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Egypt

April 19, 2026

Cairo 8:42 pm

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A man walks through the atrium during the 2026 IMF and World Bank Group Spring Meetings in Washington, DC, on April 14, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

IMF slashes Mideast outlook by nearly 3 points as Iran war hits economies

The International Monetary Fund cut gross domestic product forecasts for the Middle East and North Africa, with the fallout from the conflict exposing stark divergences between the region’s energy exporters and importers.

Sayed Hassan/Getty Images

Analysis

Egypt eyes energy breakthroughs as Iran war deepens gas crunch

Among countries outside the Gulf conflict's direct line of fire, few have felt the shockwaves as acutely as Egypt.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

A police speed boat patrols the port as oil tankers and high speed crafts sit anchored at Muscat Anchorage near the Strait of Hormuz on March 30, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Analysis

Hostage to Hormuz, can Gulf rewire future energy flows to bypass Iran’s chokepoint?

As the US-Israel-Iran war disrupts around 20% of global oil supply, experts point to opportunities and challenges facing a renewed push to develop alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

A view of the platform of the Leviathan natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea is pictured from the Israeli northern coastal beach of Nasholim, on Aug. 29, 2022.

Israel energy minister says gas flowing to Egypt, Jordan despite shutdown reports

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen told Al-Monitor that despite security concerns and partial shut down of marine gas platforms, Israel continues to supply gas to Egypt, Jordan and Israeli consumers.

Latest News

Egypt closes stores early, Jordan bans AC as Iran war takes toll

Shops close early, on March 28, 2026, in Cairo, Egypt.

Analysis

Oil-rich Gulf states could face power crunch as Iran war hits energy security

A general view of South Pars gas field facilities in the southern Iranian port town of Assaluyeh, on the Gulf, Nov. 19, 2015.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

How Egypt is navigating limited options in Iran war to stay neutral

US President Donald Trump and President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi clasp hands as they speak to the press before their meeting on Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Analysis

Oil crisis stokes inflation risks for Mideast as Iran war exposes importers

Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot in Tehran on March 7, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

Mohammed Magdy

In Berlin, reporting on Egyptian politics

Ayah Aman

In Cairo, reporting on politics and culture

Salwa Samir

In Giza, reporting on politics

Nada Shaker

In Cairo, reporting on culture

People crowd around a petrol station during a fuel shortage in Cairo June 26, 2013. President Mohamed Mursi will speak to the Egyptian people on Wednesday in a televised address that could determine his political survival as millions prepare to rally to demand his removal this weekend. Fears of a showdown in the streets between Mursi's Islamist supporters and a broad coalition of the disaffected have led people to stock up on food and buy up fuel supplies. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: POLIT

Can June 30 End Well for Egypt?

Expected mass protests on June 30 could lead to a variety of scenarios for Egypt.

Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi shout slogans and hit the screen with their shoes as he speaks to the nation, in front of the Ministry of Defense in Cairo June 26, 2013. Mursi blamed "enemies of Egypt" for paralyzing its new democracy in a speech on Wednesday that criticized street protests ahead of mass rallies against Islamist rule this weekend. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX112D1

Egypt on Precipice? Moving Beyond Crisis

Egypt faces the precipice on the eve of the June 30 protests.

People walk past a defaced poster of Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohammed Badie with Arabic text which reads "Together to down brotherhood's power" near Tahrir Square in Cairo June 23, 2013. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTX10Y1J

Egyptians Resist 'Brotherhoodization'

The policy of Brotherhoodization of Egypt and the resistance to it.

Egyptians carry the coffin of a Shi'ite victim, who was killed in sectarian violence, after funeral prayers in El Sayeda Nafisa Mosque in Cairo, June 24, 2013. Egypt's president, accused of fuelling sectarian hatred, promised swift justice on Monday for a deadly attack on minority Shi'ites as he tried to quell broader factional fighting to avoid a threatened military intervention. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST RELIGION) - RTX10ZDY

Morsi Condemnation Of Lynchings Not Enough

President Mohammed Morsi should embrace Egypt’s Shiite heritage and end for good the Muslim Brotherhood’s sectarianism.

Bedouin tribesmen attend a tribal council tribunal, where Islamic Sharia laws, instead of tribal customary ones which were commonly used before, are used to resolve disputes between tribes, in Sheikh Zowyyed city, North Sinai, May 13, 2013. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT - Tags: RELIGION POLITICS SOCIETY) - RTXZLE6

Sinai Tribes Reject Morsi’s Call To Surrender Weapons

Sinai tribes refuse Morsi's call to surrender weapons before longstanding community issues are resolved.

Brazil's former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso speaks during an interview with Reuters at his home in Sao Paulo February 28, 2013. REUTERS/Nacho Doce (BRAZIL - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3EF0Z

Brazil's Experience Offers Lessons For Egyptian Civil Society

Brazil's former president offers advice on Egypt's civil society and the draft NGO law.

Palestinians wait to fill their motorcycles with fuel at a petrol station in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 16, 2013. The Gaza Strip is experiencing a shortage in fuel which is smuggled from Egypt to Gaza, residents said. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: SOCIETY) - RTX10PO7

Will Israel Solve Gaza Fuel Crisis?

Hamas chosen to unilaterally cut itself off from Israeli fuel and to replace it with gas from Egypt — a decision that has turned out to be a mistake.

Anti-Mursi protesters, made up of intellectuals and artists, hold up signs reading: "rebel", in front of the Ministry of Culture during a demonstration against what they claimed are increasing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood over the Ministry of Culture and Minister of Culture Alaa Abdel Aziz, in Cairo June 11, 2013. Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi increased the influence of his Muslim Brotherhood over government in a cabinet reshuffle in May that replaced two ministers involved in crucial talks with t

Egypt’s Police Prepare For Violent Protests on June 30

Expectations grow for widespread violent clashes on the one-year anniversary of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi coming to power.

Traders react at the Egyptian Exchange in Cairo April 1, 2013. Selling pressure from foreign investors dragged Egypt's bourse down to a near 16-week low on Sunday as the country's economic situation worsens, while Gulf markets were mixed. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: BUSINESS) - RTXY4ML

Only Politics Can Save Egypt's Economy

Solving Egypt’s economic woes is a non-starter until there is political stability.

Activists, accused of working for unlicensed non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and receiving illegal foreign funds, stand in a cage during the opening of their trial in Cairo March 8, 2012. An Egyptian judge said on Thursday he was delaying until April 10 the trial of civil society activists including 16 Americans accused of receiving illegal foreign funds and pursuing their pro-democracy activities without a licence. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS CRIME LAW) - RTR2Z1

Politicized Verdict May Sway Brotherhood on Egypt NGO Law

International backlash against a draft law strictly regulating NGOs in Egypt could dissuade the Muslim Brotherhood from pursuing the initiative.

Palestinian travellers pass an Egyptian soldier standing guard on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border, to cross over to Gaza at Rafah city, some 350 km (217 miles) northeast of Cairo, May 22, 2013. Seven members of the Egyptian security forces kidnapped by Islamist militants in Sinai last week were freed on Wednesday and President Mohamed Mursi announced a new crackdown on lawlessness in the desert peninsula. Their abduction underlined the threat posed by jihadists who became active in a security vacuum t

Palestinians Tormented At Rafah Crossing

A first-hand account reveals the extraordinary difficulties facing Palestinians at the Rafah crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border.

Riot police attempt to separate anti-Mursi protesters made up of intellectuals and artists and supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi in front of the Ministry of Culture during a demonstration against what they claimed are increasing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood over the Ministry of Culture and Minister of Culture Alaa Abdel Aziz, in Cairo June 11, 2013. Mursi increased the influence of his Muslim Brotherhood over government in a cabinet reshuffle in May that replaced two ministers involved i

Egyptian Opposition Expects Violent Clashes on June 30

The feeling on Cairo’s streets is that the one-year anniversary of President Mohammed Morsi’s rule will result in violent confrontations.