Saudi Arabia freezes work for western consultants, even as oil revenue rises

Saudi Arabia freezes work for western consultants, even as oil revenue rises Submitted by MEE staff on Thu, 05/21/2026 - 17:35 Kingdom's decision to crackdown on consultants comes as part of wider review that started before the war on Iran People walk along Riyadh's commercial Tahlia Street late at night, on 4 April 2026 (Fayez Nureldine/AFP) Off Saudi Arabia has stopped issuing new contracts for western consultants and delayed some payments, despite the kingdom’s oil export revenue soaring to a three-year high on the back of the US-Israeli war on Iran. The halt in new consultancy contracts came after the US-Israeli war on Iran erupted, The Financial Times reported on Thursday. One executive told the paper that payments of existing invoices have also been postponed until the end of the second quarter, which is the end of June.