Technology

A ship sails off the coast of Ajman on July 10, 2026.

Interview

Why Strait of Hormuz no longer rattles oil markets as much: IMF

The fund's Middle East director, Jihad Azour, told Al-Monitor that the big Gulf energy producers now have more capacity to absorb the shock.

Jihad Azour

Jihad Azour

Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund

A student attends a training seminar at the Tourism Ministry Training center in the city of Riyadh on August 30, 2022.

Interview

Saudi labor localization will take ‘generation or two': Armada CEO

Around 70% of Saudi Arabia's population is 35 years old or younger, according to the kingdom’s General Authority for Statistics, providing ample opportunity for an educated and technology-savvy national workforce in the coming decades.

Olivier Badard

CEO of Armada Holding

This photo illustration taken in Damascus on May 20, 2026, shows the X account of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on a smartphone displaying his tweet to President Donald Trump.

Syria reports sabotage of undersea internet cable between Tartous and Alexandria: What to know

The affected cable connects Syria to Egypt and is one of four cables that link to the coastal city of Tartous.

The headquarters of SpaceX in Hawthorne, California, with a Falcon 9 booster in March 2024.

Explainer

Saudi investors could emerge as key winners from SpaceX’s historic IPO

A new disclosure from Saudi Arabia's Kingdom Holding ahead of SpaceX’s Nasdaq debut shows just how valuable Elon Musk's relationship with Gulf investors has become.

Latest News

Iran partially restores internet after 88-day blackout: What to know

An Iranian woman walks past a mobile phone shop at the Valiasr Square in Tehran on April 19, 2026.

Oman enters Gulf AI race with new special economic zone in Muscat

Haitham AL-SHUKAIRI / AFP via Getty Images

Who is Handala, the hacktivist group US ties to Iranian intelligence?

Flag of Iran on a computer binary codes falling from the top and fading away.

Iran names US tech, finance firms in new Middle East threat list

People sit in a cafe outside the Apple Store in Dubai on May 8, 2025.

Munk School

Microsoft says Israeli company's malware used to hack dissidents, activists

Microsoft said around half of the victims were located in the Palestinian territories, and many of the remaining targets were based in the Middle East.

Facebook logos

Facebook says Iranian hackers spied on US military personnel using fake accounts

The social media company said the hackers baited targets into clicking on malicious links that would infect their devices with malware.

Valentine's Day display in Tehran

Iran rolls out matchmaking app to curb declining birthrate

The Hamdan app aims to create "healthy" families and pair "bachelors seeking permanent marriage” with a wife.

Yemenis inspect the burning wreckage of a drone in the country's capital, Sanaa, on Oct. 1, 2017.

US-made drones downed over Yemen weren't military's, CENTCOM says

The Houthis said they wrecked two US drones over Yemen's contested Marib province.

Simorgh satellite rocket at Tehran parade

Imagery suggests Iran failed to launch satellite, set to try again

Iran appears to be planning to launch a Simorgh satellite that the Islamic Republic may have failed to get off the ground earlier this month.

MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli women lead food tech revolution

Israeli women researchers are developing award-winning projects in the fields of food tech and smart agriculture.

Kanopus-V satellite

Iran to acquire Russian high-resolution recon satellite

Russia is set to give Iran a satellite that could spy on Tehran's potential military targets.

A picture taken on Jan. 13, 2020, during a press tour organized by the US-led coalition fighting the remnants of the Islamic State, shows a US soldier walking past a drone at the Ain al-Asad air base in the western Iraqi province of Anbar.

US air defenses shoot down drones near Iraq air base

Drones were intercepted and brought down near the air base that hosts US forces.

Toukh derailment

Can modernization of Egypt’s railway network avert train accidents?

Egypt signed an agreement worth 145 million euros ($177 million) with the African Development Bank as part of its recent plan to improve its railway system to prevent crashes.

Google sign

Israel to get own cloud in deals with Amazon, Google

In a bold move, Israel has signed a series of contracts with Amazon Web Services and Google to provide the government with cloud services.

An illustration photo shows the application Clubhouse on a smartphone in Berlin, Jan. 25, 2021.

Is Muslim Brotherhood using Clubhouse app to mobilize Egyptian support?

Many security sources and social media activists fear the Muslim Brotherhood could exploit the Clubhouse app to promote its ideas and recruit new operatives in Egypt.

A NASA security helicopter flies past the Vehicle Assembly Building on launch day at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, United States, May 26, 2020.

NASA engineer from Gaza following escalation with concern

Loay Elbasyouni, who grew up in the Gaza Strip and attended UNRWA schools, helped design the first NASA helicopter that hovered over Mars in March 2021.