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June 25, 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

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to students at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, January 10, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC18BBC96000

Egyptians decry Pompeo's 'ode to Israel' from Cairo

In his recent speech in Cairo, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo failed to explain US policy on the Middle East, but he did voice support for Israel.

Iran plays Hamas card ahead of Israeli elections

Hamas insists on Qatari money; Iran offers training for Palestinian factions; Russia wrestles with its limits in Syria; UAE leads GCC rapprochement with Damascus.

Security guards stand in front of the United Arab Emirates embassy during its reopening in Damascus, Syria December 27, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - RC1F43BEB420

Gulf states slowly warm to Damascus

Gulf states are turning their backs on supporting armed groups in Syria and preparing to re-engage the government in Damascus.

This handout picture taken and released by Thai Immigration Bureau on January 7, 2019 shows 18-year-old Saudi woman Rahaf Mohammed al-Qanun (2nd-L) is being escorted by the Thai immigration officer and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) officials at the Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok. - Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, seeking asylum has left Bangkok airport "under the care" of the UN refugee agency, a Thai official said Monday, following her desperate plea against deportation. (Ph

Gulf women activists still face persecution despite hopes of reform

Saudi Arabia's women still languish under the country's system of male guardianship, even as the case of Rahaf al-Qunun, who barricaded herself in a hotel room at the Bangkok airport, refusing to go back to Saudi, has brought renewed attention to the situation of women in the kingdom.

Can US Syria policy keep up with Trump?

The US president will need assistance from Vladimir Putin, Mohammed bin Salman and even Bashar al-Assad to close the deal with Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Syria.

Saudi Arabia gets US missile defense boost despite Khashoggi uproar

The State Department has approved a $195 million sale to upgrade Saudi Arabia’s missile defenses.

Human rights activists and friends of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi hold his pictures during a protest outside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, Turkey October 8, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1E12753350

Intel: Why Saudis can’t put Khashoggi case to rest

Turkish police forensic experts examine the roof of the residence of Saudi Arabia's Consul General Mohammad al-Otaibi as a part of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi investigation, in Istanbul, Turkey October 17, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC16743EB6C0

Khashoggi’s murder three months on: new clues, new dynamics?

Unresolved questions linger in the murder of The Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, but authorities are hoping chilling new footage might provide clues.

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran speaks during the first meeting of national security secretaries of Afghanistan, China, Iran, India and Russia, in the Iranian capital Tehran on September 26, 2018. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

After US-Taliban talks, Iran also confirms dialogue

After years of accusations, Iran has confirmed that they have held talks with the Taliban.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman waits for the family photo during the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina November 30, 2018. REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC149554C0C0

Mohammed bin Salman's awful year

King Salman will pay a price for standing by his son as 2018 has become the year it all went bad for the crown prince and Saudi Arabia.

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir walks with officials as he leaves the African Union (AU) summit in Nouakchott, Mauritania, July 2, 2018. Ludovic Marin/Pool via Reuters - RC1D50433000

Iran media on Bashir trip to Syria: Arab states have accepted reality of Assad

Iranian media believe that the Sudanese president's meeting with Bashar al-Assad is a sign that Arab countries are beginning to accept the reality on the ground in Syria.

Hamas goes on offense in West Bank

Palestinian protests continue in Ramallah over Israeli incursions.