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Analysis

UAE-Iran trade relationship becomes key test of Trump’s wartime strategy

The Gulf state suspended trade with Iran after new attacks in August. Experts point to risks for both sides as the Trump administration seeks to squeeze Tehran economically.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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."

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Explainer

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

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

A real estate advertising offers apartments and houses with the view on the canal, in the small coastal village of Karaburun, near Istanbul, on June 12, 2018.

Erdogan’s home loan incentives threaten to fan inflation

A further increase in already skyrocketing home prices appears inevitable in Turkey following Erdogan’s announcement of loan incentives, a move that many pundits see as pouring fuel on the inflation fire.

Egyptian men work in a bakery at a market in Cairo, on March 17, 2022.

What do rising wheat prices, India’s export ban mean for Egypt?

Egypt is seeking to import wheat from India due to the Russian war on Ukraine.

The platform of the Leviathan natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea is pictured from the northern coastal city of Caesarea, Israel, Feb. 24, 2022.

Global energy crisis opens possibilities for Israeli natural gas

Experts say that the global energy crisis is exactly the moment when Israel must expand its natural gas export quotas.

This picture taken on Nov. 17, 2019, shows the Liberia-flagged container ship RDO Concord sailing through Egypt's Suez Canal.

Ukraine war drives more traffic to Egypt's Suez Canal, increasing revenues

Although Egypt is being adversely affected by the war in Ukraine, the Suez Canal is benefiting greatly from Western countries sailing into the Gulf in search of oil.

Dubai airport

Dubai airport’s passenger traffic reaches pre-pandemic levels

Air travel in the UAE has returned to normal after the industry suffered major losses due to virus-related travel restrictions.

United Arab Emirates

This photo illustration shows Chinese 100 yuan notes in Beijing on Jan. 14, 2020.

Egypt considers issuing bonds in China’s yuan

Saudi Arabia may also price oil sales in the Chinese currency.

n Emirati man follows the market's movement at the Dubai Financial Market.

UAE meets $400 million target in first bond auction

The Emirati government decided to sell bonds in dirhams to boost the local banking sector and diversify financially.

United Arab Emirates

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (R) and Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani.

Russian ambassador to Iraq: ‘No objections’ to Kurdistan Region exporting gas to Europe

Elbrus Kutrashev spoke to the Kurdish news outlet Rudaw about plans to export natural gas from the autonomous part of northern Iraq to Europe in response to the war in Ukraine.

KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

Passenger traffic at Abu Dhabi airports triples, aided by travel from India

The quarterly results from airports in Abu Dhabi indicate that the air travel industry in the United Arab Emirates has recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic.

United Arab Emirates

Palestine COVID

World Bank praises Palestinian easing of COVID rules, criticizes Israeli control

The international financial body recommended several governance reforms for the Palestinian Authority to increase economic growth.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (L) and Heir to the Throne of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, May 9, 2022.

UAE, Greece sign $4.2 billion agreement

The UAE and Greece have become close allies in recent years.

United Arab Emirates

Eid Yosri, an artifact replica craftsman, poses for a photo with a mini sarcophagus of his own creation.

Egypt, EU sign development grants worth 138 million euros

The European Union has provided Egypt with numerous grants in recent years, while also criticizing the country on some human rights issues.