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

UAE cover image

United Arab Emirates

April 13, 2026

Abu Dhabi 2:14 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

AIIB

China development financier AIIB opens first global office in UAE

Bank officials expect that the new Abu Dhabi location will help extend their reach to finance sustainable development projects.

United Arab Emirates

King of Jordan

Highlights: Al-Monitor/Semafor Middle East Global Summit

The Al-Monitor & Semafor inaugural Middle East Global Summit on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings on Wednesday brought together the region’s leaders, newsmakers and business heads.

UAE trade minister

UAE eyes Serbia trade deal as CEPA blitz continues

Non-oil trade between the two countries reached $57.6 million in the first half of 2023, surpassing their entire non-oil trade value for the year 2020.

United Arab Emirates

La Mer North marina is seen with the Burj Khalifa and the Dubai skyline seen in the background, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 1, 2020.

UAE revenue jumps 31.8% in 2022

The UAE Ministry of Finance reported a 6.1% increase in expenditure last year compared to 2021, which amounted to around $116.3 billion.

United Arab Emirates

This image shows high-rise buildings in Dubai, on Feb. 18, 2023.

Dubai ranks first in luxury home sales in second quarter: report

Dubai was one of only four markets to see growth in its overall sales volume of luxury homes between Q2 2022 and Q2 2023 at 79%, along with Sydney (46%), Paris (17%) and Geneva (7%).

United Arab Emirates

Captagon

Dubai's $1 billion Captagon bust ranks as one of world’s biggest

Sales of the highly addictive stimulant continue to fund the Syrian government, despite regional efforts to break up smuggling rings.

United Arab Emirates

China's President Xi Jinping (C) talks with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan (L) at the opening of the G20 Summit in Nusa Dua on the Indonesian resort island of Bali on November 15, 2022. (Photo by BAY ISMOYO / POOL / AFP) (Photo by BAY ISMOYO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

China's VP meets UAE's Ghubash as BRI summit convenes in Hong Kong

The UAE’s goal at the two-day summit in Hong Kong is to enhance joint trade and investment particularly in areas of new economy, technology, and entrepreneurship.

United Arab Emirates

Francois Nel/Getty Images

Dubai apartment prices soar, spooking expats

The cost of the average apartment in Dubai rose 20% in one year through August.

United Arab Emirates

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron, China's President Xi Jinping, Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, head of the Elite Development Patrick Vieira and striker Sergio Kun Aguero during a visit to the City Football Academy on October 23, 2015 in Manchester, England. The President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping and his wife, Madame Peng Liyuan, are paying a State Visit to the United Kingdom as guests of The Queen. They will stay at Buckingham Palace and undertake engagements in Lon

Mubadala opens office in Beijing as UAE-China ties grow

The United Arab Emirates' Mubadala Investment Company began operations in the Chinese capital this week.

Solar panels used to generate renewable energy at the Sustainability Pavilion during a media tour at the Dubai Expo 2020, a week ahead of its public opening, in the United Arab Emirates.

UAE places technology at top of COP28 agenda in Dubai

The UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, UAE Space Agency and COP28 signed an agreement in July to coordinate on technology-focused sustainable solutions ahead of the major climate change conference in Dubai later this year.

United Arab Emirates

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan in Saint Petersburg on October 11, 2022. (Photo by Pavel Bednyakov / SPUTNIK / AFP) (Photo by PAVEL BEDNYAKOV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)

US presses UAE over dual-use goods fueling Russia's war

US officials, along with their counterparts from the European Union and United Kingdom, are visiting the UAE this week to discuss the Gulf country's financial dealings with Russia.

United Arab Emirates

People visit the stand of Spanish company Telefonica at the Mobile World Congress (MWC), the telecom industry's biggest annual gathering, in Barcelona on February 27, 2023. (Photo by Pau BARRENA / AFP) (Photo by PAU BARRENA/AFP via Getty Images)

Spain investigates Saudi Arabia’s 9.9% acquisition of Telefonica

Saudi Arabia’s STC Group announced a 9.9% purchase in the $2.1 billion telecom company, but the Spanish government must approve the plan.