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Economy & Business

Qatar's Energy Minister and CEO of QatarEnergy Saad Sherida al-Kaabi speaks during a press conference in Doha, on June 22, 2026.

Qatar locks in US LNG through 2054 as it looks beyond Hormuz

The Gulf state agreed to buy up to 4 million tons of US liquefied natural gas annually through 2054.

Saudi Arabia football supporters wave flags

China-Saudi consortium wins $306M World Cup stadium deal: What to know

The project is a vote of confidence to Saudi Arabia's ambitious Vision 2030 agenda to diversify the economy away from oil, despite an uptick in attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on the kingdom in recent weeks.

The Chinese-flagged container shipping vessel Hui Fa transits the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Khor Fakkan in the emirate of Sharjah east of the UAE, on Oct. 13, 2026.

Gulf oil exports surpass prewar levels despite escalating tanker attacks

According to data from Kpler, oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz and alternative routes across the Middle East averaged more than 24 million barrels a day last week, surpassing prewar levels of 23.3 million.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Latest News

Macron secures Gulf diesel supplies as France grapples with fuel costs, unrest

Benoit Tessier / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Indonesia first foreign country to own property in Saudi Arabia's Mecca

Vehicles move along a main street in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca on Sept. 16, 2026.

Saudi Arabia postpones 'Davos in the Desert' until 2027 amid Houthi attacks

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As Iran’s oil lifeline runs dry, can it outlast Trump's economic siege?

shoppers walking through the Tajrish Bazaar, a traditional market in Tehran

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

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

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Egypt's Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto pose for a family photo.

Egypt urges BRICS to deepen financial ties after Trump threatens tariffs

Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly said that due to the global decline in multilateralism and crises engulfing the world, members of the bloc of developing nations should bolster their financial and economic ties.

Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, adorns the Dubai skyline as people sunbathe on Jumerah beach, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Jan. 30, 2025.

UAE ranks second globally as digital nomad destination: What to know

The Gulf country was rated highly for its internet quality, public safety, low tax environment, comprehensive health-care system and overall infrastructure.

United Arab Emirates

Hisham Ezz Al Arab CIB CEO

Interview

How Red Sea attacks prepared Egypt’s economy for future shocks

The CEO of Egypt's third-largest bank tells Al-Monitor why he is hopeful about the country's economic recovery.

Hisham Ezz Al-Arab

Hisham Ezz Al-Arab

CEO, Commercial International Bank

This photo shows Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar's principal site for production of liquefied natural gas and gas-to-liquid, administrated by Qatar Petroleum, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the capital, Doha, Qatar, Feb. 6, 2017.

Analysis

Gulf bets on LNG boom power ahead amid regional energy shifts, war risks

Gulf oil powers are emerging as key LNG players, leveraging rising consumer demand to justify strategic global gas investments and to scale up their own LNG production at home.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

An Emirates Boing 777 lands while an Iran Air plane is taxiing, Dubai's International Airport, Sept. 14, 2017.

After Israel war, Iran reopens airspace to domestic, international flights

Authorities opened all airports on Friday except for those at Isfahan and Tabriz.

Subianto and Salman

Saudi Arabia, Indonesia announce $27B in oil, clean energy deals: What to know

Saudi Arabia and Indonesia signed agreements for investments worth $27 billion in various fields during Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to the kingdom.

People shop in a market on June 17, 2025 in Damascus, Syria.

Norway removes sanctions on Syria: What to know

Norway has moved to increase humanitarian assistance to Syria.

An aerial picture shows workers using a crane to plant trees in a park project by the roadside in the Saudi capital Riyadh, on March 29, 2021. - Although the OPEC kingpin seems an unlikely champion of clean energy, the "Saudi Green Initiative" aims to reduce emissions by generating half of its energy from renewables by 2030. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi renewables firm ACWA Power eyes major China expansion: What to know

By 2030, ACWA Power aims to expand its global assets to around $250 billion, with China projected to contribute between $30 billion and $75 billion.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey closes livestock markets amid foot-and-mouth disease outbreak: What to know

The Agriculture Ministry has closed all livestock markets to prevent spread of the disease while vaccination efforts are underway.

People visit the "EcoMotion Week" trade show on May 11, 2022, in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv.

Israeli startups raise $1.6B in June as war with Iran fails to rattle investors

Israeli startups raised funds through 18 deals in June, marking their highest monthly total since 2022, according to Startup Nation Central.

Iranian rial banknotes bearing a portrait of the late founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, sit on the stand of an Iraqi money dealer on June 19, 2014, in Arbil, Iraq.

Iran’s rial falls by 3% as Tehran grapples with war aftermath

The rial has fallen considerably since May, as officials lash out against the US despite the recent conflict coming to a close.