Egypt - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Egypt cover image

Egypt

April 20, 2026

Cairo 10:55 am

21°C

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

An employee counts money in a bank in Cairo, August 27, 2012. Demand for the Egyptian central bank's repurchasing agreement (repo) facility has fallen back after shooting up in June, indicating that short-term pressure on the banking system may be easing as more money flows into the country. The government introduced the facility in March last year to boost liquidity in Egypt's turbulent financial markets a month after President Hosni Mubarak resigned in the wake of a popular uprising. Picture Taken August

Morsi, Egypt Face Economic Meltdown

Feliz Imonti analyzes Egypt's economic crisis.

Traders work at the Egyptian stock exchange in Cairo January 3, 2013. Egypt's stock market held up well this week despite a weak currency, as foreign investors continued to buy shares - a sign that a devaluation of Egypt's pound, which looks increasingly likely, might not be a disaster for financial markets. REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT - Tags: BUSINESS)

Morsi Manages Egypt’s Economic Decline

Nervana Mahmoud writes that Egypt’s economy today recalls the worst days of the 1970s, and that President Morsi’s priority will be to appease the Islamists on the right and prevent a food riot.

People shout slogans against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while holding a Syrian opposition flag after Friday prayers led by Egyptian Cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars, at Al Azhar mosque in old Cairo December 28, 2012. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST RELIGION)

Syrian Refugee Wave Washes Over Egypt

The Syrian refugee crisis has spilled over into countries farther from the fighting, as tens of thousands seek refuge in Egypt and other North African countries, Ben Gittleson reports from Cairo.

Turkey's Prime Minister and leader of ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) Tayyip Erdogan (R) and his guest Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi greet the audience during AK Party congress in Ankara September 30, 2012. Erdogan trumpeted Turkey's credentials as a rising democratic power on Sunday, saying his Islamist-rooted ruling party had become an example to the Muslim world after a decade in charge. Addressing thousands of party members and regional leaders at a congress of his Justice and Development (

The Turkish 'Model' For Authoritarianism in Egypt

Both Turkey and Egypt may be models for a new authoritarianism and more confrontational societies, writes Cengiz Candar.

Farewell, Subject; Welcome, Citizen

The new Egyptian constitution has loopholes and disputed articles, and still has the potential of leading the Egyptian people towards a just and better future, writes Jacky Hugi.