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United Arab Emirates

June 23, 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

Qatari Crown Prince Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (2ndL) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L), walk past a guard of honor during an official welcoming ceremony prior to their meeting at the presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, on December 19, 2014. AFP PHOTO / ADEM ALTAN (Photo credit should read ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey flexing military muscle in Qatar

Turkey is signaling a shift to "hard power" foreign policy by incrementally building its military presence in Qatar to a brigade-level force.

Oman's Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi waves as he arrives to attend a meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 30, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RTX33EVF

Trump administration looks to Oman for help navigating Middle East

US officials, while wary about Oman's ties with Iran, seek Oman's assistance in resolving Qatar dispute.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 13, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RTS16WM2

Tillerson calls on Saudi bloc to lift blockade on Qatar

The US secretary of state, after meeting Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi today in Washington, called for the lifting of the blockade on Qatar as a sign of good faith.

Turkey’s economic dilemma: Win Qatar or lose the Gulf?

By backing Qatar, Turkey faces economic losses in the Gulf but improved economic ties with Iran

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L) holds a news conference after a meeting with European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini in Brussels, Belgium, March 27, 2017. REUTERS/Yves Herman - RTX32WQI

Abu Mazen plays losing hand badly in Gaza Strip

The Palestinian president faces a challenge from a bitter rival backed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates; what is Saddam Hussein’s family doing in Qatar?; Russia and the United States wary of Turkish military intervention in Syria.

People shout slogans as they hold Turkish and Qatari flags during a demonstration in favour of Qatar in central Istanbul, Turkey, late June 7, 2017. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX39JA6

How Turkey fits into the Qatar puzzle

Turkey's military presence in Qatar seems to be complicating an already complex situation for the coalition that recently cut ties with Doha.

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 - RTX2QI8I

The real reason Hamas is flirting with dismissed Fatah leader

Amid reports about Hamas meeting with dismissed Fatah leader and former opponent Mohammed Dahlan in Cairo, questions arise about the lack of transparency and the results of these meetings.

United Arab Emirates

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 27: U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson shakes hands with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani prior to a scheduled meeting at the State Department June 27, 2017 in Washington, DC. Tillerson and Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani were expected to discuss a range of bilateral issues during their meeting. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Washington talks fail to secure breakthrough in Qatar crisis

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been huddling with Gulf diplomats all week, to no avail.

Stakes high for Kuwait as mediator in Qatar crisis

Kuwait has established its neutrality in the Qatari crisis, but it has a lot at stake.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan (L) welcomes his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani during the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Istanbul Summit in Istanbul, Turkey April 14, 2016. REUTERS/Berk Ozkan/Pool TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX29X07

Saudi-led Qatar blockade brings Iran, Turkey together

Rather than forcing Doha to bow to its demands, the Saudi-led blockade of Qatar has split the region in two, bringing together the kingdom’s rivals.

Forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad take positions in the Badia, in the southeast Syrian desert, in this handout picture provided by SANA on June 13, 2017, Syria. SANA/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. - RTS16TU2

Iran draws line in the sand in Syrian desert

Iran stakes claim in eastern Syria; Saudi move against Hamas; Qatar risks confrontation in the Gaza Strip.

Tunisia's President Beji Caid Essebsi (R), Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani (C) and President of the Assembly of People's Representatives Mohamed Ennaceur attend the opening of international investment conference Tunisia 2020, in Tunis, Tunisia November 29, 2016. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi - RTSTT1D

Tunisia can only afford neutrality in Qatar crisis

Tunisia has officially remained neutral in the Qatari-Gulf crisis given its economic relations with the two main parties involved.