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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

NFT art, Israel.

NFT art, industry boom in Israel

Israel might have gotten a late start on NFT art, but it's catching up quickly with active artists and groups on all social networks.

This picture taken on Oct. 18, 2022 shows a view of solar panels at the newly-inaugurated al-Kharsaah solar power plant in Qatar.

Qatar brings new solar power plant into operation

The French energy giant TotalEnergies is the Gulf nation's partner in the project.

Tulima Farms and Agri-Processing.

Inside Egypt’s first climate-friendly farm

Tulima Farms in the Nile Delta relies on climate-friendly mechanisms to promote agriculture that adapts to climate change and relies on less water consumption amid a looming water crisis in Egypt.

Persian Gulf AI

UAE goes deeper into metaverse

The Emirate of Sharjah’s launch of a metaverse project follows the UAE’s Economy Ministry opening an office in the digital world.

United Arab Emirates

Drone delivery

Aerial drone delivery coming to Abu Dhabi

Israel has also experimented with delivery by unmanned air vehicles since last year.

United Arab Emirates

GITEX

Flying cars, 'edible' robots come together at Dubai tech exhibit

GITEX brought in more than 4,000 exhibitors from about 170 countries to demonstrate their products and share their knowledge.

Screenshot from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Financial Sector Development Program.

Saudi Arabia opens up to new fintech players

While Saudi Arabia’s fintech sector presents opportunities for entrepreneurs, VC investors and consumers, there are specific, long-standing challenges hindering the market’s full potential.

Guests attend the Global AI 2020 (Artificial Intelligence) Summit in Riyadh on Oct. 21, 2020.

Saudi minister meets with Google, Zoom in California

The official visit comes as Saudi Arabia seeks to grow its industrial sector.

Holofair - metaverse location.

UAE Economy Ministry opens new office in metaverse

Developing futuristic technology is a priority for the Emirates.

United Arab Emirates

Chinese mobile phone company Oppo delegation during their meeting on Sept. 13, 2022.

Egypt seeks to attract Chinese mobile companies fleeing India

Egypt is trying to take advantage of the crisis between Chinese smartphone companies and India by providing incentives to such companies to lure them into investing in the Egyptian market.

Rodolfo Campos uses a virtual reality headset during a NASA Hybrid Reality Lab demonstration at the NVIDIA GPU Technology Conference.

Israel seeks technological cooperation with US

What Israel perceives as inflexible American demands on data security might stand in the way of establishing true technological cooperation between Israel and the United States.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

UAE, Egypt partner on sustainable waste management in Sharm el-Sheikh

The partnership between BEEAH Group and Green Planet comes in advance of Egypt hosting a UN climate change conference.