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

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United Arab Emirates

April 10, 2026

Abu Dhabi 7:50 am

24°C

TOPSHOT - People watch from a street as a tall smoke plume billows following an explosion in the Fujairah industrial zone on March 3, 2026. Iran's strikes on Gulf neighbours since February 28, following the US-Israeli attack, forced the UAE to shut its airspace, blindsiding travellers who thought they were headed to one of the region's safest holiday destinations. (Photo by Fadel SENNA / AFP via Getty Images)

UAE says no more 'niceties' with Iran, seeks clarity on fragile truce terms

The UAE said Iran must pay “compensation” for damages incurred during the conflict.

United Arab Emirates

Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire following an Israeli strike at the Corniche al-Mazraa neighbourhood of Beirut on April 8, 2026.

Iran hits Gulf, threatens truce as Israel escalates in Lebanon: What to know

Iranian attacks continued in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait hours after a ceasefire between Iran and the US was announced.

The Dubai skyline with the landmark Burj Khalifa skyscraper (R) is pictured as a smoke plume rises from an ongoing fire near Dubai International Airport on March 16, 2026. Flights were gradually resuming at Dubai airport on March 16, previously the world's busiest for international flights, the airport operator said, after a "drone-related incident" sparked a fuel tank fire nearby, as Iran kept up its Gulf attacks. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) /

Gulf nations in line of fire brace for Iran escalation: What to know

A bridge linking Saudi Arabia to Bahrain was briefly closed as Iran escalates its attacks in the Gulf ahead of a looming US deadline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

AirAsia stays course on Bahrain hub as Iran war clouds aviation growth plans

AirAsia aircraft with two engines landing on Kota Kinabalu International airport runway, Kota Kinabalu Sabah, Malaysia, March 4, 2017.

Analysis

Hostage to Hormuz, can Gulf rewire future energy flows to bypass Iran’s chokepoint?

A police speed boat patrols the port as oil tankers and high speed crafts sit anchored at Muscat Anchorage near the Strait of Hormuz on March 30, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Iran strikes Gulf again, hitting Kuwait refinery as UAE shuts gas hub

Smoke rises from an area of Kuwait's international airport after a reported drone strike on April 1, 2026. Kuwait's civil aviation authority said that the Gulf state's international airport had come under an Iranian drone attack that led to "a large fire" at a fuel depot. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) / Kuwait OUT / KUWAIT OUT

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

Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R), Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, received Massad Boulos (L), adviser to the US president for African and Arab affairs, in Abu Dhabi, on Nov. 24. 2025.

US envoy holds Sudan meetings in UAE as Burhan lashes out

Sudan's army chief accused US envoy Massad Boulos of spreading UAE-backed narratives about the army, called Boulos’ proposal to end the war the “worst” yet and rejected any UAE role in mediating the conflict.

A model of IBM Quantum shows the three chandeliers that would be a part of the System Two installation, the System One comprises of one such chandelier, seen during the inauguration of Europe's first IBM Quantum Data Center, on Oct. 1, 2024, in Ehningen, Germany.

Saudi Arabia deploys region’s first industrial quantum computer: What to know

The announcement significantly boosts Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy to diversify the economy away from oil by the end of the decade.

His Excellency President CyrilRamaphosa welcomes G20 Heads of State and Government to the G20 Leaders’ Summit, hosted by South Africa at the Johannesburg Expo Centre in Gauteng, on Nov. 22, 2025.

UAE showcases global AI ambitions with $1B Africa pledge at G20

The Gulf country is the world's top investor in Africa, with Emirati companies committing $100 billion to projects on the continent between 2019 and 2023, according to data from the Financial Times.

United Arab Emirates

A view of Al Majdoul, a skyscraper in Riyadh, Aug. 1, 2023.

Feature

Saudi Arabia leans on AI for real estate growth as gigaprojects slow

The kingdom is increasingly announcing projects merging AI and real estate to cut costs while building smarter, data-driven, and more sustainable infrastructure.

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

Mark Carney in UAE

UAE pledges up to $50B for Canada during Carney's Abu Dhabi visit

The agreement was signed by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday, during the former’s official visit to Abu Dhabi.

United Arab Emirates

HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images

Middle East commercial aircraft fleet will double in 20 years, Airbus says

The European planemaker predicted the Middle East will be one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation regions with 4,080 new passenger aircraft deliveries in the next 20 years.

United Arab Emirates

A drone is seen during the opening ceremony of the Milipol, the international exhibition of homeland security, at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, in Doha, on Oct. 31, 2016.

UAE deals with Anduril, Palantir deepen US tech footprint in Gulf defense

A new generation of Silicon Valley-linked US defense players are strengthening Gulf ties, representing a challenge to America’s legacy weapons giants in the region.

United Arab Emirates

A yacht is pictured at the Dubai Marina in Dubai August 6, 2025. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Dubai, Abu Dhabi make world’s top 5 destinations for wealthy: What to know

In Savills’ Spotlight on Wealth Trends 2025 report, Dubai topped the charts while Abu Dhabi ranked fifth.

United Arab Emirates

Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh, founder of 1001 AI.

Meet the Silicon Valley-linked AI startup targeting Gulf’s costly inefficiencies

Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh, formerly a director at Silicon Valley’s Scale AI, shares how he spotted an opportunity to automate complex workflows that could reduce inefficiencies potentially worth over $10 billion across the Gulf's airports, ports, construction and the energy sector.

United Arab Emirates