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Economy & Business

Haitham AL-SHUKAIRI / AFP via Getty Images

Oman enters Gulf AI race with new special economic zone in Muscat

Oman will create an AI-focused special economic zone in Muscat governorate.

A pumpjack stands idle in the Huntington Beach oil field, with port cranes visible in the distance, on April 23, 2026, in Huntington Beach, California.

Oil surges past $120 to war-time high as Trump rejects Iran overture

Benchmark Brent crude surpassed $120 per barrel on Wednesday, reaching the highest levels yet seen during the US-Israel-Iran war.

An Iraqi money dealer counts Iranian rial banknotes bearing a portrait of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, at an exchange office in Baghdad on Feb. 3, 2012.

Iranian rial hits new record low as blockade, war take toll: What to know

The rial had another collapse in late 2025, triggering massive protests and riots in the country that were ended by a forceful government crackdown.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

UAE’s OPEC exit rattles cartel as Gulf alliances shift

OPEC's fourth-largest producer will leave the cartel on May 1, marking the most significant departure in the group’s history as the war changes Abu Dhabi's relationship priorities.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Why UAE's decision to leave OPEC is major shift for cartel

MUMEN KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

First LNG tanker transits Strait of Hormuz since Iran war began

Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP via Getty Images

Pistachios reach highest prices in eight years amid Iran war

An Iranian grocer sells pistachios imported from Iran at a Persian products shop in the Gulf emirate of Dubai on July 10, 2019. (Photo by Karim SAHIB / AFP) (Photo credit should read KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE’s cash request tests US ties as Iran war strains Gulf financial muscle

A view of Dubai Marina in Dubai on March 3, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

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

(From left to right) Israel's Energy Minister Haim Katz.

Despite divide over settlements, Israel expands energy cooperation with Egypt

Israel’s Energy Minister Israel Katz chose to travel to Egypt for his first visit abroad since taking office.

UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber speaks during the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibion and Conference at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center, United Arab Emirates, Nov. 13, 2017.

COP-28 head Sultan Al Jaber: UAE ‘running toward’ energy transition

As the climate summit president continues to face criticism for his role as head of the UAE's state oil producer, Sultan Al Jaber argued that his position will serve more as an asset than an obstacle to energy transition.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva attends a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos on January 17, 2023. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)

IMF director credits Gulf, India in boosting global economy

The World Government Summit highlighted critical issues with the global economy and announced flying taxis in Dubai.

Adani

From Israel to Egypt, how Adani Group's downfall could reverberate in Middle East

The Indian tycoon's crumbling empire had made investments in Israel and Egypt, but relations between India and the region may chill if deals go bad.

KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images

Explainer: OPEC+ will not boost oil production after Russia cut

Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members are so far not reacting to Russia’s production cut as they stand to benefit from the move.

A general view of the Egyptian Stock Market in the capital Cairo on January 6, 2013.

Egypt plans to sell stakes in 32 state-owned companies within year

The announcement comes as the government is moving to reduce the state’s footprint in the economy, and includes two military-owned enterprises and three banks.

An employee works at the Tunisian Sergaz company, that controls the Tunisian segment of the Trans-Mediterranean (Transmed) pipeline, through which natural gas flows from Algeria to Italy, in El-Haouaria, some 100km east of the capital Tunis, on April 14, 2022.

Is Italy pursuing a 'rebalancing' in North Africa?

Algeria is set to double liquified natural gas exports to Europe as Algeria finesses ties with Italy.

A woman walks out of a currency exchange shop displaying a giant US dollar banknote.

Egypt's economy takes another hit with rating downgrade

Moody’s also said Egypt’s ability to generate domestic funding will help its economic outlook.

LEAP technology conference, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 6, 2023.

China, US deals and robots headline Saudi Arabia's LEAP tech event

China's Huawei, Hectar, Lenovo were among major deals reached at Saudi's flagship technology event.

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP via Getty Images

Iraq lowers dollar-dinar exchange rate

The Iraqi dinar has been depreciating against the dollar amid restrictions from the US Federal Reserve and other issues.

A picture taken on September 24, 2020 shows the Brega oil port in Marsa Brega, some 270kms west of Libya's eastern city of Benghazi. - Libyas state oil firm lifted force majeure on what it deemed secure oil ports and facilities on September 20, a day after strongman Khalifa Haftar said he was lifting a blockade on oilfields and ports. The blockade, which has resulted in more than $9.8 billion in lost revenue according to the state-run National Oil Corporation (NOC), has exacerbated electricity and fuel shor

Libya’s oil production unlikely to reach 2 million barrels per day ever again

Pro: Libya hopes to increase oil production to over 2 million barrels per day in the medium term. Here's why that is unlikely to happen. (subscriber only, access with free trial)

Gerald Kepes

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy trends

Collapsed buildings are seen in Hatay, following the two earthquakes that hit on Monday, Turkey, Feb. 7, 2023.

In Turkey, questions about country's preparedness after massive earthquake

Only 0.5% of spending from the central government budget last year went to programs related to urban improvements and disaster management in quake-prone Turkey.