Oil and gas

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, right, meets with US Ambassador to Turkey and Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, in Baabda, east of Beirut, July 7, 2025.

Analysis

Lebanon key to Trump plan for turnaround in Middle East

The final "This Week" column reflects on US policy toward Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Gaza.

Andrew Parasiliti

By Andrew Parasiliti

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, national security

Oil tankers and cranes at Merchants Harbor, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Analysis

As Trump plays Russia oil sanctions gambit, will Middle East profit or pay?

A potential US crackdown on Russian oil buyers could disrupt global trade flows — and the Middle East stands to both benefit and lose.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

adnoc

Landmark $18.7B Santos-ADNOC takeover delayed: What to know

Santos said in a statement that the due diligence period, initially set for six weeks, has been extended until Aug. 22.

United Arab Emirates

A view of the platform of the Leviathan natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea is pictured from the Israeli northern coastal beach of Nahsholim, on Aug. 29, 2022.

$35B gas deal underscores Egypt’s energy reliance on Israel despite Gaza tensions

Israel and Egypt have finalized a $35 billion gas deal that will double Israeli gas exports by 2029, highlighting Cairo’s growing energy dependence on its neighbor, even as political tensions rise over Gaza.

Latest News

China's oil imports fall 5.4% as Iranian flows recede from June highs

A ship loaded with oil docks at a pier with the help of a tugboat at the port of Qingdao, in eastern China's Shandong province on June 12, 2025.

UAE president heads to Russia to meet Putin as ties grow: What to know

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan (L) at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Artem Geodakyan / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ARTEM GEODAKYAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

United Arab Emirates

Iran to close public offices as temperatures pass 105 F: What to know

An Iranian taxi driver cools down by splashing water on his face on a street amid soaring temperatures in Tehran on July 22, 2025.

Aramco's Q2 profits fall 22% as lower oil prices weigh on earnings

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud (L) shakes hands with German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock.

Germany, Italy hold talks with Saudi Arabia, Qatar to strengthen energy ties

Italy is looking for capital from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund for a new fund Rome is setting up to help domestic companies in strategically important sectors.

NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images

Russia’s Tatneft makes new oil discovery in Libya

Russia and the controversial military contractor Wagner Group have longstanding interests in Libya’s oil, but instability has hurt the ability of Russian oil companies to operate in the North African country.

Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein gives a joint press conference with his German counterpart at the foreign ministry headquarters in Baghdad on March 7, 2023. (Photo by Murtaja LATEEF / AFP) (Photo by MURTAJA LATEEF/AFP via Getty Images)

Iraqi FM expects continuity in ties with Turkey, no matter who wins election

Fuad Hussein says TotalEnergies deal “would change character of Iraqi economy,” discusses relations with the United States, Iran, Syria and Arab states.

Workers at the Northern Oil Company carry out maintenance work at the pumping station in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk.

Iraq asks Turkey to resume oil exports as firms in Kurdistan region scale back

Turkey has still yet to restart oil flows from northern Iraq following a controversial court ruling despite efforts by Iraqi and Kurdish authorities. The stoppage is threatening the Kurdistan Region’s oil sector.

A general view shows 09 March 2004 the Shaybah mega-project, the first, and so far sole, oilfield development in Saudi Arabia's vast Al-Rub al-Khali desert, some 800 kilometers (500 miles) southeast of the eastern oil center of Dhahran. The Shaybah mega-project, which sits on top of some 15 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, more than a drop in the ocean of Saudi Arabia's estimated total reserves of about 260 billion barrels, has been producing oil to the tune of 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) for less

Saudi Aramco profit drops 19% on lower oil prices

Aramco has signed major deals with companies in China, the United States and South Korea recently, and OPEC+ recently announced a supply cut.

Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant (L).

Israel's defense chief: Iran has enough uranium for five nuclear bombs

On an official visit in Greece, Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warns against Iran’s continued efforts to advance its nuclear program.

Turkish nergy and Natural Resources Minister Fatih Donmez

Turkey says Russia agreed to delay gas payment ahead of elections

The deal marks another economic boon from Moscow to Ankara ahead of Turkey's fateful elections.

A picture taken on April 4, 2023 shows the Nahr Bin Omar oil field and facility near Iraq's southern port city of Basra. - Major oil powers led by Saudi Arabia announced a surprise production cut of more than one million barrels per day on April 2, calling it a "precautionary" move aimed at stabilising the market. (Photo by Hussein FALEH / AFP) (Photo by HUSSEIN FALEH/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Saudi-led OPEC turns deaf ears on oil cuts amid global slowdown

Predictions for GDP growth in the Gulf look more optimistic than those for the rest of the world, and the region is resisting calls to stop cutting oil production.

By Salim A. Essaid

A picture shows a view of the SEA EAGLE, a vessel that reportedly left Ukraine with a cargo of wheat, anchored in Port Sudan on the Red Sea coast, on Sept. 9, 2022.

What's at stake for China in Sudan as fighting drags on?

China’s economic interests, deep-rooted diplomatic relations with Khartoum, leaves Beijing worried about instability in Sudan and the Horn of Africa.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attends the opening ceremony of the Istanbul Financial Center, on April 17, 2023, in Istanbul.

Turkey's Erdogan opens half-empty financial hub in Istanbul ahead of polls

Incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan denies the country is facing an economic crisis, while attacking the opposition for making backroom deals with money lenders.

Members of parliament attend a session, Kuwait City, Kuwait, April 4, 2023.

Analysis

What is behind Kuwait's change of government, economic woes?

The decades-long dance of political reshuffles has prevented the execution of investment and reforms in national infrastructure, health and social services, and also economic projects.

By Salim A. Essaid

Saudi mining

Saudi Arabia will mine minerals, but can it extract maximum added value?

The kingdom wants to leverage its untapped mineral deposits to boost non-oil exports and incentivize local manufacturers to turn raw materials into high-value products.