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Economy & Business

Lebanese Presidency

Large UAE delegation set to arrive in Lebanon in major investment push

A large Emirati delegation of around 70 business leaders and government officials is heading to Beirut, in the latest sign of thaw between the United Arab Emirates and Lebanon.

France's President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman shake hands

France, Saudi Arabia announce more than $10B in deals on MBS visit

Among the deals included a 6 billion euro ($7 billion) pledge from the Public Investment Fund in three manga-themed amusement parks on the outskirts of Paris.

Leon Neal/Getty Images

Oil falls 1.8% as traders await 'toughest' sanctions on Iran

Traders are awaiting details about new US measures sure to further disrupt Iranian oil flows.

Khor Fakkan Container Terminal

Analysis

UAE-Iran trade relationship becomes key test of Trump’s wartime strategy

The Gulf state suspended trade with Iran after new attacks in August. Experts point to risks for both sides as the Trump administration seeks to squeeze Tehran economically.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

China slams Trump over economic war on Iran: What to know

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian holds a press conference on Aug. 19, 2026.

Trump’s Iran ‘economic D-Day’ threat sends oil prices above $94

Iranians drive past an anti-US billboard at Enghelab Square in central Tehran, Aug. 3, 2026.

Explainer

Iraq seeks special Hormuz access from Iran in scramble to keep oil flowing

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / 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

QatarEnergy India LNG

India bets on Qatar again with 20-year LNG deal

India is one of Qatar's top LNG customers, and the Gulf country is looking to expand its reach in Asia and Europe amid high export targets and increasing competition from the United States' expanding natural gas market.

ALI KHALIGH/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

How the Gaza boycotts are impacting McDonald's, Starbucks sales

Last month, McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said “misinformation” about the company’s position on the conflict had hurt the business.

Two bank employees count dollars and Iraqi dinars in Baghdad on Sept. 28, 2000.

Why Iraq's dinar is trading below official dollar rate amid new restrictions

A top US official visited Iraqi officials last week to discuss countering illicit finance and strengthening Iraq’s financial system.

Milkor 380 drone.

South Africa’s Milkor gets go-ahead to produce drones in Saudi Arabia

The Gulf country is bolstering its defense capabilities amid increasing instability in the Middle East.

A THOR vertical takeoff and landing micro-unmanned aerial system, developed as military tactical mule platform and part of the "Legion-X" line of robotic and autonomous combat solutions produced by Elbit Systems, flies during a press demonstration at their headquarters in Ramat HaSharon, Israel, July 10, 2023.

Japan’s Itochu drops Israel’s Elbit defense systems as Gaza war impact deepens

Companies with connections to Israeli defense firm Elbit Systems have been targeted by activist groups including Palestine Action, which is calling for those involved in the company’s supply chains to sever ties.

ISMAILIA, EGYPT - JANUARY 10: A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on January 10, 2024 in Ismailia, Egypt. In the wake of Israel's war on Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Houthi rebels in Yemen pledged disruption on all ships destined for Israel through the Red Sea's Suez Canal. The disruption on world trade is evident in the number of companies using this container ship route - a 90 per cent decline compared to figures one year ago. (Photo by Sayed Hassan/Getty Images)

Red Sea attacks push global firms to seek overland shipping alternatives

An Israeli company is sending goods overland from the United Arab Emirates through Saudi Arabia and other firms are looking at different arrangements as US strikes fail to deter Houthi attacks.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Will Egypt succeed in upping its multimillion-dollar IMF bailout?

North Africa's largest economy is working to increase its $3 billion IMF program to $10 billion as it faces its worst financial downturn in decades.

Ireland's prime minister, Leo Varadkar, talks to the press as he arrives for the second and last day of a European Union summit, at the EU headquarters in Brussels, on Oct. 27, 2023.

Ireland seeking review of EU-Israel trade deal

Ireland-Israel relations have plummeted since the start of the Gaza war amid significant pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli sentiment in the country.

Yasser Bakhsh/Getty Images

Saudi Arabia’s soccer spending spree slows

Saudi Arabia's splashy spending on big-name foreign players has slowed considerably as Saudi Pro League attendance sags and rumors are swirling that top stars want out of the kingdom.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) shakes hand with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 9, 2023. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

India's government ratifies UAE investment deal as trade booms

The UAE and India have substantial and growing economic ties and Abu Dhabi is seeking to invest more in the South Asian country.

A picture taken on Nov. 10, 2019, shows an Iranian flag in Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Iran begins building 4 more nuclear power plants amid IAEA warnings

Western officials have long suspected Tehran of looking to produce nuclear weapons, though Iran denies this.

Suez Canal Authority Chairman Osama Rabie holds a press conference about the grounding of the Panama-flagged MV Ever Given cargo ship in the waterway, Suez, March 27, 2021.

Analysis

Egypt sees sharp decline in Suez Canal trade volume amid Red Sea turmoil

Data for 2024 up to Jan. 29 show 140.55 million metric tons of trade transiting the key chokehold compared with 145.25 million metric tons the same time last year.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech