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. Saudi Arabia
China slams Trump over economic war on Iran: What to know China’s once significant oil imports from Iran have been impacted by the war in the region and increasing US sanctions. Iran
Explainer King Abdullah visits China as region hedges against US unpredictability With no end in sight to the war in Iran and an unchecked Israeli policy across the region, the kingdom is hedging against future uncertainty and a less predictable US policy. China
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." Iran
Analysis Jordan shores up US lifelines as Iran targets Amman’s reliance on Washington By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Iran continues to struggle to keep workers content The Iranian government, members of parliament, employers and labor activists have finally agreed on wage increases to alleviate the burden on workers. But much more remains to be done to shield Iranian workers from rising prices. Iran
New crossing aims to restore Aleppo’s economic status Civilians and traders in northern Syria hope commercial activities will resume there now that the Abu al-Zandeen crossing is open, linking regime-controlled territory to Turkish-backed opposition areas for the first time. Syria
Putin, Aoun discuss Syrian refugee crisis, regional issues President Putin and President Aoun hold wide-ranging talks, including about the return of refugees to Syria, and Lebanon indicates that despite its issues with Washington, strong US-Lebanese government ties are going to continue. Lebanon
Russian businesses wary of Syria reconstruction investments Russia faces many barriers in its bid to invest in Syria's reconstruction, including excessive Syrian bureaucracy. Syria
IRGC commanders begin to reprimand Iranians for electing Rouhani Ultraconservative commanders in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are now openly criticizing voters for electing Hassan Rouhani, whose performance they view as the root cause of the country's economic woes. Iran
New pact will open flow of Egyptian workers to Libya Egypt and Libya recently signed an agreement to cooperate on screening Egyptian laborers so more of them can enter Libya as the security situation is gradually improving. Egypt
Will Iraq lose its benefits from Shatt al-Arab River to Iran? The recent renewal of an Iraqi-Iranian agreement on the Shatt al-Arab River stirred controversy among Iraqis, as many are concerned Iran will take over the border river. Iraq
Will Mankai Textile Industrial Park be a blessing for Egypt's textile sector? The construction of the largest Chinese textile city in Egypt is raising the concerns of local manufacturers and state-owned textile factories, which are already suffering huge losses. Egypt
Egypt seeks capital market boost with new futures exchange Economists say the futures contracts exchange that was recently approved in Egypt will enhance the competitiveness of the Egyptian market in general, paving the way for launching a number of futures contracts and commodity exchanges. Egypt
Road map for Iran-EU trade and investment relations Europe is making efforts to set up a special purpose vehicle to uphold legitimate trade with Iran, but there is a need for a more comprehensive action plan for such trade and political relations. United States
Politicians in Lebanon take aim at three key sectors to reduce record deficit The Lebanese government is discussing economic reforms aimed at reducing the country’s budget deficit, a key condition to receive billions of dollars worth of foreign investments. Lebanon
All eyes on Turkey's 3 biggest cities as local elections approach Turks suffering under 20% inflation and 13.5% unemployment may punish President Erdogan's coalition in March 31 elections in the nation's three largest cities. Turkey
