Ahmed Al Omran

My lates in FT today about the Houthi siege of Taiz

My latest story: Saudi Vision 2030 wants to transform Riyadh into the region’s main finance and events hub. Houthi attacks on the city’s airport strike at the heart of that plan.

✈️ Top executives are racing to determine whether they could still travel to major Saudi-hosted events this month as Houthis intensify attacks on Riyadh airport.

🚨 3 Saudi citizens killed in Houthi attacks targeting Riyadh airport, including a pilot for flag carrier Saudia.

Houthi attacks on Saudi airports in Riyadh and Abha kill three people, dozens injured.

Houthis target Aden and Riyadh in new missile barrage as UN says more than 200,000 people displaced since fighting started in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey trigger mutual defence pact for the first time as Houthi attacks escalate 🇸🇦🇵🇰🇹🇷

🚨 “Operation Yemen’s Dawn” launched as Saudi-backed government pushes to retake territory captured by Houthis.

Saudi Arabia announces maritime defence coalition as Houthi attacks threaten Red Sea route.

📉 Saudi GDP shrank by 4.8% in Q2 as the US-Israeli war on Iran takes its toll on the Arab world’s largest economy.

Saudi-led coalition launches strikes against Houthi sites in Hodeida after the Iran-backed rebels target tankers in the Red Sea.

Trump says nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia contingent on joining the Abraham Accords, no enrichment.

🔺 Oil jumps to $97 after Houthis attack two Saudi oil tankers.

⚛️ Saudi Arabia and the US agree landmark nuclear energy pact.

🇸🇦 Saudi civil defence issues warnings for threats over al-Kharj and Yanbu as Iran expands attacks across the Gulf. 🇰🇼 Kuwait suffers one of the most intense nights since the conflict began 🇧🇭 Bahrain repeatedly targeted

Yemen’s Houthi rebels accuse Saudi Arabia of striking Sana’a airport and vow to retaliate, threatening to unravel a four-year truce between the kingdom and the Iran-backed group. https://www.ft.com/content/cf774813-aed0-486d-be4e-c2c4174d8161

Counter-point: Arab football commentators like Chaouali are unnecessarily loud and shouty, often try to manufacture drama that sometimes does not exist

Saudi PIF warns that EU regulations are “hurting” international investors and preventing them from injecting more money into Europe.

🇸🇦🇱🇧 Saudi Arabia lifts ban on Lebanese imports to help stabilise the fragile state at a critical period as the Salam government struggles to rein in Hizbollah and Israel launches daily strikes on the country.

Saudi Arabia’s PIF embarks on leadership overhaul at some of its companies, replacing foreign executives with local talent as the fund tightens spending and shifts focus towards domestic projects ahead of hosting Expo 2030 and the 2034 World Cup.

🕋 30,000 Iranian pilgrims travelled to Saudi Arabia on 131 flights for this year’s Hajj 🔢 That is roughly one-third of the country’s regular quota of 86,000 pilgrims 💵 Iranian officials attributed the shortfall to the war and restrictions caused by US sanctions on fund transfers

🚨 Saudi military spending increases by 26% in Q1 2026 as the kingdom defends itself against Iranian attacks.

AI models from Google, OpenAI and Anthropic lost money betting on football matches over a Premier League season.

Working through conflict: staff across Middle East adapt to war - as.ft.com/r/dd892471-f... via @FT

📺 Unclear whether a final decision has been made to air the show. MBC initially announced that the first episode of the series would be released TODAY, but a label on the show’s listing now only says “coming soon”.

🚨 My latest: Long-delayed Saudi TV series about diplomats who were held hostage in Iran is being revived as ties between Riyadh and Tehran sour.

🔀 Gulf states consider new oil pipelines to avoid Strait of Hormuz as the strategic value of Saudi Arabia’s 1,200km East-West pipeline became clear during this war.

❌ Saudi Arabia terminates two major construction contracts for Trojena ski resort.

🏎️ Ferrari flies personalised supercars to super-rich Middle East buyers as the war in Iran threatens demand and sea freight is disrupted.

New by me and Andrew England: Gulf leaders opposed a strike, but they are now caught between wanting the conflict to end and fear that — if Trump suddenly stops — the war will leave a wounded, emboldened and more hardline Iran.

Saudi Aramco is the world’s biggest oil producer and is responsible for about a tenth of global supply. The company’s CEO today warned of “catastrophic consequences” for the world economy if the US-Iran war drags on.

💧 Gulf states fear threat to water infrastructure as Iran war escalates.

🚨 Qatar’s energy minister warns the war could “bring down the economies of the world”, predicting that all Gulf energy exporters would shut down production within weeks and drive oil to $150 a barrel.

🛢️ Gulf’s biggest oil producers are facing a race against time to resume exports before their storage tanks fill up.

🔊 I was on @financialtimes.com News Briefing podcast this morning to talk about the first few days of the US-Iranian conflict in the Gulf www.ft.com/content/68ea...

Israeli intelligence had information about Khamenei’s location from hacked traffic cameras and deeply penetrated mobile phone networks. The Americans had something even more concrete — a human source.

Back from paternity leave. What’d I miss?

☎️ Saudi Arabia will not allow its airspace or territory to be used for military actions against Iran, Crown Prince tells Pezeshkian in telephone call —SPA

🚨 FT scoop — Neom review nears completion: The Line to be redesigned, region to shift focus to “industrial” sectors including AI data centres.

🚨 Saudi media steps up attacks on UAE as Gulf rift deepens.

Unpacking some old boxes and found these two issues of Newsweek’s Arabic edition from more 20 years ago on the eve of the American invasion of Iraq.

🚨 Trump Organization announces golf course and hotel in Diriyah in first collaboration with PIF-owned company.

🎢 My latest story: Saudi Arabia opens $1 billion Six Flags theme park in Qiddiya as the kingdom pushes ahead with megaprojects.

🚨 Saudi Arabia accuses UAE of smuggling out Yemeni separatist leader.

🚨 Saudi Arabia launches new air strikes on southern Yemen as STC leader fails to travel to Riyadh for talks aimed at ending the crisis.

🚨 Saudi Arabia launches air strike on Yemen’s Mukalla port, accuses UAE of “pressuring” separatist southern group to conduct military operations on the kingdom’s borders.

Saudi complaints over social security benefits lead to arrests and fines: https://blog.alomran.me/2025/12/29/saudi-complaints-over-social-security.html

Saudi complaints over social security benefits lead to arrests and fines: https://blog.alomran.me/2025/12/29/saudi-complaints-over-social-security.html

🚨 Saudi Arabia calls moves by Yemen’s STC “unjustified escalation”, urges the group to withdraw forces from seized provinces —foreign ministry statement.

“While Saudi’s reinvention has left scars, in the form of budget overruns and scaled-back projects, the country has breezed through its own 2030 target and is set to generate an estimated 57 per cent of economic output from non-oil activities this year.”