United Arab Emirates - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

UAE cover image

United Arab Emirates

June 28, 2026

Abu Dhabi 1:02 am

32°C

FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Gulf states push incentives for investors, expats after war dents image

Several Gulf states are working to recover their images as global havens of stability in the wake of the Iran war.

United Arab Emirates

A worker at a market for fuel oil and automotive fuel on March 17, 2026, in Erbil, Iraq.

Explainer

After UAE and Qatar, could Iraq be next to leave OPEC?

Iraq is seeking a higher production quota as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has slashed oil revenues and plunged the country into a fiscal crisis.

Latest News

Interview

Franco-Gulf investment holds firm despite Iran war, French official says

French Trade & Invest Commissioner for United Arab Emirates and Middle East and Business France's regional director for the Middle East Axel Baroux. — Business France

Axel Baroux

France’s trade and investment commissioner for the UAE and Middle East

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

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

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Mohammed Soliman

In Washington, DC, reporting on Gulf politics

Chinese flag

UAE-China ink multibillion-dollar deals as ties grow

The United Arab Emirates and China are major trade partners and have strengthened cooperation in both finance and energy in recent months.

COP28

Interview

IEA calls COP28 'big opportunity' to slash methane emissions

In an interview with Al-Monitor, the International Energy Agency's chief energy economist, Tim Gould, said the climate summit should focus on methane as well as climate finance for the developing world.

Tim Gould

Tim Gould

Chief Energy Economist of the International Energy Agency

Fatih Birol

Middle East state oil firms ‘should set the tone’ for lowering emissions at COP28, IEA says

Chief energy economist Tim Gould said it was “a legitimate expectation that these companies should be doing more” to support the clean transition.

United Arab Emirates

Carbon capture

Oil & gas industry must not hide behind carbon capture 'illusion,' says IEA

Some of the major carbon emitters have ambitious plans to capture greenhouse gases, but those alone won't be enough to help the planet avert a climate crisis, the agency warned.

United Arab Emirates

Omar Olama

Interview

Fear shouldn’t overtake rationality in approach to artificial intelligence, says UAE AI minister

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, UAE AI Minister Omar Sultan Al Olama discusses how states should govern the technology and whether fears about machine intelligence are founded.

Omar Sultan Al Olama

Omar Sultan Al Olama

UAE Minister of State

KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

UAE’s Masdar opens world’s largest single-site solar plant ahead of COP28

The Al Dhafra solar plant spans more than 12 square miles of desert.

United Arab Emirates

Aermacchi MB-339 trainer aircraft of the Fursan al-Emarat (UAE Knights) aerobatics team release smoke as they fly over during the Dubai Airshow at Dubai World Central, Al-Maktoum International Airport, Nov. 14, 2023.

Russia and China big participants at Dubai Airshow

At this year's event, the UAE is balancing friendly relations with the United States as well as with China and Russia, including via the BRICS alliance.

KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

Singapore exchange Crypto.com receives Dubai license in boost to UAE's scene

Cryptocurrency firms are continuing to move to the United Arab Emirates despite regulatory challenges and the market crash.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Emirates, Flydubai top orders at Dubai Air Show as China's J-10 makes debut

Middle Eastern carriers were out in full force on the opening day of the five-day air show at Al Maktoum Airport at Dubai World Central.

United Arab Emirates

UAE gas

EU wants COP28 host UAE to contribute to climate fund: report

The Bloomberg report comes ahead of the annual UN climate change conference that will kick off in Dubai later this month. The UAE is working to address climate change while also remaining committed to oil and gas.

KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

EU says UAE will restrict certain re-exports to Russia amid Ukraine war

The United Arab Emirates has agreed to restrict the re-exportation to Russia of "dual-use" items used for its war in Ukraine, and Turkey is reportedly considering a similar measure.

United Arab Emirates

An Emirates Airlines plane lands at Dubai International Airport in Dubai on Oct. 17, 2023.

Emirates Group posts record $2.7B half-year profit as Gulf travel recovers

Gulf airlines have largely recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic, though the war in Gaza could threaten tourism in the region.