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

UAE cover image

United Arab Emirates

March 9, 2026

Abu Dhabi 9:36 am

23°C

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Qatar gas shock roils Middle East energy risk profile amid Iran war

The disruption to energy transportation through the Strait of Hormuz predictably threatens crude prices, but it's natural gas supplies that are shocking the markets.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Christopher Pike/Getty Images

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

Latest News

UAE billionaire Habtoor openly lambasts Trump over Iran war

world premiere of La Perle

United Arab Emirates

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

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

Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi bank launches new sustainability program

Several Middle Eastern banks and funds are pursuing finance focused on green technology and the environment.

Africa solar

Dubai’s AMEA Power wins solar contract in South Africa

Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia are seeking better ties with sub-Saharan African states, including in regards to energy.

Two firms from the United Arab Emirates have signed a $6 billion deal with Sudan to construct a new port on the Red Sea coast.

UAE's Ports Group expands footprint in Sudan

The agreement allows the Abu Dhabi-based logistics giant to operate ports in Sudan and will contribute to the UAE’s growing influence on the African continent.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

UAE to open facility that converts waste to green hydrogen

The Gulf state already has one waste-to-energy plant and is looking to build more.

Brittney Griner

Inside UAE, Saudi roles in facilitating release of Brittney Griner

A high-level Gulf source with access to the details of the exchange told Al-Monitor that the exchange happened at a UAE airbase at 5:00 pm Abu Dhabi time (8:00 am ET).

Abu Dhabi

UAE business center releases whistleblowing guidelines

The UAE is seeking to improve financial transparency among other major financial changes happening in the Gulf state.

Mideast solar

Dubai’s AMEA Power advances wind, solar projects in Egypt

The project is one of many that Emirati entities have announced this year. Egypt could benefit from more renewable energy, but already has some solar and wind plants in the country.

Completed customer orders are seen in their boxes, awaiting delivery, at the Amazon Fulfillment Center.

Amazon to open online grocery store in UAE

The US retail giant has also been in the news regarding Saudi Arabia and Egypt recently.

United Arab Emirates

An Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 "Dreamliner" aircraft lands at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, on Oct. 20, 2020.

Etihad launches initiative on sustainable aviation fuel to decarbonize flights

Sustainable aviation fuel, which is sourced from biological materials, has great carbon reduction potential. However, airlines' reluctance to spend more on fuel is hampering its development, according to some observers.

DIRK WAEM/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

Abu Dhabi launches new cryptocurrency hub despite downturn

Despite a global slump, cryptocurrency is growing in the UAE in line with the government’s diversification goals.

Israel’s OurCrowd invests in a $60 million AI hub in Abu Dhabi

The Israeli investment platform will build on the UAE's efforts to become a world leader in artificial intelligence and attract more futuristic technology companies to the country.

UAE tech

Abu Dhabi Global Market adopts blockchain for courts

The move comes amid other financial changes in the Gulf state. Blockchain technology is also used for cryptocurrency.