Saudi Arabia in April 2026: the most important developments in politics
In April 2026, the most widely reported political story concerning Saudi Arabia was Pakistan's diplomacy over the war between the United States and Iran. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Jeddah on April 15 during a tour that also took in Qatar and Turkey, with the stated aim of encouraging talks between Washington and Tehran. Pakistan's army chief travelled to Iran at the same time, and Pakistan briefed Saudi Arabia on its mediation and secured fresh financial support. Saudi Arabia's finance minister had visited Pakistan earlier in the month. The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt met on April 18, and US and Iranian delegations arrived in Pakistan on April 21.
The war itself framed Saudi policy. Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council welcomed the US-Iran ceasefire announced around April 8 and called for lasting peace, and Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Saudi Arabia to support the truce. Pakistan's army leadership condemned attacks on Saudi Arabia as an unnecessary escalation, and Saudi Arabia summoned Iraq's ambassador on April 12 to protest attacks launched from Iraqi territory. On April 14 Saudi Arabia demanded that the United States end its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. On April 20 Xi Jinping and the crown prince held a phone call in which both called for a ceasefire and safe shipping. On April 28 the crown prince chaired a Gulf leaders' summit in Jeddah on the fallout from the war. The following day, commentators described the United Arab Emirates' exit from OPEC as a sign of a widening rift with Saudi Arabia.
The crown prince also received Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on her Gulf tour in early April, and Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Jeddah on April 21, and Sudan's army chief. Saudi Arabia and other Arab and Muslim countries condemned Israel's appointment of an envoy to Somaliland, and Saudi Arabia condemned an attack on a UN mission in southern Lebanon.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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