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Egypt

April 20, 2026

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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

Protesters opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi shout slogans as they march despite a nighttime curfew in the city of Suez January 28, 2013. Egyptian protesters defied a nighttime curfew in restive towns along the Suez Canal, attacking police stations and ignoring emergency rule imposed by Islamist President Mohamed Mursi to end days of clashes that have killed at least 52 people. Egypt's army chief said political strife was pushing the state to the brink of collapse - a stark warning from the institut

Egypt’s ‘Post-Democracy’ Nears Point of No Return

Wael Nawara writes that Egypt’s political crisis could lead to chaos or the intervention of the military unless the government and opposition agree to work together.

A protester opposing Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi covers his face from tear gas fired by riot police during clashes along Qasr Al Nil bridge, which leads to Tahrir Square, in Cairo January 28, 2013. A man was shot dead on Monday in a fifth day of violence that has killed 50 Egyptians and prompted the Islamist president to declare a state of emergency in an attempt to end a wave of unrest sweeping the biggest Arab nation. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3D3K

15 Things Egypt Must Do To Step Back From the Brink

Bassem Sabry recommends how Egypt can de-escalate the current crisis.

Tear gas fired by riot police is seen during clashes with protesters opposing Egyptian President Mursi along Qasr Al Nil bridge, which leads to Tahrir Square in Cairo January 27, 2013. Police fired teargas at dozens of stone-throwing protesters in Cairo on Sunday in a fourth day of street clashes that have killed at least 42 people and compounded the challenges facing President Mohamed Mursi. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR3D1T3

Egypt Needs Dialogue Now

Clovis Maksoud urges Egypt to begin a dialogue and end the political crisis.

Palestinians smoke cigarettes as they work inside a smuggling tunnel dug beneath the Egyptian-Gaza border in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip November 26, 2012. Knee-deep in craters carved out by Israeli air strikes, Palestinians wielded shovels and planks to reopen tunnels used to smuggle in goods from Egypt to Gaza, as international aid agencies raced to replenish Gaza's supplies. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: CONFLICT) - RTR3AWAH

New Class of Palestinians Get Rich On Gaza Tunnel Trade

The lucrative trade in contraband through Gaza's tunnel network has produced a new class of wealthy Palestinians, writes Omar Shaban.

A man from the Salafist faction holds up a banner that reads "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God", on the second anniversary of the Tunisian Revolution at Avenue Habib Bourguiba in Tunis January 14, 2013. Thousands of Tunisians protested against the Islamist-led government on Monday, exactly two years after the overthrow of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in a popular revolt that inspired others across the Arab world. In the same street, about 2,000 supporters of the Islamic-led

The Arab Awakening at Two:Facebook to Faith Book

Nassif Hitti focuses on the ascendance of Islamist movements on the second anniversary of the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

A protester against Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi attempts to pick up a tear gas canister fired by riot police during clashes along Qasr Al Nil bridge leading to Tahrir Square in Cairo January 27, 2013. Mursi will address the nation on Sunday evening, state television said, after 45 people were killed in violent protests over the past four days. The television gave no further details. Opposition groups, who accuse the Islamist president of betraying the uprising which toppled Hosni Mubarak two years ago s

Egypt’s Revolution Devours Its Children

Ali Hashem writes that Egypt’s crisis has spiraled from bad to worse.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testifies on the September attack on U.S. diplomatic sites in Benghazi, Libya during a hearing held by the House Foreign Affairs committee on Capitol Hill in Washington January 23, 2013. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3CUXG

Al-Monitor Week in Review: 5 Key Trends, from Mali to Qatar

A commentary and review of Al-Monitor’s coverage of the demonstrations in Egypt, the rise of "al-Qaeda 3.0," the linkages between Libya and Mali, Qatar’s support for the Muslim Brotherhood and Israel’s elections.

A synagogue that was the target of an attack is seen in Cairo February 21, 2010. An unidentified man hurled a suitcase containing a primitive explosive device at the synagogue in central Cairo on Sunday but it exploded without injuring anyone, the Interior Ministry said. REUTERS/Tarek Mostafa (EGYPT - Tags: CRIME LAW RELIGION)

Exiled Egyptian Jews Skeptical Of Brotherhood's Invitation Home

The call by a Muslim Brotherhood official for Egyptian Jews to return to their homeland has stirred spirits in Cairo, but the Jews themselves question the sincerity of the proposal and its relevance, writes Jacky Hugi.

Mahmoud, 9, sits in front of a "Revolution Museum", dedicated to protesters killed during Egypt's uprising, set up by protesters against Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi at Tahrir Square in Cairo December 17, 2012. Egypt's opposition called for nationwide protests against a constitution backed by Mursi, after a vote exposed deep divisions that could undermine his efforts to build consensus for tough economic measures. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)

Egypt’s Revolution, Two Years On

Bassem Sabry analyzes Egypt’s progress on the two-year anniversary of the revolution that led to the removal of Hosni Mubarak from power.

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi (R) talks with U.S. Senator John McCain during their meeting in Cairo January 16, 2013. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS)

US Spared Hard Choices in Egypt

Geoffrey Aronson analyzes how Washington can best manage US-Egypt relations given the challenges of dealing with President Mohammed Morsi’s government.

Protesters demonstrate during a pro-federalism rally in Benghazi November 2, 2012. Protesters took to the streets of Benghazi on Friday, demanding autonomous rule for eastern Libya, fairer representation and the re-introduction of the 1951 constitution to establish a federal system. REUTERS/Esam Al-Fetori (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST)

Ten Things Libya Can Learn From Egypt’s Constitution

Bassem Sabry offers lessons for Libya’s constitutional process, based upon Egypt’s experience.

A soldier stands in front of a mural depicting Egypt's former President Hosni Mubarak (R), former Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi (C) and Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi drawn on the wall of the presidential palace in Cairo December 12, 2012. Egypt's liberal and secular opposition said on Wednesday it would back a "no" vote in a referendum on a divisive new constitution promoted by Islamist President Mursi, calling off a boycott as long as safeguards are in place for a fair vote. REUTERS/Khaled Abdu

Morsi and Egypt's Military

Yezid Sayigh analyzes Egypt's civil military relations under President Mohammed Morsi.