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People sit in a cafe outside the Apple Store in Dubai on May 8, 2025.

Iran names US tech, finance firms in new Middle East threat list

Firms listed as potential targets included Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Meta, IBM, Palantir and Nvidia, while banking giant JPMorgan and UAE-based AI firm G42 were also listed.

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Analysis

Iran’s longest-ever internet blackout leaves 99% offline: What to know

Traffic rolls along a main throughfare under a banner with images of past and present leaders that reads in Farsi, "Domino fall", as daily life returns to the streets following nationwide protests, in the Iranian capital Tehran on January 19, 2026. Demonstrations sparked in late December by anger over economic hardship exploded into protests widely seen as the biggest challenge to the Iranian leadership in years. Limited internet access briefly returned in Iran before dropping again, a monitor said January

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

What we know about UAE blocking X accounts accused of misinformation

Attendees take a picture of French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe as he delivers a speech during a visit to the Louvre Abu Dhabi Museum on February 10, 2018, on Saadiyat island in the Emirati capital, to launch the French-Emirati "Year of Cultural Dialogue". (Photo by KARIM SAHIB / AFP) (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

United Arab Emirates

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

David Rosenberg

In Tel Aviv, reporting on business and tech

An unidentified man speaks at the preliminary meeting for the fourth edition of the LEAP technology conference, set for Feb. 9-12, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Feb. 4, 2025.

Billions invested in AI, data centers at Saudi's LEAP summit: What to know

The four-day event saw billions of dollars worth of investment poured into artificial intelligence projects — many of them in Saudi Arabia.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

Amid DeepSeek competition, Altman visits UAE seeking OpenAI investment

Gulf investors are betting big on AI, with sovereign wealth funds in the UAE and Saudi Arabia making the booming tech sector a core component of their portfolios.

United Arab Emirates

A visitor views Hunter 2-S unmanned aerial systems (UAS) "swarming drones" by EDGE advanced technology group for defense on display at the UMEX Exhibition showcasing drones, robotics, and unmanned systems at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre in the gulf emirate on Feb. 22, 2022.

UAE’s Edge Group acquires 30% stake in Israeli drone tech firm

The acquisition of a 30% stake in ThirdEye is the latest example of cooperation between Israel and the UAE.

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

China’s DeepSeek triumph sparks billion-dollar AI dilemmas for Gulf investors

Middle Eastern countries could benefit from new cost-effective AI systems such as those created by DeepSeek in lieu of US AI companies.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

This studio photographic illustration shows a smartphone with the website of Israel's NSO Group that features Pegasus spyware, on display in Paris, France, July 21, 2021.

What to make of US group acquisition of Israeli spyware firm Paragon as Trump returns

ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP via Getty Images

Russia launches two Iranian satellites into orbit as ties grow

The launch from Russia is the latest sign of the growing ties between Tehran and Moscow in a range of sectors.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi's PIF downsizes foreign investment, turns to AI, domestic priorities

Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund is looking to invest in tourism, real estate and sustainability as its Vision 2030 deadline draws closer.

US President Joe Biden and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan walk to the Oval Office for a meeting, where the two discussed AI and ending the war in Gaza on Sept. 23, 2024, in Washington.

Analysis

How new US AI framework could impact UAE, Saudi ambitions

The framework comes as the UAE has deepened its AI ties with the United States in recent months over a series of visits to Washington by senior Emirati officials.

Samuel Wendel

By Jack Dutton , Samuel Wendel

An Emirati man walks in front of the stand of Masdar City at the World Future Energy Summit exhibition in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 18, 2012.

Masdar acquisition of Terra-Gen stake builds on UAE-US renewable energy ties

The UAE and the US launched a renewable energy partnership in 2022 with the view of deploying 100 GW of clean energy globally by 2035.

United Arab Emirates

This combination of file photos created July 15, 2020, shows Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk in Washington, DC, on March 9, 2020, and Amazon and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos in Washington, DC, Oct. 22, 2019.

UAE’s Sheikh Tahnoon discusses AI, tech with Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk in US

His meetings came after UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed met earlier this week with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

United Arab Emirates

Uber, China's WeRide to launch self-driving robotaxis in UAE

WeRide already operates the largest robotaxi fleet in the UAE, where residents can access its robotaxi services through the TXAI app.

United Arab Emirates

MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images

In White House visit, UAE leader seeks cooperation on Gaza and AI

UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will meet with President Joe Biden in his first official visit to Washington since 2017.

United Arab Emirates