Economy and trade

Saudi Air Force advanced F-15SA fighter jets perform during a ceremony in Riyadh on Jan. 25, 2017.

Analysis

2025: Why Gulf defense megadeals finally met reality

From fighter jet debates to drones and megadeals, Gulf defense planners are shifting from political signaling to tangible results.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

A picture taken from a station of Dubai's Palm Monorail shows traffic on a road in Palm Jumeirah on Aug. 28, 2025.

Feature

Cheap oil, tighter finances, wars constrained Mid East economies in 2025

Low oil prices, tighter financial conditions and elevated geopolitical risk hampered growth across much of the Middle East and North Africa this year.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

View of Damietta Segas LNG Terminal, in Damietta, Egypt, which is an export terminal belong to Spanish Egyptian Gas Company.

Analysis

Egypt’s $35B Israel gas deal buys time, tests fragile energy partnership

The agreement is a critical stopgap as Cairo grapples with domestic power demands, but the last two years have tested Egypt-Israel energy cooperation in unprecedented ways.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran Iranian 100 rial banknotes.

Analysis

Iran currency plunges to historic low amid factional blame game

As Iran's judiciary publicly rebukes the central bank over the rial's collapse, the currency crisis is no longer economic and is fast becoming a test of political accountability and regime stability.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Yemeni ministries declare support for STC campaign as Gulf tensions flare

Saleh Al-OBEIDI / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Gulf finance hubs race to expand as hedge funds flock to Dubai, Abu Dhabi

Traffic moves on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai on March 24, 2025.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Maersk resumes Red Sea passage after two-year halt amid easing Houthi threat

A ship sails along Egypt's Suez Canal near Ismailia, April 16, 2025.

Analysis

How Netanyahu ceded to Trump, agreed to Egypt's $35B gas deal

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, EGYPT - OCTOBER 13: U.S. President Donald Trump and President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi clasp hands as they speak to the press before their meeting on October 13, 2025 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. President Trump is in Egypt to meet with European and Middle Eastern leaders in what’s being billed as an international peace summit, following the start of a US-brokered ceasefire deal to end the war in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presents the new government to parliament at the Knesset in Jerusalem on Dec. 29, 2022.

Israel's Netanyahu approves $35B natural gas megadeal with Egypt

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Israel will sell Egypt natural gas worth $35 billion, in the biggest-ever deal of its kind for the country.

TATYANA MAKEYEVA/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iran’s FM Araghchi in Moscow as biting sanctions drive closer Russia ties

The economic agenda of the meetings in Moscow and Tehran reflected a deliberate effort by both governments to signal momentum in a partnership increasingly shaped by isolation from the West.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II (R) meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jordan, on Dec. 16, 2025.

India’s Modi eyes closer ties with Jordan, Oman during visits

Modi’s two-day visit to Jordan made investments and economic cooperation a central piece of the talks with Amman.

Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade Hassan El Khatib speaking at the Egyptian-Qatari Investment Forum in Cairo, Egypt on Dec. 14, 2025 (State Information Service)

Egypt secures Qatari investment boost, launches first SCZONE industrial deal

Bilateral trade between the two countries rose to $143 million during the first 10 months of 2025.

WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 07: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (L) talks to U.S. President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025 in Washington, DC. President Trump is meeting with Netanyahu to discuss ongoing efforts to release Israeli hostages from Gaza and newly imposed U.S. tariffs. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Exclusive

Inside Netanyahu’s pressure campaign to block Turkey, Saudi Arabia from acquiring F-35s

On Dec. 1, Netanyahu met in his Jerusalem office with Frank St. John, chief operating officer of Lockheed Martin, lead contractor for the F-35's production.

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan walk at the Kremlin following their talks in Moscow on August 7, 2025. (Photo by Gavriil Grigorov / POOL / AFP) (Photo by GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE, Russia host first joint business forum despite Ukraine war sanctions

Trade between the two countries is projected to exceed $10 billion in 2025.

United Arab Emirates

Russian Sukhoi Su-35S fighter aircrafts, Su-34 military fighter jets and Su-30SM jet fighters fly over downtown Moscow during a military parade on June 24, 2020.

Analysis

Russian leak signals Su-35s for Iran moving to production: What to know

Recently leaked documents suggest 16 fighters are already on Russian assembly lines, with deliveries slated through 2027. For Tehran, it would be the first meaningful fighter upgrade in decades.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

An aerial view shows the destruction across Yarmouk camp, Damascus, Syria, on Nov. 8, 2025.

What role is Jordan playing in Syria's reconstruction?

As Syria’s southern neighbor, Jordan is already positioning itself as a logistics hub and diplomatic broker for Syria’s reconstruction.

currency exchange in Tehran

Iran currency dips to new low of 1.2M per dollar as sanctions bite: What to know

Since US President Donald Trump took office in January, the rial has plummeted.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (C/L) welcomes President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at The Chigi Palace in Rome, on Feb. 24, 2025.

Meloni to attend GCC summit in Bahrain as Italy deepens Gulf ties

The summit is expected to focus on economic integration in the Gulf, but regional issues will likely loom just as large, including post-war Gaza and the conflict in Sudan.

Spots of gold-rich ore speckle a stone pictured during a press tour at the Al-Amar Gold Mine, in the Riyadh region on May 28, 2008.

Analysis

US-Gulf critical minerals ties grow in bid to weaken China’s grip on industry

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are emerging as indispensable partners to the United States in its efforts to “friend-shore” a strategic sector and supply chains dominated by China.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

His Excellency President CyrilRamaphosa welcomes G20 Heads of State and Government to the G20 Leaders’ Summit, hosted by South Africa at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Gauteng, on Nov. 22, 2025.

UAE showcases global AI ambitions with $1B Africa pledge at G20

The Gulf country is the world's top investor in Africa, with Emirati companies committing $100 billion to projects on the continent between 2019 and 2023, according to data from the Financial Times.

United Arab Emirates