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United Arab Emirates

April 21, 2026

Abu Dhabi 6:15 am

26°C

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Could UAE tap US currency swap line as Iran war strains Gulf economies?

The Gulf country apparently wanted reassurances from Washington in case its economy is severely damaged by the Iran war.

United Arab Emirates

Abdulla Balalaa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Energy and Sustainability, United Arab Emirates

Interview

UAE official says opening Hormuz integral to any Iran deal, describes infrastructure damage 'manageable'

Abdulla Balalaa, UAE assistant minister of foreign affairs for energy and sustainability, spoke to Al-Monitor about the situation in the Gulf along with the UAE's focus on promoting privatization in the water sector and the 2026 UN Water Conference.

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Saudi stocks hit 2026 high, bucking global war-driven volatility

The kingdom's stock market climbed to its highest level of the year on Wednesday, with the kingdom’s equities now far outperforming the S&P 500 and other global and regional indices.

Latest News

UAE's deputy PM holds first call with Ghalibaf amid push to extend US-Iran ceasefire

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

IMF slashes Mideast outlook by nearly 3 points as Iran war hits economies

A man walks through the atrium during the 2026 IMF and World Bank Group Spring Meetings in Washington, DC, on April 14, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

China signals bigger Gulf role as UAE crown prince visits Beijing

Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in Beijing on April 13, 2026.

Oil back above $100 as US moves to blockade Strait of Hormuz

Elke Scholiers/Getty Images

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

A fight plane of the type F-16 (L) of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) starts from the airbase in N√∂rvenich, western Germany, on August 20, 2020, during the first joint German-Israeli military air exercise "Blue Wings 2020". (Photo by SASCHA SCHUERMANN / AFP) (Photo by SASCHA SCHUERMANN/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE to send F-16s to Crete for training with Greek military amid tensions with Turkey

The UAE is the latest country to show support for Greece amid a tense maritime dispute with Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Italian F35 fighter jets take part in the "Blue Flag" multinational air defence exercise at the Ovda air force base, north of the Israeli city of Eilat, on November 11, 2019. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE official says F-35 request 'legitimate,' not connected to Israel deal

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said an arms deal should be easier now that his country inked a deal to normalize ties with Israel.

United Arab Emirates

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi (C-R) and his Emirati counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan (C-L) speak to journalists upon the latter's arrival in the capital Amman on March 13, 2018. / AFP PHOTO / Khalil MAZRAAWI (Photo credit should read KHALIL MAZRAAWI/AFP via Getty Images)

Jordan worries Israel-UAE deal will scuttle two-state solution

Jordan has always been a staunch supporter of the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative, but that might not mean much anymore after Israel and the UAE agreed to normalize ties under a historic US-brokered deal.

United Arab Emirates

A reinforcement convoy of Yemen's Security Belt Force dominated by members of the the Southern Transitional Council (STC) seeking independence for southern Yemen, heads from the southern city of Aden to Abyan province on November 26, 2019, amid tensions with the forces of Saudi-backed President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi. - Saudi Arabia brokered on November 5 a power sharing agreement between Yemen's internationally recognised government and southern separatists of the STC, in a bid to end infighting that had d

Can new mechanism advance stalled Riyadh Agreement in southern Yemen?

Neither the Riyadh Agreement nor the mechanism for accelerating it can fundamentally end the conflict in southern Yemen, but will rather help suspend it and control its rhythm, according to analysts.

Israel’s spy chief visits UAE for talks

Mossad chief Yossi Cohen's visit to the United Arab Emirates is the first such trip by an Israeli official since the two countries announced their historic deal last week.

United Arab Emirates

Palestinian protesters lift a banner during a demonstration against the Emirati-Israeli agreement in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, on August 15, 2020. (Photo by ABBAS MOMANI / AFP) (Photo by ABBAS MOMANI/AFP via Getty Images)

Palestinian factions unite in protest against UAE-Israel deal

The Palestinian response to the normalization agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel is loud but its message is muddled amid divisions at home and in the region.

United Arab Emirates

Iranian students wave Palestinian flags and hold banners during a protest against a US-brokered deal between Israel and the UAE to normalise relations, in front of the UAE embassy in the capital Tehran, on August 15 2020. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)

Exposure of Israel-UAE ties changes Middle East substantively

The exposure of the clandestine affair between Israel and the United Arab Emirates creates a substantive change in the Middle East.

United Arab Emirates

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 13: Senior Advisor to President Donald Trump Jared Kushner listens as National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien speaks during a press briefing at the White House on August 13, 2020 in Washington, DC. Kushner appeared with President Trump earlier today as Trump announced a new peace deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Kushner: US won’t sign off on West Bank annexation 'for some time'

Top US presidential adviser Jared Kushner has said the focus will be implementing the agreement reached last week between Israel and United Arab Emirates.

United Arab Emirates

Israeli and United Arab Emirates flags line a road in the Israeli coastal city of Netanya, on August 16, 2020. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel's president invites UAE crown prince to Jerusalem

President Reuven Rivlin said Monday he extended a formal invite to Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

United Arab Emirates

Israeli protesters wearing protective masks lift national flags during an anti-government demonstration in front of the Prime Minister's residence in Jerusalem, on August 15, 2020. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli left cheers weakly as Netanyahu inks deal with UAE

The Israel-UAE deal crushes the center-left’s belief that no Arab state will make peace with Israel without the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

United Arab Emirates

Israeli and United Arab Emirates flags line a road in the Israeli coastal city of Netanya, on August 16, 2020. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli companies enthusiastic on deal with UAE, target Gulf market

Israeli companies in the fields of cyber, water management, defense and even diamonds are lining up for launching business ventures in the United Arab Emirates.

United Arab Emirates

Trump administration goes big with UAE-Israel peace deal

Other Gulf states may follow.