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United Arab Emirates

June 24, 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

TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY ASAAD ABBOUD
A Saudi man prepares to login into his Twitter account on his laptop on October 6, 2013 at his office in Riyadh. Despite sitting on the world's largest wealth of oil, Saudis complain their salaries are not enough to make ends meet, and have taken to Twitter demanding better income. AFP PHOTO/FAYEZ NURELDINE (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)

Gulf atheism in the age of social media

The Arabian Peninsula is widely known for its strict observance of Islam, but a rising number of Gulf nationals are starting to distance themselves from religious practice.

Oman's Interior Minister Saud bin Ibrahim al-Busaidi attends the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Interior Ministers' Conference in Manama November 28, 2013. REUTERS/Stringer (BAHRAIN - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX15WB1

Omani rejection of GCC union adds insult to injury for Saudi Arabia

The Omani stance may force the kingdom to pause in its regional policies.

American jailed in UAE over satirical video

An American citizen and others have been imprisoned since April for uploading a satirical video in the UAE, where restrictive cybercrime laws conflict with recent accolades in the Western press.

United Arab Emirates

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif (4th L) attends a meeting for the 2nd Joint High Committee in Kuwait City on December 1, 2013. REUTERS/Stephanie McGehee (KUWAIT - Tags: POLITICS) - RTX15ZK7

Iran nuclear deal may be start of new era in Persian Gulf

The Iran nuclear deal could be a breakthrough on regional ties.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.

An Iranian worshipper holds portraits of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei while attending a demonstration to support the people of Bahrain after Friday prayers in Tehran September 9, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST RELIGION TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR2R0B3

Iran’s diplomatic surge extends to Gulf

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is considering an invitation from Bahrain to attend the IISS Manama Dialogue Regional Security Summit, as UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan visits Tehran.

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Correcting misconceptions of the Gulf’s modern art movement

Contrary to what some may believe, a vibrant indigenous visual arts tradition does exist in the Gulf.

United Arab Emirates

Turkish girls attend English class at the Kazim Karabekir Girls' Imam-Hatip School in Istanbul February 10, 2010. The imam-hatip network is a far cry from the western stereotype of the madrassa as an institution that teaches the Koran by rote and little else. Originally founded to educate Muslim religious functionaries in the 1920s, the imam-hatip syllabus devotes only around 40 percent of study to religious subjects like Arabic, Islamic jurisprudence and rhetoric. The rest is given over to secular topics.

Turkey’s English proficiency improving

Turkey ranks No. 41 at this year’s English Proficiency Index, but it tops the list of countries that are trending up – which is a fair reflection of its economic achievement.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (R) talks to senior Fatah official Mohammad Dahlan after his meeting with Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak (not pictured) in Cairo February 10 2007. REUTERS/Tara Todras-Whitehill (EGYPT) - RTR1M950

The Return of Mohammed Dahlan

The UAE and Egypt are pushing for a reconciliation between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and former Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan, who would return to Fatah.

United Arab Emirates

A general view of the Egyptian stock exchange in Cairo August 18, 2013. Egypt's stock market fell sharply on Sunday as it resumed trading after hundreds of people were killed in a crackdown by the army-backed government on supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood. Banks and the stock market reopened for the first time since Wednesday's carnage, with shares rapidly falling 2.5 percent. REUTERS/Louafi Larbi (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST BUSINESS) - RTX12PJU

Egypt’s real challenge: reviving the economy

Even after a revolution that called for social justice, Egyptians must balance between legitimate demands to rectify the accumulated effect of years of social injustice, and the treasury’s ability to honor these demands.

A child vendor waits for tourists to sell them souvenirs at the Giza Pyramids, on the outskirts of Cairo August 26, 2013. REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal (EGYPT - Tags: SOCIETY TRAVEL) - RTX12XFC

Gulf Cash Gives Jolt of Life To Egypt's Economy

About $12 billion in aid and bank deposits are helping the Egyptian economy in the short term, but structural reforms are needed to sustain the economy in the long term.

Heavy dust is seen as people wait for contestants during a camel race, an annual event organised for desert dwellers, in the desert of Aleghan, north of Saudi Arabia, in Tabuk June 18, 2013. REUTERS/Mohamed Al Hwaity (SAUDI ARABIA - Tags: SOCIETY TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTX10RVW

Gulf Cities Have Long Way to Go Before Leading Arab World

The author takes issue with Sultan Al Qassemi's article calling the Gulf cities the new centers of the Arab world.

United Arab Emirates

A general view shows Dubai's cityscape September 24, 2013. Dubai's government is working on new rules to protect its real estate market and prevent any excessive rise of property prices that could end in a crash, a senior official said on Tuesday. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah (UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - Tags: REAL ESTATE BUSINESS CITYSCAPE) - RTX13Y0C

Gulf Cities Emerge As New Centers of Arab World

While historic Arab capitals such as Cairo, Baghdad and Damascus are embroiled in civil strife, Gulf cities are powering ahead as new centers for Arab culture, education and business.

United Arab Emirates