Saudi Diplomat

Former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo in a book released Tuesday staunchly defended Saudi Arabia after the killing of a dissident writer, gloating that his diplomatic relationship with the kingdom was a "middle finger" to US media.

The United Arab Emirates said Saturday it was withdrawing its diplomats from Lebanon, following a similar move by Saudi Arabia over a Lebanese minister's criticism of the Riyadh-led military intervention in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates cranked up the tension in their OPEC standoff as the rare diplomatic spat between long-time allies leaves the global economy guessing how much oil it will get next month.

Saudi Arabia suspended entry of people from 20 countries on Tuesday, with the exception of diplomats, Saudi citizens, medical professionals, in a bid to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Chinese diplomat Tan Banglin defended his country's treatment of Muslims amid an international outcry, his comments were less remarkable than where he made them.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged Thursday to strike extremists with an "iron fist", after a bombing against a gathering of diplomats was claimed by the Islamic State group.

The ISIS group said Thursday it carried out a bombing against a gathering of diplomats in Saudi Arabia, saying it was to protest French cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

Several people were wounded Wednesday in a bomb attack at a World War I commemoration ceremony attended by European diplomats at a non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, France's foreign ministry said.

The United States on Tuesday barred Mohammed al Otaibi from entering the country, who served as the Saudi consul general in Istanbul when Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in his consulate in 2018, the State Department said.

Saudi Arabia appointed a prince with diplomatic experience in Western capitals as foreign minister on Wednesday in a partial cabinet reshuffle as the kingdom tries to mend its international image and prepares to take over the Group of 20 presidency.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.S. President Donald Trump condemned last weekend's attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities and discussed the need for a united diplomatic response in a telephone call on Wednesday, Mr Johnson's office said.

Iran has sent the United States a diplomatic note denying any role in attacks on Saudi oil installations and warning it would respond to any action, state media said Wednesday.

The US is "in denial" over attacks on oil installations in Saudi Arabia, Iran's top diplomat said Tuesday, after Washington blamed weekend strikes on Tehran despite Yemeni rebels claiming responsibility.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has broken diplomatic protocol again - this time at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or SCO Summit held in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek on Thursday.

Qatar's prime minister will attend an Arab summit in Saudi Arabia to discuss regional security, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, the highest level Qatari official to visit the kingdom during a diplomatic rift.

Former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo in a book released Tuesday staunchly defended Saudi Arabia after the killing of a dissident writer, gloating that his diplomatic relationship with the kingdom was a "middle finger" to US media.

The United Arab Emirates said Saturday it was withdrawing its diplomats from Lebanon, following a similar move by Saudi Arabia over a Lebanese minister's criticism of the Riyadh-led military intervention in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates cranked up the tension in their OPEC standoff as the rare diplomatic spat between long-time allies leaves the global economy guessing how much oil it will get next month.

Saudi Arabia suspended entry of people from 20 countries on Tuesday, with the exception of diplomats, Saudi citizens, medical professionals, in a bid to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When Chinese diplomat Tan Banglin defended his country's treatment of Muslims amid an international outcry, his comments were less remarkable than where he made them.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pledged Thursday to strike extremists with an "iron fist", after a bombing against a gathering of diplomats was claimed by the Islamic State group.

The ISIS group said Thursday it carried out a bombing against a gathering of diplomats in Saudi Arabia, saying it was to protest French cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

Several people were wounded Wednesday in a bomb attack at a World War I commemoration ceremony attended by European diplomats at a non-Muslim cemetery in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, France's foreign ministry said.

The United States on Tuesday barred Mohammed al Otaibi from entering the country, who served as the Saudi consul general in Istanbul when Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered in his consulate in 2018, the State Department said.

Saudi Arabia appointed a prince with diplomatic experience in Western capitals as foreign minister on Wednesday in a partial cabinet reshuffle as the kingdom tries to mend its international image and prepares to take over the Group of 20 presidency.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and U.S. President Donald Trump condemned last weekend's attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities and discussed the need for a united diplomatic response in a telephone call on Wednesday, Mr Johnson's office said.

Iran has sent the United States a diplomatic note denying any role in attacks on Saudi oil installations and warning it would respond to any action, state media said Wednesday.

The US is "in denial" over attacks on oil installations in Saudi Arabia, Iran's top diplomat said Tuesday, after Washington blamed weekend strikes on Tehran despite Yemeni rebels claiming responsibility.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has broken diplomatic protocol again - this time at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation or SCO Summit held in Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek on Thursday.

Qatar's prime minister will attend an Arab summit in Saudi Arabia to discuss regional security, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday, the highest level Qatari official to visit the kingdom during a diplomatic rift.