Qatar - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Qatar cover image

Qatar

August 7, 2026

Doha 11:27 am

44°C

diamonds

Explainer

Qatar launches diamond exchange as Hormuz crisis chokes LNG exports

Qatar's new diamond exchange is an effort to diversify from the country's main exports, LNG and petroleum products, which have been severely cut as a result of the Iran war and the Strait of Hormuz crisis.

A ship sails off the coast of Ajman on July 10, 2026.

Interview

Why Strait of Hormuz no longer rattles oil markets as much: IMF

The fund's Middle East director, Jihad Azour, told Al-Monitor that the big Gulf energy producers now have more capacity to absorb the shock.

Jihad Azour

Jihad Azour

Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund

Latest News

Oil soars more than 6% as Trump rules out Iran deal, threatens more strikes

A cargo ship is pictured off coast of the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on June 28, 2026.

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

REFILE - CORRECTING NAME OF AIRLINES A Somali aviation worker prepares to receive a aQatar Airways Airbus A320-200 plane as it makes its maiden arrival at the Aden Abdulle International Airport in Mogadishu, Somalia July 1, 2019. REUTERS/Feisal Omar - RC1CD1A570E0

Qatar Airways seeks billions in loans

The Gulf carrier that has continued to fly during the pandemic crisis previously announced it was cutting jobs.

Sep 26, 2019; Doha, Qatar; General overall view of the Doha downtown city center skyline and cityscape and the Doha Bay. Doha is the site of the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports - 13417265

Qatar coup rumors leave trail to regional rivals

An apparently doctored video made the rounds on Twitter Monday suggesting a coup was under way in Qatar.

A Qatar Airways Airbus A350-900 aircraft takes off in Colomiers near Toulouse, France, October 19, 2017. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau - RC1784E6CD40

Qatar Airways to cut jobs

The Gulf airline continues to fly to destinations worldwide while other regional carriers have stopped nearly all of their flights.

Women wear protective face masks, as they walk, after Saudi Arabia imposed a temporary lockdown on the province of Qatif, following the spread of coronavirus, in Qatif, Saudi Arabia March 10, 2020. REUTERS/Stringer - RC25HF9S55OY

China ramps up COVID-19 diplomacy in Mideast

As the Trump administration tries to link the coronavirus to a Chinese laboratory, Beijing is using the pandemic to strengthen ties in the Gulf.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Saudi Deputy Crown Prince and Minister of Defense Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 14, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1BEFE58C00

Was Trump’s call about oil with Saudi leader the start of a reset in relations?

US-Saudi partnership faces both old and new challenges in post-COVID-19 Middle East.

Intel: Trump calls on Qatar to work toward resolving Gulf dispute

President Donald Trump has asked Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to take steps to resolve the ongoing dispute with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE, which blockaded Qatar in 2017.

A Qatar Airways aircraft takes off at the aircraft builder's headquarters of Airbus in Colomiers near Toulouse, France, September 27, 2019. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau - RC177F8675F0

Qatar Airways defers some employees' pay to save costs and keep flying

Qatar Airways is still offering many passenger flights, unlike other major Middle Eastern carriers. The drop in international travel due to the coronavirus has resulted in major losses for airlines.

Intel: Pompeo and Gulf ministers coordinate on Iran, COVID-19

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held a flurry of phone calls on Thursday with his counterparts in Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates to discuss Iran and the COVID-19 pandemic.

United Arab Emirates

A general view of Business Bay area, after a curfew was imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 28, 2020. REUTERS/Satish Kumar - RC2VSF94JGLQ

How COVID-19 will change GCC labor markets

A siren is blaring for local labor markets as the global pandemic and falling oil revenues begin to upend the Gulf states' economies.

RAFAH, GAZA â MARCH 26: Members of Saraya al-Quds, armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, carry out disinfection works as a preventive measure against the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Rafah, Gaza on March 26, 2020. (Photo by Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

As coronavirus spreads to Gaza, Israel can offer little

The nightmare scenario of the coronavirus reaching the Gaza Strip has become a reality, with Israel and Palestinians fearing a mega-catastrophe in the most crowded spot on earth.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan pose for a family photo during the annual NATO heads of government summit at the Grove Hotel in Watford, Britain December 4, 2019. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/Pool - RC2COD9N7WI1

Justice Department ordered Turkish TV station to register as foreign agent

The decision came amid an intensifying push by the Donald Trump administration and Congress to get foreign media outlets to register.

People wear protective face masks, following the outbreak of coronavirus, as they sit in a metro in Tehran, Iran March 17, 2020. WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Ali Khara via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2PLF9NILL2

Coronavirus spurs regional humanitarian outreach to Iran

The UAE, Kuwait and Qatar provide help to Coronavirus-stricken Iran, while there is talk that the United States could ease the way for aid to Iran while Iran released American prisoners who could be prime COVID-19 targets.

United Arab Emirates