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Economy & Business

Indian vessel 'Nanda Devi' carrying liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) arrives at Vadinar Port in the Jamnagar district of Gujarat state on March 17, 2026 after Iran allowed it to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a key energy corridor that remains disrupted by the Middle East war.

Iran’s Hormuz choke hold leaves West divided as energy markets reel

Between March 1 and March 19, there were only 114 crossings of the strait, according to analytics firm Kpler — 95% less than prewar traffic.

Excess gas is burned at the oil refinery in Israel's northern city of Haifa late on March 19, 2026.

Analysis

Iran expands energy targets beyond Gulf as Red Sea and East Med come into play

In retaliation for strikes on its energy sector, Tehran's campaign against regional oil and gas infrastructure has intensified and broadened to include Saudi Arabia's Yanbu port and an Israeli refinery in Haifa.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrives to attend an event in the East Room of the White House, Washington, DC, March 5, 2026.

US weighs easing Iran oil sanctions amid Hormuz crisis: What to know

A possible move by the Treasury would reduce pressure on Iranian crude as Washington seeks to offset supply losses tied to Iran's virtual closure of the strait.

A picture of Qatar Energy's operating facilities on March 3, 2026 in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar.

Analysis

How Iran's strike on Qatar gas field could impact LNG market for years

Damage from an Iranian strike on the world's largest LNG export hub could take significant supply offline for years as Qatar considers whether to declare force majeure on long-term contracts supplying Europe and Asia.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

After 35% surge, how far could Gulf disruptions push European gas?

In this aerial view, Storage tanks at Grain LNG importation terminal, operated by National Grid Plc sit near the River Medway in the Thames Estuary on March 12, 2026, in Isle of Grain, England.

UAE steps in to support banks as war pressure builds: What to know

AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

Iran war tests Gulf dealmaking as foreign investors assess risks

The city skyline is pictued in Dubai on March 11, 2026. The oil-rich Gulf has borne the brunt of Iran's attacks in response to US-Israeli strikes that sparked the Middle East war, with Tehran targeting US assets but also civilian infrastructure. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP via Getty Images)

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

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

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao sits on the main stage at Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW) in an interview with Mike Novogratz, the CEO of Galaxy Digital Holdings.

The Business & Tech Briefing: Binance CEO takes heat at Abu Dhabi event after FTX fall

In this weekly newsletter, Greg Cohen rounds up the biggest business and technology stories from the region.

Al-Monitor Staff

By Al-Monitor Staff

A woman takes a photo of a display at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Center during the COP27 climate conference, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Nov. 15, 2022.

Middle East startups rise to challenges of climate change

With COP27 underway in Egypt, climate adaptation startups in the Middle East and North Africa work to create new platforms in the face of the urgent action required to combat climate change.

A Moroccan farmer walks past solar panels that are connected to a generator which feeds a pump extracting water from underground in Tafoughalt, a little village deep in the mountains of Morocco's eastern Berkane province, on October 31, 2016. As the Cop22 gets underway in Marrakesh, negotiators are thrashing out the details of a landmark global agreement designed to stave off disastrous climate change, but in Tafoughalt that impact is being felt already. Rising temperatures are among the factors making the

New PRO memo: Morocco’s transition to renewable energies to accelerate amid high hydrocarbons prices

Morocco is on track to have renewable sources account for more electricity generation than fossil fuels by 2025.

A Moroccan farmer walks past solar panels that are connected to a generator which feeds a pump extracting water from underground in Tafoughalt, a little village deep in the mountains of Morocco's eastern Berkane province, on October 31, 2016. As the Cop22 gets underway in Marrakesh, negotiators are thrashing out the details of a landmark global agreement designed to stave off disastrous climate change, but in Tafoughalt that impact is being felt already. Rising temperatures are among the factors making the

Morocco’s transition to renewable energies to accelerate amid high hydrocarbons prices

Francisco Serrano

Francisco Serrano

In Lisbon, reporting on North Africa business

His Excellency Sultan Abdulrahman Al-Marshad, CEO of the Saudi Fund for Development, today signed a memorandum of understanding in Guinea Conakry with His Excellency Moussa Cissé.

Saudi Arabia continues inroads into Africa with Guinea water project

The Saudi Fund for Development’s grant to the West African country will also utilize solar power technology.

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Israel-Lebanon gas deal proceeds with TotalEnergies, Eni agreement

The agreement will allow the French and Italian energy companies to move forward with gas exploration off the coast of Lebanon.

Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank, speaks.

Egypt’s Banque Misr receives loan from African Development Bank, China

The loan could help Egyptian startups and comes amid Egypt’s ongoing economic crisis.

Saudi passengers take the train on an internal trip in Riyadh's only railway station 19 September 2004. Only four passenger trains per day operate from the six-platform station and along the sole operating track in the vast desert kingdom. The trains carried around 900,000 passengers in 2003 between the capital -- home to some four million -- and the center of the oil-rich Eastern Province. The Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) believes that the existing service has improved immensely during the past three

Rail development to grow across GCC, with Saudi Arabia & UAE leading the charge

Afshin Molavi

Masdar City, UAE

The Gulf Briefing: green deals and oil talks at COP27

In this weekly newsletter, Sebastian Castelier rounds up the biggest Gulf stories from the region.

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

US, Europe pledge $500 million at COP27 for clean energy transition in Egypt

As COP27 continues in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh, dozens of countries have announced investments in climate-related projects including a $500 million package to help Egypt decarbonize.

An Iraqi worker adjusts a control valve at the Daura oil refinery, Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 5, 2009.

Iraq expands refining capacity to reduce oil product imports

Many of the refineries in Iraq are outdated and operate below capacity.

The new Iraqi dinar banknotes are shown ready for distribution at the Bank of Baghdad, as the currency is introduced for the first time, Iraq, Oct. 15, 2003.

Will Iraq's new government reconsider dinar exchange rate?

A number of leaders of the Coordination Framework, the bloc leading the new Iraqi government, are pushing to increase the value of the dinar in an attempt to support the poor — yet some argue the measure could backfire.