Province in Saudi Arabia is home to a significant Shia population, much to the chagrin of the Saudi ruling class. Iran, by contrast, is Shia, though even in Iran, there is a significant Sunni minority, estimated as being between 5 and 10% of the whole population.

Unbeknownst to Trump, he has got himself into a fine pickle with this unnecessary and illegal war, because he has unknowingly enmeshed himself in one of the greatest and most troubling divides in Islam. The distrust and often hatred between Sunnis and Shias goes back centuries and is, in many ways, legendary. It is very much part of the historical narrative. Trump has fallen into the trap. He has become ensnared in a religious and political schism.

This could get ugly. Very ugly! — © Mark Alexander

Saudi Leader Is Said to Push Trump to Continue Iran War in Recent Calls

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman sees a “historic opportunity” to remake the region, according to people briefed by U.S. officials on the conversations.

Screenshot taken from this NYT article. | President Trump hosted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia at the White House last year.| Credit...Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times
Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been pushing President Trump to continue the war against Iran, arguing that the U.S.-Israeli military campaign presents a “historic opportunity” to remake the Middle East, according to people briefed by American officials on the conversations.

In a series of conversations over the last week, Prince Mohammed has conveyed to Mr. Trump that he must press toward the destruction of Iran’s hard-line government, the people familiar with the conversations said.

Prince Mohammed, the people familiar with the discussions said, has argued that Iran poses a long-term threat to the Gulf that can only be eliminated by getting rid of the government.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel also views Iran as a long-term threat, but analysts say Israeli officials would probably view a failed Iranian state that is too caught up in internal turmoil to menace Israel as a win, while Saudi Arabia views a failed state in Iran as a grave and direct security threat.

But senior officials in both the Saudi and American governments worry that if the conflict drags on, Iran could deliver ever more punishing attacks on Saudi oil installations and the United States could be stuck in an endless war. » | Julian E. Barnes, Tyler Pager and Eric Schmitt | Reporting from Washington | Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Explosions Rock Saudi Capital, Riyadh, Following Missile Attacks

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Saudi Arabia and UAE Defence Strategy Against Iranian Missile Strikes

Mar 12, 2026 | As Iran continues to attack its Gulf neighbours could the strikes turn into a wider war? Who might be drawn in? And with Iran hitting friends as well as foes, how will this war reshape the Middle East and its relationship with the US?

Middle East Oil Crisis: What Is America's Real 'Endgame' in Iran?

The war in Iran is already sending shockwaves far beyond the battlefield. Stock markets are sinking, Brent crude has jumped above $100 a barrel, and G7 governments are considering tapping emergency reserves to steady the markets. Missiles landing close to critical Gulf energy infrastructure have sharpened fears that what began as a regional confrontation could tip the global economy into something far more dangerous.

The real question is whether this crisis can be contained, and if not, how vulnerable our economies really are - how fast could the world’s energy system start to break apart, and who would feel the pain first?

In today's episode of the Fourcast, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is joined by Guy Laron, author of Oil Wars: The Struggle for Control That Has Shaped the Modern World and Bernard Haykel, Professor of Near Eastern Studies.

“Utter Disaster for All Involved”: Is Trump’s War on Iran Repeating Bush’s “Forever War” in Iraq?

Mar 4, 2026 | The U.S.-Israeli war on Iran is now in its fifth day. Following the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Israel has made it clear that it intends to target any official successors. Observers also warn that Israel could soon deploy its "Dahiya doctrine," a military strategy it first developed in Lebanon that involves carpet-bombing densely populated residential areas. Despite U.S. hopes for a short engagement, however, Iran appears to be settling in for a "war of attrition" against "the biggest military superpower in world history, and the only nuclear-armed state in the Middle East," says scholar Narges Bajoghli. "This could turn into a regional war of a scale that will make the past 25 years of forever wars in the Middle East seem like a walk in the park."

Democracy Now! can be supported here.

UK-Saudi Arabia Relations: Prince William’s First Official Trip to Riyadh

Feb 9, 2026 | Prince William is making his first visit to Saudi Arabia this week to celebrate “growing trade, energy and investment ties” between the kingdom and the UK. But with a number of sensitive issues on the table – from defence and intelligence sharing to Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights record – how will the prince walk the diplomatic tightrope? Should the UK be pursuing a closer relationship with the kingdom at all?

How Saudi Arabia Became the World’s Richest Desert Kingdom | Full Documentary

Oct 3, 2025 | Saudi Arabia, once an inhospitable desert crossed only by Bedouin caravans, has become one of the wealthiest and most influential nations on earth. The city of Mecca, already a center on the Incense Route, rose to global importance in the 7th century with the birth of Islam. In the 18th century, the alliance between Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and the House of Saud laid the foundation of a dynasty that endures today. The discovery of oil in 1938 transformed the kingdom into an energy superpower, reshaping its society and global role. This documentary explores the myths, struggles, and turning points that built modern Saudi Arabia.

Executions in Saudi Arabia Hit Highest Number on Record in 2025

THE GUARDIAN: Analysts attribute increase to kingdom’s ‘war on drugs’ as authorities kill 356 people by death penalty

Saudi authorities executed 356 people in 2025, setting a new record for the number of inmates put to death in the kingdom in a single year.

Analysts have largely attributed the increase in executions to Riyadh’s “war on drugs”, with some of those arrested in previous years only now being executed after legal proceedings and convictions.

Official data released by the Saudi government said 243 people were executed in drug-related cases in 2025 alone, according to a tally kept by Agence France-Presse.

The figures mark the second consecutive year in which Saudi Arabia has carried out its highest number of executions, after authorities executed 338 people in 2024.

Saudi Arabia resumed executions for drug offences at the end of 2022, after suspending the use of the death penalty in narcotics cases for about three years. » | Agence France-Presse in Dubai | Thursday, January 1, 2026

The rich get pleasure from shopping sprees; the ruthless, from execution sprees! — © Mark Alexander

Saudi Arabia, between Repression and Transformation | DW Documentary

Jan 1, 2026 | Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, also known as MBS, is the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. For almost a decade, he has been radically transforming the country — at a breathtaking pace. Where is the modernizer and despot steering the kingdom?

Saudi Arabia is the world's leading exporter of crude oil. But Crown Prince MBS wants to prepare the country for the post-oil era. Two-thirds of the country's population is under 30 years old, and the crown prince is taking radical measures to turn the previously strictly conservative society on its head.

The documentary shows how contradictory Mohammed bin Salman's ambitions for his "Vision 2030" are, as it takes a look behind the scenes of the transformation.

On the one hand, there is the "Neom" project, which aims to create a futuristic new megacity in the desert. Tourism is to be expanded, major music and sporting events are to be brought to the country, and an extravagant lifestyle is being promoted.

At the same time, an authoritarian style of government continues to prevail, dissidents are sometimes brutally suppressed, and women's rights are still not fully granted - even if the influence of the ultra-conservative religious leaders of Wahhabism is no longer as strong as it once was.

Saudi Arabia Will Sell You Alcohol Now, if You’re Rich Enough

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The conservative Islamic kingdom’s approach to social policy change is often silence and ambiguity. Legalizing alcohol has been no different.

Saudi Arabia has banned alcohol for more than 70 years, so when whispers spread that an unmarked store in Riyadh, the capital, was quietly selling whiskey and champagne to wealthy foreign residents, it did not take long for a queue of cars to form outside.

In recent weeks, the liquor store — previously open only to diplomats, who are exempt from the prohibition — has been selling to non-Muslim foreigners who hold an expensive “premium residency” permit, according to five customers interviewed by The New York Times.

Premium residency is a limited status, generally conferred on wealthy or highly educated foreigners who work for government-owned entities, or in strategic sectors like health care.

The customers, a mix of premium residents and diplomats, spoke on the condition of anonymity because of local sensitivities around the topic, and in some cases because they feared disrupting their newfound access to alcohol.

No public announcement has been made about a change in the conservative Islamic kingdom’s alcohol policy. But on a sunny morning this past week, I camped outside the Riyadh store and saw that business was brisk.

The beige complex containing the store resembled dozens of others in the city’s Diplomatic Quarter, a secluded neighborhood filled with embassies. The store was distinguished only by an enigmatic sign that read, “VAT EXEMPT GOODS FOR DIPLOMATS ONLY,” referring to value-added tax, which is similar to a sales tax.

A succession of high-end SUVs approached a metal gate, where a security guard peered at drivers’ IDs, deciding if they could pass. » | Vivian Nereim | Vivian Nereim reported from outside the only liquor store in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. | Saturday, December 6, 2025

Mohammad bin Salman: Prince with Two Faces

Feb 7, 2025 | Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman (known as MBS), at only 34 years old, leads a state in Western Asia with immense oil reserves that significantly impact the global economy. This country is also home to Islam's holiest sites and remains the world's largest arms buyer. Accused of orchestrating the brutal assassination of a journalist and the kidnapping of a foreign Prime Minister, engaged in a bloody war in Yemen, and determined to counter Iran at all costs, MBS is also a key partner in the fight against terrorism and is implementing spectacular reforms that are reshaping his kingdom.