Saudi Arabia warns escalating Middle East threats risk global trade, energy security

Urges stronger international cooperation to protect Gulf states and shipping routes at UNGA Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan addresses the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly at the UN headquarters in New York on Saturday. Photo: Anadolu Agency Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan on Saturday warned that escalating threats across the Middle East risked international peace, energy security and global trade, calling for stronger international cooperation to protect Gulf states and vital shipping routes. Addressing the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Prince Faisal said Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region had been subjected to 'flagrant Iranian attacks' targeting security resources as well as civilian and economic facilities. He reaffirmed the Kingdom's right to protect its security and sovereignty, citizens, residents and national resources, while urging the international community to confront threats to international peace and security. Read: Trump rejects Iranian proposal to open Hormuz and end fighting 'The security of the Gulf region is part and parcel of the security of the region and the world at large,' he said. The foreign minister stressed that stability in the Gulf was directly connected to global energy security, international trade and supply chains. He called for freedom of navigation in international waterways, highlighting the Strait of Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and rejected their use by any party as an instrument of pressure or threat. He also called for the situation in the Strait of Hormuz to return to its status before Feb 28, 'without the imposition of any fees or restrictions'. Despite the tensions, he backed efforts to de-escalate, including initiatives by Qatar, Pakistan and other countries, and advocated comprehensive and sustainable regional security arrangements addressing the underlying causes of instability. 20260926 UN Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan a-Saud of Saudi Arabia Addresses the United Nations General Assembly pic.twitter.com/GBdrZVhxdG — Robert Waloven (@comlabman) September 26, 2026 He also called for the entire region to be free of weapons of mass destruction and for peaceful nuclear programmes to be subject to international oversight and safeguards. Turning to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the foreign minister condemned the targeting of civilians, obstruction of humanitarian assistance, attempted forced displacement and expansion of settlements. He said a just and lasting peace could only be achieved through a two-state solution and establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. On Yemen, he called for a comprehensive political solution to restore stability and alleviate suffering, noting that Saudi Arabia had provided more than $29 billion in humanitarian and development assistance. He also condemned missile and drone attacks by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia and commercial vessels, calling on the international community to reject acts threatening navigation in the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb. Turning to other challenges, Prince Faisal highlighted the achievements of Saudi Vision 2030 and argued that energy security and climate action should be mutually reinforcing rather than competing goals. He called for realistic energy transitions that did not exclude any source, while pointing to Saudi investments in renewable energy, clean hydrogen, carbon capture technologies and more resilient infrastructure. On artificial intelligence, the foreign minister urged international cooperation to ensure the technology was used responsibly and in the service of development, highlighting Saudi initiatives on AI capacity-building and ethics. Concluding, he said the challenges facing the world could not be confronted by individual countries acting alone. Security, he added, could only be sustained through adherence to the UN Charter, respect for international law and cooperation aimed at peaceful solutions, stability and sustainable development.