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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

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

How vulnerable are UAE, Bahrain to Trump's 25% tariff on aluminum?

The United Arab Emirates is the second biggest exporter of aluminum to the United States after Canada, supplying $1.78 billion of the metal to Washington in 2024.

United Arab Emirates

Flames rise from the burning of excess hydrocarbons at the Nahr Bin Omar natural gas field, north of the southern Iraqi port of Basra, Jan. 22, 2018.

Analysis

Can Middle East economies capitalize on Trump’s tariff turmoil?

The US tariffs could provide opportunities in manufacturing, metals and the energy sector in the Middle East and North Africa as countries look for workarounds.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

GETIR delivery scooters in Paris, France, May 17, 2023.

What’s behind the power struggle at Mubadala-backed Turkish firm Getir?

The start-up, once valued at more than $10 billion, has been struggling financially over the past year due to waning consumer demand.

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

This picture shows a construction site for Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund in Riyadh, on April 16, 2023.

Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector grows at fastest rate in over a decade

Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Statistics said last week that the kingdom's non-oil GDP growth rate was up 4.3% from 2023, while oil activities declined by 4.5%.

Ruwais

Samsung E&A to build UAE's first methanol plant as country shifts to greener fuels

The methanol facility, based in Abu Dhabi’s Al Ruwais Industrial City, is expected to be completed in 2028.

United Arab Emirates

CNN launches new operation in Qatar amid regional rivalry: What we know

CNN's move will fuel Qatar’s growing role as a media hub in the region.

A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on Nov. 3, 2024 in Suez, Egypt.

Egypt’s Suez Canal chief optimistic about Red Sea as attacks die down

The Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea have ceased owing to the ceasefire in Gaza, prompting Egypt to encourage shipping companies to resume sailing through the waterway.

Egyptian pound banknotes sit on a table on March 6, 2024, in Cairo, after Egypt's central bank announced it will allow the exchange rate to be set by the market.

Egypt’s economic reboot fuels bond market return with $2B sale

Egypt is making big moves to resuscitate its economy.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni together in Saudi Arabia on Jan. 26, 2025.

Saudi Arabia, Italy sign $10B in deals during Meloni visit: What we know

Italy is a strong trading partner of Saudi Arabia's, and the two countries are eying cooperation on renewable energy.

AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia eases foreign investment laws for Mecca, Medina real estate

Foreign investors will have access to limited shares of companies listed on the Saudi capital market, convertible debt instruments or both, the Saudi Capital Markets Authority said in a statement.

A vendor sells dates and dried fruits at a market in Cairo's central Sayyida Zeinab district, March 12, 2023.

Analysis

Egypt’s economic overhaul advances after 2024 turning point but pressures remain

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan attends a session on the closing day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, on Jan. 19, 2024.

Exclusive

Saudi finance minister hints kingdom could meet 2030 renewables target early

On Monday, the kingdom commissioned its largest battery energy storage system to its grid, with a capacity of 500 megawatts and the ability to store 2,000 megawatt hours of electricity.

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