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United Arab Emirates

August 24, 2026

Abu Dhabi 6:41 am

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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

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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.

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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

Nurse Practitioner Terri Welch prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, at the Haxby and Wigginton Group Medical Practice in Haxby, northern England on December 22, 2020. - Europe is expected to start a massive vaccination campaign after Christmas following the United States and Britain, which have begun giving jabs with an approved Pfizer-BioNTech shot, one of several leading candidates. (Photo by Lindsey Parnaby / AFP) (Photo by LINDSEY PARNABY/AFP via Getty Images)

Dubai begins administering Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

Saudi Arabia and Israel have also approved the American-German vaccine.

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A Hanukkah menorah is seen as Israeli entrepreneurs celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah for the first time at a hotel in Dubai on December 10, 2020. - Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the holy temple in Jerusalem after the 165 BC Jewish victory over the Hellenistic Seleucid armies of Antiochus IV Epiphanies, who had outlawed Jewish rituals and ordered Jews to worship Greek gods and adopt their customs. (Photo by Karim SAHIB / AFP) (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel's Sephardic chief rabbi returns from Emirates

Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzhak Yosef paid a historic visit this weekend to the United Arab Emirates, inviting several ministers to visit Jerusalem.

United Arab Emirates

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 25: An Emirates A380 prepares for take off at Sydney Airport on March 25, 2020 in Sydney, Australia. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced further restrictions on Australians as the government works to stop the spread of COVID-19, including a ban on all international travel from Wednesday. There will be exceptions for aid workers and for compassionate, work-related and other essential travel. A new phase of shutdowns for Australian businesses will also come into place from m

Emirates resumes flights to Istanbul

The Dubai-based airline recently reported a massive revenue loss for 2020, but continues to rebuild its flight network toward pre-pandemic status.

United Arab Emirates

A worker inspects bottles of milk on on the producion line at a dairy factory at Baladna farm in the city of al-Khor, 60 kilometers north of the Qatari capital on October 26, 2019. - The cows of Qatar's Baladna farm, housed in climate-controlled farms in the desert, exemplify the lengths to which Qatar has gone to resist what it calls an economic "blockade" enforced by its Saudi-led neighbours. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Gulf economies face major challenges in post-COVID 19 world

Signals indicate the embargo imposed on Qatar could come to an end, but can the Gulf Cooperation Council play a coordinating role vital to diversify Gulf economies post-pandemic?

US treasury secretary to tour Middle East in final push for Abraham Accords

Steven Mnuchin plans to stop in Israel, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Qatar.

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An F-35 fighter plane flies over the White House on June 12, 2019, in Washington DC. - US President Donald Trump announced while meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda that Poland was ordering more than 30 F-35 combat aircraft. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo credit should read ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Senate fails to pass resolution blocking Trump administration’s F-35 sale to the UAE

Major obstacle falls to Trump administration's Gulf security goals.

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'Seeds of progress' in ending Gulf row with Qatar, UAE envoy says

UAE Ambassador to the United States Yousef al-Otaiba signaled the Gulf parties are getting closer to an agreement.

United Arab Emirates

(L-R)Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Bahrain Foreign Minister Abdullatif al-Zayani pose before they participate in the signing of the Abraham Accords where the countries of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates recognize Israel, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, September 15, 2020. - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates arrived September 15, 2020 at the

Emirati, Israeli officials upbeat about Biden Administration

The director general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Alon Ushpiz, and the UAE’s assistant minister for culture and public diplomacy, Omar Ghobash, discussed the prospects for Israeli-Palestinian peace, Iran, and combating bigotry in the region and more at an Al-Monitor event.

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Cyberattacks in UAE up 250% during pandemic, Emirati cyber chief says

Emirati cybersecurity chief Mohamed al-Kuwaiti said his country is experiencing a “cyber pandemic.”

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Beitar Jerusalem fans cheer on their team prior to the UEFA Europa League play-off football match between Beitar Jerusalem and AS Saint-Etienne, at the Itztadion Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem on August 17, 2016.
Saint-Etienne beat Beitar Jerusalem 2-1. / AFP / AHMAD GHARABLI (Photo credit should read AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Beitar Jerusalem soccer club pursues talks with Emirati investor

Owner of Beitar Jerusalem soccer club Moshe Hogeg is determined to ignore threats by La Familia fan club against partnering with an Emirati investor.

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UAE responds to criticism from US senators on F-35 sale

A group of bipartisan senators has introduced legislation rejecting the Trump administration's planned sale of the advanced fighter jet to the United Arab Emirates.

United Arab Emirates

A houbara bustard walks at Al-Marzoom Hunting reserve, 150kms west of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates on February 2, 2016. / AFP / KARIM SAHIB (Photo credit should read KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

Israelis, Emiratis connect over cinema, concern for nature

While trade is a pillar of the nascent ties between Israel and the Emirates, civil groups on both sides are finding plenty of common goals and joint projects to pursue.

United Arab Emirates