GCC Relations

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

Interview

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

French investors are reallocating capital toward strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence and technology rather than pulling out of the region altogether.

Axel Baroux

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

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji meets with Fahd bin Abdulrahman bin Hathloul Al-Dosari, the new Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, in Beirut on June 17, 2026.

Who is Fahd Al-Dosari, Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador to Lebanon?

Ambassador Fahd bin Abdulrahman bin Hathloul Al-Dosari, a seasoned diplomat, arrives in Beirut as Saudi Arabia seeks to strengthen its ties with Lebanon.

Veiled women in black Chadors wave Iran and Hezbollah flags during commemoration at the Iranian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 22, 2026.

Gulf cautiously welcomes US-Iran deal as Hezbollah congratulates Tehran

Arab and regional countries welcomed the deal to end the war between Iran and the United States.

Aluminum from Dubai sits in the BMW Landshut factory on Oct. 25, 2024 in Ergolding, Germany.

Analysis

Gulf aluminum pursues global deals as Hormuz crisis accelerates shift

Gulf aluminum exporters are targeting global deals amid fallout from the US-Israel-Iran war, which has pushed prices to multiyear highs in early June.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Saudi Arabia lifts 5-year ban on Lebanon imports: What to know

Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam (R) shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan before their meeting in Beirut on Jan. 23, 2025.

Bahrain bans mourning of Iran's Khamenei as Gulf reels from attacks

Ashura

Analysis

Why Iran strikes on Kuwait pose dilemma for US Navy’s blockade

Smoke rises from an area of Kuwait's international airport after a reported drone strike on April 1, 2026.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Kuwait blames Iran for deadly airport attack as war escalates: What to know

Kuwaiti security officers stand beneath a screen displaying portraits of the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah (R) and the Kuwaiti crown prince Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Hamad al-Sabah, alongside the words "Pride and Glory", at Kuwait International Airport in Kuwait City on June 1, 2026, as the airport resumes operations following a phased reopening plan.

Ronald Al Nassr

Analysis

2023 in review: The year Saudi Arabia became sports superpower

The kingdom has been laying the groundwork to become a sporting leader for decades, but this year marked a turning point as investment ramped up.

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

The Chinese and the Saudi flags adorning a street in Riyadh ahead of the Chinese president's visit to the Saudi capital, Dec. 7, 2022.

Saudi PIF ups investment in China’s Alibaba-backed tech fund

eWTP Arabia Capital invests in energy and technology start-ups across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.

The Burj Khalifa (C) stands surrounded by other skyscrapers in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 29, 2020.

Kuwait, Qatar, UAE telecoms merge assets into $2.2B tower company

Three Gulf companies will create a new entity, which has not yet been publicly named, combining around 30,000 tower assets in Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and Tunisia.

Meloni MBS

Italy and Saudi Arabia in talks for major deals as ties grow under Meloni

The government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which came into power in October 2022, has been working to deepen ties with energy- and cash-rich states in the Middle East and North Africa.

Saudi Finance Minister

Saudi Arabia to sign more than $500M in deals with African countries

Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih said the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund, will make some “game changing” investments in Africa.

Tourists and locals visit the Dubai Mall aquarium in downtown Dubai, January 2, 2019.

What the Gulf states new unified visa means for Saudi, UAE, other citizens

The new Schengen-like visa — allowing seamless travel between members Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — will be introduced during 2024-25.

Riyadh

Saudi Arabia's oil cuts weigh heavy on economy, GDP tanks by 4.5%

The kingdom's economy shrunk by the most since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 due to energy measures.

Italian FM

Italy's FM in Saudi Arabia to talk energy partnerships, investments as ties grow

The far-right government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has worked to strengthen ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Visitors and Aramco staff climb a dune at Shaybah, the base for Saudi Aramco's Natural Gas Liquids plant and oil production in the surrounding Shaybah field in Saudi Arabia's remote Empty quarter desert close to the United Arab Emirates, on May 10, 2016. Despite collapsed global oil prices, production is expanding at Shaybah, as it is in other units of the company at the centre of the kingdom's Vision 2030 drive for diversification away from oil. The Saudi government plans to sell less than five percent of

Saudi Arabia projects $21 billion deficit as economy diversifies from oil

The kingdom was among the world’s fastest-growing economies last year with almost 9% GDP growth after a petrodollar boom amid a global rise in energy prices due to inflation and the Ukraine war.

Muslim devotees take part in a rally to celebrate Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, which marks the birth anniversary of the Prophet Mohammad, in Karachi on September 29, 2023. (Photo by Asif HASSAN / AFP) (Photo by ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Pakistan, Gulf Cooperation Council sign 'preliminary' free trade agreement

When the final trade deal comes into effect, it will likely be the GCC's first since 2009.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends breakfast with the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) on September 18, 2023 in New York.

Blinken defends Iran prisoner swap at meeting with Gulf counterparts

The US secretary of state also touted the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, seen as competition to China’s Belt and Road Initiative, ahead of the discussion with Gulf Cooperation Council member states.

UAE NZ

UAE trade offensive continues, this time with New Zealand deal

The UAE is looking to secure its sixth trade agreement of the year as it increases its non-oil trade globally, with intentions to reach $1.09 billion by 2031.

United Arab Emirates