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Economy & Business

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Analysis

How Russia stands to win, lose as Iran war squeezes Gulf oil exports

As crude prices surpassed $100 per barrel with the Strait of Hormuz shut, Russia is reaping benefits amid new US sanctions flexibility — but experts say Moscow faces challenges capitalizing on this new market opening.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Saudis shop for fresh products at a market in Riyadh on Feb. 18, 2026, on the first day of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in Saudi Arabia.

Analysis

Alternative supply routes emerge as Iran war tests Gulf food security

Roughly 61 million people in the Gulf rely on established food supply chains, many of which have been upended since the United States and Israel launched their attack against Iran on Feb. 28.

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

Young wheat shoots emerge from moist soil in farmland near Zakho, Iraqi Kurdistan region, Dec. 19, 2025.

Iran war hits fertilizer supplies as Fitch warns prices could rise some 25%

Higher prices and availability, due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, are raising food security concerns globally as well as in the Middle East.

Commercial vessels are pictured offshore in Dubai on March 11, 2026. AFP via Getty Images

Oil jumps above $100 as energy crisis called worst in history: What to know

The latest spike is the second time in a week that oil prices have climbed above $100 a barrel.

Latest News

Group of 32 states to release 400M barrels of oil reserves: What to know

Sakis Mitrolidis / AFP via Getty Images

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

Analysis

Oil-price hikes from Iran war threaten Turkey's rate cuts in inflation fight

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Airlines gradually restore Middle East flights, Gulf still heavily grounded

An Emirates Airbus A380 passenger aircraft prepares for landing at Dubai International Airport in Dubai on March 8, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

Oil swings steady as Aramco warns of 'catastrophic' Hormuz disruption

Dan Kitwood/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

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Qatar National Bank says GCC banks have more liquidity than global rivals

An executive at the Qatari lender said that Gulf countries will have to compete with the rest of the world for billions of dollars in equity to finance infrastructure projects, of which there is a higher demand than supply.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian attends the Moldova support conference at the Foreign Ministry, Berlin, Germany, April 5, 2022.

Le Drian says France keen to help Saudi Arabia transition away from oil

France's former top diplomat said that his country was supportive of Saudi Arabia's efforts to diversify its economy.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Egypt’s foreign reserves hit record $46B on back of UAE, IMF deals

Egypt’s foreign reserves have been boosted by a recent Emirati investment in the Ras El-Hekma coastal area, though the economy is still struggling with inflation.

AYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia sees 477% increase in multinational HQs in first quarter

The 127 international companies relocating to Saudi Arabia so far this year follow a Saudi program to attract world businesses.

A teller counts US dollar bills at an exchange office in Ankara, Turkey, July 20, 2023.

Turkey’s inflation tops 75% but economy czar says 'worst is over'

Finance and Economy Minister Mehmet Simsek has said that inflation will begin dropping from June.

CORRECTION / An Iranian man reads a prayer over the coffins of late president Ebrahim Raisi (portrait top L) and late governor of Iran's East Azerbaijan Province Malik Rahmati (portrait top R) during a funeral ceremony at the Imam Reza shrine, in the city of Mashhad, on May 23, 2024. Raisi and seven members of his entourage, including foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, were killed in a helicopter crash on a fog-shrouded mountainside in Iran on May 19. (Photo by Sadegh NIKGOSTAR / FARS NEWS AGENCY /

Leadership turnover fuels new uncertainty as Mideast economies navigate Gaza fallout

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

US reportedly slows AI chip exports to Mideast as Saudi Arabia turns to China

Washington has further restricted imports of critical components for AI systems to certain countries, including some undisclosed ones in the Middle East.

People visit the Global Village, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex in Dubai, on the eve of Eid al-Fitr which ends the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, on April 20, 2023. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Middle East economic outlook caught between low growth, high debt convergence

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy

LUIS TATO/AFP via Getty Images

UAE main destination for smuggled African gold, report claims

Swissaid estimates that 405 metric tons of gold, mostly mined by small-scale or artisanal miners, were smuggled out of Africa in 2022 and ended up in the UAE.

United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates' President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (L), South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol (C), and his wife Kim Keon Hee (R) watch the Black Eagles, the aerobatic team of T-50 jets belonging to South Korea's air force, during a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Office in Seoul on May 29, 2024. (Photo by JUNG YEON-JE / POOL / AFP) (Photo by JUNG YEON-JE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

South Korea, UAE ink trade deal lifting tariffs on over 90% of imports

The agreement was signed by ministers at a summit in the capital Seoul during the UAE president's first state visit.

United Arab Emirates

BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MAY 6: Elon Musk, co-founder of Tesla and SpaceX and owner of X Holdings Corp., speaks at the Milken Institute's Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton Hotel,on May 6, 2024 in Beverly Hills, California. The 27th annual global conference explores various topics, from the rise of generative AI to electric vehicle trends and features participants, soccer star David Beckham and actor Ashton Kutcher. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal invests in Elon Musk’s $24B AI startup

Kingdom Holding Company also holds a stake in Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arriving in Seoul on May 26, 2024 for a two-day state visit to the Republic of Korea.

UAE president arrives in South Korea to talk defense, energy, business ties

The visit, the first by the Emirati president, aims to enhance the already strong ties between the two countries.

United Arab Emirates