Economy & Business - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Business and Economy Cover Image

Economy & Business

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian holds a press conference on Aug. 19, 2026.

China slams Trump over economic war on Iran: What to know

China’s once significant oil imports from Iran have been impacted by the war in the region and increasing US sanctions.

Iranians drive past an anti-US billboard at Enghelab Square in central Tehran, Aug. 3, 2026.

Trump’s Iran ‘economic D-Day’ threat sends oil prices above $94

In a Truth Social post, the president threatened that any country that provides a financial lifeline to Iran will face "tremendous economic consequences."

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Iraq seeks special Hormuz access from Iran in scramble to keep oil flowing

As Iran's parliament speaker holds talks in Baghdad, Iraq has asked Tehran for special consideration for its oil exports.

Latest News

Turkey looks to expand Syria energy footprint into oil, gas

President Ahmad al-Sharaa meets Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar at the People’s Palace in Damascus, Syria, on Aug. 19, 2026.

Oil nears $92 on UAE missile alert as Trump claims Iran talks stuck

Leon Neal/Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Explainer

What US sanctions on Syria remain as Shibani, Barrack hold talks?

RAMI AL SAYED/AFP via Getty Images

UAE billionaire Habtoor takes aim at Ben Gvir’s Gaza rhetoric

A picture take on Sept. 13, 2017, shows Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, chairman of the Al Habtoor Group, attending the World Premiere of La Perle in Dubai.

United Arab Emirates

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

Sudani germany

Iraqi PM in Germany to sign agreement with Siemens

Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani traveled to Germany Thursday to further economic ties between the two countries and sign an agreement with Siemens to repair Iraq's dilapidated electrical infrastructure.

Saudi mine

Saudi Arabia's mining sector sees boost after UK and domestic fund deals

The agreement with Saudi Arabia will help the United Kingdom reduce dependence on China, according to the British government.

An Egyptrian flag is pictured on the shore of the Suez Canal in the northeastern city of Ismailiya, on May 27, 2021. - Talks about compensations with the owner of the container ship Ever Given, that blocked the Suez Canal at the end of March are "at a standstill", Ossama Rabie, the head of the Egyptian authority that runs the Suez Canal said in an interview with AFP. The blocking that lasted six days, cost Egypt between 12 and 15 million USD per day of closure, according to the Suez Canal Authority (SCA). (

Rising Suez Canal revenues to provide much-needed lifeline for Egypt in 2023

PRO: The Suez Canal closed 2022 with record-breaking revenues, representing a key lifeline for Egypt as it faces serious economic issues (access with free trial).

Marc Español

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

Egypt's pound plunges to historic low with IMF deal

Egypt has agreed to allow its currency to float in order to receive $3 billion from the International Monetary Fund.

A man watches stock movements on a display at the Dubai Financial Market stock exchange, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, April 12, 2022.

Analysis

Can Islamic cryptocurrencies save the industry?

Cryptocurrencies lost over a trillion dollars in value in 2022, yet Islamic coins are emerging with ethical practices claiming to potentially resist such losses.

By Salim A. Essaid

This picture shows countainers and cranes on a dock at Haifa Port, Israel, June 24, 2021.

Indian-led consortium completes purchase of Haifa Port

The privatization of the port in northern Israel has been in the works since 2018.

An Egyptian youth is seen working in a bakery at a market, Cairo, Egypt, March 17, 2022.

Egypt’s inflation increases into 2023

Central bank interventions have so far been unable to stem the tide of inflation, and Egypt is also contending with the devaluation of the Egyptian pound.

Saad Sherida al-Kaabi (R), Qatar's energy minister and CEO of QatarEnergy, and Bruce Chinn, CEO of Chevron Phillips Chemical company, attend a signing ceremony at the QatarEnergy headquarters in Qatar's capital Doha on January 8, 2023. (Photo by AMR DIAB/AFP via Getty Images)

Qatar and Chevron sign major petrochemical deal

The move follows QatarEnergy’s gas deals last year with China and Germany.

Pounds dollars

Egypt, facing economic crunch, restricts non-essential travel for government

The decision is the latest in a series of measures Egyptian public and private financial institutions are taking in an attempt to cope with the economic crisis.

An Iranian man looks looks at currency exchange rates outside a shop in downtown Tehran on June 15, 2021. - Iran holds a presidential election on June 18, with ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi, who heads the judiciary, most likely to win from the seven candidates. (Photo by MORTEZA NIKOUBAZL / AFP) (Photo by MORTEZA NIKOUBAZL/AFP via Getty Images)

Iranian exporters to suffer impact of frozen exchange rate

Bijan Khajehpour

Bijan Khajehpour

In Vienna, reporting on Iranian politics

Participants attend the launch of the new tourism visa in Ad Diriyah, a UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site, outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 27, 2019.

Saudi Public Investment Fund announces new tourism project in Diriyah

The sovereign wealth fund is seeking to boost tourism to the kingdom per the Vision 2030 initiative.

This photograph shows rolls of copper wires stored at the Nexans manufacture in Lens, northern France, on May 11, 2022. - The French cable company is the only one in its sector to have its own copper foundry in Lens. This plant represents a competitive advantage for Nexans at the dawn of an explosion in demand for electrical cables. (Photo by DENIS CHARLET / AFP) (Photo by DENIS CHARLET/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia to ramp up copper mining to meet rising global demand

Copper demand is expected to explode as governments and companies worldwide try to meet ambitious net zero targets. Saudi Arabia is positioned well to take advantage.

Afshin Molavi