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Royal Dutch Shell and Saudi Aramco appear to be getting a divorce, breaking up their joint venture in U.S.-based refining assets. The two companies joined together to create Motiva Enterprises LLC in 1998, a 50-50 joint venture that operated three refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast. But Shell and Saudi Aramco have seen their interests head in different directions. "It is now time for the partners to pursue their independent downstream goals," said Abdulrahman Al-Wuhaib, a senior vice president of Saudi Aramco’s downstream unit. Reuters reported that the relationship started to fray after Motiva announced a $10 billion expansion of...

Saudi Arabia’s oil minister spoke in Houston at the IHS CERAWeek conference, where he poured cold water on the prospect of a production cut. Saudi oil minister Ali al-Naimi, one of the most important voices in the oil world, spoke at the conference on Tuesday. He first suggested that the production freeze being negotiated between several key OPEC members and Russia could be a building block. “Freeze is the beginning of a process, and that means if we can get all the major producers to agree not to add additional balance, then this high inventory we have now will probably...

At a Wednesday morning campaign event in Bluffton, SC, Donald Trump takes his relitigation of the Bush administration's record on 9/11 and Iraq to the next level, seeming to imply that we don't currently know who "really" committed the 9/11 attacks. Trump says if he is elected: "you will find out who really knocked down the World Trade Center." "It wasn't the Iraqis," he explained. "You may find it's the Saudis." "They have papers in there that are very secret," he also said, referencing the 28 still-classified pages of the 9/11 commission report. "But you will find out."

On Saturday, the geopolitical world was shocked when Turkey began shelling Aleppo, where the Syrian opposition has its back against the wall in the face of an aggressive advance by Hezbollah and the IRGC supported, of course, by Russian airstrikes. To be sure, everyone knew Ankara and Riyadh would have to do something quick if they wanted to preserve the rebellion. Their proxies are being rolled up rapidly by Hassan Nasrallah's army and Vladimir Putin's air force juggernaut. But few expected the escalation would come so quickly. But Recep Tayyip Erdogan is unpredictable (just ask the lone surviving pilot of...

Dubai (AFP) - Saudi Arabia has deployed warplanes to a Turkish airbase in order to "intensify" its operations against the Islamic State group in Syria, a senior Saudi defence official has said. "The Saudi kingdom now has a presence at Incirlik airbase in Turkey," brigadier general Ahmed al-Assiri was quoted as saying by Al-Arabiya television late on Saturday. "Saudi warplanes are present with their crews to intensify aerial operations along with missions launched from bases in Saudi Arabia," Assiri said, without providing further details. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Saturday that Saudi jets would be deployed at Incirlik, and...

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister says if the Syrian political process fails, President Bashar al-Assad will have to be removed "by force." "I believe Bashar al-Assad is weak and I believe Bashar al-Assad is finished," Saudi Arabia's foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir told CNN's Christiane Amanpour in an exclusive interview in Munich, Germany. Saudi Arabia is prepared to contribute ground troops to the fight in Syria, but only as part of a U.S.-led coalition, he said. "Bashar al-Assad will leave - have no doubt about it. He will either leave by a political process or he will be removed by force." "We...

A more detestable regime than Saudi Arabia could not be found. Arguably the most repressive regime on earth. An absolute monarchy. A Wahhabist theocratic nightmare that arms ISIS. Only North Korea may be worse, and North Korea does not put women in burqas or have any areas where female genital mutilation (FGM) is practiced. It is a close call. At least North Korea does not ban alcohol. Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2016/01/the_end_of_saudi_arabia.html#ixzz3xvSaCmLo Follow us: @AmericanThinker on Twitter | AmericanThinker on Facebook

Saudi Arabia is not ruling out developing a nuclear bomb if its regional rival Iran obtains one, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told the Reuters news agency on Tuesday. Asked if Saudi Arabia had discussed seeking a nuclear bomb in the event Iran managed to obtain one, al-Jubeir replied the country would do "whatever we need to do in order to protect our people". "I don't think it would be logical to expect us to discuss any such issue in public and I don't think it would be reasonable to expect me to answer this question one way or another,"...

KING Salman of Saudi Arabia could be preparing to upend the succession of the House of Saud by abdicating in favour of his controversial 30-year-old son Prince Mohammed bin Salman, bypassing his designated successor, according to American diplomatic sources. At present Salman, 80, is due to be succeeded by his nephew, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 56. A report by the Washington-based Gulf Institute, supported by Saudi dissidents, claimed last week that the king could change the rules and install his son.

Full title..."2 Saudi Arabian Nationals Plead Guilty to Renting Guns, Buying Ammunition Illegally at Poway Shooting Range" Two Saudi Arabian nationals pleaded guilty to federal weapons charges stemming from an incident at a shooting range in Poway. Two men were arrested and a third is wanted for illegally renting firearms and purchasing ammunition at the Poway Weapons and Gear gun range for target practice. Saad Mutlak Alsahli, Muath Ahmed Alraqibah and Abdulrahman Abdullah Alolaymi rented a Sig Sauer 9mm pistol and a Bravo .223 caliber rifle and bought 100 rounds of .223 caliber ammunition and 50 rounds of 9mm ammunition...

The great Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—the long-time dictator of crude oil prices for the world—is struggling on all fronts. The Saudis are losing their proxy wars in both Syria and Yemen; their OPEC leadership is under threat; they are not winning the crude oil price war; and its long-running alliance with the West is in question. From Saudi Arabia’s perspective, Iran seems to be gaining ground everywhere. Saudi Arabia has several weaknesses that help explain the current anxiety emanating from Riyadh. 1. Saudi Arabia losing its leadership in the OPEC Saudi Arabia has been the default leader of OPEC; however,...

Tue Jan 12, 2016 7:18 Several Blasts Rock Aramco Oil Facilities TEHRAN (FNA)- A number of blasts hit Baqiq industrial city in the Southern Saudi province of Jizan where the kingdom's giant Aramco oil facilities is located. The local residents of Al-Sharqiya region where the Baqiq industrial city and the Aramco oil facilities are located confirmed huge explosions near the huge oil facilities, the Arabic-language media outlets reported on Tuesday. Baqiq industrial city belongs to Aramco oil company which itself is Saudi Arabia's biggest economic enterprise. The oilfields of Aramco, including Qawareh oilfield, are located in Shiite-populated Eastern Saudi Arabia....

Saudi Arabia stews in policy hell: Spengler By David P. Goldman on January 3, 2016 in David P. Goldman, Spengler, China, Middle East, AT Top Writers Last week's mass executions in Saudi Arabia suggest panic at the highest level of the monarchy. The action is without precedent, even by the grim standards of Saudi repression. In 1980 Riyadh killed 63 jihadists who had attacked the Grand Mosque of Mecca, but that was fresh after the event. Most of the 47 prisoners shot and beheaded on Jan. 2 had sat in Saudi jails for a decade. The decision to kill the...

Over the weekend, a series of dramatic events stemming from Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr plunged the Mid-East further into chaos. The torching of the Saudi embassy in Tehran prompted Riyadh to cut diplomatic ties with the Iranians and on Monday, Bahrain quickly followed while the UAE recalled its ambassador. Now, the stage is set for a full blown sectarian showdown complete with protests by oppressed Shiites in the Gulf states, anti-Sunni sentiment in Iran and Iraq, and, in a worst case scenario, a direct (as opposed to a proxy) conflict between the Saudis and the Iranians....

BAGHDAD — Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran on Sunday and gave all Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave the kingdom, as escalating tensions over the execution of an outspoken Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia marked a new low in relations between the two Middle Eastern powers. The surprise move, announced in a televised news conference by Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, followed harsh criticism by Iranian leaders of the Saudi execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and the storming of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran by protestors in response. Mr. Jubeir said that the kingdom would not allow...

Saudi Arabia has announced that it is severing diplomatic ties with Iran following Saturday's attack of its embassy in Tehran during protests. Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi foreign minister, made the announcement on Sunday as the foreign ministry announced that it would ask the Iranian diplomatic mission to leave the kingdom within 48 hours. The Saudi foreign ministry has also announced that the staff of its diplomatic mission have been evacuated, and are now on their way back to Saudi.

Iran reveals true face by defending terror acts: KSA Published -- Sunday 3 January 2016 RIYADH: Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry on Sunday said Tehran revealed its true face "by its defense of terrorist acts" after Iran criticized the Kingdom's execution of a Shiite cleric convicted of terrorism charges. In a statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the ministry accused Tehran of "blind sectarianism" and said Iran's reaction only shows that it is a "partner in their crimes in the entire region." The ministry summoned Iran's ambassador to the kingdom to protest Iran's criticism of the execution, saying it...

Beirut - In the 24-minute audio posted on Saturday, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi says airstrikes by the international coalition only increase his group's determination and resolve. The Islamic State group has released a new message purportedly from its reclusive leader, claiming his self-styled "caliphate" is doing "well" despite an unprecedented alliance against it. In the 24-minute audio posted on Saturday, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi says airstrikes by the international coalition only increase his group's determination and resolve. He also mocks a recently announced Saudi-led Islamic alliance against "terrorism" and warns Israel that "we are getting closer to you" every day. To Israeli...

A millionaire businessman has been found not guilty of rape after claiming he accidentally penetrated her when he tripped and fell. Ehsan Abdulaziz, 46, was initially accused of forcing himself on the 18-year-old as she slept on a couch at his London flat after a night of drinking. The Saudi property developer said he had already had sex with the young woman’s 24-year-old friend and it was possible his penis may have been poking out of his underwear when he tripped. The Mirror reported the group had met at an exclusive West End club last year where he entertained them...

Full title: Saudi millionaire cleared of raping teenager after telling court he may have accidentally penetrated 18-year-old when he tripped and fell on her A Saudi millionaire has been cleared of raping a teenager after claiming he might have accidentally penetrated the 18-year-old when he tripped and fell. Property developer Ehsan Abdulaziz, 46, was accused of forcing himself on the young woman as she slept off a night of drinking on the sofa in his plush flat in Maida Vale, west London. He had already had sex with her 24-year-old friend and said he might have fallen on top of...