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Economy & Business

Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP via Getty Images

First LNG tanker transits Strait of Hormuz since Iran war began

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)

Pistachios reach highest prices in eight years amid Iran war

Pistachio prices rose to around $4.57 a pound in March, their highest since 2018, according to data company Expana.

A view of Dubai Marina in Dubai on March 3, 2026.

UAE’s cash request tests US ties as Iran war strains Gulf financial muscle

Amid growing economic fallout from the regional war, Abu Dhabi’s bombshell request for a war-time financial lifeline from the United States is less about cash and more about clout — for now.

United Arab Emirates

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker is moored at a LNG berth in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, prefecture April 8, 2026.

IEA delivers grim gas supply forecast as oil notches 15% weekly rise

A wave of new LNG supplies will be delayed for at least two years due to war-related damage to Qatari energy infrastructure, according the International Energy Agency's latest market update.

Latest News

Why did the Met Opera lose its Saudi funding deal?

A person walks past the closed Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center on Jan. 7, 2021, in New York City.

Which airlines are cutting flights amid Hormuz fuel disruption?

Refueling trucks are seen at Southend Airport on April 17, 2026, in Southend, England.

How are Iran-linked tankers still moving through Hormuz blockade?

BAY ISMOYO / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Gulf energy deals face Iran war stress test as global expansion meets oil shock

A picture shows the 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, on Feb. 6, 2017.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

People wait to exchange money at a currency exchange shop on June 23, 2023 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Turkey’s Central Bank shifts gears, hikes interest rates to 25%

The 750 basis point rise was higher than analysts' expectations, prompting lira to rebound from a record low.

BRICS summit 2023

Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE to join BRICS

The Shanghai-headquartered New Development Bank, or so-called “BRICS bank”, had already admitted the UAE and Egypt as shareholders.

Israel gas

Israel to export more gas to Egypt as cooperation grows

Israeli-Egyptian cooperation on gas matters has increased significantly in recent years, despite Egyptian criticism of Israeli policy towards the Palestinians.

Turkey lira

Turkey’s lira sinks further as currency protection scheme changes

Banks are upset with a Central Bank plan to move depositors’ savings out of accounts designed to protect the lira’s value.

A general view during MDLBEAST SOUNDSTORM 2021 on Dec. 19, 2021, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia's SRMG invests in music streamer Anghami, Spotify’s Middle East rival

Beirut-founded Anghami is the most popular music streaming platform in the MENA region, with 120 million registered users, up from 75 million in 2021.

JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon rolls out waste management project

For years, Lebanon's trash has been burned in open dumps, with dangerous environmental and health effects.

JOSEPH EID/AFP via Getty Images

Energy exploration begins in Lebanon’s offshore field

Gas exploration plans in Lebanon’s Mediterranean waters have progressed since the country reached a maritime border deal with Israel last year.

An aerial view shows Emirates aircraft parked on the tarmac at Dubai International Airport during a government-organized helicopter tour, July 8, 2020.

Dubai airport surpasses pre-pandemic passenger traffic in first half of 2023

Dubai International Airport welcomed 41.6 million passengers in the first half of the year, which was “just over 100% compared to traffic recorded during the first six months of 2019,” stated the airport authority in a press release.

Apache Corporation

US shale giant to invest $1.4B in Egyptian fossil fuel projects

At the end of last year, Apache Corp's main interests in Egypt were in the Western Desert with 5.3 million gross acres in six separate concessions.

View of the headquarters of Libya's Central Bank in Tripoli, Oct. 15, 2004.

Libya’s central bank reunifies after clashes in Tripoli

The reunification of the financial institution is a sign of progress and follows disputes over oil revenue distribution and violence in the capital, as Libya continues to grapple with the aftermath of the civil war.

Xi Jinping at BRICS

BRICS summit: which Middle East states could join powerful bloc?

China and Russia are seeking to expand the group and their global influence, and several MENA countries are in line to apply.

A general view shows office buildings at al-Raidah Digital City of the Saudi capital Riaydh on February 28, 2022.

Analysis

Saudi holdings of US Treasuries hit record low, signaling push to diversify from dollar

Saudi Arabia's stockpile of US Treasuries fell to $108.1 billion in June, the lowest point since December 2016.

By Salim A. Essaid