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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

UAE tech

Abu Dhabi Global Market adopts blockchain for courts

The move comes amid other financial changes in the Gulf state. Blockchain technology is also used for cryptocurrency.

Hydrogen

UAE’s Masdar thinks Africa poised to be hydrogen hub

The African continent has a lot of potential to produce hydrogen as an energy source, but there are also many challenges, according to some observers.

Kurdcoin founder says lack of regulation crypto's big challenge in Iraq

Al-Monitor interviewed Abdurrahman Bapir, who heads Iraq’s first cryptocurrency exchange, on the appeal of cryptocurrency in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and how the crypto crash has affected the domestic market.

JENS SCHLUETER/AFP via Getty Images

Germany’s Deutsche Bahn announces Egyptian high-speed rail deal at COP27

Egypt’s railway system is notorious for safety issues and German's expertise promises to help.

An employee at "al-Gameya", a tech startup the runs an app to facilitate for strangers to create an informal money-pooling association to provide access for money in time of need, uses a computer with the official Facebook page of the application open on a web browser, at the company offices in Egypts capital Cairo on September 12, 2021. - Cash-strapped Egyptians fearful of banks have long relied on a "gameya" to access money in time of need, but now tech startups are cashing in on the practice. Such cooper

A reality check looms for Middle East's tech startups

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

An illustration picture taken in London shows a gold plated souvenir cryptocurrency Tether (USDT) coin arranged beside a screen displaying a trading chart, May 8, 2022.

Bahrain’s CoinMENA to facilitate real estate payments via cryptocurrency

The agreement with Carlton Real Estate only applies to certain coins. Cryptocurrency’s utility is increasing in the Gulf.

A member of Iraq's Electoral Commission demonstrates a digital machine that scans ballots of Iraqi voters.

Kurdistan government in Iraq hopes digitalization will bring investment

The Kurdistan Regional Government has made progress digitizing government services, but investors say more is needed to attract serious capital and spur startup growth.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (C), Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (2nd R) and UAE's President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) attend the leaders summit on the second day of the COP27 climate conference, Sharm el-Sheikh International Convention Center, Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Nov. 7, 2022.

UAE, Egypt announce new wind farm during COP27

Wind power is growing in Egypt, which is relatively poor in oil and gas.

Russia begins production of equipment and components of Egypt’s El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant, Aug. 2, 2021.

Egypt, Russia commence second phase of nuclear power plant construction

Egypt is preparing to build the second unit of the Dabaa nuclear power plant about five months after establishing the first unit.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi crown prince launches electric car company

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman wants the oil-rich kingdom to focus more on green technology as he seeks to diversify the economy.

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Saudi Arabia establishes open banking framework

Saudi Arabia wants to grow its fintech sector in line with its diversification plan, but finding the right talent could be a challenge.

Senator calls for investigation into Saudi Twitter ownership

Saudi Prince Alwaleed is the second-largest stakeholder in Elon Musk's Twitter, which has earned him criticism from Sen. Murphy. But the prince’s investment in the company is not new.