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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

LEBANON-VOTE A Lebanese army soldier mans the turret of a humvee (HMMWV) while on patrol in the southern city of Nabatiyeh, on May 15, 2022 during the national parliamentary elections. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP) (Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon’s army suffers with currency collapse as desertions mount

The drastic devaluation of wages threatens soldiers’ performance in the tumultuous period Lebanon is going through.

TOPSHOT - A picture shows a view of the Dubai skyline, including Burj Khalifa the worlds tallest building, in the United Arab Emirates, on June 20, 2022. (Photo by Karim SAHIB / AFP) (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

Emerging Gulf tax order to challenge family businesses

Increasing taxation across the GCC will be felt most acutely by family-owned businesses that have turned non-universal taxation to their benefit for decades.

Sebastian Castelier

Sebastian Castelier

In Dubai, reporting on regional business

The Dubai metro track is seen along Dubai's Shiekh Zayed road on September 09, 2009, as the UAE opens its new metro network in a bid to cut dependency on cars and ease congestion. Dubai is the first city in the oil-rich Gulf to introduce rail as a commuting option. (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

New rail network on track to bring billions into UAE economy

The railway will serve the UAE’s sustainability goals by reducing carbon emissions in the road transportation sector.

Russia's Rosoboronexport displayed more than 200 combat-tested weapons at an isolated pavilion.

UAE's IDEX weapons fair brings in Russia, China, and billion-dollar deals

The United Arab Emirates’ defense expenditure amounted to $22.5 billion last year and is expected to reach $28.6 billion by 2027.

People walk past a pedlar selling tangerines along a street in the Azhar district of Egypt's capital Cairo on January 16, 2023. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP) (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Egypt’s inflation to remain above central bank target in 2023

Inflation in Egypt will most likely continue to rise in the coming months to peak above 30% by mid-year, well above the government’s target.

Marc Español

Men look at currency exchange rates at an exchange shop in Tehran on Feb. 21, 2023. Iran's currency plunged to new lows on Jan. 20 amid fresh European Union sanctions, crossing the psychologically important rate of 500,000 rials to a dollar in foreign exchange markets.

Iran's currency dips to all-time low, basic prices skyrocket

Recently launched government plans to restore stability to the troubled foreign exchange market proved no remedy, as ordinary Iranians continue to see their pockets shrink.

KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images

In shift away from US dollar, Iraq to allow trade with China in yuan

Some countries in the region are increasingly looking away from the dollar.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen on a screen set at Red Square as he addresses a rally and a concert marking the annexation of four regions of Ukraine Russian troops occupy - Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, in central Moscow on September 30, 2022. (Photo by ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Al-Monitor/Premise poll: Russia's role seen as negative in Turkey, Yemen, Iraq

The Russian invasion of Ukraine hurt the region economically, as supply chain disruptions and food shortages topped respondents concerns in Turkey, Egypt, Yemen and Iraq

SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s Central Bank slashes interest rates after devastating earthquakes

The move is likely aimed at weathering the fallout from the devastating earthquakes in accordance with the Turkish government's economy policy to prioritize economic growth at the expense of inflation.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) shares a light moment with Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 11, 2016. The crown prince is on a three-day state visit to India until February 12. AFP PHOTO / Money SHARMA / AFP / MONEY SHARMA (Photo credit should read MONEY SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images)

US, India, UAE, Israel convene I2U2 forum in Abu Dhabi

The meeting builds on the food security initiative spearheaded by President Joe Biden in 2021 in preparation for global climate change.

A man sits atop a rolled-up tent in the garden of Yenimahalle Cemevi.

Turkey bans layoffs, introduces benefits, amid mounting earthquake failures

The Turkish government’s new decisions come amid mounting criticism over its failure to provide a timely and organized response to the killer earthquakes.

Backers of the the Southern Transitional Council (STC) which seeks independence for south Yemen, stand guard outside a bank in the Crater district in the centre of Yemen's second city of Aden on August 12, 2019. - (Photo credit should read NABIL HASAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Reports: Saudi Arabia to deposit $1 billion in Yemen’s central bank

The European Union also announced additional funding for Yemen, while a famine watchdog said that economic warfare is increasingly causing hardship for Yemenis.