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Economy & Business

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China’s overland trade routes offer Iran wartime economic lifeline: What to know

Cargo rail traffic between China and Iran has reportedly surged since the US blockade began in April as Tehran seeks overland trade alternatives to help buy time.

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on May 4, 2026, the Iran-flagged tugboat Basim sails near a ship anchored in the Strait of Hormuz off Bandar Abbas in southern Iran.

What to know about Iran's 'Persian Gulf Strait Authority' to control Hormuz traffic

The establishment of an entity seeking to control maritime transportation in the Strait of Hormuz is the latest sign that Iran wants to formalize authority in the strategic waterway.

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly speaks in Beirut on Dec. 19, 2025.

Egypt ramps up energy investments amid war-driven price pressures

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said Wednesday that Egypt has secured commitments exceeding $19 billion from international oil companies over the next three years.

Latest News

Few ships pass Hormuz despite US efforts to break Iran's hold

Tankers are seen at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal in the Sharjah Emirate, along the Strait of Hormuz on June 23, 2025. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran strikes UAE’s Fujairah oil hub as US pushes Hormuz reopening

Meysam MIRZADEH / TASNIM NEWS / AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

MENA wheat importers face food security risks as Hormuz crisis festers

Crops of wheat and barley in Terbol village on May 10, 2022, in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Oman enters Gulf AI race with new special economic zone in Muscat

Haitham AL-SHUKAIRI / 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

Cheng Xin/Getty Images

China's oil imports highest since 2023 amid Iran crude spike: What to know

Data from analytics firm Kpler from April 11 showed that Iran’s exports were up 20% from February and at a five-month high.

Retired US army general, David Petraeus, speaks at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha on May 15, 2024.

David Petraeus, ex-CIA head, tapped to lead KKR's push into Mideast markets

The newly-formed team will identify investment and partnership opportunities in the region, with a focus on the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the private equity firm said.

People walk past the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street on April 11, 2025, in New York City.

Where Middle East’s top investors stand as tariffs roil US bond market

GREG BAKER/AFP via Getty Images

China courts Gulf, BRICS allies as trade war with US escalates

Since US President Donald Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on more than 180 countries on April 2, Beijing has stepped up engagement with Riyadh.

Florian Wiegand/Getty Images

Mideast markets rebound with tariff suspension after top Gulf firms suffer $100B rout

A global stock rally on April 10 followed a major sell-off in the Gulf, driven by a policy reversal from US President Trump suspending tariffs.

AFP via Getty Images

Iran oil exports to China soar in March to 1.9M bpd despite US sanctions

The United States and Iran will hold negotiations on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program on Saturday as Tehran hopes to achieve sanctions relief.

An aerial view of the Cheniere Energy liquefied natural gas plant, on Feb. 10, 2025, in Port Arthur, Texas.

UAE's Mubadala makes first US gas play in wave of Gulf LNG investment

Other Gulf energy majors such as Saudi Aramco and ADNOC have already made significant investments in US LNG.

United Arab Emirates

oil field

After steep fall, oil prices slightly recover following Trump tariff pause

Over the last week, oil prices have plummeted amid the escalating trade war between the United States and China.

Italian energy giant Eni's general director, Claudio Descalzi.

Italy's Eni to invest $26B in Egypt, Libya, Algeria energy projects

Eni is already a leading foreign energy company in the region, with footholds in Algeria, Egypt and Libya.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Analysis

Trump tariffs could disrupt Gulf’s IPO hot streak as markets sink

New US tariffs have roiled markets worldwide and initial public offerings should not be expected to escape unscathed.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Wright

US energy secretary to tour Gulf amid oil market pressure, Iran talks

US Energy Secretary Chris Wright is expected to meet with several Gulf leaders during his trip as the region grapples with lower oil prices after President Donald Trump imposed universal tariffs last week.

A trader walks by beneath a stock display board at the Dubai Stock Exchange in the United Arab Emirates, on March 8, 2020. - Saudi's stock exchange fell 6.5 percent and other Gulf markets tumbled to multi-year lows at the start of trading after OPEC and its allies failed to clinch a deal over oil production cuts. (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Oil prices fall as Gulf economies grapple with Trump’s tariffs: What to know

Falling oil prices could negatively impact the budgets of Gulf states and are coinciding with losses in the region’s stock markets.