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United Arab Emirates

February 5, 2026

Abu Dhabi 6:36 pm

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US Department of State's senior advisor to the president for Arab and African Affairs Massad Fares Boulos attends the Sudan Humanitarian Fund event at the Institute of Peace in Washington, on Feb. 3, 2026.

US says Sudan warring parties back withdrawal plan as donors pledge $700M in aid

State Department senior adviser Massad Boulos announced Tuesday that a "comprehensive peace plan" has been approved by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, though it still needs to be approved by Sudan's warring parties.

Diplomatic advisor to the United Arab Emirates President Anwar Gargash (C) react on stage with Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe (R) during the World Governments Summit in Dubai on February 3, 2026. Spain will seek to ban social media for under-16s to protect them from harmful content such as pornography and violence, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on February 3, in the latest such move by governments. Australia established a world first i

On eve of talks, UAE's Gargash throws weight behind Iran-US deal

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, spoke at a panel discussion at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, where he discussed the latest developments in Gaza, Iran, Sudan and Yemen.

United Arab Emirates

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on Feb. 13, 2025.

How US-India trade deal could impact Mideast energy, trade routes

The United States and India struck a trade agreement on Monday that eases months of tension between the two countries and could influence Gulf oil flows and economic integration.

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrives for a welcoming ceremony prior to talks with the Russian president at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Jan. 29, 2026.

UAE’s MBZ reportedly cancels Japan visit amid US-Iran standoff: What to know

While tensions remain high between the US and Iran, both sides are reportedly moving toward renewed nuclear talks.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

Gulf markets recover after gold rout, buoyed by Iran de-escalation hopes

A woman checks a window shop at a jewelry store in Dubai, on March 10, 2025.

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

Caught in the Gulf crossfire: Pakistan navigates Saudi-UAE rivalry

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, meets with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari at Za’abeel Palace in Dubai on Jan. 28, 2026.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

US-Iran tensions fan oil disruption fears as Gulf states confront retaliation risks

A general view of Saudi Aramco's Abqaiq oil processing plant on Sept. 20, 2019.

Abu Dhabi merges ADQ into new wealth fund L'IMAD: What to know

This picture shows a view of the Abu Dhabi skyline on May 14, 2025. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP) (Photo by FADEL SENNA/AFP via Getty Images)

United Arab Emirates

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

Shaibani

At Dubai summit, Syrian FM expresses interest in Baghdad visit

On his second trip to the United Arab Emirates since assuming his role, new Syria Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani stressed the need for good neighborly relations, lifting of sanctions and guaranteed rights for minorities in the country.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

How vulnerable are UAE, Bahrain to Trump's 25% tariff on aluminum?

The United Arab Emirates is the second biggest exporter of aluminum to the United States after Canada, supplying $1.78 billion of the metal to Washington in 2024.

United Arab Emirates

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed receives Irakli Kobakhidze, the prime minister of Georgia, in Abu Dhabi, on Jan. 25, 2025.

Analysis

UAE's South Caucasus ambitions challenged by Georgia crisis: What to know

The UAE, encouraged by its flourishing ties with Azerbaijan, has made inroads in its relations with Baku's strategic partner, Georgia — but the political crisis there is now proving to be a challenge.

Rahim Rahimov

By Rahim Rahimov

In Baku, reporting on Middle East-Caucasus ties

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron talk as they attend an agreement signing ceremony as part of Zayed al-Nahyan's visit to France at the presidential Elysee palace in Paris, on Feb. 6, 2025.

After Rafale jets, UAE's MBZ inks $50B AI deal with France in landmark visit

Only a week after the delivery of the first batch of Rafale F4 fighter jets to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates will invest billions of dollars in a new AI center in France.

United Arab Emirates

Courtesy of the artist and the Jameel Arts Centre

Culture

AL-Monitor Dubai: Palestinian artists' rescued works from Gaza

This week, we survey an exhibition opening at the Jameel Arts Centre presenting over 100 works by the Gaza-based collective Eltiqa.

United Arab Emirates

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

Amid DeepSeek competition, Altman visits UAE seeking OpenAI investment

Gulf investors are betting big on AI, with sovereign wealth funds in the UAE and Saudi Arabia making the booming tech sector a core component of their portfolios.

United Arab Emirates

Iranian naval vessels arrive at the Port of Khalid in Sharjah, on Feb. 4, 2024.

UAE welcomes Iran naval delegation & ships in first such visit: What we know

The Emirati Defense Ministry said that four Iranian naval vessels arrived at the Port of Khalid in Sharjah on Tuesday for a three-day unprecedented visit.

This pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik shows Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attending a welcoming ceremony ahead of their talks in Riyadh on December 6, 2023. (Photo by Alexey NIKOLSKY / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia would 'welcome the chance' to host Trump-Putin summit

Trump and Putin are expected to hold a phone call soon, and Gulf leaders are angling for a mediation role between the two.

An Iranian navy warship takes part in the "National Persian Gulf Day" in the Strait of Hormuz, April 30, 2019.

Iran to send four naval ships to UAE for rare meeting: What to know

The announcement of the first-ever visit came a day after Iran unveiled a new ballistic missile.

Ruwais

Samsung E&A to build UAE's first methanol plant as country shifts to greener fuels

The methanol facility, based in Abu Dhabi’s Al Ruwais Industrial City, is expected to be completed in 2028.

United Arab Emirates

View of the buried village of Al Madam in the desert, a site of the Sharjah Biennial (SB 16). (Courtesy of the Sharjah Art Foundation)

Culture

AL-Monitor Dubai: Sharjah Biennial 16 featuring 190 artists

This week we highlight the upcoming Sharjah Biennial 16, a major new exhibition at the Louvre Abu Dhabi juxtaposing traditional and contemporary African art, a new restaurant in Dubai fusing African and Mediterranean cuisine and new exhibition openings featuring the work of collective Slavs and Tatars at The Third Line.

United Arab Emirates

French President Emmanuel Macron, followed by French Armies Minister Sebastien Lecornu (2nd R), walks past a Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft during his New Year address to the French Army at the Mont-de-Marsan air base, southwestern France, on January 20, 2023. (Photo by Bob Edme / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BOB EDME/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE receives first French Rafale fighter jets as F-35 deal remains in limbo

The United Arab Emirates has received its first Rafale fighter jet under a deal with France amid ongoing US-French competition for influence in the UAE’s arms industry.

United Arab Emirates