Transportation

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.

Latest News

Middle East commercial aircraft fleet will double in 20 years, Airbus says

HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Turkey grounds all C-130 military aircraft after Georgia crash kills 20

Wreckage is seen at the crash site of the Turkish C-130 military cargo plane in the Sighnaghi area at the Georgia-Azerbaijan border on November 12, 2025. A Turkish military cargo plane carrying 20 passengers and crew crashed in Georgia on its way home from Azerbaijan, the defence ministry said Tuesday. (Photo by Giorgi ARJEVANIDZE / AFP) (Photo by GIORGI ARJEVANIDZE/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel's El Al posts record $203M Q3 profit as foreign airlines trickle back

An Israeli El Al Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft bound for Los Angeles takes off from Israel's central Ben Gurion Airport on June 25, 2025.

Uber announces $200M technology center in Turkey: What to know

A woman opens the UBER application on her mobile phone at the Eminonu district on March 30, 2018 in Istanbul.

Sharjah International Airport is an airport located 13 kilometers southeast of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

Syrian airline Fly Cham launches flights to UAE’s Sharjah as ties warm

The United Arab Emirates is relatively bearish on Syria’s Islamist government, though ties are advancing both politically and economically.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

A man and a woman ride their motorcycles past a billboard in the background bearing a portrait of Iran's late President Ebrahim Raisi in central Tehran, on May 21, 2024.

Culture

Iran mulls lifting ban on women driving motorcycles: What to know

Women face a number of restrictions in Iran, among them an effective prohibition on riding motorcycles.

VistaJet Bombardier Bombardier Global 6000 is landing at Milano Malpensa international airport.

Saudi Arabia licenses charter operator VistaJet as first foreign airline for domestic flights

The Dubai-based private airline group looks to capitalize on the kingdom's growing super-rich luxury travel market.

An Iraqi Airways aircraft is parked at the gate at Baghdad airport on Feb. 20, 2025.

12 international, local firms bid to operate Iraq's Mosul airport destroyed by ISIS

Iraq seeks to develop its air sector now that security conditions have improved in the country, hoping to play a bigger role in regional transit corridors.

US President Donald Trump (C) joins hands with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (L) and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (R) during a signing ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House, Washington, DC, Aug. 8, 20

Analysis

US-brokered Armenia-Azerbaijan deal hands Turkey South Caucasus opening

The agreement could pave the way for normalizing Turkey-Armenia relations and establishing a long-sought transport link unsettling to Iran.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

AFP via Getty Images

China expands auto investment in Egypt with $1B Suez tire plant

Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the project aligned with his country’s strategy to localize the automotive industry and manufacturing supply chains.

People wait for the arrival of relatives at King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh on the first commercial flight from Qatar on Jan. 11, 2021.

Saudi Arabia’s King Khalid airport sets record with 3.9M passengers in July

Air travel is a part of the Vision 2030 plan to diversify the economy, though challenges remain in attracting tourists and catching up to other Gulf airports.

Lufthansa Airbus A 340

Mideast airlines see 0.4% dip amid Iran, Gaza wars, as global demand up 2.6%

Conflict-related airspace closures and regional tensions disrupted airlines based in the Middle East.

A train moves during the inauguration of a 140-kilometer line running from eastern Iran into western Afghanistan, at a railroad station in Khaf, on Dec. 10, 2020.

China steps in to help electrify Iran’s railways: What to know

Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref met with members of the Iran-China Joint Chamber of Commerce on Monday as ties grow.

Men inspect an electric car at a showroom in Riyadh on June 8, 2024.

Interview

Growing Chinese competition in Mideast car market 'key challenge,' Ford says

Chinese automotive companies are increasing their market share and are projected to capture 34% of the Middle East and Africa market by 2030, according to one analysis.

Ravi Ravichandran

Ravi Ravichandran

President of Ford Middle East and North Africa

An export train to Russia and China leaves the Ankara station, on Jan. 29, 2021.

Turkey secures $2.8B green financing for Azerbaijan railway: What to know

The 223-kilometer railway will connect to the existing train route that joins Turkey’s northeastern city of Kars and the Georgian and Azerbaijani capitals of Tbilisi and Baku.

ZAID AL-OBEIDI/AFP via Getty Images

Over 10 years after ISIS takeover, Iraq's Mosul Airport reopens: What to know

The airport has been out of operation since the fall of the northern Iraqi city to the Islamic State in 2014.