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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

A general view shows a palm field suffering from desertification on Oct. 27, 2016, near Morocco's southeastern oasis town of Erfoud.

Egypt plans to launch first satellite to monitor climate change in Africa

In the lead-up to the COP27 scheduled to be held in Sharm el-Sheikh in November and in partnership with China, Egypt plans to launch its first satellite specialized in the monitoring of climate changes in Africa.

A man looks at cryptocurrency prices in a window of a cryptocurrency exchange office, Istanbul, Turkey, Oct. 19, 2021.

Report: Turkey has highest cryptocurrency interest in Middle East

CryptoManiaks also found a relatively high amount of crypto-related Google searches in Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Qatar signs deal with Google Cloud

Qatar is seeking to digitize its economy and government, while Google Cloud wants to expand in the Middle East.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Aramco launches sustainability fund

The more than $1 billion new Saudi fund will invest in hydrogen, ammonia and other alternative fuels to oil.

Ambassador of Israel to Korea Akiva Tor.

Israel announces metaverse embassy in South Korea

The UAE also recently launched offices in the digital world.

Data center

Residents in Israel warn against wave of server farm construction

With Google and Amazon winning the tender for a Cloud region in Israel, more data centers will be coming, but some residents have concerns about the environment and quality of life.

A sign offering Bitcoin for sale is seen in a store window in Hollywood, California, Oct. 20, 2022

Dubai-based crypto firm to offer payment card

The partnership between BitOasis and Mastercard could make cryptocurrencies more usable for daily purchases.

Hydrogen tank.

Saudi company to develop green hydrogen in South Africa

The kingdom has shown a particularly strong interest in both South Africa and green hydrogen in general this year.

Jan. 27, 2018

Animal-free dairy plant to open in UAE

The United Arab Emirates is getting its first vegan dairy production facility as demand for non-animal-based products rises in the Gulf.

United Arab Emirates

Google

Israel gets Google Cloud region

Cities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia will also soon gain access to the service, which provides advanced cloud computing.

JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images

Israel moves to reduce industrial greenhouse gas emissions

Ahead of the COP27 climate summit in Egypt next month, the Israeli government is focused on reducing greenhouse emissions within the industrial sector.

The AgrIsrael Sea the Future Conference, Eilat, Oct. 19, 2022.

Israel pushes aquaculture cooperation in answer to global food security

Israel’s Agriculture Minister Oded Forer talks with Al-Monitor about the first-ever international summit on food grown in the sea and the desert, held this week in Eilat.