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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 Japanese and an Emirati man in traditional clothes check their phones at the Arabian Travel Market.

UAE and Japan agree to visa-free travel

The two countries also recently pledged to boost economic, industrial and energy cooperation.

United Arab Emirates

Palestinian men gather to apply for work permits in Israel.

Gazan workers fall prey to brokers claiming to offer work permits

Amid the poor economic conditions and as thousands of Gazans seek to obtain work permits inside Israel, fraudulent brokers have spread in the besieged enclave claiming to be able to secure permits.

RODGER BOSCH/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia, South Africa sign agreements worth $15 billion

Saudi Arabia is increasing its economic footprint on the African continent, in part because of its rivalry with Iran.

VLADIMIR SIMICEK/AFP via Getty Images

OPEC members back Saudi Arabia in dispute with US

The oil cartel and Russia recently agreed to a significant oil production cut, leading to public criticism from the United States.

A worker prepares an order at a cafe after authorities relaxed the coronavirus lockdown measures, Cairo, Egypt, June 27, 2020.

Can coffee be grown in Egypt?

Decades of experiments have proven that coffee crops can be grown on Egyptian soil.

beekeeper

Lebanese women find sweet success with beekeeping

Beekeeping, once a niche hobby, is flourishing in Lebanon, providing women with a means of surviving the financial crisis.

The Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) provided a soft loan to light roads using solar energy in the Central African Republic.

Saudi economic relations with sub-Saharan Africa continue to grow

South Africa's president will soon visit the Saudi kingdom, and the Saudi Fund for Development recently agreed to help the Central African Republic develop solar energy.

Plastic Coca-Cola bottles.

Coca-Cola to sponsor COP27 in Egypt, sparking criticism

The company has been ranked as the world’s top corporate plastic polluter for years and is blamed for spending millions of dollars greenwashing its brand and lobbying to derail regulations.

A picture shows the headquarters of UAE's state oil company ADNOC in Dubai on July 27, 2022.

Abu Dhabi announces nearly $1 billion drilling contract

Oil and gas remain a major part of the Emirati economy, despite recent investments in renewable energy and green technology. The contract comes as the UAE gets ready to provide gas to Germany amid the war in Ukraine.

United Arab Emirates

Iran rials

Iran wants to use national currencies with Caspian states

At the Caspian Economic Forum, Iran promoted the idea, which would allow it to evade international financial sanctions.

Russian nuclear energy in the Middle East heats up

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy

In this file photo taken on Oct. 22, 2019, boats are pictured along the riverbank and off the water of the Nile River.

Egypt venture capital firm for startups develops solutions to climate change

The Climate Resilience Fund targets nature-positive and sustainable projects that address mainly land and sea misuse.