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Egypt

March 19, 2026

Cairo 7:44 am

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

Analysis

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

With crude oil briefly nearing $120 per barrel on Monday before giving up gains, the conflict is poised to reignite inflationary pressures around the world, including for vulnerable economies such as Egypt and Turkey.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Yasin AKGUL / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Qatar gas shock roils Middle East energy risk profile amid Iran war

The disruption to energy transportation through the Strait of Hormuz predictably threatens crude prices, but it's natural gas supplies that are shocking the markets.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP via Getty Images

US-Iran war rattles global stocks as UAE trading set to resume

This handout picture released by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on February 23, 2026, shows Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (R) welcoming Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (L) upon his arrival for an official visit at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. (Photo by Ahmed NURELDINE / SPA / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

UAE-Saudi fracture to test Egypt’s security-economy tradeoff

Cairo has been signaling alignment with Riyadh amid a major rift between Saudi Arabia and the UAE — a fracture that also threatens to jolt Egypt’s ties with its single most important foreign investor.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Analysis

Egyptians in for another expensive Ramadan despite recovering economy

An Egyptian vendor fills dates for a customer at a market in Cairo's central Sayyida Zeinab district on Feb. 12, 2026, as Muslims prepare for the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which begins early next week.

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

Culture

Harassment on Cairo bus revives debate over women’s rights in Egypt

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

MBZ hosts Sisi as Saudi Arabia and UAE jockey for regional influence

President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed welcomes Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 9, 2026.

Arms production to air defense: Inside $350M Egypt-Turkey military pact

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stand with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo, Feb. 4, 2026.

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

A Palestinian Hamas supporter celebrates after Erdogan declared victory in local polls during a rally organised by Hamas movement in the northern Gaza Strip March 31, 2014. Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan declared victory in local polls that had become a referendum on his rule and said he would "enter the lair" of enemies who have accused him of corruption and leaked state secrets. The Arabic words read "Turkey Justice and development forward". REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNRES

Hamas celebrates AKP win in Turkish elections

Hamas considers Turkey a vital ally and held rallies in celebration of the ruling Justice and Development Party's election victory.

Men work to build a flood barrier to protect their houses from the rising water of the White Nile River in South Khartoum August 26, 2013. Heavy rains and flood in the country have affected the lives and properties of some 320,000 people, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) last week. REUTERS/Stringer (SUDAN - Tags: ENVIRONMENT DISASTER) - RTX12XDP

Egypt tries to woo South Sudan in Nile water dispute

Egypt is seeking to develop ties with South Sudan as its relations with Ethiopia and Sudan deteriorate over the distribution of Nile water.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with Gazprom's Chief Executive Alexei Miller at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, October 29, 2012. Russia's Gazprom pledged more than $38 billion (23.7 billion pounds) to develop an East Siberian gas field and build a pipeline to the Pacific port of Vladivostok to lessen its reliance on exports to Europe and develop Asian markets. REUTERS/Aleksey Nikolskyi/RIA Novosti/Pool (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY BUSINESS) THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD

Russia considers natural gas expansion in North Africa, Near East

Russia sees potential for LNG expansion in the Middle East.

United Arab Emirates

1980: President Sadat of Egypt (1918 - 1981) meets Prime Minister Menachem Begin (1913 - 1992) of Israel for talks on the normalisation of relationships between their two countries. The meeting took place in Aswan in Upper Egypt. In 1978 both men were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)

Netanyahu and Abbas are not Begin and Sadat

Documents released from Israel's State Archives this week on the Israel-Egypt peace negotiations reveal the commitment of both leaders to achieve such an agreement, unlike current negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

A general view shows construction activity on the Grand Renaissance dam in Guba Woreda, Benishangul Gumuz region March 16, 2014. Egypt fears the $4.7 billion dam, that the Horn of Africa nation is building on the Nile, will reduce a water supply vital for its 84 million people, who mostly live in the Nile valley and delta. Picture taken March 16, 2014. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri (ETHIOPIA - Tags: ENERGY ENVIRONMENT POLITICS BUSINESS CONSTRUCTION) - RTR3HFPZ

Egypt considers referring Renaissance Dam file to The Hague

Egypt’s Specialized National Councils have filed a report to the Egyptian presidency about referring the case of the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam dispute to international organizations, since the negotiations between Egypt and Ethiopia have reached a deadlock.

People raise their hands with the sign of Muslim Brotherhood supporters from their balcony during a protest by supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Matarya area, east of Cairo, March 21, 2014. REUTERS/Al Youm Al Saabi Newspaper (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) EGYPT OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN EGYPT - RTR3I2B6

Egypt seeks extradition of Brotherhood members

Egypt is expanding security cooperation with Arab states to hand over Muslim Brotherhood officials, including those exiled in Doha.

An ariel view of the semi-functional Inga dam on the Congo River October 22, 2006. With a flow second only to the Amazon, the mighty Congo river spews forth 1.5 million cubic feet (42.5 million litres) into the Atlantic every second. Experts say it could generate over 40,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity -- more than twice the projected capacity of China 's massive Three Gorges Dam, and a major step to keeping up with fast-growing demand for electricity in Africa and beyond. Picture taken October 22, 2006.

Egypt says cooperation continues with Ethiopia on Nile Basin projects

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Egyptian Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation Mohamed Abdul Muttalib says that Egypt has not stopped bilateral cooperation with Ethiopia over the Renaissance Dam dispute.

People queue for subsidised bread at a bakery that uses smart card payment system in the Suez Canal city of Port Said, 170 km (106 miles) northeast of Cairo, February 24, 2014. A device resembling a credit card swiper is revolutionizing some of Egypt's politically explosive bread lines and may help achieve the impossible -- cutting crippling food import bills. Authorities who hope to avoid protests over subsidized loaves sold for the equivalent of one U.S. cent have turned to smart cards to try to manage th

Sisi's call for austerity falls flat with Egyptians

While Egyptian Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has recently called on Egyptians to embrace austerity, some question whether state officials will also have to cut down on their opulent spending.

Nile Project concert in Al Azhar Park, Cairo, Egypt, 31 January.jpg

Artists in Nile Project try to bridge political divisions

Artists from Nile Basin countries are collaborating on a musical initiative called the Nile Project, with the aim of reducing tensions over water-sharing disputes.

Palestinians Hamas supporters take part in a protest in front of the Egyptian embassy in Gaza March 7, 2014, against a recent rule by Egyptian court which banned all the activities of Hamas movement in Egypt. An Egyptian court on March 4, 2014 banned all activities of Hamas in Egypt in a further sign that Cairo's military-backed government aims to squeeze the Palestinian Islamist group that rules neighbouring Gaza, regarding it as a security threat. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST

Hamas seeks to retain Saudi ties despite Brotherhood ban

Hamas is hoping to escape the anti-Brotherhood wave sweeping the Gulf and is trying to stay on good terms with Saudi Arabia.

People attend a rally called "We are together" to support the annexation of Ukraine's Crimea to Russia in Red Square in central Moscow, March 18, 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin, defying Ukrainian protests and Western sanctions, signed a treaty on Tuesday making Crimea part of Russia but said he did not plan to seize any other regions of Ukraine. The flags display portraits of Russia's President Vladimir Putin and read "We are together!" REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF T

US-Russia confrontation could drift to Mideast

The question is whether Iran, Egypt, or Saudi Arabia, in particular, will change their policies in the context of the US-Russia standoff.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry testifies at a Senate hearing held by the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs to examine proposed budget estimates for fiscal year 2015 for the Department of State and Foreign Operations in Washington, March 13, 2014.

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR3GYKY

What is the US discussing with the Muslim Brotherhood?

Egyptians are puzzled why the Obama administration and some in Congress are sending mixed signals on US aid to Egypt while appearing to maintain a quiet dialogue with the Muslim Brotherhood.