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Economy & Business

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

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

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.

Latest News

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

Turkey looks to expand Syria energy footprint into oil, gas

President Ahmad al-Sharaa meets Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar at the People’s Palace in Damascus, Syria, on Aug. 19, 2026.

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

A customs agreement between Israel and the UAE is signed in the presence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on March 26, 2023.

Israel, UAE sign customs agreement as Emirati president hosts Naftali Bennett

Economic cooperation between the the UAE and Israel remains strong and they have now activated their free trade deal, despite heightened Emirati criticism on the Palestinian issue.

Saudi National Bank chairman resigns after Credit Suisse loss

Current CEO Saeed Mohammed Al Ghamdi will take over as the new chairman on March 27, with deputy CEO Talal Ahmed Al Khereiji filling his place.

Asian labourers work at the construction site of Saudi Aramco's (the national oil company) Al-Khurais central oil processing facility in the Saudi Arabian desert, 160 kms east of the capital Riyadh, on June 23, 2008. Deep in the Saudi desert, 28,000 Asian workers are racing to get a giant oil processing complex ready to help King Abdullah keep a vow to meet world demand for crude. AFP PHOTO/MARWAN NAAMANI (Photo by MARWAN NAAMANI / AFP) (Photo by MARWAN NAAMANI/AFP via Getty Images)

Why global energy giants are increasing their presence in the Middle East and North Africa

Global energy companies have all made the strategic assumption that they will be able to invest in exploration and production in the Middle East for several decades to come.

Gerald Kepes

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy trends

A stock market ticker displays financial information and world time zones in the lobby of the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

Israeli shekel, stocks rally as Netanyahu pauses judicial reform

The right-wing Israeli government’s controversial judicial reform plans have divided Israeli society and led to concerns among the Israeli tech sector and global financial institutions.

Lebanese forces try to prevent protestors from vandalising a private bank during a demonstration by members of the banks depositors committee against monetary policies, on March 24, 2023. - Lebanon's economic meltdown, described by the World Bank as one of the worst in recent global history, has plunged most of the population into poverty according to the United Nations. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon PM reverses daylight saving time decision after 48 hours of anarchy

The decision to postpone the switch to daylight saving time sparked a wide debate in Lebanon, in some cases taking on a sectarian nature.

A man rides a scooter with a woman and two children along a main street adorned with Christmas and New Year's decorations, in the northern suburb of Shubra (home to a large Christian population), Cairo, Egypt, Dec. 31, 2021.

Egypt offers cash for families to control births

The Egyptian government intends to pay 1,000 Egyptian pounds to married women with two children or less annually as part of efforts to curb population growth.

A general view shows the solar plant in Uyayna, north of Riyadh, on March 29, 2018. - On March 27, Saudi announced a deal with Japan's SoftBank to build the world's biggest solar plant. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP) (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

Oman's green hydrogen to face competition from Saudi Arabia, UAE

Oman aspires to be the Middle East's top producer and exporter of green hydrogen as global demand grows. It'll have to go through Saudi Arabia and the UAE first.

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

This picture taken on Nov. 17, 2019, shows the Hong Kong-flagged container ship CSCL STAR sailing through Egypt's Suez Canal.

Egypt-China relations strengthen with $2 billion factory deal

China is making major economic inroads into Egypt along with other countries in the Middle East.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk leaves the Phillip Burton Federal Building on January 24, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Musk testified at a trial regarding a lawsuit that has investors suing Tesla and Musk over his August 2018 tweets saying he was taking Tesla private with funding that he had secured. The tweet was found to be false and cost shareholders billions of dollars when Tesla's stock price began to fluctuate wildly allegedly based on the tweet. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Elon Musk denies report that Saudi Arabia, UAE intend to invest in SpaceX

An arm of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and an Abu Dhabi-based company were reported to be looking to invest in Elon Musk’s SpaceX, according to The Information, which cited people familiar with investor discussions.

People buy traditional lanterns and foodstuff ahead of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan at the market Sayyida Zeinab district, Cairo, Egypt, March 12, 2023.

This Ramadan, food prices change Egypt's longstanding Iftar customs

Surging food prices force Egyptians to strictly stick to the basics ahead of Ramadan.

The Dubai metro track is seen along Sheikh Zayed Road, as the Gulf emirate prepares to open its new metro network in a bid to cut dependency on cars and ease congestion, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 9, 2009.

UAE, Oman call for bids on $3 billion transnational railway project

The move aims to expand the role of the private sector in the state-owned project and promote regional integration, with the project connecting Oman’s Sohar Port with the UAE's National Rail Network.

An oil tanker unloads imported crude oil at Qingdao port in China's eastern Shandong province on May 9, 2022. - China OUT (Photo by AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia surpasses Saudi Arabia as China’s top oil supplier

Energy-related cooperation between Saudi Arabia and China remains strong, but Russia and Saudi Arabia will continue to compete for the Chinese oil market in the near future.