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

UAE cover image

United Arab Emirates

February 8, 2026

Abu Dhabi 8:15 pm

24°C

Participants visit the Token 2049 crypto conference in Dubai on May 1, 2025.

Crypto crash collides with UAE’s big bet on digital assets

After hitting record highs in 2025, Bitcoin’s sell-off is roiling global markets and making waves in the UAE.

United Arab Emirates

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

Latest News

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

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.

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

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.

United Arab Emirates

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

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

ALEXANDER BOGDANOV/AFP via Getty Images

Mideast airlines halt flights to Kazakhstan amid unrest

Flydubai and Air Arabia have cancelled flights to Almaty as violent anti-government protests roil Kazakhstan’s largest city.

United Arab Emirates

A US F-35A fighter jet lands at Chungju Air Base on March 29, 2019, in Chungju, South Korea.

Intel: UAE suspends F-35 talks over US security demands

Emirati officials head to the Pentagon on Wednesday for two days of strategic talks with Washington.

United Arab Emirates

Dubai skyline

US to warn UAE banks, firms against sanctioned Iran dealings

The Wall Street Journal reports that US officials will warn petrochemical companies, private firms and banks of "extreme risk" for noncompliance.

An F-35 fighter plane flies over the White House on June 12, 2019, in Washington DC.

UAE says French fighter jets no substitute for US F-35

The head of the UAE's air force sought to clarify comments by France's President Emmanuel Macron last week.

United Arab Emirates

Rafale fighter

UAE signs $19 billion fighter jet deal with France

The sale of Dassault Rafale jets and Caracal helicopters marks Paris' largest foreign military sale to date.

United Arab Emirates

Iranian diplomat and political deputy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran Ali Bagheri Kani.

Iran's deputy foreign minister pledges 'new chapter' in Iran-UAE relations

Iran's deputy foreign minister, Ali Bagheri Kani, met with senior Emirati officials in Dubai on Wednesday.

Lloyd Austin

Pentagon chief to assure allies of US commitment in Bahrain, UAE

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will speak at the Manama Dialogue forum on Saturday morning.

United Arab Emirates

AFP via Getty Images

New Abu Dhabi law allows civil marriage for non-Muslims

The decree from Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan also establishes a court to handle non-Muslim family matters.

United Arab Emirates

A shopkeeper wearing a protective mask amid the COVID-19 pandemic looks out a jewelry shop window displaying intricate pieces for women at the Dubai Gold Souk in the Gulf emirate, on March 10, 2021.

UAE relaxes mask rules as COVID-19 cases decline

Masks are no longer required while exercising outdoors or at public beaches and swimming pools, Emirati health authorities announced Wednesday.

United Arab Emirates

The US Department of Justice is seen on June 11, 2021, in Washington, DC.

Ex-US intelligence operatives admit to hacking for UAE

The Justice Department said Tuesday three former intelligence and military operatives had admitted to helping the UAE government surveil targets worldwide, including US citizens.

United Arab Emirates

A man carries bread on a wheelbarrow at a market in downtown Kabul on Aug. 28, 2021, following the Taliban's stunning military takeover of Afghanistan.

UAE sends aid to Taliban’s Afghanistan

The delivery is the first from the United Arab Emirates since the Taliban seized control of the country during the US military withdrawal.

ALEX HALADA/AFP via Getty Images

Abu Dhabi lifts quarantine requirement for vaccinated travelers

Under the new guidelines, vaccinated travelers must still test negative for COVID-19 prior to departure and upon landing.

United Arab Emirates