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

UAE cover image

United Arab Emirates

August 15, 2026

Abu Dhabi 10:17 am

39°C

port attack

Hormuz traffic sinks to one-week low as ships attacked, talks stagnate

The United States and Yemen's Houthi rebels carried out separate attacks on commercial ships on Tuesday in the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea.

Building construction at the Red Sea in Egypt.

Explainer

UAE-Egypt ties keep growing as Cairo navigates shifting Gulf landscape

An Emirati investor could soon strike a $2.7 billion deal to develop another tourism project on Egypt's North Coast, the latest in a string of UAE-linked pacts that have continued advancing despite turmoil from the US-Iran war.

Latest News

Analysis

Amid realignment with Egypt, Turkey steps up support for Sudan’s Burhan

Sudan's de facto leader and armed forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan greets supporters in Port Sudan, Dec. 29, 2024.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Oil jumps 8% as US-Iran war pressures Saudi Arabia, explosions hit Egypt

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on July 24, 2026, in New York.

Analysis

How Gulf banks are absorbing Iran war shocks

A man counts Saudi riyal banknotes in the capital, Riyadh, Oct. 3, 2016.

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

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

Palestinian Authority, UAE may be ready to reconcile

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is preparing to visit the UAE after years of estrangement to offer condolences for a death in the ruling family and perhaps to pursue other goals.

United Arab Emirates

Riyadh agreement neglects Yemen’s 'manmade' humanitarian crisis

Since the Saudi-led coalition intervened against Houthis in Yemen in 2015, both warring sides have deliberately targeted medical facilities, while few if any projects are being carried out to revive the health care system in a country where millions are suffering.

East Yemen former ruling dynasty calls to revive Mahra Sultanate

Amid Saudi Arabia’s growing military influence over the easternmost corner of Yemen, Al Mahrah’s former ruling dynasty wants independence.

Visitors walk next to an Airbus A380, showing a picture of United Arab Emirates's Former President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahayan during the Dubai Airshow in Dubai, United Arab Emirates November 13, 2017. REUTERS/Satish Kumar - RC131063B650

Dubai's aviation boom in question as airshow kicks off

The profitability of UAE airlines is on the decline as Dubai Airshow 2019 kicks off.

United Arab Emirates

Riyadh Agreement divides Yemenis in Sanaa

Civilians in Sanaa feel frustrated at the Riyadh Agreement recently signed between the main partners of the Saudi-led coalition that will unite them against the Houthis.

Colonel Abdullah al-Sahian (C), who commands the Saudi forces in Yemen's southern port city of Aden, talks to his soldiers in their base in Aden September 28, 2015. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - GF10000225295

Efforts to tie Trump’s hands on Iran, Saudi Arabia hold up key defense bill

Congressional efforts to tie President Donald Trump’s hands on Middle East policy have helped stall negotiations as Democrats and Republicans struggle to pass annual spending and defense authorization legislation.

Million-dollar lobbying campaign against Kuwait suffers major setback

A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a Russian businesswoman to 15 years of hard labor despite pressure from former US officials. Here's who's behind the campaign to release Marsha Lazareva.

United Arab Emirates

General view of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, May 30, 2019. Picture taken May 30, 2019. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC14404B7D30

Is it time for a historic paradigm shift in the Persian Gulf?

Could this be the moment for the countries in the Gulf region to realize they have a lot in common and take steps to reduce conflict?

The UAE still has military ambitions in Yemen despite ‘withdrawal’

The United Arab Emirates seems to be staging a withdrawal from Yemen’s southern city of Aden while increasing its influence elsewhere in the southern provinces.

Mohammed Dahlan, a former Fatah security chief, gestures in his office in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates October 18, 2016. Picture taken October 18, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer - S1AEUJEJBIAA

Abbas rival Dahlan seeks role in Palestinian elections

The Democratic Reformist Current (DRC), headed by dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan, seems keen to take part in the Palestinian general elections, preferably on a unified Fatah list.

United Arab Emirates

Al Jazeera spends more than $500,000 defending itself against attacks

The Qatari broadcaster is under attack from Doha’s Gulf rivals.

U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper is welcomed by Saudi Arabia's Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 21, 2019. REUTERS/Idrees Ali - RC14E5C39AA0

How Turkey’s Syria incursion could have big impact in the Gulf

Turkey's Operation Peace Spring has exacerbated the divide between Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait on the one hand and Qatar on the other.