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June 22, 2026

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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

Interview

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

French investors are reallocating capital toward strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence and technology rather than pulling out of the region altogether.

Axel Baroux

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

Latest News

Explainer

Oil’s slide wavers as Trump warns US-Iran deal ‘not final’

A general view shows the Awad oil field in the eastern Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, on Feb. 9, 2026.

Gulf cautiously welcomes US-Iran deal as Hezbollah congratulates Tehran

Veiled women in black Chadors wave Iran and Hezbollah flags during commemoration at the Iranian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 22, 2026.

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

How did Turkey end up with VIP plane it didn’t need?

A Qatar leader's VIP plane that had first been put up for sale ended up as a gift for Erdogan, causing a major stir in Turkey.

United Arab Emirates

U.S. President Donald Trump (L) waits for the start of an event with Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (2-R) and Gulf Cooperation Council leaders at their summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 21, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC17B78F1020

Trump shelves Gulf talks until next year

The White House has once again postponed a Gulf Cooperation Council summit aimed at bringing together the fragmented alliance to counter Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with the Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 5, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1CF8BD1230

Qatar crisis looms over Trump meeting with Kuwait emir

In a quiet visit overshadowed by domestic US political turmoil, Kuwait’s emir visited the White House on Wednesday.

A man sits in front of a house destroyed by air strikes in Sanaa, Yemen June 6, 2018. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RC1182083EA0

UN war crimes report threatens US support for Yemen war

A UN report alleging that the anti-Houthi coalition may have carried out war crimes could further erode support for US bomb sales and military support.

Humanitarian aid is prepared to be delivered to Syria, in the town of Ramtha, Jordan, July 2, 2018. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC12927A2020

US outsources Syria aid to Gulf

In an apparent win for the Donald Trump administration, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to pick up the tab to stabilize Syria.

People walk past a house destroyed by an air strike in the old quarter of Sanaa, Yemen August 8, 2018. Picture taken August 8, 2018. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RC1116261260

Trump, Democrats face off over Yemen war

President Donald Trump is spurning Congress’ bipartisan bid to exert more control over the war in Yemen despite signing key oversight provisions into law.

U.S. President Donald Trump signs the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 at the White House in Washington D.C., U.S. December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RC1DBA301210

US defense bill could impact arms exports to Middle East

This year’s US defense authorization bill calls for reforming America’s high-tech exports even as weapons sales to the region boom.

Yemen war escalates as Houthis threaten UAE, Saudi Arabia

Escalating threats by Yemen's Houthi rebels indicate the group is still not intimidated by the Saudi-led coalition, portending more suffering for Yemeni civilians.

People check damage at the site of an air strike in Amran, Yemen June 25, 2018. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah - RC1520F24B70

UAE talks up diplomacy as Congress curtails US involvement in Yemen war

Emirati officials are taking to Capitol Hill to say they’re giving the UN-brokered peace in Yemen a shot, but their patience is running out.

A man walks towards the gate of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen June 24, 2018. REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad - RC1869894F80

Top Democrats urge Gulf to drop demand for Houthi surrender in Yemen

Some of the House’s most hawkish Democratic leaders rebuked Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over their offensive on the key port of Hodeidah.

Is the GCC dead?

The Gulf Cooperation Council is broken and may not be fixable.

Does latest Gulf aid to Jordan come with strings?

Analysts wonder whether a Gulf aid package to help Jordan deal with its current economic crisis is in fact an attempt to pressure the kingdom into accepting the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan being developed by the United States.