Gulf dealmaking shrugs off war

Even as the Iran war brings key industries to a halt in the Middle East, Gulf dealmakers from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar keep chasing tech and AI opportunities.

Samuel Wendel
Samuel Wendel
Mar 31, 2026
Guests stand at the booth of Saudi artificial intelligence company Humain during the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Riyadh on October 29, 2025. Saudi Arabia kicked off a major investment conference featuring heads of state and the global business elite on October 28 as it seeks support for its sprawling "gigaprojects" and sky-high AI ambitions. (Photo by Fayez Nureldine / AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images)

Welcome back to AL-MONITOR FutureVerse.

The US-Israel-Iran war has reached the one-month mark, upending the trajectory of the global economy in the process. Yet, one area where things remain mostly business as usual: Gulf tech and artificial intelligence deals. We explore that this week alongside drone tech demand, Iran’s growing list of hacking victims, AI-generated Lego propaganda and more. 

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Sam (@sam_wendel)

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