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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

Turkey rail

UK loans $2.3 billion to Turkey for high-speed rail line

Turkey and the United Kingdom have gotten closer economically recently, which is in part related to tensions with the European Union.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

Egyptian Minister of Petroleum Tarek el-Mulla attends the East Mediterranean Gas Forum, Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 16, 2020.

Egypt seeks to boost gas exports to Europe as Russia-Ukraine war drags on

Egypt hopes to boost its natural gas exports at a time when European countries are gradually giving up reliance on Russian hydrocarbons, including gas, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia, Qatar raise repo rates while Turkey stays put

Central Banks in the Middle East are responding to the US Federal Reserve raising interest rates due to rising inflation.

Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez (2nd-L) and Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov (2nd-R) attend the Turkey-Azerbaijan (Nakhchivan) Natural Gas Pipeline Project signing ceremony at the Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Ministry headquarters, Ankara, Turkey, Dec. 15, 2020.

No magic tap for Europe to replace Russian gas via Turkey

Europe has been looking to Azerbaijan, Israel and other countries to transit gas via Turkey, but assuming political obstacles can be overcome, the massive investments needed will take time to realize.

A picture taken March 1, 2006, shows traditional buildings in Sanaa's Old City.

Real estate in Yemen’s Sanaa still thrives despite war

Despite the destruction in Yemen, land and residential prices are skyrocketing and the industry is becoming an attractive investment.

DONT USE - Gulf Pulse

Abramovich yacht

Israel implements some but not all sanctions against Russian oligarchs

Israel’s leadership said that the country will not enable Russian oligarchs to bypass Western sanctions, but at the same time it did not commit clearly to adopt all the sanctions.

A security guard opens the main entrance to the Oasis Casino on May 3, 2001.

Jericho’s casino may reopen after 21 years

The Oasis Casino in the West Bank, once considered the largest gambling hall in the Middle East, has returned to the fore again amid talks about reopening the venue 21 years after it closed.

Mosque Gaza

Gazans outraged over millions of dollars spent building mosques

The upcoming inauguration of a mosque that was built at a cost of $2 million in the cash-strapped Gaza Strip has shocked residents whose homes have been destroyed by the repeated wars.

Sisi & Bennett

Israel, Egypt launch new flight route ahead of Passover

Following up on the September meeting between Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Jerusalem and Cairo announced the opening of a flight route between Tel Aviv and Sharm el-Sheikh.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) and Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa.

Saudi GDP grew 3.2% in 2021, highest in seven years

Saudi economic progress includes growth in the non-oil sector, as foreign direct investment moves more slowly.

China currency

Analysis

Saudi considering China’s yuan for oil purchases

Saudi Arabia and China have been growing closer for years, and the news comes at a time of frustration among Gulf states with the US.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Leonid Nevzlin, a former Russian oligarch.

As West ups sanctions on Russia's oligarchs, many maintain Israeli citizenship

Dozens of Russian oligarchs have obtained Israeli citizenship in recent years due to their Jewish heritage. Western sanctions over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could affect Israel’s relationships with the billionaires as well as its technology sector.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change