The alleged assassination plot linking Iranian operatives with a plan to target Saudi’s Arabia’s Washington ambassador has sharply raised tensions between the two countries. The Saudi government called the plot a “despicable violation of international norms, standards and conventions.” Saudi Arabia and Iran have long been geopolitical rivals, but the 2011 Arab Spring protests sparked […]
Alleged US Plot Fuels Iran-Saudi Divisions
US Foils Alleged Iranian Plot to Assassinate Saudi Ambassador
The United States says it has broken up an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States in a bomb attack. The U.S. Justice Department filed charges Tuesday against two Iranians for involvement in the plot, accusing them of conspiring with elements of the Iranian government to kill Saudi envoy Adel […]
US Foils Alleged Iranian Plot to Assassinate Saudi Ambassador
The United States says it has broken up an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States in a bomb attack. The U.S. Justice Department filed charges Tuesday against two Iranians for involvement in the plot, accusing them of conspiring with elements of the Iranian government to kill Saudi envoy Adel […]
Saudi Men Vote in Local Elections
Saudi Arabian men are voting Thursday in the country’s second-ever nationwide election. Voters trickled into the polls to cast ballots for local council spots. More than 5,000 male candidates are running for 1,056 seats in nearly 300 local councils nationwide. The elections will fill half the seats on local government councils. The other half is […]
Sources: Saudi King Overturns Verdict Against Woman Driver
Sources within the Saudi government say King Abdullah has overturned a court verdict that sentenced a Saudi woman to 10 lashes for challenging the conservative Muslim kingdom’s ban on women driving. One of those who reported the king’s decision was a Saudi princess who announced it Wednesday on her Twitter account. There was no official […]
US Embassy in Saudi Warns of Possible Terror Kidnap Plot
The U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia has warned that a terrorist group may be planning to abduct Westerners in the capital, Riyadh, and it has urged American citizens to exercise caution. In a message posted on its website Wednesday, the embassy advised U.S. citizens to carry out regular security measures, including varying personal travel routines […]
Saudi Court Sentences Woman to 10 Lashes for Driving
Saudi activists say a court in Jeddah has sentenced a Saudi woman to 10 lashes for challenging the conservative Muslim kingdom’s ban on women driving. The sentencing comes just two days after Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah announced that women will have the right to vote and run in local elections starting in 2015. Amnesty International […]
Saudi King Grants Women Right to Vote, Run in Elections
Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah has granted Saudi women the right to vote and run in nationwide local elections, four years from now. The king’s announcement Sunday applies to elections set for 2015. The kingdom holds its next local elections on Thursday, but women are not allowed to vote or run in those. King Abdullah also […]
Reports: Gunman Killed Near Saudi Interior Minister’s Palace
News reports out of Saudi Arabia Saturday say security forces killed a gunman who opened fire near the interior minister’s palace in the Red Sea city of Jeddah. The reports said the incident took place early Saturday morning. No other casualties were reported. It is not clear if the shooting was linked to a militant […]
Iran Says Open to U.S. Ties Without ‘Preconditions’
Iran’s foreign minister on Friday said the Islamic Republic is open to normalizing relations with the U.S. but only on “an equal footing and without preconditions.” Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi’s comments, carried in state-run media, did not directly refer to sanctions imposed by the U.S. over Iran’s disputed nuclear program. Iran and the U.S. […]