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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

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Israel-Lebanon gas deal proceeds with TotalEnergies, Eni agreement

The agreement will allow the French and Italian energy companies to move forward with gas exploration off the coast of Lebanon.

Akinwumi Adesina, president of the African Development Bank, speaks.

Egypt’s Banque Misr receives loan from African Development Bank, China

The loan could help Egyptian startups and comes amid Egypt’s ongoing economic crisis.

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

Masdar City, UAE

The Gulf Briefing: green deals and oil talks at COP27

In this weekly newsletter, Sebastian Castelier rounds up the biggest Gulf stories from the region.

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

US, Europe pledge $500 million at COP27 for clean energy transition in Egypt

As COP27 continues in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh, dozens of countries have announced investments in climate-related projects including a $500 million package to help Egypt decarbonize.

An Iraqi worker adjusts a control valve at the Daura oil refinery, Baghdad, Iraq, Nov. 5, 2009.

Iraq expands refining capacity to reduce oil product imports

Many of the refineries in Iraq are outdated and operate below capacity.

The new Iraqi dinar banknotes are shown ready for distribution at the Bank of Baghdad, as the currency is introduced for the first time, Iraq, Oct. 15, 2003.

Will Iraq's new government reconsider dinar exchange rate?

A number of leaders of the Coordination Framework, the bloc leading the new Iraqi government, are pushing to increase the value of the dinar in an attempt to support the poor — yet some argue the measure could backfire.

An Egyptian farmer harvests wheat on Qursaya Island, Cairo, Egypt, May 16, 2022.

Egypt hopeful after Russian return to Ukraine grain deal

Russia’s return to the agreement on grain exports from Ukraine will help North African countries secure their wheat needs, as they heavily rely on the two warring countries for their imports.

A woman poses for a picture in front of a globe on November 10, 2022, inside the venue hosting the COP27 climate conference, at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Centre, in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of the same name. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Latest PRO Memo: COP27 to boost Egypt’s green ambitions

Explore Egypt's new opportunities at the UN climate conference for green energy projects by getting your free PRO trial.

A woman poses for a picture in front of a globe on November 10, 2022, inside the venue hosting the COP27 climate conference, at the Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Centre, in Egypt's Red Sea resort city of the same name. (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

COP27 to boost Egypt’s green energy ambitions

Marc Español

Israel technology

Israeli tech in trouble as funding, job openings decline

The nation's growth engine has hit a slowdown marked by layoffs, fewer hiring opportunities, and less investment capital.

COP27 UAE President

The Gulf Briefing: As COP27 kicks off in Egypt, ‘collective action or collective suicide’

In our weekly Gulf Briefing newsletter, we round up key stories to keep you ahead of the game. Check out this week’s edition on COP27.