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People sit in a cafe outside the Apple Store in Dubai on May 8, 2025.

Iran names US tech, finance firms in new Middle East threat list

Firms listed as potential targets included Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, IBM, Palantir and Nvidia, while banking giant JPMorgan and UAE-based AI firm G42 were also listed.

Traffic rolls along a main throughfare under a banner with images of past and present leaders that reads in Farsi, "Domino fall", as daily life returns to the streets following nationwide protests, in the Iranian capital Tehran on January 19, 2026. Demonstrations sparked in late December by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years. Limited internet access briefly returned in Iran before dropping again, a monitor said January

Analysis

Iran’s longest-ever internet blackout leaves 99% offline: What to know

Facing a historic internet blackout, Iranians are locked in a struggle with authorities to find loopholes to get around this communications crackdown, leading to "shutdowns within a shutdown."

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

What we know about UAE blocking X accounts accused of misinformation

Attendees take a picture of French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe as he delivers a speech during a visit to the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum on February 10, 2018, on Saadiyat island in the Emirati capital, to launch the French-Emirati "Year of Cultural Dialogue". (Photo by KARIM SAHIB / AFP) (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

United Arab Emirates

Interview

AI, cybersecurity high on Mideast priorities amid global tech rivalry: Tech Mahindra

A man and woman walk along a promenade overlooking the Burj al-Arab and Dubai skyline on January 4, 2025. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Mideast’s AI startups capture record $858M in funding during 2025, doubling share

Detailed image of Middle Eastern developer in front of desktop pc monitoring a complex network, ensuring data security and efficient computing using cloud, AI and machine learning.

United Arab Emirates

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

David Rosenberg

In Tel Aviv, reporting on business and tech

Kraken

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken closes Abu Dhabi office

Emirati officials are still bullish about the future of cryptocurrency, but the crash in the market has hit the UAE hard.

ERIC PIERMONT/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia announces vertical farming venture with US AeroFarms

Vertical farming is on the rise in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

High-tech company workers block a road and hold signs as they strike for an hour to protest the Israeli government's controversial plans to overhaul the judicial system, Tel Aviv, Israel, Jan. 24, 2023.

Israeli tech sector has big problem with Netanyahu’s judicial reform

It is not only political activists who are demonstrating against the judicial overhaul pushed by the Netanyahu government — high-tech companies and people have also joined the protest movement.

Participants attend a session of the Abu Dhabi Space Debate, a two-day conference organised by the UAE Space Agency for stakeholders of the space sector, in the Emirati capital, on December 5, 2022. (Photo by Mumen KHATIB / AFP) (Photo by MUMEN KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)

From spaceports to startups, Gulf countries race to boost space sector

As the global space race accelerates, the Middle East is becoming a rising hub of activity with ample opportunities to carve out an impactful role in the space economy. (PRO subscribers only, access with free trial)

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

UAE defends crypto push at World Economic Forum amid FTX fallout

Emirati Minister Omar Sultan Al Olama discussed Samuel Bankman-Fried’s infamous trip to Dubai, cryptocurrency regulation, decentralized finance and more in Davos.

This photo taken on August 4, 2020 shows Prince, a member of the hacking group Red Hacker Alliance who refused to give his real name, using a website that monitors global cyberattacks on his computer at their office in Dongguan, China's southern Guangdong province. (Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI/AFP via Getty Images)

China hackers found to have compromised Iran entities for months

A Chinese hacking group targeted multiple Iranian government bodies in 2022 using advanced malware, according to an industry report.

HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP via Getty Images

UAE to store carbon dioxide in rocks

The carbon mineralization project is part of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company's $15 billion investment in decarbonization initiatives.

A picture taken on July 14, 2022, ahead of a visit by the United States' president to Saudi Arabia, shows hostesses in a car manufactured by US electric vehicle maker Lucid Group at the KSA Green Transition Journey exhibition in the Red Sea port of Jeddah. - A exhibiton offered a presentation on the Saudi Green Initiative, which also includes goals for tree-planting and reducing emissions. (Photo by Amer HILABI / AFP) (Photo by AMER HILABI/AFP via Getty Images)

Electric vehicle manufacturing competition revving up in Middle East

2023 is expected to be a big year for electric vehicle production in the Middle East. Here's what to expect. (access with free trial)

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Uber Travel now available in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt

The American ride-hailing giant faces significant competition in the Middle East and North Africa, but continues to expand in the region.

Singapore lab meat

Israeli company to work on 3D printed eel with Singapore

Singapore is the only country in the world that allows the sale of so-called lab meat, and Israel has a growing lab meat sector.

Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, Emirati minister of state and CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, speaks during the opening ceremony of the 24th World Energy Congress, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 9, 2019.

Abu Dhabi to invest $15 billion in decarbonization

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s interest in carbon capture and hydrogen is not new, and is part of a wider shift in the United Arab Emirates.

Employees walk past solar panels at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Solar Park, Dubai, March 20, 2017.

Dubai’s use of solar power increased in 2022

Dubai is playing a large role in the UAE’s move toward solar energy.