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United Arab Emirates

July 7, 2026

Abu Dhabi 5:16 pm

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Oil tankers and cargo vessels are anchored off the coast of Oman after being stranded for days as congestion at Port Sultan Qaboos has prevented them from docking on June 23, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. The Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for the region's oil and gas, was effectively blockaded since the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran in late February. This week's provisional peace deal between the countries was meant to reopen the waterway to shipping traffic, but the pace of that reo

Oil prices ease as OPEC+ increases production, Hormuz traffic rebounds

Brent crude, the international benchmark, fell 0.15% to $71.87 a barrel as of 8:07 a.m. EDT after dropping as low as $71.09 earlier in the session, its lowest level since before the US-Israel-Iran war began on Feb. 28.

An aerial view shows port of the western Syrian port city of Latakia, on Dec. 18, 2024.

Analysis

Can a UAE-backed Syria-Iraq corridor become Gulf's next trade route?

On June 26, Emirati and Syrian officials discussed plans for a logistics corridor connecting Syrian ports to Gulf markets via Iraq.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

A man walks past the flags of the countries attending the Gulf Cooperation Council summit at Bayan palace in Kuwait City on Dec. 5, 2017.

Analysis

How Iran war shaped divergent paths to security among GCC states

The Iran war left the Gulf more fragmented than united, with competing security strategies replacing any prospect of a common regional defense.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Oil drilling near Dakhiliyah in the desert region of Hasakah, Syria, Jan. 25, 2026.

Syria launches gas project with Saudi firm in latest Gulf energy partnership

The project is the latest in a series of Gulf-backed investments aimed at rebuilding Syria's energy sector after the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Latest News

Oil falls below $71 as US-Iran talks continue, Gulf exports rebound

Crude oil tankers, bulk carriers and vessels sit anchored around Qaboos Port on June 22, 2026, in Muscat, Oman.

Trump earns $810M from UAE-backed crypto firm: What to know

People walk past a cryptocurrency exchange office with a screen featuring US President Donald Trump holding cryptocurrency coins in Hong Kong on March 12, 2025.

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

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

Mohammed Soliman

In Washington, DC, reporting on Gulf politics

Hezbollah responds to GCC decision

In a speech following the GCC’s decision to label Hezbollah a terrorist organization, the movement’s leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, intensified his criticism of Saudi Arabia, indicating a readiness to go all the way in the confrontation.

Muslim Brotherhood's president-elect Mohamed Morsy (R) arrives at the Egyptian Television headquarters for his first televised address to the nation in Cairo June 24, 2012. Morsy's victory in Egypt's presidential election takes the Muslim Brotherhood's long power struggle with the military into a new round that will be fought inside the institutions of state themselves and may force new compromises on the Islamists. Picture taken June 24, 2012. To match Analysis EGYPT-ELECTION/STRUGGLE/ REUTERS/Stringer (

Who's behind vote to label Muslim Brotherhood a terror group?

After the House Judiciary panel voted along party lines to force a State Department ruling, opinions remain split over the true motivation behind the step.

What fading oil fortunes means for Turkey's businesses

Turkish businesspeople are losing sleep over oil-producing states' deferrals of payments to international contractors and the possible loss of mega projects.

UNICEF's representative in Yemen, Julien Harneis, listens to a boy during a visit to Yemen's southwestern city of Taiz January 21, 2016. REUTERS/Anees Mahyoub - RTX23EIY

Death, starvation haunt southern Yemen

The catastrophic humanitarian situation in Yemen’s besieged Taiz calls for immediate action to lift the siege that has strangled the city for almost a year.

Soldiers stand guard at the Jordanian-Syrian border, near Mafraq, August 16, 2015. Commander of the Jordanian Border Guard, Brigadier General Saber Mahayrah, said on Sunday that there was no sign of Nusra Front or Islamist State fighters on the border between Jordan and Syria. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RTX1OELU

Will Saudi Arabia pressure Jordan to join ground offensive in Syria?

There is increasing talk about a land war in Syria to combat the Islamic State, but the Jordanians thus far appear reluctant to get involved.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (C) arrives in Mehrabad airport ahead of the 16th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran, August 30, 2012. REUTERS/Roohollah Vahdati/ISNA (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - RTR379P1

Qatar's precarious position between Saudi Arabia, Iran

The recent decline in Saudi-Iranian relations has put GCC members in a bind, in particular Qatar, which for years has tried to maintain diplomatic and economic ties with Iran.

Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) is welcomed by Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as he arrives for a meeting in Ankara February 28, 2012. REUTERS/Umit Bektas (TURKEY - Tags: POLITICS ENVIRONMENT) - RTR2YKVT

How Turkey is losing a top trade partner

Turkey is experiencing a serious but underreported crisis with its biggest export market in the Gulf.

Iran's military bulks up with new Russian tanks

Tehran plans to purchase T-90 tanks from Russia, but is it enough to strengthen the Iranian military?

Are Turkey, Saudi Arabia pressuring Jordan on terror blacklist?

Jordan has been tasked with overseeing which groups fighting in Syria are designated as terrorist organizations, but its mission is complicated by alliances in the region.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani waits for U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry before their meeting at the Diwan Palace in Doha, August 3, 2015. Kerry is meeting his Gulf Arab counterparts for talks in Qatar as he attempts to ease the concerns of key allies over the Iran nuclear deal. REUTERS/Brendan Smialowski/Pool - RTX1MTEV

Is Qatar Iran's door to the Gulf?

The recent Iranian-Qatari rapprochement has created further controversy in the Middle East but some countries see it as a positive step in alleviating the ongoing conflict.

Women stand next a graffiti painted by pro-Houthi activists on the gate of the Saudi embassy in Yemen's capital Sanaa October 21, 2015. The writing reads, "We will kneel only to Allah". REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RTS5FPV

How to end the war in Yemen

All involved in the war in Yemen, which has created a horrific humanitarian disaster, have paid a high price. A political solution is needed immediately.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi (L) meets with UAE Foreign Affairs Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) and brother Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi in this handout picture released by Emirates News Agency WAM July 9, 2012. REUTERS/WAM/Handout (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Tags: POLITICS) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO

Arrest of Iranian teachers tests Iran-UAE relations

The arrest of Iranian teachers working in the UAE has prompted some Iranian officials to call for firmer measures against the UAE.

United Arab Emirates