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United Arab Emirates

April 27, 2026

Abu Dhabi 11:54 am

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A view of Dubai Marina in Dubai on March 3, 2026.

UAE’s cash request tests US ties as Iran war strains Gulf financial muscle

Amid growing economic fallout from the regional war, Abu Dhabi’s bombshell request for a war-time financial lifeline from the United States is less about cash and more about clout — for now.

United Arab Emirates

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker is moored at a LNG berth in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, prefecture April 8, 2026.

IEA delivers grim gas supply forecast as oil notches 15% weekly rise

A wave of new LNG supplies will be delayed for at least two years due to war-related damage to Qatari energy infrastructure, according the International Energy Agency's latest market update.

A picture shows the Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar's principal site for production of liquefied natural gas and gas-to-liquid, administrated by Qatar Petroleum, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the capital Doha, on Feb. 6, 2017.

Analysis

Gulf energy deals face Iran war stress test as global expansion meets oil shock

ADNOC, Aramco and QatarEnergy have aggressively expanded their international portfolios in recent years, a strategy facing new constraints as the US-Israel-Iran war impacts Gulf production and exposes structural risks.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Could UAE tap US currency swap line as Iran war strains Gulf economies?

Haruna Furuhashi /Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Interview

UAE official says opening Hormuz integral to any Iran deal, describes infrastructure damage 'manageable'

Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, United Arab Emirates

Saudi stocks hit 2026 high, bucking global war-driven volatility

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

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

Chinese President Xi Jinping signs a book during the presence of the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashed al-Maktoum and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates July 20, 2018. WAM/Handout via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1FC6481370

China deepens ties with UAE with industrial investment

Deals worth billions of dollars between China and the United Arab Emirates reflect China's major status as a partner in the Middle East.

United Arab Emirates

Qatar, Jordan to appoint new ambassadors following diplomatic row

Jordan and Qatar are set to appoint their respective ambassadors to Amman and Doha after more than two years of diplomatic row.

REFILE - CORRECTING GRAMMAR A destroyed and burnt tank, that belongs to the eastern forces led by Khalifa Haftar, is seen in Gharyan south of Tripoli Libya June 27, 2019. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny - RC1D103F7D50

Libya has outsized importance for Turkey's Mediterranean plans

Turkey's hostility to Libyan forces led by Khalifa Hifter is part of an ongoing strategic power struggle in the region.

United Arab Emirates

Gulf states divided in approach to Iran-US escalation

Not having faced a direct threat from Iran in the last few decades, the position of Oman, Kuwait and Qatar in the current tensions with Iran is that of peaceful negotations, rather than military intervention.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a chart of military hardware sales as he welcomes Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC14FF352EF0

Senate votes to constrain Trump on Gulf arms sales as Iran tensions heat up

A bipartisan group of senators rebuked President Donald Trump for his Iran emergency declaration hours after Tehran shot down a US drone over the Persian Gulf.

South Korean army Apache helicopters fly during a demonstration at a media event of 2018 Defense Expo Korea near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in Pocheon, South Korea, September 11, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji - RC14D5CD39F0

Qatar, Bahrain duck congressional backlash against Gulf arms sales

As scrutiny grows over arms transfers to Washington’s Gulf allies, the Senate narrowly voted to allow weapons sales to Qatar and Bahrain.

Saudi soldiers stand in line at an airfield where Saudi military cargo planes land to deliver aid in Marib, Yemen January 26, 2018. Picture taken January 26, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RC1D0C8D9D00

Congress opens several new fronts in bid to block Gulf arms sales

The House joined Senate efforts to stop the Donald Trump administration from selling arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listens to Chinese Communist Party Office of Foreign Affairs Director Yang Jiechi speak as the two countries hold a joint news conference after participating in a second diplomatic and security meeting at the U.S. Department of State, Washington, U.S., November 9, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis - RC152C740580

US policy faces blind spots on China, Middle East

The effects of US trade policy toward China may strike a blow on global markets and possibly affect US national security.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi attends the Arab summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, May 31, 2019. REUTERS/Hamad l Mohammed - RC192C74A920

As Iran stirs worries, Sisi sets vision for Arab security

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi offers a plan to achieve Arab security and counter threats to the Arab region, to avoid war with Iran.

Egypt's hand appears in play behind scenes in Sudan

The head of the Sudanese Transitional Military Council has visited Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, raising questions about Cairo’s role in Sudanese affairs.

A damaged Andrea Victory ship is seen off the Port of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, May 13, 2019. REUTERS/Satish Kumar - RC1C22EB5DB0

Iran says Mossad ‘fabricating intelligence’ on oil tanker attacks

Iran’s foreign minister has condemned the UNSC meeting that will discuss UAE claims about oil tanker attacks.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks to reporters on his way to the Senate floor for a vote at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1F178C0200

Republicans rebuke Trump over Gulf arms sales

Congress is going on offense against President Donald Trump’s use of emergency powers to arm Arab states.