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June 23, 2026

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Qatar's Energy Minister and CEO of QatarEnergy Saad Sherida al-Kaabi speaks during a press conference in Doha on June 22, 2026.

Explainer

Qatar blast underscores challenges in race to restart Gulf energy flows

The deadly explosion marks an early test of Gulf efforts to revive oil and gas production following a historic energy supply shock caused by the US-Israel-Iran war.

A picture taken on June 5, 2017, shows a man walking past the Qatar National Bank branch in the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Gulf investment to turn inward to rebuild postwar infrastructure: QNB

Charles-Emmanuel de Beauregard, Qatar National Bank’s head of corporate and institutional banking, said that the Gulf countries will need to rebuild their logistics capabilities after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Latest News

Analysis

Gulf aluminum pursues global deals as Hormuz crisis accelerates shift

Aluminum from Dubai sits in the BMW Landshut factory on Oct. 25, 2024 in Ergolding, Germany.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Turkey pushes Iraq, Syria trade routes as Hormuz crisis disrupts Gulf shipping

Vessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab on Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula, on May 17, 2026.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Karen Young

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional energy

Reve Chaaban

In Doha reporting on culture

A man receives a dose of the coronavirus vaccine at the Qatar National Convention Center, Doha, Qatar, Feb. 18, 2021.

Qatar reimposes several COVID-19 restrictions

The government did not say exactly why it ordered the closures and capacity restrictions. Qatar has begun vaccinating people against the coronavirus and daily cases are relatively low, though increasing.

Mauritania's Minister for Foreign Affairs Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed speaks during the General Debate of the 73rd session of the General Assembly at the United Nations in New York on Sept. 27, 2018.

Mauritania resumes ties with Qatar following Gulf rift easing

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry attends the first joint European Union and Arab League summit at the International Congress Centre in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, on February 24, 2019. (Photo by MOHAMED EL-SHAHED / AFP) (Photo credit should read MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP via Getty Images)

Egypt, Qatar move closer to reconciliation

The foreign ministers of Egypt and Qatar met in Cairo for the first time since 2017 to discuss implementation of a reconciliation agreement amid a wider Gulf conflict.

The Netherlands puts Qatar trade event on hold over foreign workers' deaths

The Dutch government postponed a trade mission in Qatar after a report on thousands of workers dying there since the country was awarded the 2022 World Cup.

UAE, Qatar officials meet in Kuwait amid Gulf thaw

Kuwait hosted delegations from the two countries more than a month after Saudi Arabia and its allies agreed to end their blockade on Qatar.

United Arab Emirates

A Kuwaiti trader wearing a protective mask follows the market at the Boursa Kuwait stock exchange in Kuwait City on March 1, 2020. - Boursa Kuwait decided to close the main trading hall due to the COVID-19 coronavirus disease developments. Stock markets in the oil-rich Gulf states plunged on March 1 over fears of the impact of the coronavirus, which also battered global bourses last week. All of the seven exchanges in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which were closed the previous two days for the Muslim

GCC states race for foreign investment

Despite the Saudi-led effort to bury the hatchet with Qatar, unified economic policies are coming up against by GCC countries’ needs to win foreign investment post-COVID.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud (R) and Secretray General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Nayef bin Falah Al-Hajraf, hold a press conferece at the end of the GCC's 41st summit, in the city of al-Ula in northwestern Saudi Arabia on January 5, 2021. - Gulf leaders signed a "solidarity and stability" deal after the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar publicly embraced, bringing Doha back into the regional fold after a three-year rift. (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE / AFP) (Photo by FAYEZ NURELDINE/AF

Egypt, Bahrain adopt 'wait and see' approach to reconciliation with Qatar

Egypt awaits Qatar to take actions on the ground in accordance with Al-Ula Declaration that ended the boycott of Doha, but amid concerns that Qatar will bail out on its commitments.

US may help keep GCC reconciliation on track

It is unclear how firm or shaky the ground is for Gulf Cooperation Council nations' reconciliation with Qatar, but they may be on more or less good behavior to start off as well as possible with the Biden administration.

Qatar Airways announces expansion of flights to US

Qatar's flagship airline will resume flights to Seattle and Atlanta and increase daily and weekly flights to other cities in the United States.

An Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 "Dreamliner" aircraft carrying a delegation from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a first official visit, lands at Israel's Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, on October 20, 2020. - The UAE delegation left on the country's first official visit to Israel with a string of deals set to be signed after the two countries signed a deal to normalise ties last month. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Etihad to resume flights to Doha as Gulf crisis ends

Following the United Arab Emirates reopening its airspace to Qatar, the Abu Dhabi-based airline will restart flights to the Qatari capital next month.

United Arab Emirates

Egypt says it is renewing diplomatic relations with Qatar

Qatar Airways also announced the resumption of its Cairo route as the Gulf rift comes closer to an official end.

DOHA, QATAR - DECEMBER 18: In this handout image provided by Qatar 2022/Supreme Committee, Qatar inaugurates fourth FIFA World Cup 2022 venue, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on December 18th, 2020 in Doha, Qatar. Qatar inaugurates fourth FIFA World Cup 2022™ venue, Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, in front of 50% capacity crowd. The 40,000-capacity venue will host seven matches during Qatar 2022 up to the round-of-16 stage. Fans in attendance were required to show negative COVID-19 test results before entering the venue. (P

Can World Cup soccer help heal Gulf wounds?

Communities torn apart by a yearslong rift between Gulf rulers may need time to heal the wounds of a crisis that damaged social ties that have historically transcended borders.