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United Arab Emirates

March 8, 2026

Abu Dhabi 3:09 am

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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

A bag of rice is unloaded from a truck at an Indian grains depot near New Delhi on August 27, 2013, one day after the Indian parliament passed a flagship 18-billion-dollar programme to provide subsidised food to the poor that is intended to "wipe out" endemic hunger and malnutrition in the aspiring superpower. Despite decades of fast economic growth, India still struggles to feed its 1.2-billion population adequately with more than 40 percent of children under five malnourished, according to a major survey

Analysis

UAE rice ban after major exporter India spikes global supply fears

The UAE was the world's 16th-largest importer of rice in 2021 and the majority of it came from India.

By Salim A. Essaid

People look at a Turkish attack helicopter "T129 ATAK" on May 9, 2017 during the opening day of the 13th International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) in Istanbul. / AFP PHOTO / YASIN AKGUL (Photo credit should read YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images)

China, UAE overtake US companies at Turkey’s IDEF 23 weapons fair

During the 15th edition of the IDEF in 2021, the global fair saw more than a thousand companies from 53 countries attend and had more than 94 signing ceremonies take place.

A physical imitation of the Bitcoin cryptocurrency is seen, Paris, France, April 26, 2021.

Bahraini cryptocurrency firm Rain to operate in UAE

Cryptocurrency is growing in both the UAE and Bahrain amid regulatory challenges and market downturn.

UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed receives Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Abu Dhabi.

Who is Sultan Al Mansouri, Qatar’s first UAE ambassador in 6 years?

A career diplomat who previously served as Qatar’s ambassador to Austria in 2019 and as the ambassador to China in 2014, Mansouri brings a negotiating and economic skillset to the position.

Ursula von der Leyen

EU commission sees Tunisia's migration deal as 'blueprint' for region

On July 16, the bloc agreed to spend 100 million euros on Tunisia to combat human trafficking and illegal crossings of the Mediterranean Sea.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - AUGUST 10: A Chipotle store signage is seen on August 10, 2022 in New York City. NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced on Tuesday that Chipotle Mexican Grill announced that they will be paying $20 million dollars to current and former workers in their NYC restaurants for violating city labor laws. The settlement will cover about 13,000 employees who worked at the chain's NYC stores between 2017 and this year. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Popular Mexican food chain Chipotle coming to UAE, Kuwait

The fast-food giant that specializes in Mexican food is one of the biggest in the United States.

UAE passport.

UAE passport ranks among world's 'most powerful,' Iraq, Syria at bottom of list

The 2023 Henley Passport Index features the world’s most powerful passports based on the number of destinations passport holders can access visa-free.

United Arab Emirates

UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) greeting Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkey, UAE ink $50 billion in trade deals during Erdogan visit

The $50 billion worth trade deals come as the Turkish government is struggling to draw foreign funds to ease its currency crisis.

United Arab Emirates

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida prepares before a roundtable meeting during the 29th EU-Japan Summit at the European Union building, Brussels, Belgium, July 13, 2023.

Analysis

On Gulf tour, Japan's PM secures energy ties as China’s influence grows

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s three-day trip that began Sunday to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar — its key energy suppliers — is seen as a crucial move to secure Japan’s energy future.

By Salim A. Essaid

A car drives past a road signal indicating the Allenby (King Hussein) bridge crossing point to Jordan.

Work on Israel-Saudi land bridge has begun, Israeli Foreign Ministry confirms

The project will facilitate the transfer of goods in trucks intially between the UAE, Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during the UAE - Japan Business Forum in Abu Dhabi on July 17, 2023. (Photo by KARIM SAHIB / AFP) (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

Japan’s PM visits UAE after Saudi Arabia, talks green energy, supply sources

Japan is trying to move away from fossil fuels toward greener energy, which it plans to promote in the region during Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to the Gulf this week.

Dubai's Stock Market Exchange is pictured on a skyscraper.

UAE suspends Emirates Gold over money laundering allegations

The London Bullion Market Association, which regulates the United Kingdom capital’s metals market, suspended Emirates Gold DMCC’s affiliate membership after conducting a review.

United Arab Emirates