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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

Iran's new foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi (L), meets with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (R) in Tehran, on Aug. 26, 2024.

Qatari FM meets Araghchi, Pezeshkian in Iran amid Gaza cease-fire talks

The visit is the Qatari premier’s first to Iran since 2022, and it coincides with renewed efforts to reach a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

ABU DHABI, 4th June, 2024 (WAM) -- President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received an Afghan delegation led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, Minister of Interior Affairs.

Analysis

Qatar rivalry, security concerns drive UAE thaw with Afghanistan’s Taliban

The UAE has formally acknowledged a Taliban-appointed representative, making it only the second country, after China, to do so.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

An Egyptian army soldier stands among the bushes in the wired border of the Philadelphi Corridor.

Mossad director, US officials back in Egypt for talks on Philadelphi Corridor

The Israeli delegation for the deal to release the hostages arrived in Cairo for talks with the Americans and Egyptians ahead of a potential summit this Sunday.

(COMBO) This combination of pictures created on February 13, 2024 shows (L to R) CIA Director William Burns during an official State Dinner at the White House in Washington, DC, on June 22, 2023; Israel's Mossad Director David Barnea during a conference in Herzliya on September 10, 2023; and Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on January 16, 2024. CIA director William Burns, Mossad chief David Barnea and Qatari Prime

US says Gaza cease-fire talks in 'end game' with new proposal

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel Saturday ahead of cease-fire negotiations that are set to resume in Cairo next week.

OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Pessimism prevails as Gaza cease-fire talks resume in Doha

Negotiators are meeting in Doha for what the Biden administration has described as “final stage” Gaza cease-fire talks. But with Hamas refusing to participate and Israel driving a hard bargain, is there any reason for optimism?

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, displaced Palestinians return to Bani Suhayla and neighboring towns east of Khan Younis following reports of Israeli forces withdrawing from the area in the southern Gaza, July 30, 2024.

Gaza cease-fire talks begin in Doha without Hamas

Israeli, American, Egyptian and Qatari representatives are meeting Thursday for another push to finalize a deal to halt the Hamas-Israel war.

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Qatar to host Gaza cease-fire talks amid Iran-Israel tension: What we know

Hamas says it will not attend the talks, which will take place in Doha.

Erdogan and Thani

Qatar's emir visits Turkey amid push for de-escalation, Gaza talks

The Qatari emir's visit to Turkey comes as regional countries are ramping up efforts to prevent a broader conflict in the region after the Hamas political chief’s killing.

TEHRAN, IRAN - AUGUST 1: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images' editorial policy.) In this handout image from the Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center, leads a prayer over the coffins of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard who were killed in an assassination blamed on Israel on Wednesday, during their funeral ceremony at the Tehran University campus on August 1, 2024 in Tehran,

From Tehran to Doha, funeral-goers mourn Hamas' Haniyeh

Mourners attended mass funeral processions for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh across the Middle East on Friday.

Men wearing thawbs walk past a billboard promoting the transition to renewable energies at the UNFCCC COP28 Climate Conference the day before its official opening on November 29, 2023 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The COP28 is bringing together stakeholders, including international heads of state and other leaders, scientists, environmentalists, indigenous peoples representatives, activists and others to discuss and agree on the implementation of global measures towards mitigating the effects of climate c

GCC’s renewable energy push pays off with Qatar, UAE taking lead

Several Gulf states rank relatively high on the World Economic Forum (WEF) Energy Transition Index, reflecting their efforts to transition toward renewable energy and reduce their dependence on fossil fuels.

Reporters gather near a Qatar Airways cargo airplane on the tarmac of Hamad International Airport, as the first commercial flight to Saudi Arabia in three and a half years following a Gulf diplomatic thaw prepares for take-off, Doha, Qatar, Jan. 11, 2021.

Qatar Airways sees annual profit climb by 39% to record $1.67B

The Doha-based airline carried more than 40 million passengers over the 2023/2024 financial year, 26% more than over the previous year.

NVIDIA's founder and CEO Jensen Huang.

NVIDIA to deploy AI across Middle East amid increasing US-China tech tensions

It was reported in August 2023 that Washington planned to curb exports of some AI microchips from NVIDIA, as well as from Advanced Micro Devices, beyond China to some unspecified Middle Eastern countries.