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.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (R) meets with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Doha, Qatar, Dec. 5, 2022.

UAE, Qatar to reopen embassies within weeks

UAE-Qatar embassies are expected to reopen with new ambassadors in their posts within weeks or by mid-June latest, according to Reuters sources.

King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa greets Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Abu Dhabi, Jan. 18, 2023.

US welcomes Bahrain, Qatar deal to restore relations

The State Department applauded the "breakthrough" agreement reached between the two US partners in the Middle East.

Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (R) and Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Sameh Shoukry.

Turkey, Egypt inch closer to restoring ties as FMs meet in Ankara

The former Eastern Mediterranean rivals are on the path to rapprochement, but there are no plans for the return of ambassadors as of yet.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

New UAE-Canada flight agreement boosts Emirates capacity by 40%

Emirates said it will add two flights per week between Dubai and Toronto to serve its large number of travelers starting April 20.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (2nd-L) meets with Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (2nd-R) at Great Hall of the People on March 17, 2017 in Beijing, China. At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, King Salman Bin Abdul-Aaziz Al-Saud of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will pay a state visit to China from March 15 to 18, 2017. (Photo by Lintao Zhang - Pool/Getty Images)

China's emergence as Saudi-Iran broker signals multipolar diplomacy in Middle East

As China hosts on Thursday the Saudi and Iranian foreign ministers in Beijing, the Gulf states have an opportunity to capitalize on its growing role.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves the Phillip Burton Federal Building on January 24, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Musk testified at a trial regarding a lawsuit that has investors suing Tesla and Musk over his August 2018 tweets saying he was taking Tesla private with funding that he had secured. The tweet was found to be false and cost shareholders billions of dollars when Tesla's stock price began to fluctuate wildly allegedly based on the tweet. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Elon Musk denies report that Saudi Arabia, UAE intend to invest in SpaceX

An arm of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and an Abu Dhabi-based company were reported to be looking to invest in Elon Musk’s SpaceX, according to The Information, which cited people familiar with investor discussions.

Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani hosts UAE's national security advisor Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed and deputy prime minister Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed at Lusail Palace in Doha. (Qatar’s Diwan)

Analysis

Qatar-UAE 'fraternal' meetings offer sign of growing rapprochement

Although immediate economic partnerships or deals from the UAE and Qatar meetings have yet to be announced, the latest meetings are still a sign that the two Gulf nations are headed into a thaw after years of boycott.

By Salim A. Essaid

UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber speaks during the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibion and Conference at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 13, 2017.

COP-28 head Sultan Al Jaber: UAE ‘running toward’ energy transition

As the climate summit president continues to face criticism for his role as head of the UAE's state oil producer, Sultan Al Jaber argued that his position will serve more as an asset than an obstacle to energy transition.

Bahrain hotel to accept cryptocurrency payments

Crypto continues to grow in Bahrain despite the global crash.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva attends a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 17, 2023. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

IMF director credits Gulf, India in boosting global economy

The World Government Summit highlighted critical issues with the global economy and announced flying taxis in Dubai.

US special envoy to Iran Robert Malley.

Pentagon, State Department officials in Saudi Arabia to talk Iran strategy

Like its predecessors, the Biden administration wants Gulf Cooperation Council states to share air defense intel to defuse potential attacks by Iran, but will they work together?

Vehicles of forces loyal to Libya's Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah are parked along the waterfront (with the "That El Emad Towers" complex seen in the background) in the capital Tripoli on May 17, 2022 hours after forces of the rival Tobruk-based government withdrew following heavy fighting between opposing militias. (Photo by MAHMUD TURKIA/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE and Qatar manage shifting policies, fluid alliances in Libya