As I reported earlier this week, the Yemen takeover of the Red Sea has changed everything in the Middle East, and things are moving fast now. CBS News published photos of destroyed U.S. bases in the Middle East yesterday for the first time since the Iran War started, claiming that the photos were sent to them by "active service members on condition of anonymity." "These are not 'squirters' getting through," the service member added, referencing language used by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. "We're not defending these bases. We're just watching them get destroyed." As I write this on September 16, 2026, Saudi Arabia is currently exporting ZERO oil. This is the country with the largest oil company in the world, Aramco, which was started by the United States and today employs tens of thousands of Americans in Saudi Arabia. There were reports earlier this week that Saudi Arabia's leader, Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), was under house arrest, but he appeared in public yesterday in a state visit to Egypt, dispelling those rumors. But that doesn't mean that there is not currently chaos in the Royal Al-Saud family, and even the possibility that the Al-Saud family could be in danger of being able to hold on to its power in Saudi Arabia. The original name of this area was just "Arabia", and included what is today called "Yemen." In spite of the success of Yemen forces to take over the Red Sea and bomb Saudi Arabia's oil production offline, there is no sign that the U.S. or Israel are close to admitting defeat. On the contrary, it has been reported this week that the U.S. is preparing to sell 60,000 highly destructive, 2,000-pound (907kg) bombs to Israel in a multibillion-dollar package which will be funded by American taxpayers, a move that is almost unprecedented in modern history.

The pact reflects Riyadh's efforts to broaden its strategic partnerships beyond its traditional reliance on the United States.