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June 21, 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

Areej al-Sadhan and her brother Abdulrahman al-Sadhan.

Intel: US family seeks Biden's help freeing detained Saudi aid worker

The United States said it’s urging Saudi Arabia to resolve the case of Abdulrahman al-Sadhan, an aid worker sentenced to prison for allegedly running a Twitter account critical of the kingdom’s rulers.

Saudi proof of vaccination required

Saudi Arabia to require vaccination proof for foreign tourists

Saudi Arabia has imposed some particularly strict travel measures recently amid regional concerns about coronavirus variants.

A cemetery worker digs grave holes for victims of the COVID-19 coronavirus at Setu Gede cemetery in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, on July 22, 2021.

Saudi Arabia to impose travel ban for visits to 'red list' countries

Citizens who travel to countries including the UAE, Indonesia and Turkey are at risk of penalties including a three-year ban on travel.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khalid describes 'great' meeting with Blinken

Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister, Prince Khalid bin Salman, is the most senior Saudi official to visit Washington under the Biden administration.

Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei speaks during a news conference in the capital Tehran on July 22, 2019.

Iran reports progress in talks with Saudi Arabia

Iranian government spokesman Ali Rabiei said talks between the two regional powers will continue.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia plans second national airline in tourism push

The additional airline would help position the Gulf state as a global logistics hub, Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said.

US President Joe Biden (R) speaks with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan prior to a plenary session of a NATO summit at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters in Brussels, on June 14, 2021.

The Takeaway: Pragmatism is the new watchword in US-Turkey relations

Plus: A fresh start for Israel; Iran’s hard-line front-runner on the issues; Egypt’s faltering Palestinian mediation; Saudi-Syria talks; Golani’s makeover.

Blinken in Cairo

The Takeaway: US ties with Egypt loom large again

Picking up the pieces in Gaza; the uneasy, uncertain peace between Israel and Hamas; PLO and Hamas still can’t find common ground; Russia on the diplomatic sidelines; desert kingdom looks to build forest; and more!

Saudi passengers arrive at King Khaled International airport in the capital, Riyadh, on May 17, 2021, as Saudi authorities lift travel restrictions for citizens immunized against COVID-19.

Vaccinated Saudis free to travel abroad as ban lifted

Saudi Arabia on Monday rolled back an international travel ban that has remained in place since March 2020.

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saied Khatibzadeh speaks during a press conference in Tehran on Feb. 22, 2021.

Iran confirms talks with rival Saudi Arabia

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said the Iraq-mediated talks focused on bilateral and regional issues.

Sisi Erdogan and King Salman

Erdogan’s reset with Egypt and the Gulf won’t be smooth

The Turkish president wants a change in relations, but his efforts are seen as the result of a failed regional strategy and poor ties with the Biden administration.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia to require all workers get vaccinated

Workers in both the private and public sector must receive the vaccine before returning to their workplaces, according to the Saudi Ministry of Human Resources and Development.