Iran, Russia, Central Asia states ink Caspian Sea pact, plan naval drills The navies of Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan signed a comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement on Wednesday, aimed at strengthening security in the Caspian Sea basin as the four countries deepen their relations. Iran
World Bank ups Middle East 2025 economic outlook as oil, tourism rebound The lender expects gross domestic product growth in the region to average 2.8% this year, up from its April forecast of 2.6%. Iran
Supreme Court clears path for Turkey’s Halkbank trial over Iran sanctions The Turkish president personally raised the Halkbank case with US President Donald Trump at the White House, as Ankara pushes for a settlement to avoid a drawn-out legal battle. Turkey
Kuwait seeks renewable energy boost as 14 GW power expansion plan takes shape Kuwait, historically lagging in the Gulf’s energy transition, is moving ahead with plans to expand renewable energy amid efforts to banish power crunches. Kuwait
Analysis Egypt’s renewable power jumps 34% as country tackles energy crunch By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Analysis After $20B deals unravel, will Gulf oil majors scale back abroad? By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Why UAE’s ADNOC is mulling setting up US trading desk The UAE state-backed company recently held talks to recruit senior energy traders to oversee the expansion, Reuters reported. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Gulf consolidates stature as sovereign wealth hub, lags on per capita holdings A frenzy of recent initial public offerings has again highlighted Gulf states' statuses as global wealth hubs. By Sebastian Castelier In Dubai, reporting on regional business
Saudi Arabia 'conservative' on oil revenue as it pares back Vision 2030 plans Mohammed Al-Jaadan warned that being a resource-rich country was a curse as well as a blessing because being dependent on one commodity such as oil can hold a country "hostage" to the volatility of global demand and prices. Saudi Arabia
Turkey’s BOTAS signs $1.1B long-term LNG deal with ExxonMobil Turkey and ExxonMobil have signed a major liquified natural gas deal as Ankara looks to diversify its energy sources. Turkey
What's behind Saudi Arabia's increase in crude oil prices for Asian market? The kingdom wants to restrain oil production to keep demand up, but the increase in prices to Asian customers is more related to refining values, says one expert. Saudi Arabia
Turkey eyes ExxonMobil LNG as country reduces dependence on Russian gas The long-term deal being discussed with the American energy giant would give Turkey up to 2.5 million metric tons of LNG a year, Turkey's energy minister said in an interview. Turkey
UAE company agreed to loan $13B to South Sudan in exchange for oil A $13 billion loan to South Sudan, funded by Hamad Bin Khalifa Department of Projects, marks the largest-ever cash deal for the country. United Arab Emirates
Oman LNG deal spree continues with France's TotalEnergies The French energy major is also working on the Marsa project in Oman, which it claims is the first LNG bunkering hub in the Middle East. Oman
Soaring regional tensions boost Gulf budgets, threaten long-term goals Most of the Gulf’s economic diversification plans still rely heavily on oil and gas revenues, especially in Saudi Arabia, where the most speculative parts of Vision 2030 face a lack of interest by foreign investors. By Sebastian Castelier In Dubai, reporting on regional business
Iraq plans to reopen own oil pipeline as talks to restart Kurdish route stall The move to reopen the pipeline will irk the Kurdistan Regional Government, as it introduces a rival route to a section of the pipeline in Kurdistan that has been shut for a year and is a crucial economic source for the semi-autonomous region. Iraq
Turkey, Iran launch talks on energy cooperation The talks, aiming to enhance energy cooperation between the two countries, kicked off in Tehran. Turkey
What’s behind Abu Dhabi’s $13 billion investment in gas? The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is seeking more foreign partners as it aims to boost gas production capacity. United Arab Emirates
