Economy and trade

Elke Scholiers/Getty Images

Oil falls below $74 as Hormuz traffic recovers after Iran war

Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, was trading at $73.81 a barrel at 10:40 a.m. EDT, down 4.2% from Tuesday's close.

A picture shows the four seasons hotel in Beirut with the snow covered mountain of Sannine in the background on March 8, 2019.

Explainer

Lebanon advances controversial $500K golden visa law: What to know

While its supporters say the scheme would help Lebanon's economy recover, critics say it could offer a channel for corruption.

Qatar's Energy Minister and CEO of QatarEnergy Saad Sherida al-Kaabi speaks during a press conference in Doha on June 22, 2026.

Explainer

Qatar blast underscores challenges in race to restart Gulf energy flows

The deadly explosion marks an early test of Gulf efforts to revive oil and gas production following a historic energy supply shock caused by the US-Israel-Iran war.

A worker counts banknotes after filling up the tank of a vehicle at a petrol station in Giza on March 10, 2026.

Interview

US-Egypt fund makes case for economic statecraft in hard power era

As Washington focuses on war and deterrence, the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund argues private-sector investment can advance US strategic interests.

Cornelius Queen

Cornelius Queen

Senior Vice President of the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund

Latest News

Oil falls more than 3% after Iran, US signal progress in talks

MUSCAT, OMAN - JUNE 21: Oil tankers and cargo vessels remain anchored off Port Sultan Qaboos around Qaboos Port on June 21, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. The Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for the region's oil and gas, was effectively blockaded since the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran in late February. This week's provisional peace deal between the countries was meant to reopen the waterway to shipping traffic, but the pace of that reopening is unclear amid continued fighting in Lebano

Analysis

US-Iran deal delivers $300 billion controversy, reconstruction questions

A woman walks past a billboard displaying Iran's national flag at Enghelab Square in Tehran on June 14, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Interview

Franco-Gulf investment holds firm despite Iran war, French official says

French Trade & Invest Commissioner for United Arab Emirates and Middle East and Business France's regional director for the Middle East Axel Baroux. — Business France

Axel Baroux

France’s trade and investment commissioner for the UAE and Middle East

Gulf investment to turn inward to rebuild postwar infrastructure: QNB

A picture taken on June 5, 2017, shows a man walking past the Qatar National Bank branch in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Stock market brokers work at the Egyptian Exchange, Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 6, 2013.

Some Egyptian companies still dealing with Russia's alternative financial system

Some Egyptian companies are secretly dealing with a Russian alternative financial system, in anticipation of international sanctions by the United States.

A fisherman tries to catch a freshly caught tilapia fish in a boat on the Nile River in the village of Gabal al-Tayr, north of the southern city of Minya, Egypt, Nov. 13, 2019.

Egypt to increase fish production at Lake Bardawil

Egypt is to develop one of the most important lakes in the north to ramp up its fish production and improve the economy in the northern Sinai Peninsula.

Chef Mahmoud Abd El Gaid prepares a veal steak at Pipa, an Italian restaurant, in Cairo on Monday Nov. 14, 2022.

Egyptian students turn to private companies for employable skills

Many Egyptian youth are graduating from universities and colleges without the skill sets needed to enter the current job market.

Herzog

Israel’s president in UAE after historic visit to Bahrain

Israel's President Isaac Herzog is in Bahrain, the next stop on his historic tour.

Lebanon fans cheer during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Asian qualification soccer match between the United Arab Emrites and Lebanon at Zabeel Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 2, 2021.

Many Lebanese not able to watch World Cup matches

Many Lebanese have been dismayed by the news that the 2022 FIFA World Cup will not be broadcast on the public channel Tele Liban due to financial difficulties.

Autonomous bus

Israel launches $17m self-driving public bus project

The Transportation Ministry decided on the companies that would be authorized to launch a two-year pilot program of autonomous public transportation.

Emirates Israel

Abraham Accords, World Cup drive increase in Israeli air traffic

Ongoing rapprochement and the World Cup tournament currently underway in Qatar have driven a significant increase in air traffic to the region via Israel.

Egyptians buy sugar from a truck as the country suffers from a sugar shortage, Cairo, Egypt, Oct. 26, 2016.

Egypt suffering from sugar crisis despite largest sugar factory in the world

Sugar prices have recently witnessed a record rise in Egypt despite the country’s opening of the largest sugar production plant earlier this year.

Cranes and containers are pictured on November 12, 2014, in the Tunisian port city of Rades. The World Bank said in a report published last September that Tunisia's economic model of manufacturing for exports and protecting the domestic market was valid in the 1970s but since then had hindered progress. AFP PHOTO / FETHI BELAID (Photo credit should read FETHI BELAID/AFP via Getty Images)

New PRO Memo: Tunisia’s potential IMF deal to boost manufacturing investments

The loan could provide much-needed economic balance for Tunisian manufacturers.

ANIS MILI/AFP via Getty Images

Tunisia import restrictions to hinder trade with EU

European and Tunisian economic observers are concerned over new technical measures for clearing imports into Tunisia that could limit imports that support Tunisia’s industries and trade.

Traders follow the movement of stock prices at the Boursa Kuwait (Kuwait Stock Exchange) in Kuwait City on March 2, 2022.

Kuwait benefits from oil price boom but long-term economic challenges loom

Key reforms and a lack of a diversified economy remain only two of Kuwait's major challenges.

Delegates gather at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Center in Egypt.

Egypt, Israel seek to boost trade exchange following COP27

Israel offered Egypt to develop rice cultivation using the latest technologies and curb the water shortage crisis in Cairo, within the framework of the two countries’ efforts to increase trade exchange.