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United Arab Emirates

August 23, 2026

Abu Dhabi 5:02 pm

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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

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

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

In a Truth Social post, the president threatened that any country that provides a financial lifeline to Iran will face "tremendous economic consequences."

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

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

As Iran's parliament speaker holds talks in Baghdad, Iraq has asked Tehran for special consideration for its oil exports.

Latest News

UAE halts all trade ties with Iran after missile attack

Ships are docked along a pier at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on July 14, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

Oil nears $92 on UAE missile alert as Trump claims Iran talks stuck

Leon Neal/Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Sudan ramps up Saudi Arabia, Turkey contacts amid growing Red Sea cooperation

Sudanese army soldier stands in front of a tank

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

Mohammed Soliman

In Washington, DC, reporting on Gulf politics

An Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 "Dreamliner" aircraft lands at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, on Oct. 20, 2020.

Etihad launches initiative on sustainable aviation fuel to decarbonize flights

Sustainable aviation fuel, which is sourced from biological materials, has great carbon reduction potential. However, airlines' reluctance to spend more on fuel is hampering its development, according to some observers.

DIRK WAEM/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

Abu Dhabi launches new cryptocurrency hub despite downturn

Despite a global slump, cryptocurrency is growing in the UAE in line with the government’s diversification goals.

Israel’s OurCrowd invests in a $60 million AI hub in Abu Dhabi

The Israeli investment platform will build on the UAE's efforts to become a world leader in artificial intelligence and attract more futuristic technology companies to the country.

UAE tech

Abu Dhabi Global Market adopts blockchain for courts

The move comes amid other financial changes in the Gulf state. Blockchain technology is also used for cryptocurrency.

Saudi passengers take the train on an internal trip in Riyadh's only railway station 19 September 2004. Only four passenger trains per day operate from the six-platform station and along the sole operating track in the vast desert kingdom. The trains carried around 900,000 passengers in 2003 between the capital -- home to some four million -- and the center of the oil-rich Eastern Province. The Saudi Railways Organization (SRO) believes that the existing service has improved immensely during the past three

Rail development to grow across GCC, with Saudi Arabia & UAE leading the charge

Afshin Molavi

Hydrogen

UAE’s Masdar thinks Africa poised to be hydrogen hub

The African continent has a lot of potential to produce hydrogen as an energy source, but there are also many challenges, according to some observers.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (C), Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (2nd R) and UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) attend the leaders summit on the second day of the COP27 climate conference, Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Center, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Nov. 7, 2022.

UAE, Egypt announce new wind farm during COP27

Wind power is growing in Egypt, which is relatively poor in oil and gas.

Participants attend the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference, Abu Dhabi, Emirates, Nov. 11, 2019.

US, UAE sign clean energy partnership

The agreement unlocks $100 billion in financing.

(From L to R) Moderator Joha Simpson, BBC world affairs editor broadcaster, author and columnist, UAE Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei, Omani Oil and Gas Minister Mohamed Al Rumhi and Bahrain's Oil and Gas Affairs Minister Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa sit on a panel during the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference), Abu Dhabi, Emirates, Nov. 7, 2016.

UAE warns against underinvestment in oil, gas at Abu Dhabi conference

The Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference also features more focus on decarbonization and hydrogen.

A man looks at cryptocurrency prices in a window of a cryptocurrency exchange office, Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 19, 2021.

Report: Turkey has highest cryptocurrency interest in Middle East

CryptoManiaks also found a relatively high amount of crypto-related Google searches in Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

A sign offering Bitcoin for sale is seen in a store window in Hollywood, California, Oct. 20, 2022

Dubai-based crypto firm to offer payment card

The partnership between BitOasis and Mastercard could make cryptocurrencies more usable for daily purchases.

Jan. 27, 2018

Animal-free dairy plant to open in UAE

The United Arab Emirates is getting its first vegan dairy production facility as demand for non-animal-based products rises in the Gulf.

United Arab Emirates