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June 22, 2026

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French Trade & Invest Commissioner for United Arab Emirates and Middle East and Business France's regional director for the Middle East Axel Baroux. — Business France

Interview

Franco-Gulf investment holds firm despite Iran war, French official says

French investors are reallocating capital toward strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence and technology rather than pulling out of the region altogether.

Axel Baroux

France’s trade and investment commissioner for the UAE and Middle East

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Aramco's VC arm sees boom in emerging technologies, retail

Anas Alqahtani, CEO of Wa'ed Ventures, expects strong growth in Saudi Arabia’s emerging technology and retail sectors over the coming years.

Latest News

Who is Fahd Al-Dosari, Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador to Lebanon?

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji meets with Fahd bin Abdulrahman bin Hathloul Al-Dosari, the new Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, in Beirut on June 17, 2026.

Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Air wins US flight approval: What to know

A Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft of Saudi airline Riyadh Air is pictured on the tarmac at King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh on June 7, 2026.

Gulf cautiously welcomes US-Iran deal as Hezbollah congratulates Tehran

Veiled women in black Chadors wave Iran and Hezbollah flags during commemoration at the Iranian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 22, 2026.

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

Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Sabena Siddiqui

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

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

An employee rides a bicycle next to oil tanks at Saudi Aramco oil facility in Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia October 12, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - RC23VF99O3SV

Saudi Aramco first-quarter revenues fall

The state-owned company still had a profit of $16.7 billion and gave its shareholders a big payout.

Yemeni government vows to confront southern rebellion

Yemen's internationally recognized government pledged to respond to any attacks from the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council in the country's south.

Medical workers wait for mock victims to arrive by ambulance to Chaim Sheba Medical Center near Tel Aviv during a drill simulating a biological attack January 13, 2010. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL - Tags: HEALTH) - GM1E61D1ME901

Coronavirus offers Israel opportunity to strengthen ties with Gulf states

Despite recent condemnation by Gulf states of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to annex parts of the West Bank this summer, there are signs that Israeli-Gulf ties might benefit from shared concern over COVID-19.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks with U.S. troops in front of a Patriot missile battery at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia October 22, 2019. REUTERS/Idrees Ali - RC1642C0F3F0

Intel: US to withdraw Patriot missile systems from Saudi Arabia

The Pentagon is set to pull Patriot missile defense systems from Saudi Arabia amid internal pressure to transfer military assets to counter China.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a coronavirus response event in the Blue Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 1, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RC2WFG9ZBEP0

Trump blasts Republicans who voted for Iran war powers bill as Senate fails to override veto

President Donald Trump laid into some of his close Senate allies for siding with Democrats on an Iran war powers bill even as Congress failed to override his veto.

A woman wearing a protective mask walks at a shopping mall after the Saudi government eased a curfew and allowed stores to open, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 2, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri - RC2JGG9YJCK0

New police unit to enforce Saudi Arabia’s latest virus restrictions

The country's Interior Ministry also announced a new round of hefty fines for quarantine violators.

Sep 26, 2019; Doha, Qatar; General overall view of the Doha downtown city center skyline and cityscape and the Doha Bay. Doha is the site of the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports - 13417265

Qatar coup rumors leave trail to regional rivals

An apparently doctored video made the rounds on Twitter Monday suggesting a coup was under way in Qatar.

A Saudi money exchanger wears a protective face mask and gloves as he counts Saudi riyal currency at a currency exchange shop in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri - RC2ZGF9MUSEW

Saudi Arabia braces for economic impact

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Cooperation Council states must make dramatic cuts in spending, and not just on megaprojects, as unsustainably large annual deficits have arrived.

Saudi-led coalition spokesman, Colonel Turki al-Malki, displays the debris of a ballistic missile which he says was launched by Yemen's Houthi group towards the capital Riyadh, during a news conference in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 29, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri - RC2VTF9ERLB8

Houthis fire ballistic missiles despite Yemen cease-fire, say Saudis

A spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen has accused the Iran-aligned rebels of launching ballistic missiles in violation of a unilateral cease-fire.

A Saudi man stands in front of a screen of stock prices at ANB Bank in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 15, 2020. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri - RC2AKF95RT3F

Report: Private sectors in UAE, Egyptian, Saudi economies suffer dramatic losses

IHS Markit, a global information provider, shows how the private sector has suffered major blows in the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

A general view of the morning sky over the White House in Washington, U.S., May 6, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1135DDD470

Intel: White House refuses to detail secretive Saudi nuclear talks to government watchdog

The Donald Trump administration refused to disclose details of its talks with Saudi Arabia about possible cooperation on a civil nuclear program, according to a Government Accountability Office report released on Monday.

Women wear protective face masks, as they walk, after Saudi Arabia imposed a temporary lockdown on the province of Qatif, following the spread of coronavirus, in Qatif, Saudi Arabia March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Stringer - RC25HF9S55OY

China ramps up COVID-19 diplomacy in Mideast

As the Trump administration tries to link the coronavirus to a Chinese laboratory, Beijing is using the pandemic to strengthen ties in the Gulf.