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

UAE cover image

United Arab Emirates

August 14, 2026

Abu Dhabi 6:25 am

33°C

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

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