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Egypt

April 19, 2026

Cairo 6:17 pm

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A man walks through the atrium during the 2026 IMF and World Bank Group Spring Meetings in Washington, DC, on April 14, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

IMF slashes Mideast outlook by nearly 3 points as Iran war hits economies

The International Monetary Fund cut gross domestic product forecasts for the Middle East and North Africa, with the fallout from the conflict exposing stark divergences between the region’s energy exporters and importers.

Sayed Hassan/Getty Images

Analysis

Egypt eyes energy breakthroughs as Iran war deepens gas crunch

Among countries outside the Gulf conflict's direct line of fire, few have felt the shockwaves as acutely as Egypt.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

A police speed boat patrols the port as oil tankers and high speed crafts sit anchored at Muscat Anchorage near the Strait of Hormuz on March 30, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Analysis

Hostage to Hormuz, can Gulf rewire future energy flows to bypass Iran’s chokepoint?

As the US-Israel-Iran war disrupts around 20% of global oil supply, experts point to opportunities and challenges facing a renewed push to develop alternatives to the Strait of Hormuz.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

A view of the platform of the Leviathan natural gas field in the Mediterranean Sea is pictured from the Israeli northern coastal beach of Nasholim, on Aug. 29, 2022.

Israel energy minister says gas flowing to Egypt, Jordan despite shutdown reports

Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen told Al-Monitor that despite security concerns and partial shut down of marine gas platforms, Israel continues to supply gas to Egypt, Jordan and Israeli consumers.

Latest News

Egypt closes stores early, Jordan bans AC as Iran war takes toll

Shops close early, on March 28, 2026, in Cairo, Egypt.

Analysis

Oil-rich Gulf states could face power crunch as Iran war hits energy security

A general view of South Pars gas field facilities in the southern Iranian port town of Assaluyeh, on the Gulf, Nov. 19, 2015.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

How Egypt is navigating limited options in Iran war to stay neutral

US President Donald Trump and President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi clasp hands as they speak to the press before their meeting on Oct. 13, 2025, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Analysis

Oil crisis stokes inflation risks for Mideast as Iran war exposes importers

Smoke and flames rise at the site of airstrikes on an oil depot in Tehran on March 7, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Beatrice Farhat

Associate Editor (Lebanon)

In Beirut, reporting on regional news, culture, conflict

Jonathan Fenton-Harvey

In London, reporting on North Africa and Gulf politics

Mohammed Magdy

In Berlin, reporting on Egyptian politics

Ayah Aman

In Cairo, reporting on politics and culture

Salwa Samir

In Giza, reporting on politics

Nada Shaker

In Cairo, reporting on culture

European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen and Egypt president Abdel Fattah el-Sisi pictured during a diplomatic meeting on March 17, 2024, in Cairo, Egypt.

Egypt looks set to secure $1.1B EU loan to boost economic recovery

The latest injection is part of a larger two-proposal package from the 27-state bloc to help the North African country's struggling economy.

Sudanese drivers rest on May 14, 2023 after transporting evacuees from Sudan into Egypt, in Wadi Karkar village near Aswan.

Egyptian authorities arbitrarily arresting Sudanese, Amnesty says

The alleged mass arrests and forced expulsions of Sudanese coincide with the raging war in Sudan, where fears of foreign interference are growing.

This picture taken on October 12, 2022 shows a view of solar panels used to power irrigation pumps along the Afir agricultural canal near the city of Kafr el-Dawwar in Egypt's northern province of Beheira. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP) (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Egypt needs clean energy to shine after $50B bailout, but will it?

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses his supporters after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won in country's general election, in New Delhi on June 4, 2024. Modi claimed election victory for his party and its allies on June 4, but the opposition said they had "punished" the ruling party to confound predictions and reduce their parliamentary majority. (Photo by Money SHARMA / AFP) (Photo by MONEY SHARMA/AFP via Getty Images)

From Israel to Iran, Modi 3.0 eyes deepening of India's Middle East ties

India refuses to be restricted by its former Cold War commitments; as with any other power or wannabe power, only self-interest matters, and the oil monarchies of the Gulf top India's list of friends in the region.

An Egyptian army M60 main battle tank and an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) are deployed near the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip on March 23, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict in the Palestinian territory between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

With talks deadlocked, Egypt has only limited options on Rafah

Israel's offensive in Rafah is testing its decades-old peace treaty with Egypt, which was outraged by its seizure of the Rafah crossing and the demilitarized Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt.

This pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik shows Russia's President Vladimir Putin attending a virtual summit of the BRICS group of nations (the bloc that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) to discuss the Israel-Hamas war, in Moscow on November 21, 2023. (Photo by Alexander KAZAKOV / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDER KAZAKOV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE, Saudi, Iran, Egypt, Turkey FMs attend Russia's BRICS meeting

The BRICS foreign ministers meeting focused on diplomatic developments related to the Gaza war and efforts to ditch the US dollar in international trade, among other matters.

An Egyptian man drives a tuk-tuk (motorised rickshaw) in the al-Khalifa district of Egypt's capital Cairo on January 11, 2023. - With Egypt's economy in crisis, the currency in freefall and inflation skyrocketing, the poor have been hit hard but the middle class is also teetering on the brink. (Photo by Khaled DESOUKI / AFP) (Photo by KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Egypt's year-on-year inflation drops below 30% in first since January

The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) announced that Egypt’s inflation rate has maintained its downturn for the fourth consecutive month, dropping to 28.15% in May from 32.54% in April.

The aircraft of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken disembarks his aircraft as he arrives at Ben Gurion airport near Tel Aviv, on June 10, 2024.

Blinken returns to Middle East in high-stakes push for Gaza cease-fire

Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the region to push for a cease-fire as the UN Security Council was set to vote on a US-drafted resolution supporting the deal.

A displaced Palestinian child flies a kite near the border with Egypt in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 28, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas militants. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP) (Photo by SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images)

In Egypt, displaced Gazans organize in grassroots movements

Despite a precarious life without rights or financial resources, displaced Gazans in Egypt are organizing themselves into grassroots movements to respond to community needs and send humanitarian aid to Gaza.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) addresses the media prior to a meeting of NATO foreign ministers at the Czernin Palace, in Prague, Czech Republic, on May 31, 2024.

Blinken to return to Middle East in diplomatic blitz to end Gaza war

Washington's top diplomat heads to Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Qatar next week as the Biden administration pressures Hamas and Israel to agree to a last-ditch cease-fire proposal to end the war and defuse a volatile border escalation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Egypt’s foreign reserves hit record $46B on back of UAE, IMF deals

Egypt’s foreign reserves have been boosted by a recent Emirati investment in the Ras El-Hekma coastal area, though the economy is still struggling with inflation.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Egypt sees change of government amid inflation, living costs woes

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah asked Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly to form a new government following the fourth cabinet reshuffle since 2018.