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

WANG ZHAO/AFP via Getty Images

Qataris hail Chinese robotaxis as Gulf embraces driverless cars

Three Chinese companies have publicly announced plans to roll out the autonomous vehicles in the Gulf.

An Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner comes in to land at Heathrow Airport in west London on April 29, 2024. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Etihad half-year profit hits record $306M on strong travel demand

The Abu Dhabi airline reported a profit after tax of 1.1 billion Emirati dirhams ($306 million), up 32% from the first half of 2024.

United Arab Emirates

A Tesla Model Y is seen on a Tesla car lot on May 31, 2023 in Austin, Texas.

Turkish Tesla sales soar in August, surpassing European, Japanese rivals

Elon Musk’s EV company sold 8,730 Model Ys in August, jumping 86% compared to July, according to data from Turkey’s Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (L) in Tianjin, China, on Sept. 1, 2025.

Turkey, Armenia leaders eye cooperation as Azerbaijan peace process advances

The meeting came after the Aug. 8 peace summit in Washington, hosted by US President Donald Trump, between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.

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.