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Economy & Business

Crops of wheat and barley in Terbol village on May 10, 2022, in Bekaa Valley, Lebanon.

Analysis

MENA wheat importers face food security risks as Hormuz crisis festers

Home to many of the world's largest wheat importers, the Middle East and North Africa face acute food security risks as the US-Israel-Iran war disrupts global fertilizer flows and pushes up prices.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Haitham AL-SHUKAIRI / AFP via Getty Images

Oman enters Gulf AI race with new special economic zone in Muscat

Oman will create an AI-focused special economic zone in Muscat governorate.

A pumpjack stands idle in the Huntington Beach oil field, with port cranes visible in the distance, on April 23, 2026, in Huntington Beach, California.

Oil surges past $120 to war-time high as Trump rejects Iran overture

Benchmark Brent crude surpassed $120 per barrel on Wednesday, reaching the highest levels yet seen during the US-Israel-Iran war.

An Iraqi money dealer counts Iranian rial banknotes bearing a portrait of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, at an exchange office in Baghdad on Feb. 3, 2012.

Iranian rial hits new record low as blockade, war take toll: What to know

The rial had another collapse in late 2025, triggering massive protests and riots in the country that were ended by a forceful government crackdown.

Latest News

Analysis

UAE’s OPEC exit rattles cartel as Gulf alliances shift

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Why UAE's decision to leave OPEC is major shift for cartel

MUMEN KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

First LNG tanker transits Strait of Hormuz since Iran war began

Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP via Getty Images

Pistachios reach highest prices in eight years amid Iran war

An Iranian grocer sells pistachios imported from Iran at a Persian products shop in the Gulf emirate of Dubai on July 10, 2019. (Photo by Karim SAHIB / AFP) (Photo credit should read KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

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

This picture taken on Feb. 22, 2021, shows a view of vehicles in the Sayeda Aisha district of Egypt's capital, Cairo.

Egypt’s car industry suffers under dollar crisis

Car prices experienced a steep spike in Egypt over the past months as the dollar rose against the Egyptian pound and import restrictions were imposed amidst a decline in supply and a redirection of Egypt’s market shares to other countries.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) stands with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi (L).

Egypt, Congo boost ties with electricity deal

Egypt and the Democratic Republic of the Congo agreed to partner in the field of electricity as part of Egypt’s plan to boost its presence in the African continent amid the stalled talks on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis.

Turkey economy

Currency shocks, wild inflation mark Erdogan’s time as executive president

Turkey’s currency has lost 73% of its value against the dollar since Erdogan assumed sweeping executive powers in 2018 and remains prone to fresh shocks amid growing economic fragilities.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (4th-R) poses for a group photo with the EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson (6th-R), Egypt's Minister of Petroleum Tarek el-Mulla (5th-R), Israeli Minister of Energy Karine Elharrar (3rd-R) and other officials during the signing ceremony of a trilateral natural gas deal during the ministerial meeting of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum, Cairo, Egypt, June 15, 2022.

Egypt looks for boost from gas deal with Israel, EU

The EU, Egypt and Israel signed an agreement for the export of natural gas to Europe, which would reduce the latter’s dependence on Russian gas.

Saudi Minister of Energy, Industrial and Mineral Resources, Khaled al-Falih.

Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power to develop wind project in Egypt

Wind power is slowly growing in the Middle East and North Africa, including in the oil-rich Gulf.

Jordan's King Abdullah II (L) and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Saudi Arabia, Jordan strengthen ties with energy, mining deals

Saudi Arabia is now a major investor in Jordan.

Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud (C) and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) are seen receiving Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, March 8, 2022.

Egypt, Saudi Arabia sign agreements on green hydrogen, infrastructure

The deals came during Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit to Egypt.

This photo shows an aerial view of the southernmost tip of Egypt's Nile delta region, including the Qanater al-Khayreya Nile River barrages, north of the capital Cairo, Egypt, Oct. 15, 2021.

Egypt, France boost cooperation ahead of COP27

Egypt and France are boosting their bilateral cooperation, especially with respect to temperature-tolerant and sustainable crops, in the midst of Egypt's preparations to hold the COP27 conference at the end of this year.

A picture shows an Emirates Airlines airplane at Dubai International Airport on Feb. 1, 2021.

Middle East airlines to suffer losses again in 2022

The International Air Transport Association said that airlines in the region will fare somewhat better financially due to the return of long-haul flights.

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is seen on a monitor during a video conference with European Council President Charles Michel at the European Council building, Brussels, Belgium, Jan. 10, 2022.

Iran, Kazakhstan boost trade relations with new railway network

Kazakhstan is a strong ally of Iran, and has helped the Islamic Republic circumvent sanctions.

Israeli passengers arrive from Ukraine via the border with Romania on an Israeli Israir flight at Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, March 1, 2022.

Israel expects post-COVID tourism rebound this summer

Israeli experts do not expect tourism to reach this summer the record level of 2019, but they certainly notice a trend of increase on both outbound and incoming tourism.

Women buy bread from a local bread stand in Al Fustat neighborhood on May 2, 2022, in Cairo, Egypt.

Egypt rejects World Trade Organization agreements on global food crisis

Egypt objected to the WTO agreements to alleviate the global food crisis, as it refuses to be forced to export food when it is grappling with its own food crisis.