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June 24, 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

Middle East developments rattle sidelined Ankara

Some argue that Ankara has to return to its former position of active neutrality if it is to regain lost influence in the region and contribute to stability.

How new joint US-GCC sanctions will impact Qatar crisis

After Qatar joined Saudi Arabia and the United States in imposing new sanctions on individuals suspected of financing terror groups in Yemen, it will be harder for the GCC states involved in the blockade of Qatar to make their case to Washington.

Israel may regret hasty UNESCO exit

Israel reacted quickly to the US announcement that it was pulling out of UNESCO with one of its own, potentially forfeiting an opportunity to shore up its international presence.

Qatari crisis seeps into UNESCO elections

The Qatari crisis has cast a shadow across the election of UNESCO's next director-general with competing candidates from Egypt and Qatar.

A U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, touches down at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, April 9, 2016. The U.S. Air Force deployed B-52 bombers to Qatar on Saturday to join the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the first time they have been based in the Middle East since the end of the Gulf War in 1991. REUTERS/U.S. Air Force/Staff Sgt. Corey Hook/Handout via Reuters THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED B

US Air Force says Qatar blockade has 'no impact' on American base

The United States is flying more missions out of al-Udeid than before the Saudi-led embargo.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa (R) speaks to British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) during the first Gulf Cooporative Council's (GCC) " GCC British Summit", in Sakhir Palace Bahrain, December 7, 2016. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed - RC1FD09BAAF0

Bahrain goes public with shifting stance on Israel

The statement by Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa condemning the Arab boycott on Israel publicly exposes the state’s change of attitude toward Israel and the ongoing contact between the two countries.

Senior Iranian diplomat: US is serious about killing nuclear deal

The head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations warns that the US administration is serious in its efforts to kill the nuclear deal.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir gestures during a news conference after an extraordinary meeting of the foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), in Riyadh January 9, 2016. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - GF20000088982

Is Saudi Arabia 'ready to turn page' on Iran?

A shifting regional landscape may force a reset in Riyadh and Tehran; armed groups backed by the United States and Turkey battle outside Aleppo.

As Qatar-Bahrain rift widens, economic costs emerge

Qatar’s economic and geopolitical separation from Bahrain and other GCC states will come with economic costs.

Qatar's foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani shakes hands with Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov after a joint news conference in Doha, Qatar August 30, 2017. REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon - RC1DD95787D0

Why Russia seeks to stay neutral in Saudi-Qatar rift

Russia's offer to mediate in the Qatar crisis is a strategic move designed to place Moscow in the catbird seat without endangering relations with either side.

Qatar's foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani (R) and U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attend a joint news conference in Doha, Qatar, July 11, 2017. REUTERS/Naseem Zeitoon - RTX3B08M

Iran’s role in Qatar’s new foreign policy

Rather than forcing Qatar to sever ties with Tehran, the Saudi-led boycott on Qatar has instead pushed the emirate closer to Iran.

Palestinians sit in a tent outside their apartments, which witnesses said were destroyed in an Israeli offensive, during a 72-hour truce in Beit Lahiya town in the northern Gaza Strip August 11, 2014. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators resumed indirect talks mediated by Egypt on Monday on ending a month-old Gaza war, Egypt's state news agency said, after a new 72-hour truce appeared to be holding. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST) - RTR4214M

UAE, Egypt approve more aid for Gaza, Hamas

It looks like support is on the way for destitute Gaza via the UAE and Egypt.

United Arab Emirates