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

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.

Ground staff prepare a Middle East Airlines flight for departure on the tarmac at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on May 2, 2025.

From Lebanon to Qatar, Israel-Iran war disrupts flights, airport traffic: What to know

Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines canceled all flights to Iraq through Thursday as the ongoing Israel-Iran war forces widespread disruptions across Middle East aviation.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Mideast airlines to deliver industry’s highest profit margins in 2025

The region's airlines are forecast to hit a profit margin of 8.7% in 2025, slightly lower than last year's figure of 8.9% but the highest in the industry.

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.

Saudi Arabia's flyadeal joins growing list of airlines flying to Syria

Several regional airlines have resumed or plan to resume flights to Syria.

Iranian Muslim pilgrims head to Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat, also known as Jabal al-Rahma or Mount of Mercy, during the climax of the Hajj pilgrimage, on June 27, 2023.

Saudi airline to resume Hajj flights to Iran after 10-year hiatus: What to know

A Saudi-operated flight landed in Tehran last weekend as Iran and Saudi Arabia seek to expand their air connectivity.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Qatar Airways reports highest-ever yearly profit of $1.7B

The Gulf airline said in a statement it was the strongest financial performance in its 27-year history.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani (R) sits next to US President Donald Trump as he speaks to Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg (L).

Analysis

Trump’s Gulf trip lifts embattled Boeing with Qatar, UAE deals

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Pakistan flights

Mideast airlines suspend Pakistan flights following Indian strikes

Pakistan closed its airspace for 48 hours starting early Wednesday following Indian airstrikes on several locations that left at least 15 people dead.

United Arab Emirates

JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Israel pounds Yemen after Houthi missile strike near Tel Aviv airport: What to know

Foreign airlines are canceling flights to and from Israel after a missile launched from Yemen landed just outside the terminal at Ben Gurion Airport.