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

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United Arab Emirates

August 13, 2026

Abu Dhabi 4:02 pm

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port attack

Hormuz traffic sinks to one-week low as ships attacked, talks stagnate

The United States and Yemen's Houthi rebels carried out separate attacks on commercial ships on Tuesday in the Gulf of Oman and the Red Sea.

Building construction at the Red Sea in Egypt.

Explainer

UAE-Egypt ties keep growing as Cairo navigates shifting Gulf landscape

An Emirati investor could soon strike a $2.7 billion deal to develop another tourism project on Egypt's North Coast, the latest in a string of UAE-linked pacts that have continued advancing despite turmoil from the US-Iran war.

Sudan's de facto leader and armed forces chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan greets supporters in Port Sudan, Dec. 29, 2024.

Analysis

Amid realignment with Egypt, Turkey steps up support for Sudan’s Burhan

Turkey has been intensifying engagement with the Sudanese army leader as Red Sea security concerns grow and to protect its interests in the broader Africa region.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Oil jumps 8% as US-Iran war pressures Saudi Arabia, explosions hit Egypt

A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on July 24, 2026, in New York.

Analysis

How Gulf banks are absorbing Iran war shocks

A man counts Saudi riyal banknotes in the capital, Riyadh, Oct. 3, 2016.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Explainer

Saudi airlines outbuy Gulf rivals at Farnborough air show: What to know

Spectators look on as an A350-1000 by the European plane maker Airbus takes off on the second day of the Farnborough International Airshow 2026, Farnborough, July 21, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

Israel fears US deal would allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium

US President Donald Trump (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands as they arrive to speak to journalists during a joint press conference at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on Dec. 29, 2025.

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

UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (R) greeting Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan

Turkey, UAE ink $50 billion in trade deals during Erdogan visit

The $50 billion worth trade deals come as the Turkish government is struggling to draw foreign funds to ease its currency crisis.

United Arab Emirates

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida prepares before a roundtable meeting during the 29th EU-Japan Summit at the European Union building, Brussels, Belgium, July 13, 2023.

Analysis

On Gulf tour, Japan's PM secures energy ties as China’s influence grows

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s three-day trip that began Sunday to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar — its key energy suppliers — is seen as a crucial move to secure Japan’s energy future.

By Salim A. Essaid

A car drives past a road signal indicating the Allenby (King Hussein) bridge crossing point to Jordan.

Work on Israel-Saudi land bridge has begun, Israeli Foreign Ministry confirms

The project will facilitate the transfer of goods in trucks intially between the UAE, Israel, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during the UAE - Japan Business Forum in Abu Dhabi on July 17, 2023. (Photo by KARIM SAHIB / AFP) (Photo by KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images)

Japan’s PM visits UAE after Saudi Arabia, talks green energy, supply sources

Japan is trying to move away from fossil fuels toward greener energy, which it plans to promote in the region during Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s visit to the Gulf this week.

Dubai's Stock Market Exchange is pictured on a skyscraper.

UAE suspends Emirates Gold over money laundering allegations

The London Bullion Market Association, which regulates the United Kingdom capital’s metals market, suspended Emirates Gold DMCC’s affiliate membership after conducting a review.

United Arab Emirates

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

UAE, after Kuwait, releases Iranian prisoners

The moves come as Iran works to restore its ties with Gulf countries following years of estrangement and tension.

United Arab Emirates

Dubai's Stock Market Exchange is pictured on a skyscraper.

UAE becomes observer in Asian money laundering group

The move follows the UAE being added to a financial watchdog’s list of countries with deficiencies in countering money laundering.

Shopkeepers fix the price tags of rice at a market in Karachi on Jan. 6, 2023.

Pakistan thanks 'brotherly' Saudis for $2 billion ahead of IMF bailout decision

Pakistan received Saudi Arabia's $2 billion deposit a day before the International Monetary Fund is expected to approve a $3 billion bailout on Wednesday that the country desperately needs.

Dubai crypto authority suspends BitOasis

The cryptocurrency platform BitOasis' license was suspended by Dubai's VARA due to noncompliance of licensing requirements.

United Arab Emirates

Kevin Frayer/Getty Images

UAE sees higher Chinese car sales as China faces decline at home

China relied on overseas markets to maintain 56% of its vehicle sales in June, and the Middle East is a hot spot.

United Arab Emirates

This photo illustration created in Washington, DC, on July 6, 2023, shows an image of Elon Musk reflected in the opening page of Threads, an Instagram app. Twitter threatened to sue Meta just hours after the Instagram parent company launched Threads, an app it hopes will beat out the struggling site owned by Elon Musk. In a letter to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, published by online news outlet Semafor on July 6, 2023, Musk lawyer Alex Spiro accused the company of "unlawful misappropriation of Twitter's trade s

Arab users flock to Meta's Threads as it takes on Twitter

Threads has seen a variety of new users from the Middle East since its launch Wednesday including influencers and even heads of state.

This picture taken from the sea of Dubai on March 3, 2021 shows the skyline of the Gulf emirate with Burj Khalifa in the centre.

UAE breaks foreign direct investment record as Saudi Arabia sees 59% dip

Israel and the United Arab Emirates led the Middle East and North Africa for the highest FDI inflow — the purchasing of assets in another country — and globally placed 15th and 16th, respectively, according to a UNCTAD report released Wednesday.

United Arab Emirates