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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

This photograph taken on Sept. 22, 2022, shows logos of TotalEnergies.

Oman LNG deal spree continues with France's TotalEnergies

The French energy major is also working on the Marsa project in Oman, which it claims is the first LNG bunkering hub in the Middle East.

Nuclear energy ambitions near inflection point in the Middle East

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

DXB chaos

Emirates suspends check-in as Dubai airport grapples with flood backlog

Amid the devastating floods that have paralyzed the UAE, Emirates suspending check-in for travellers with onward connections through Dubai Friday.

United Arab Emirates

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 09: The exterior of the new headquarters of Google is seen at 550 Washington Street in Hudson Square on January 09, 2024 in New York City. Designed by COOKFOX Architects, the 1.3-million-square-foot project involved the restoration and expansion of the St. John’s Terminal building along the Hudson River waterfront. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Google fires 28 staffers after protesting Israel cloud contract

More than two dozen staff members have been fired after being arrested for protesting Google’s involvement in Project Nimbus, a $1.2 billion Israeli government cloud contract that also includes e-commerce giant Amazon.

Did Gaza protests force Algeria's first KFC restaurant to close?

Three days after opening its first branch in Algeria, KFC is facing protests over alleged support for Israel amid conflicting reports on its closure on Wednesday.

Dubai floods

Dubai floods bring travel to halt after heaviest UAE rainfall on record

The National Center of Meteorology said the downpour was the largest volume of rainfall the UAE has experienced since data collection started 75 years ago.

United Arab Emirates

VICTORIA VALDIVIA/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

Starbucks pledges $3M to World Central Kitchen for Gaza meals

The coffee giant has announced a large donation to the aid group World Central Kitchen, which lost seven of its staff members earlier this month in an Israeli airstrike.

ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images

UK’s easyJet suspends Israel flights through October after Iran attack

Britain’s biggest low-cost airline has suspended all service to Israel following Iran’s unprecedented attack on the Jewish state over the weekend.

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Microsoft pumps $1.5B into UAE's G42 amid US-China tech power struggle

Washington reportedly threatened to punish G42 if it did not reduce its ties with Beijing and strengthen its US commitments.

United Arab Emirates

LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey: Meta temporarily shuts down Threads following government order

It remains unclear whether the platform will become available again in Turkey.

ROY ISSA/AFP via Getty Images

How Iran's attack on Israel is disrupting air traffic

The weekend's Iranian attack has massively disrupted air traffic across the region.

Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek looks on before the press conference following the cabinet meeting held at the Presidential Complex in Ankara on August 21, 2023. (Photo by Adem ALTAN / AFP) (Photo by ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Can Turkey’s economic czar stick to belt-tightening after election loss?

The Turkish government hopes that its remaining four-year mandate will give it time to placate popular anger before the next polls.