United Arab Emirates - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

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United Arab Emirates

March 7, 2026

Abu Dhabi 9:27 pm

25°C

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UAE to freeze billions in Iranian assets following strikes

The UAE's move to freeze Iranian assets will hit Iran’s economy hard, as it is straining under high inflation, unrest and now a war.

United Arab Emirates

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)

What we know about UAE blocking X accounts accused of misinformation

A number of X accounts including Al Arabiya Breaking are now not accessible in the Gulf state as Abu Dhabi navigates regional turmoil.

United Arab Emirates

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - MARCH 03: Passengers disembark from an Emirates passenger plane arriving at Frankfurt Airport from Dubai International on March 03, 2026 in Frankfurt, Germany. The flight is among the first to begin ferrying the thousands of German tourists who have been stranded across the Middle East following the U.S.-Israeli air attacks against Iran and the ensuing Iranian missile and drone attacks against the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and other states in the region. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty

Middle East evacuations gather pace as explosions rattle Abu Dhabi airport

Dozens of Emirati flights were forced to hold or diver after the country's Defense Ministry said it had intercepted six ballistic missiles and 125 drones.

United Arab Emirates

world premiere of La Perle

UAE billionaire Habtoor openly lambasts Trump over Iran war

The Emirati businessman condemned the US president, a former business partner, for his “dangerous” attack on Iran and asked whether he had stopped to consider the collateral damage.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

Analysis

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

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

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

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

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

Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP via Getty Images

Gulf air corridors reopen cautiously as evacuations take shape

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

United Arab Emirates

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

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.

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

Gold bar wrapped in a financial newspaper.

Russia becomes UAE’s top gold supplier as Ukraine sanctions bite

The United Arab Emirates bought 96.4 tons of gold from Russia in 2022, making it Moscow's top gold importer.

United Arab Emirates

AIIB

China development financier AIIB opens first global office in UAE

Bank officials expect that the new Abu Dhabi location will help extend their reach to finance sustainable development projects.

United Arab Emirates

King of Jordan

Highlights: Al-Monitor/Semafor Middle East Global Summit

The Al-Monitor & Semafor inaugural Middle East Global Summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings on Wednesday brought together the region’s leaders, newsmakers and business heads.

UAE trade minister

UAE eyes Serbia trade deal as CEPA blitz continues

Non-oil trade between the two countries reached $57.6 million in the first half of 2023, surpassing their entire non-oil trade value for the year 2020.

United Arab Emirates

La Mer North marina is seen with the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai skyline seen in the background, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 1, 2020.

UAE revenue jumps 31.8% in 2022

The UAE Ministry of Finance reported a 6.1% increase in expenditure last year compared to 2021, which amounted to around $116.3 billion.

United Arab Emirates

This image shows high-rise buildings in Dubai, on Feb. 18, 2023.

Dubai ranks first in luxury home sales in second quarter: report

Dubai was one of only four markets to see growth in its overall sales volume of luxury homes between Q2 2022 and Q2 2023 at 79%, along with Sydney (46%), Paris (17%) and Geneva (7%).

United Arab Emirates

Captagon

Dubai's $1 billion Captagon bust ranks as one of world’s biggest

Sales of the highly addictive stimulant continue to fund the Syrian government, despite regional efforts to break up smuggling rings.

United Arab Emirates

China's President Xi Jinping (C) talks with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (L) at the opening of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on November 15, 2022. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

China's VP meets UAE's Ghubash as BRI summit convenes in Hong Kong

The UAE’s goal at the two-day summit in Hong Kong is to enhance joint trade and investment particularly in areas of new economy, technology, and entrepreneurship.

United Arab Emirates

Francois Nel/Getty Images

Dubai apartment prices soar, spooking expats

The cost of the average apartment in Dubai rose 20% in one year through August.

United Arab Emirates

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, China's President Xi Jinping, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, head of the Elite Development Patrick Vieira and striker Sergio Kun Aguero during a visit to the City Football Academy on October 23, 2015 in Manchester, England. The President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping and his wife, Madame Peng Liyuan, are paying a State Visit to the United Kingdom as guests of The Queen. They will stay at Buckingham Palace and undertake engagements in Lon

Mubadala opens office in Beijing as UAE-China ties grow

The United Arab Emirates' Mubadala Investment Company began operations in the Chinese capital this week.

Solar panels used to generate renewable energy at the Sustainability Pavilion during a media tour at the Dubai Expo 2020, a week ahead of its public opening, in the United Arab Emirates.

UAE places technology at top of COP28 agenda in Dubai

The UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, UAE Space Agency and COP28 signed an agreement in July to coordinate on technology-focused sustainable solutions ahead of the major climate change conference in Dubai later this year.

United Arab Emirates

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in Saint Petersburg on October 11, 2022. (Photo by Pavel Bednyakov / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by PAVEL BEDNYAKOV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

US presses UAE over dual-use goods fueling Russia's war

US officials, along with their counterparts from the European Union and United Kingdom, are visiting the UAE this week to discuss the Gulf country's financial dealings with Russia.

United Arab Emirates