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US-Saudi relations

US President Donald Trump (left) stands with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on his visit to the White House, in Washington, November 18, 2025. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP)
July 1, 2026, 8:19 pm
US reportedly mulls pulling troops from Saudi Arabia as ties sour over Iran war
Riyadh initially refused Washington request to use bases critical to Hormuz ship escort operation, prompting US ire; Riyadh interprets Rubio skipping over Saudi on Gulf tour as snub
By ToI Staff and Jacob Magid
US President Donald Trump meets with UFC fighters, May 6, 2026, in the Oval Office of the White House, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
May 7, 2026, 10:34 am
Trump reportedly paused Hormuz op after Saudis denied use of airspace; US awaits Iran deal response
Riyadh rejects report as US officials say Gulf states were surprised by Project Freedom, which triggered fears of fresh fighting; top Iranian negotiator mocks US for halting operation
By ToI Staff
President Donald Trump, fifth left, attends a group photo session with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, fourth right, with United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, second right, Bahrain's Crown Prince and Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, left, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, third left, Kuwait's Crown Prince Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, second left, Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, right, during the GCC Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Wednesday, May 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
March 31, 2026, 10:08 am
Gulf allies privately pushing Trump to keep up war until Iran decisively defeated
Saudi Arabia and UAE leading calls to continue war, seeking end to Iran’s nuclear capabilities, support for proxies, and control over Strait of Hormuz; Oman and Qatar favor talks
By AAMER MADHANI, Samy Magdy, Matthew Lee and SAM MEDNICK
This UGC image posted on social media on March 29, 2026 and verified by AFP staff appears to show a destroyed US Air Force Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft, primarily used for air traffic control, in the aftermath of a projectile strike at Prince Sultan Airbase in Saudi Arabia. (UGC / AFP)
March 29, 2026, 1:26 pm
Iranian attack on Saudi air base heavily damages key US surveillance aircraft
Ukrainian president says Russian satellite images of Prince Sultan Air Base were shared with Iran days prior to attack, which also wounded 12 US soldiers
By Emanuel Fabian, ToI Staff and Agencies
Illustrative: In this February 20, 2020, file pool photo, a member of the US Air Force stands near a Patriot missile battery at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via AP)
March 28, 2026, 8:29 am
12 US troops wounded, 2 seriously, in Iranian attack on Saudi base — report
Several aerial refueling planes said damaged; ballistic missile and drones used in attack; 300 American soldiers injured since start of war, vast majority of casualties described as minor
By AFP
First responders at the scene of a deadly missile impact at a construction site in Yehud on March 9, 2026. (Magen David Adom)
March 9, 2026, 1:21 pm
1 man killed, 2 seriously wounded as Iranian cluster bomb warhead hits central Israel
Iran fires 8 missile salvos at Israel since midnight, woman moderately injured by flying debris in Rishon Letzion; Bahrain’s only oil refinery burns as attacks continue against Gulf infrastructure
By Emanuel Fabian and AP
Screen captures from videos said to show smoke billowing from the Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi Arabia after an Iranian drone strike, March 2, 2026. (X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
March 8, 2026, 6:06 am
Saudi Arabia has told Iran to stop attacks, warned of possible retaliation, sources say
Tehran said to demand closure of US bases in region and cessation of intelligence sharing with Washington
By Reuters and ToI Staff
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman speaks at the Saudi-US Investment Forum at the King Abdulaziz International Conference Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
February 8, 2026, 1:53 pm
Relax, MBS isn’t aligning with Islamists. He also isn’t normalizing with Israel soon
Recent moves by Saudi Arabia against the UAE and toward Qatar and Turkey, along with a rise in antisemitism in the Saudi press, have alarmed many, but these processes are not new
By Lazar Berman
This handout picture released by the Saudi Royal Palace shows Saudi Arabia's Prince Khalid bin Salman, the second son of the reigning monarch, taking the oath as defense minister at al-Salam Royal Palace in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah on September 27, 2022. (Bandar AL-JALOUD / Saudi Royal Palace / AFP)
January 31, 2026, 7:30 pm
Report: Saudi defense minister tells US not striking Iran would ’embolden’ regime
Source tells Times of Israel that Prince Khalid bin Salman was urging Washington to have a clear plan and objectives of what it wants to achieve before taking any action
By Jacob Magid and ToI Staff
US Army AH-64E Apache helicopters are pictured at Joint Base Andrews, June 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
January 31, 2026, 11:22 am
US approves $6.7 billion arms sale to Israel, $9 billion Patriot missile deal for Saudis
State Department announces major weapons packages amid Iran tensions and Gaza ceasefire talks; bulk of deal will see Israel buy 30 Apache gunships and 3,250 light tactical vehicles
By Matthew Lee
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian takes questions from the media at a press briefing in New York, September 26, 2025. (Angelina Katsanis/AP)
January 19, 2026, 1:16 am
Iran’s president warns US attack on supreme leader would mean ‘full-scale war’
Regime hints it may go forward with executing protesters; CEO of Iran’s second-largest telecom company fired for not blocking internet, as shutdown returns after briefly easing
By Agencies and Lazar Berman
Saudi Arabia's former intelligence minister Prince Turki bin Faisal al-Saud attends the meeting of foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on March 30, 2017. (FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP)
December 22, 2025, 4:49 pm
Ex-Saudi intel chief to ToI: Riyadh will consider normalization when Israel acts normally
In very rare engagement with Israeli media, Prince Turki bin Faisal says kingdom won’t forge ties with Israel without ‘resolution to Palestinian issue entailing two-state solution’
By Jacob Magid
US President Donald Trump (right) and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman watch F-35s and F-15s fly over during a welcome ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, November 18, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Evan Vucci)
December 7, 2025, 3:27 pm
Saudi F-35 sale triggers Israeli concern, though military edge may remain intact
Experts say Israel’s air superiority can withstand US sending advanced fighter jets to Riyadh, but worry deal puts normalization on ice and could trigger regional arms race
By Stav Levaton
US President Donald Trump (right) meets with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, November 18, 2025. (Evan Vucci/AP)
December 1, 2025, 2:51 am
As Trump and Saudi prince heat up ties, Israel normalization left out in the cold
MBS notched important gains in Washington, rehabilitating Riyadh after it was sidelined by Israel and Qatar and likely stiffening the kingdom’s price for joining the Abraham Accords
By Lazar Berman
US President Donald Trump (right) meets with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, November 18, 2025. (Evan Vucci/AP)
November 26, 2025, 4:03 am
Saudi crown prince’s pushback on Israel normalization reportedly irked Trump
Israeli TV report says US president was ‘disappointed and angry’ after MBS cited domestic opposition to normalizing ties with Jewish state
By Nava Freiberg
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