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April 23, 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

Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (R) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (2ndL), walk past a guard of honor during an official welcoming ceremony prior to their meeting at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, on December 19, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Ankara's paranoia spikes as Qatar shunned

The news that five Arab countries have cut ties with Qatar, its close regional ally, has rattled Turkey, which depends on its political, military and business ties with Qatar.

United Arab Emirates

Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (2ndL) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L), walk past a guard of honor during an official welcoming ceremony prior to their meeting at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, on December 19, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Qatari money increasingly important for Turkey

Growing ties with Qatar have become a hallmark of Turkish regional policy under the Justice and Development Party, with the two countries now readying to establish a joint wealth fund.

U.S. President Donald Trump (4-L) speaks with Oman's Deputy Prime Minister Fahd bin Mahmoud Al-Said (3-L) during a family photo with Gulf Cooperation Council leaders at their summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RTX36TI7

In wake of Trump visit, Saudi-led Sunni bloc already splintering

Less than two weeks after Trump's summit in Saudi Arabia, "Arab NATO" is showing signs of division due to fears of widening the regional political divide and doubts over Washington's reliability.

'Fake news' sparks real crisis in the Gulf

Controversial statements reported by Qatar's state news agency and later attributed to a hack have revealed deep tension among members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim (R) shakes hands with Qatar's Prime Minister Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani before their meeting at Cankaya Mansion in Ankara, on September 8, 2016. / AFP / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

If push comes to shove, will Turkey defend Qatar against Iran?

Turkey's main opposition party has lots of questions about what message Ankara would be sending to Iran, and others, by deploying troops in Qatar.

Palestinians attend a rally marking the 29th anniversary of the foundation of the Islamic Jihad movement in Gaza City October 21, 2016. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem - RTX2PVA3

Where does Hamas' policy document leave Islamic Jihad?

Despite strong bilateral ties, differences over the new policy document emerged between Hamas and Islamic Jihad, raising questions on the future of their relations.

A Delta jetliner (foreground) is de-iced while an American Airlines plane (rear) takes off at Reagan National Airport in Washington January 3, 2014. A heavy snowstorm and dangerously cold conditions gripped the northeastern United States on Friday, delaying flights, paralyzing road travel and closing schools and government offices across the region. REUTERS/Gary Cameron (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENVIRONMENT TRANSPORT TRAVEL) - RTX1711Z

Gulf carriers delight as Congress rakes US airlines over the coals

Lawmakers fault lack of competition for plummeting US customer service; could this affect US airlines' campaign for fairer competition with Gulf carriers?

United Arab Emirates

Iraqi fighters from Hashid Shaabi take part in a training at Makhmur camp in Iraq December 11, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem - RTX2UHUL

Will Iraqi government-PMU disputes spiral into armed clashes?

With the Islamic State nearly defeated in Iraqi cities, disputes between PMU-affiliated Shiite factions and the Iraqi government have surfaced, threatening future military clashes between them.

A member of the Islamist Syrian opposition group Ahrar al-Sham fires against a position of the Committees for the Protection of the Kurdish People (YPG), a militia set up to protect Kurdish areas in Syria from opposing forces, during clashes in the countryside of the northern Syrian Raqqa province on August 25, 2013. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said on August 27 the UN mission investigating alleged chemical weapons attacks in Damascus has been delayed until the following after rebels failed to gu

Complex deal frees kidnapped Qatari royals, two Saudis

Various versions of a recent hostage deal are circulating that include, potentially, political motivations, millions of dollars in ransom, exchanged military prisoners and relocated civilians.

A Palestinian woman walks past Gaza's power station in the Gaza Strip March 15, 2014. The Gaza Strip's sole power station stopped generating electricity on Saturday, causing blackouts throughout the territory after it ran out of fuel, officials said. Gaza lacks much basic civil infrastructure and lives under an Egyptian-Israeli blockade meant to cut off arms flows but which also curbs imports of fuel and building supplies. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST ENERGY) - RTR3H86Y

Israel warns that Gaza will face power supply crisis

An Israeli major general has said that Gaza will face an imminent humanitarian crisis because of a shortage of diesel fuel that is needed to run its only power station.

Why was deal to evacuate Syrian towns brokered by Qatar and Iran?

A deal brokered by Qatar and Iran that ignores Turkey and Russia — the largest respective sponsors of the opposition and the regime in Syria — threatens to derail broader peace talks aimed at ending the tragic civil war.

(front R-L) Yemen's President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, Emir of Kuwait Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Jordan's King Abdullah II, Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Sudan's President Omar Al Bashir, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz pose for a group photograph during the 28t

Ineptitude meets low altitude at Arab League summit

Few major breakthroughs were reached at this year's Arab League Summit held in Jordan.