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June 20, 2026

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French Trade & Invest Commissioner for United Arab Emirates and Middle East and Business France's regional director for the Middle East Axel Baroux. — Business France

Interview

Franco-Gulf investment holds firm despite Iran war, French official says

French investors are reallocating capital toward strategic sectors such as artificial intelligence and technology rather than pulling out of the region altogether.

Axel Baroux

France’s trade and investment commissioner for the UAE and Middle East

A general view shows the Awad oil field in the eastern Qamishli countryside in northeastern Syria, on Feb. 9, 2026.

Explainer

Oil’s slide wavers as Trump warns US-Iran deal ‘not final’

Brent crude prices briefly jumped back above $80 per barrel on Wednesday as traders digested conflicting signals about efforts to end the war and reopen Hormuz.

Latest News

Gulf cautiously welcomes US-Iran deal as Hezbollah congratulates Tehran

Veiled women in black Chadors wave Iran and Hezbollah flags during commemoration at the Iranian embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, on April 22, 2026.

Analysis

Gulf aluminum pursues global deals as Hormuz crisis accelerates shift

Aluminum from Dubai sits in the BMW Landshut factory on Oct. 25, 2024 in Ergolding, Germany.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

Israel worried by Erdogan's meddling in Palestinian affairs

Israel believes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is trying to gain some control over Jerusalem and the Palestinian Authority and is therefore trying to influence the Palestinian battle to succeed Mahmoud Abbas.

United Arab Emirates

Will Turkey rid Abbas of Dahlan before Palestinian elections?

The Turkish Ministry of Interior announced that it would include the dismissed leader of the Fatah movement, Mohammed Dahlan, on the list of most-wanted terrorists, which observers see as a golden opportunity for Abbas to rid of his rival before the elections.

United Arab Emirates

dpatop - 28 June 2019, Japan, Osaka: Recep Tayyip Erdogan (l-r), President of Turkey, Donald Trump, President of the United States of America (USA), Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdelasis al-Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, stand side by side in the group picture at the start of the G20 summit. The heads of state and government of the 19 leading industrialised and emerging countries and the European Union will meet at the G20 summit in Osaka (Japan) on 28 and 29 June 2

White House provides lifeline to US ties with Turkey and Saudi Arabia

Turkish and Saudi leaders look to Trump to prevent relations with the United States from going bad to worse.

Police troopers are seen during their deployment near the Aden port in Aden, Yemen November 16, 2019. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman - RC2FCD9926V0

Who is responsible for the new wave of killings in Aden?

It's hard to determine which side or sides are behind the latest wave of killings as a new round of military escalation looms in Yemen’s south, which has seen skirmishes in Abyan province between the two partners of the Saudi-led coalition.

Is Turkey about to lose its only ally in the Gulf?

As Qatar's crisis with its Gulf neighbors de-escalates, Ankara is concerned about losing its valuable ally.

A general view of the White House in Washington September 30, 2013. The White House on Monday sought to quash any possibility that President Barack Obama would raise the U.S. debt ceiling by himself should Congress fail to do so before a mid-October deadline, as some have suggested he should. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS) - GM1E9A10N6L01

White House persuades Congress to ease up on Saudi Arabia

The White House convinced Congress to water down a key defense bill by removing language penalizing Saudi Arabia for the Yemen war and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

Foreign ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) arrive, ahead of an annual leaders summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 9, 2019. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2RRD9HRDDG

Underlying tensions still restrict full GCC reconciliation

While Qatar has been reinvited to the GCC party, the UAE appears to be spoiling for the role of party pooper.

China looks to boost its influence in Yemen

China is capitalizing on its ties with the various actors in Yemen's civil war to play a bigger role in investing in a post-conflict Yemen.

Turkish flag flutters at Turkey's border gate, as pictured on Syria side, overlooking the ruins of buildings destroyed during fightings with the Islamic State militants in Kobani, Syria October 11, 2017. Picture taken October 11, 2017. REUTERS/Erik De Castro - RC1E48BC4870

US pushes to reintegrate militants after Islamic State fight

A senior State Department official told Al-Monitor the administration is working to help Middle Eastern and African countries reintegrate thousands of fighters who joined the Islamic State and its affiliates.

U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo talk during a meeting with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (not pictured), ahead of the NATO summit in Watford, in London, Britain, December 3, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC2SND9G88LE

Trump condemns Iran protest crackdown, stays mum on Oman, French mediation efforts

President Donald Trump, responding to a reporter’s question in London, said the United States does not support the protesters in Iran before he later clarified his answer and castigated the Iranian government.

DOHA, QATAR - NOVEMBER 25: Turkeys Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani take part in an agreement signing ceremony, held after inter-delegation working meal with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha, Qatar on November 25, 2019.

(Photo by Mustafa Kamaci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Turkey sees greater partnership with Qatar than is apparent

Turkey's commercial gains from its partnership with Qatar have been modest and the media fanfare over fresh bilateral accords is hard to comprehend.

General view of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, May 30, 2019. Picture taken May 30, 2019. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC14404B7D30

Concerns over finances, not Iran, will end Qatar crisis

Citizens of Gulf States leading the embargo against Qatar are having to make economic sacrifices while their leaders continue their "ill-advised" and "unsupervised" spending.