Transportation

Amjad Kurdo / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

How Iran war created unexpected economic beneficiaries

The Strait of Hormuz crisis is reshaping global energy and trade flows, creating opportunities for economies far beyond the Middle East.

Tankers are seen at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in the Sharjah Emirate, along the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes on June 23, 2025.

UAE eyes first multifuel pipeline as Hormuz crisis drags on

State-owned Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is considering building a refined oil products pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz.

United Arab Emirates

CN-STR / AFP via Getty Images

China’s overland trade routes offer Iran wartime economic lifeline: What to know

Cargo rail traffic between China and Iran has reportedly surged since the US blockade began in April as Tehran seeks overland trade alternatives to help buy time.

Abu Dhabi's crown prince, Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Brazil's president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, shake hands before a bilateral meeting ahead of the BRICS summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 5, 2025.

UAE purchases 10 military aircraft from Brazil as BRICS ties grow

The purchase of C-390 Millennium aircraft for the Emirati air force comes as the UAE seeks to build up its military capabilities amid the war with Iran and boost ties with BRICS member states.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

Which airlines are cutting flights amid Hormuz fuel disruption?

Refueling trucks are seen at Southend Airport on April 17, 2026, in Southend, England.

AirAsia stays course on Bahrain hub as Iran war clouds aviation growth plans

AirAsia aircraft with two engines landing on Kota Kinabalu International airport runway, Kota Kinabalu Sabah, Malaysia, March 4, 2017.

Jet fuel squeeze exposes Europe’s reliance on Middle East supply

Exhaust emits from the engine of a passenger jet as it prepares for take off at Heathrow Airport on March 30, 2006, in London, England.

Airlines gradually restore Middle East flights, Gulf still heavily grounded

An Emirates Airbus A380 passenger aircraft prepares for landing at Dubai International Airport in Dubai on March 8, 2026.

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

An Emirates passenger plane is landing at Frankfurt Airport from Dubai International on March 3, 2026, in Frankfurt, Germany.

Gulf air corridors reopen cautiously as evacuations take shape

Nearly 1,900 of more than 5,450 flights scheduled to the Middle East were canceled Tuesday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

United Arab Emirates

Outbound passengers arrive with their luggage at the Emirates check-in counter at the Iranian capital Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, on July 17, 2020.

Airlines cancel flights amid fears of US military action in Iran: What to know

Arrivals at Tehran's airport this week mainly indicated Iranian and Middle Eastern airlines were flying to the Persian country amid heightened tensions with Washington.

President of Algeria Abdelmadjid Tebboune arrives at Borgo Egnazia on day two of the 50th G7 summit, on June 14, 2024.

Analysis

Libya, Morocco and Israel: Forces powering the Algeria-UAE rupture

Algeria’s recent decision to cancel a 2013 air agreement with the UAE signals an escalation in its rift with the Gulf state and reflects long-standing disputes over Libya and the Western Sahara.

By Rosaleen Carroll

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Several trucks carrying humanitarian aid cross the border between Armenia and Turkey at the village of Margara, Armenia, on March 21, 2025.

Exclusive

Direct Turkey-Armenia land trade to begin amid US-led Caucasus peace push

New transit arrangement via Georgia cuts re-export costs, marking accelerating normalization between Ankara and Yerevan amid broader US-led peace efforts.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

An Emirates Boing 777-300ER is pictured in front an air traffic control tower at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, on Jan. 30, 2023.

Dubai airport tops global ranking again with 95.2 million passengers

DXB has been the world’s busiest airport since 2014 and eyes nearly 100 million passengers in 2026.

United Arab Emirates

Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (L) speaks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed during the G7 Summit hosted by Italy, in Savelletri, on June 14, 2024.

Analysis

Why Algeria's nixing of UAE air deal is more diplomatic than economic

Algeria has begun canceling its air services agreement with the UAE amid heightened tensions over the Gulf country’s foreign policy in the region.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

This picture shows a Syrian Arab Airlines Airbus A320-200 aircraft and the control tower at Damascus international airport as the new Syrian authorities prepare to reopen it, on December 16, 2024. Damascus's airspace reopened on December 12, the airport director told AFP, after a closure since December 8, when president Bashar al-Assad's government fell. Syrian Airlines aircraft maintenance director said takeoffs and landing would be decided by the transport ministry, adding that the carrier hoped to "expan

Analysis

Saudi-backed airline to test Syria’s aviation recovery

The new airline is already set to face leasing, financing and market obstacles.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Loading docks at the port of Libya's northwestern city of Misrata during a ceremony marking the completion of the first phase of the Misrata Free Zone project, on June 25, 2022.

Qatari, Swiss firms to invest $2.7B in Libya's Misrata port: What to know

Libya is seeking to increase its non-oil shipping capacity amid rising oil production and signs of both economic progress and turmoil.

An Iranian rides his motorcycle near Azadi Square in Tehran, on June 14, 2025.

As Trump eyes possible Iran exit strategy, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey push for restraint

Iran’s airspace has reopened after a brief closure as Trump softens rhetoric on military action, while authorities report a slowdown in anti-regime protests amid a nationwide internet blackout and a harsh crackdown.

People walk on the platform of the Haramain High Speed Rail Network at the airport station in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, on Dec. 12, 2019.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar ink high-speed rail deal advancing Gulf integration

Saudi Arabia is seeking to boost its railway infrastructure, and longstanding efforts to connect Gulf states by train are finally gaining momentum.

MOHAMED AFRAH/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Org, Saudi partner Dar Global launch crypto scheme for Maldives resort

The deal marks a notable fusion of the Trump family’s traditional real estate business and its expanding foothold in the crypto world, and arrives a day before Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince arrives in Washington.