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April 22, 2026

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A picture shows the 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, on Feb. 6, 2017.

Analysis

Gulf energy deals face Iran war stress test as global expansion meets oil shock

ADNOC, Aramco and QatarEnergy have aggressively expanded their international portfolios in recent years, a strategy facing new constraints as the US-Israel-Iran war impacts Gulf production and exposes structural risks.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi stocks hit 2026 high, bucking global war-driven volatility

The kingdom's stock market climbed to its highest level of the year on Wednesday, with the kingdom’s equities now far outperforming the S&P 500 and other global and regional indices.

A man walks through the atrium during the 2026 IMF and World Bank Group Spring Meetings in Washington, DC, on April 14, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

IMF slashes Mideast outlook by nearly 3 points as Iran war hits economies

The International Monetary Fund cut gross domestic product forecasts for the Middle East and North Africa, with the fallout from the conflict exposing stark divergences between the region’s energy exporters and importers.

Latest News

Analysis

How fast can Gulf energy production rebound after US-Iran ceasefire?

picture of Qatar Energy's operating facilities on March 3, 2026, in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

EIA hikes 2026 oil price forecasts 22% as Hormuz fuels long-term market fallout

Gas prices over $6.00 are displayed at a Shell station across from the Marathon Petroleum Corp's Los Angeles Refinery on April 02, 2026, in Carson, California.

AirAsia stays course on Bahrain hub as Iran war clouds aviation growth plans

AirAsia aircraft with two engines landing on Kota Kinabalu International airport runway, Kota Kinabalu Sabah, Malaysia, March 4, 2017.

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

CORRECTION - Jordan's King Abdullah II (R) and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani attend a welcome ceremony at the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman on March 28, 2017 ahead of talks on the eve of the Arab League summit. / AFP PHOTO / Khalil MAZRAAWI / The erroneous byline appearing in the metadata of this photo by Khalil MAZRAAWI has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Khalil MAZRAAWI] instead of [Marwan IBRAHIM]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from a

Jordan in an uneasy place over Gulf spat

Despite bitter past relations with Qatar, Jordanian officials avoided taking sides in the latest Gulf spat.

Gulf-Qatar crisis leaves its mark on sports

Amid the ongoing diplomatic crisis between Qatar and a number of major Arab nations, the Qatari sports channel beIN has been banned in several countries.

Ankara voices cautious support as Turkish troops arrive in Doha

A top foreign policy adviser to the Turkish president has publicly defended Qatar in the same breath as the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas, while mixed signals from the US administration appear to have caught everyone off guard.

A Kurdish fighter from the People's Protection Units (YPG) looks at a smoke after an coalition airstrike in Raqqa, Syria June 16, 2017. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTS17E43

Kurds reaching critical juncture in US partnership

The United States and Kurds currently share a partnership of convenience in Syria, but Kurds are looking ahead warily to the role they might be asked to play as US policy evolves.

Palestinian workers work on a Qatari-funded construction project in the southern Gaza Strip June 7, 2017. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTX39GD0

Qatar's charity funding in Gaza dries up as Gulf crisis continues

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip worry about how the Gulf decision to cut ties with Qatar will affect the critical Qatar-funded relief and development projects in Gaza.

A member of the Palestinian security forces loyal to Hamas speaks on a walkie-talkie at Rafah border crossing between Egypt and southern Gaza Strip May 19, 2016. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RTSEZZG

Hamas hedging its bets in region

Hamas appears to have adopted a new regional policy of avoiding taking sides and nurturing good relations with anyone willing to accept the group.

Erdogan tones down rhetoric in light of Qatar's fate

Turkey fears it could be next in line to be ostracized in the region due to guilt by association with Qatar and the Muslim Brotherhood.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan addresses members of parliament from his ruling AK Party (AKP) during a meeting at the Turkish parliament in Ankara, Turkey, May 30, 2017. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RTX387H1

Turkey reverses course as mediation efforts flop in Gulf

Turkey’s immediate support of Qatar has exposed its lack of leverage with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states and left it scrambling for a way out of an intractable situation.

An Israeli F-15 fighter jet takes off during an exercise dubbed " Juniper Falcon", held between crews from the U.S and Israeli air forces, at Ovda Military Airbase, in southern Israel May 16. Picture taken May 16, 2017. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTX36T2T

Qatari crisis risks sparking new Israeli-Hamas confrontation

The Qatar crisis might lead to a showdown between Israel and Hamas, with key Arab states dismissing the Islamist movement as a terrorist organization, leaving it vulnerable to Israeli attack and pressuring Qatar to drop support for it.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir watches the joint Sudan and Saudi Arabia air force drill at the Marwa air base, near Meroe some 350 kilometres north of Khartoum, on April 9, 2017.
The drills were aimed at improving the operational capacities of the two air forces, improving techniques related to air operations and promoting cooperation. / AFP PHOTO / ASHRAF SHAZLY (Photo credit should read ASHRAF SHAZLY/AFP/Getty Images)

Qatar-GCC crisis unsettles Sudan

The government in Khartoum is caught in the middle of the bitter dispute between Qatar and the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attends a press conference in Berlin, Germany, June 15, 2016. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt - RTX2GGHH

Iran seizes high ground in Saudi-Qatar dispute

Iran probably can’t believe its luck; is it time for a second look at the Aleppo “narrative”?

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud waits to greet U.S. President Donald Trump, as he arrives to attend a summit of Gulf Cooperation Council leaders in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX36T3Y

Influence-rich Saudis blow through Sunni unity

Just a month after hosting the US president and the leaders of dozens of Muslim countries, Saudi Arabia apparently cares more about putting Qatar in its place than maintaining the alliance it built.