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

UAE cover image

United Arab Emirates

April 27, 2026

Abu Dhabi 1:52 am

30°C

A view of Dubai Marina in Dubai on March 3, 2026.

UAE’s cash request tests US ties as Iran war strains Gulf financial muscle

Amid growing economic fallout from the regional war, Abu Dhabi’s bombshell request for a war-time financial lifeline from the United States is less about cash and more about clout — for now.

United Arab Emirates

A liquefied natural gas (LNG) tanker is moored at a LNG berth in Kawasaki, Kanagawa, prefecture April 8, 2026.

IEA delivers grim gas supply forecast as oil notches 15% weekly rise

A wave of new LNG supplies will be delayed for at least two years due to war-related damage to Qatari energy infrastructure, according the International Energy Agency's latest market update.

A picture shows the Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar's principal site for production of liquefied natural gas and gas-to-liquid, administrated by Qatar Petroleum, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the capital Doha, on Feb. 6, 2017.

Analysis

Gulf energy deals face Iran war stress test as global expansion meets oil shock

ADNOC, Aramco and QatarEnergy have aggressively expanded their international portfolios in recent years, a strategy facing new constraints as the US-Israel-Iran war impacts Gulf production and exposes structural risks.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Could UAE tap US currency swap line as Iran war strains Gulf economies?

Haruna Furuhashi /Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

Interview

UAE official says opening Hormuz integral to any Iran deal, describes infrastructure damage 'manageable'

Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, United Arab Emirates

Saudi stocks hit 2026 high, bucking global war-driven volatility

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

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

Crypto hacking event returns to Dubai

The UAE is emerging as a regional hub for cryptocurrency activities.

United Arab Emirates

Kashmir

Explainer: UAE business delegation visits Kashmir, meets Indian PM

The UAE and India have a strong economic relationship. The Kashmir visit could affect UAE-Pakistan ties.

United Arab Emirates

Swvl transportation.

Dubai-based transportation startup Swvl acquires Turkey’s Volt Lines

Swvl has recently bought other firms in Europe and Latin America and has received funds to help advance the transportation safety of women in Egypt.

United Arab Emirates

Marco Bello/Getty Images

UAE crypto push continues as Kraken invades Abu Dhabi

Two other cryptocurrency exchanges have also announced moves to Dubai recently.

United Arab Emirates

Korea UAE

Abu Dhabi, South Korea pledge to boost economic relations

South Korean entities have signed major deals with Egypt and Saudi Arabia recently.

United Arab Emirates

LOIC VENANCE/AFP via Getty Images

UAE-India economic agreement to lower tariffs, duties in bid to boost trade

India is one of the UAE’s largest trading partners, with oil, jewelry and textiles forming a bulk of the trade.

United Arab Emirates

Morocco solar

Emirati firm to build solar power plants in Morocco

Morocco is heavily dependent on imports for its energy needs, and is working to increase its use of renewable sources.

A man watches stock movements on a display at the Dubai Financial Market stock exchange in the Gulf emirate on April 12, 2022.

UAE reports slight growth of non-oil GDP

The United Arab Emirates is undergoing economic changes as it aims to reduce its dependency on oil.

United Arab Emirates

UAE finance

UAE tax authority announces whistleblower program

A major financial center in Dubai also recently launched a whistleblower mechanism as the Emirates seeks to improve financial transparency.

United Arab Emirates

Workers stand outside the Dubai International Financial Center in the Gulf emirate on Nov. 29, 2009.

Dubai regulator announces increased protection for whistleblowers

The UAE is working to increase its financial transparency after being linked to sanctions evasion and the flow of dark money.

United Arab Emirates

Parents wearing protective masks and their children arrive at a school entrance.

Culture

Abu Dhabi private schools returning to in-person classes

Remote education has led to difficulties for students throughout the world, including in Middle Eastern countries.

United Arab Emirates

A bus is pictured carrying workers back from a construction site on Sept. 14, 2016, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Dubai partnering with Singapore to improve public transportation

Dubai and Abu Dhabi are also working to make their public transit systems more environmentally friendly, though oil is still a major part of the Emirati economy.

United Arab Emirates