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July 24, 2026

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A ship sails off the coast of Ajman on July 10, 2026.

Interview

Why Strait of Hormuz no longer rattles oil markets as much: IMF

The fund's Middle East director, Jihad Azour, told Al-Monitor that the big Gulf energy producers now have more capacity to absorb the shock.

Jihad Azour

Jihad Azour

Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund

Latest News

Oil soars more than 6% as Trump rules out Iran deal, threatens more strikes

A cargo ship is pictured off coast of the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on June 28, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Karen Young

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy

Reve Chaaban

In Doha reporting on culture

BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia to invest $6B in Syria in boost to Sharaa: What to know

The kingdom has been at the forefront of diplomatic and economic efforts to support Syria's recovery.

Bibi

Netanyahu ends US visit with no Gaza deal but progress on reconstruction

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has departed Washington with little to show for his meetings with President Donald Trump.

This photo shows Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar's principal site for production of liquefied natural gas and gas-to-liquid, administrated by Qatar Petroleum, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the capital, Doha, Qatar, Feb. 6, 2017.

Analysis

Gulf bets on LNG boom power ahead amid regional energy shifts, war risks

Gulf oil powers are emerging as key LNG players, leveraging rising consumer demand to justify strategic global gas investments and to scale up their own LNG production at home.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Cautious optimism around Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal but hurdles remain

The latest Qatari outline is based on a previous US proposal and has Israel somewhat hopeful for a deal with Hamas.

Fire and smoke rise from a building, reportedly hit by a missile fired from Iran, in central Tel Aviv on June 13, 2025.

Analysis

A new era? Why Israel-Iran war didn't spook global markets as expected

Past Middle East wars sent markets tumbling, but today's investors have grown accustomed to such shocks, perhaps setting the stage for future market miscalculations.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

In this frame grab taken from a video, missiles and air-defense interceptors illuminate the night sky over Doha after Iran launched an attack on US forces at Al Udeid Air Base on June 23, 2025, in Doha, Qatar.

Trump announces Iran-Israel ceasefire as IRGC targets Qatar's Al-Udeid

The US president announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israe would start Tuesday 6:02 p.m. EST (1:02 a.m. Tel Aviv; 1:32 a.m. Tehran Wednesday) after 11 days of fighting.