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United Arab Emirates

March 5, 2026

Abu Dhabi 7:13 pm

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A plume of smoke rises from the port of Jebel Ali following a reported Iranian strike in Dubai on March 1, 2026.

Analysis

Iran’s assault reveals Gulf defense gaps and reliance on US tech and intel

The recent Iranian strikes on bases, airports and energy facilities across the Gulf have exposed gaps in the GCC's defense architecture.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

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

Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP via Getty Images

US-Iran war rattles global stocks as UAE trading set to resume

An Emirates passenger plane is landing at Frankfurt Airport from Dubai International on March 3, 2026, in Frankfurt, Germany.

Gulf air corridors reopen cautiously as evacuations take shape

Nearly 1,900 of more than 5,450 flights scheduled to the Middle East were canceled Tuesday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

United Arab Emirates

Small boats loaded with merchandise sail past the St. Kitt's and Nevis-flagged container ship Marsa Victory in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Khasab in Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula, on June 25, 2025.

Hormuz traffic slows as Iran threatens to set 'ships on fire'

Maritime intelligence company Lloyd’s List reported on Sunday that no traceable passages have been made by major crude tankers through the Strait of Hormuz since Saturday night.

Latest News

Analysis

From oil to data centers, US-Iran war takes key Mideast infrastructure offline

A food delivery bike drive close to a plume of smoke rising from the Zayed Port following a reported Iranian strike in Abu Dhabi on March 1, 2026. Iran's retaliatory missile and drone campaign in the Gulf has killed three people and wounded 58 in the United Arab Emirates since it began, Emirati authorities said on March 1, the day after the US and Israel launched a nationwaide attack on Iran killing its supreme leader. (Photo by Ryan Lim / AFP via Getty Images)

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

What US-Iran war means for oil prices, shipping and global markets

A cargo ship is pictured off the coast of Fujairah in the Strait of Hormuz, in the northern emirate, Feb. 25, 2026.

Iran pounds Gulf, regional states after US-Israel strikes: What to know

A smoke plume rises over Abu Dhabi from the site of an Iranian missile strike on February 28, 2026. Iranian missiles hit capital cities around the wealthy Gulf on February 28, killing at least one, in retaliation for a US and Israeli attack that threatened to spark a wider conflict. One civilian died in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, after being struck by falling debris, according to the ministry of defence. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

UAE-Saudi fracture to test Egypt’s security-economy tradeoff

This handout picture released by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on February 23, 2026, shows Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) welcoming Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (L) upon his arrival for an official visit at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. (Photo by Ahmed NURELDINE / SPA / AFP via Getty Images)

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

Sabena Siddiqui

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

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Mohammed Soliman

In Washington, DC, reporting on Gulf politics

This pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik shows Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attending a welcoming ceremony ahead of their talks in Riyadh on December 6, 2023. (Photo by Alexey NIKOLSKY / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia would 'welcome the chance' to host Trump-Putin summit

Trump and Putin are expected to hold a phone call soon, and Gulf leaders are angling for a mediation role between the two.

An Iranian navy warship takes part in the "National Persian Gulf Day" in the Strait of Hormuz, April 30, 2019.

Iran to send four naval ships to UAE for rare meeting: What to know

The announcement of the first-ever visit came a day after Iran unveiled a new ballistic missile.

Ruwais

Samsung E&A to build UAE's first methanol plant as country shifts to greener fuels

The methanol facility, based in Abu Dhabi’s Al Ruwais Industrial City, is expected to be completed in 2028.

United Arab Emirates

View of the buried village of Al Madam in the desert, a site of the Sharjah Biennial (SB 16). (Courtesy of the Sharjah Art Foundation)

Culture

AL-Monitor Dubai: Sharjah Biennial 16 featuring 190 artists

This week we highlight the upcoming Sharjah Biennial 16, a major new exhibition at the Louvre Abu Dhabi juxtaposing traditional and contemporary African art, a new restaurant in Dubai fusing African and Mediterranean cuisine and new exhibition openings featuring the work of collective Slavs and Tatars at The Third Line.

United Arab Emirates

French President Emmanuel Macron, followed by French Armies Minister Sebastien Lecornu (2nd R), walks past a Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft during his New Year address to the French Army at the Mont-de-Marsan air base, southwestern France, on January 20, 2023. (Photo by Bob Edme / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BOB EDME/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE receives first French Rafale fighter jets as F-35 deal remains in limbo

The United Arab Emirates has received its first Rafale fighter jet under a deal with France amid ongoing US-French competition for influence in the UAE’s arms industry.

United Arab Emirates

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Citing lack of security, UAE billionaire abandons Lebanon investments

Emirati businessman had previously said he received threats leading to the cancellation of a planned TV channel launch in Lebanon in 2024

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

INTERNATIONAL WATERS RED SEA, YEMEN - NOVEMBER 20: This handout screen grab captured from a video shows Yemen's Houthi fighters' takeover of the Galaxy Leader Cargo in the Red Sea coast off Hudaydah, on November 20, 2023 in the Red Sea, Yemen. On Monday, the Houthi movement in Yemen released footage and photos of the Houthi-run coastguard taking over the Israeli-linked Galaxy Leader Vessel in the Red Sea, which had 52 people onboard. Galaxy Leader is owned by Galaxy Maritime Ltd in the Isle of Man and is li

Analysis

How will Trump's terrorist designation of Houthis impact Red Sea attacks?

Oil trade via the Houthi-controlled Bab el-Mandeb strait decreased by 50% after the Yemeni rebels launched maritime attacks, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

Lit Fest

Culture

AL-Monitor Dubai: Emirates Literature Festival returns

Syrian-American journalist Hala Gorani will join the festival next week to discuss her memoir, “But You Don’t Look Arab.”

United Arab Emirates

KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

Global renewables surge forward despite Trump’s climate reversals, says IRENA chief

Although Gulf countries are still heavily reliant on oil and gas, they are quickly moving toward a greener system, International Renewable Energy Agency head Francesco La Camera told Al-Monitor.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, DC, March 20, 2018.

In first Trump call, Saudi crown prince says trade with US could hit $600B

US President Donald Trump spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in his first phone call to a foreign leader after his inauguration on Jan. 20.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Exclusive

UAE Foreign Trade Minister Zeyoudi expects 14% trade increase in 2024: Interview

This rise has been propelled by the country's growing non-oil trade and trade deals, the UAE minister told Al-Monitor.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech