Saudi Arabia in January 2026: the most important developments in politics
In Saudi Arabia in January 2026, the most reported development was the kingdom's decision to join the US-led Board of Peace for Gaza. On 21 January eight Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar, announced a joint decision to join, and on 22 January the Saudi foreign minister signed the board's charter in Davos. Prince Faisal said that joining reflected Saudi commitment to ending the conflict in Gaza.
On Iran, Riyadh told Tehran on 14 January that Saudi territory was off-limits for US action against Iran, and on 28 January the crown prince said the kingdom would not allow its airspace to be used for military action against Iran. Iran and Saudi Arabia both warned of dangerous consequences from any regional escalation.
Other diplomacy included the Saudi foreign minister's visit to Washington for talks with Rubio on 7 January, a Riyadh meeting on Yemen at which Egypt and Oman voiced support for dialogue, a Riyadh consultative meeting calling for international support for southern dialogue, and a meeting of the Saudi and Kuwaiti defense ministers in Riyadh.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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