Gulf

Saudi Arabia on track to hit oil output of over 13 mln bpd by 2027 -minister

MANAMA, May 16 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia is on track to lift oil production capacity by more than 1 million barrels per day to over 13 million barrels bpd by the end…

Read More Here

Iraq balks at greater Chinese control of its oilfields

Iraq's oil ministry thwarted three prospective deals last year that would have handed Chinese firms more control over its oilfields and led to an exodus of international oil majors that…

Read More Here

First commercial flight takes off from Sanaa, raising Yemen peace prospects

SANAA, May 16 (Reuters) - Yemen's national airline operated on Monday its first commercial flight in years from the capital Sanaa, raising hopes for renewal of a U.N.-brokered truce in the seven-year-old…

Read More Here

Saudi King Salman leaves hospital

May 16 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz, 86, left hospital on Sunday following a colonoscopy last week, the royal court said in a statement on state media. Saudi TV…

Read More Here

UAE’s newly elected ruler sees Iran, Islamists as threat to Gulf safe haven

United Arab Emirates strongman Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who was formally elected president on Saturday, led a realignment of the Middle East that created a new anti-Iran axis with…

Read More Here

World leaders pay respects in UAE after death of pro-West president

DUBAI, May 15 (Reuters) - World leaders began descending on the United Arab Emirates on Sunday to offer condolences on the death of President Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who was…

Read More Here

UPDATE – Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed elected UAE president

DUBAI, May 14 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates' de facto leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan was elected president of the Gulf Arab state by a federal supreme council on Saturday,…

Read More Here

EU says talks with Iran “positive enough” to reopen nuclear negotiations

WEISSENHAUS, Germany May 13 (Reuters) - The EU's foreign policy chief said on Friday that he believed there had been enough progress during consultations between his envoy and Iranian officials in Tehran…

Read More Here

UAE president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed dies

DUBAI, May 13 (Reuters) - United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has died, state news agency WAM reported on Friday. He was also ruler of Abu Dhabi emirate.…

Read More Here

Kuwait’s octogenarian emir departs to Italy on private visit

KUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Sabah traveled to Italy on Thursday on a “private visit”, state news agency KUNA reported without providing further details. The ruler of…

Read More Here

Dubai Airport sees busiest quarter in two years as travel gains pace

DUBAI, May 12 (Reuters) - Dubai's main airport on Thursday reported its busiest quarter in two years as the rebound in international travel gains pace, with its chief executive predicting Dubai International…

Read More Here

Two European nationals arrested in Iran

Iran's intelligence ministry said on Wednesday it had arrested two European nationals for their alleged role in "the organisation of insecurity" in the Islamic Republic, Iran's semi-official Students News Agency…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Tulip flower exhibition in the city of Asara, Iran

An Iranian woman visits the Asara tulip flower exhibition in the city of Asara, Alborz province, Iran. More than two million tulips from 43 variants are reportedly exhibited during the…

Read More Here

Missile attack causes tank fire in oil refinery in Iraq – security forces

A missile attack targeted an oil refinery in Iraq's northern city of Erbil on Sunday causing a fire in one of its main tanks that was later brought under control, the Iraqi…

Read More Here

Saudi Arabia’s economy estimated to grow 9.6% in Q1 on oil activities

May 1 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's economy grew 9.6% in the first quarter of 2022, compared to a year earlier, powered by oil activities, according to flash government estimates on Sunday. That…

Read More Here

Muslims worldwide prepare for Eid al-Fitr

As Ramadan, the month of fasting, draws to a close, Muslims worldwide are gearing up for the festival of Eid al-Fitr. This year's celebrations fall on May 1 and 2.…

Read More Here

EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Doha, Qatar

An aerial view of high-rise buildings emerging through fog covering the skyline of Doha, as the sun rises over the city, in Doha, Qatar. Photo - EPA/YOAN VALAT

Read More Here

Erdogan visits Saudi Arabia hoping for new era in ties

ANKARA/RIYADH (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan arrived in Saudi Arabia on Thursday in the first high-level visit in years which he hopes will herald a new era of relations…

Read More Here

Iran Revolutionary Guards general survives assassination attempt

Gunmen opened fire on a car carrying a senior Revolutionary Guards commander in restive southeastern Iran early on Saturday, killing a bodyguard, Iranian state media reported. Brigadier General Hossein Almassi,…

Read More Here

Turkey says its warplanes hit Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq

Turkish warplanes, helicopters and drones hit Kurdish militant targets in northern Iraq in an air and land operation that targeted facilities ranging from camps to ammunition stores, Turkey's defence ministry…

Read More Here

Vegas, Macau…Dubai? Global casinos raise bets on gambling in the Gulf

DUBAI/HONG KONG, (Reuters) - It's been the subject of quiet speculation among diplomats and executives for years, but now global casino bosses are setting their sights on a once improbable prize: gambling…

Read More Here

Iran’s IRGC says it seizes tanker with smuggled fuel in Gulf

DUBAI, April 15 (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday they had seized a vessel in Gulf waters loaded with 250,000 litres of smuggled fuel, the Iranian state news agency IRNA…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Stan the T. rex on show at Natural History Museum in Abu Dhabi

The 67-million year-old Tyrannosaurus rex fossil 'Stan' is on display as part of a new exhibit at the Natural History Museum in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The new museum…

Read More Here

Saudi Arabia expands Haj to 1 million pilgrims, easing COVID curbs

April 9 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will let up to 1 million people join the Haj pilgrimage this year, greatly expanding the key event to participants from outside the kingdom…

Read More Here

Yemen president cedes powers to council as Saudi Arabia pushes to end war

ADEN, April 7 (Reuters) - Yemen's president delegated power to a presidential council and dismissed his deputy on Thursday in a move aimed at supporting U.N.-led efforts to revive negotiations…

Read More Here

Truce offers glimmer of hope to Yemenis battered by seven-year war

Yemenis welcomed a nationwide U.N.-brokered ceasefire due to come into effect on Saturday evening as a glimmer of hope in a country ravaged by a seven-year conflict that has forced…

Read More Here

Israel says UAE free trade deal reached

JERUSALEM, April 1 (Reuters) - Israel and the United Arab Emirates have concluded negotiations for a free trade agreement, Israel's Economy Ministry and the UAE foreign trade minister said on Friday, after formally establishing ties…

Read More Here

Saudi Arabia responds positively to U.N. truce for Yemen

RIYADH, (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has responded positively to a ceasefire proposal for Yemen presented by United Nations special envoy Hans Grundberg, a Saudi official said. Grundberg has said he was engaging…

Read More Here

Binance steps up hiring, activity in crypto hub Dubai

DUBAI, March 31 (Reuters) - Binance, the largest crypto exchange by trading volume, is recruiting over 100 positions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is helping to shape Dubai's new virtual…

Read More Here

Russians invest in property in Dubai and Istanbul to evade sanctions

Wealthy Russians are pouring money into real estate in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, seeking a financial haven in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and Western sanctions,…

Read More Here

Blinken to attend Israeli-Arab summit, eyes Iran and Ukraine in Mideast tour

JERUSALEM, March 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken kicks off a Middle East trip on Sunday in Israel, where he will take part in a rare Arab-Israeli summit and…

Read More Here

Iraq parliament fails to elect new state president over lack of quorum

BAGHDAD, March 26 (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament failed again on Saturday to vote for a president after Iran-backed groups boycotted the session, in a setback to an alliance led by cleric Moqtada…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Malala Yousafzai and David Beckham at the Doha Forum 2022

Pakistani activist and Nobel Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai (L) and British former soccer player David Beckham (R) attend the opening session of the Doha Forum at Sheraton Grand Doha Resort…

Read More Here

Saudi-led coalition launches operation against Yemen’s Houthis after Aramco petroleum storage site attack

March 26 (Reuters) - The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen began a military operation on Saturday to stop attacks on its oil facilities and "protect global energy sources," Saudi state media reported.…

Read More Here

Riyadh gets U.S. military help as Washington seeks better ties

The United States has stepped up its military support for Saudi Arabia over the past few months following missile strikes on the kingdom by the Yemeni Houthi group, Western diplomats…

Read More Here

U.N. envoy discussing Yemen truce for Ramadan

RIYADH, March 20 (Reuters) - United Nations special envoy Hans Grundberg is discussing a possible truce for Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is battling the Houthi movement, during the Muslim holy month…

Read More Here

Saudi Arabia hikes oil investments as it profits from price surge

Saudi Arabia's state oil company Aramco, under pressure from the West to boost output amid soaring prices, pledged on Sunday to hike investments by around 50% this year as it…

Read More Here

Houthis launch attacks on Saudi energy, desalination facilities-coalition

RIYADH, March 20 (Reuters) - The Saudi-led coalition said early on Sunday that Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group launched missile and drone strikes on energy and water desalination facilities in the kingdom that caused some material…

Read More Here

Most crew members from UAE sunken ship rescued by Iran

DUBAI, March 17 (Reuters) - All but one of the 30 crew members of a United Arab Emirates cargo ship that sank off Iran have been rescued, Iran's official IRNA…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Two British-Iranians land back in UK, ending long prison ordeal

BRIZE NORTON, England, March 16 (Reuters) - British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and dual national Anoosheh Ashoori arrived in Britain from Iran on Thursday, ending an ordeal during which they…

Read More Here

U.N. seeks over $4 bln for Yemen to avert mass starvation as funding dwindles

March 16 (Reuters) - The United Nations seeks to raise nearly $4.3 billion at a pledging event on Wednesday for war-torn Yemen where the humanitarian drive has seen funding dry up even…

Read More Here

Saudi king receives new pacemaker battery, leaves hospital – royal court

March 16 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz left a hospital in Riyadh after undergoing medical tests and replacement of his heart pacemaker battery, the royal court said on Wednesday. State…

Read More Here

Iran says it thwarted nuclear site sabotage it ascribes to Israel

Iranian state television said its security forces had thwarted a planned sabotage at the country's major Fordow nuclear site by a network it accused Israel of recruiting. It said the…

Read More Here

Fearing West’s wrath, Russia’s rich look to stash wealth in Dubai

Rich Russians are trying to shift some of their wealth from Europe to Dubai to shield assets from a tightening wave of Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of…

Read More Here

Ballistic missiles hit Iraq’s Kurdish capital, U.S. blames Iran

ERBIL, Iraq, March 13 (Reuters) - A dozen ballistic missiles struck Iraq's northern Kurdish regional capital of Erbil in the early hours of Sunday, Kurdish authorities said, with a U.S. official blaming…

Read More Here

Saudi Arabia executes 81 men in one day for terrorism, other offences

RIYADH (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia executed 81 men including seven Yemenis and one Syrian on Saturday, the interior ministry said, in the kingdom's biggest mass execution in decades. The number dwarfed…

Read More Here

New Islamic State leader is brother of slain caliph Baghdadi

The new leader of Islamic State, whose appointment the group announced on Thursday, is the brother of slain former caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to two Iraqi security officials and…

Read More Here

France, UK, Germany say Iran deal could collapse on Russian demands

PARIS, March 12 (Reuters) - France, Britain and Germany warned Russia on Saturday that its demands to have its trade guaranteed with Iran risked the collapse of an almost-completed nuclear deal. Negotiators…

Read More Here

Saudi blogger Badawi out of prison, still faces travel ban

Saudi blogger Raif Badawi was released from prison on Friday after spending 10 years behind bars, his wife said, but rights groups said he is still banned from travel for…

Read More Here

Dubai a favorite destination as some Moscow-based bankers beat path to exit

In the scramble by some bankers and financial industry executives to leave Moscow, Dubai is turning out to be a favorite location to land. Some bankers at Moscow offices of…

Read More Here

FATF puts UAE on global ‘gray’ list

A global body focused on fighting money laundering has placed the United Arab Emirates on its so-called “gray list” over concerns that the global trade hub isn’t doing enough to…

Read More Here

Iran says agreed roadmap with IAEA to resolve nuclear issues

VIENNA, March 5 (Reuters) - Iran said on Saturday it had agreed a roadmap with the U.N. nuclear watchdog to resolve outstanding issues which could help secure a revival of Tehran's 2015…

Read More Here

Iran hopes for understanding with IAEA to resolve nuclear issues

VIENNA, March 5 (Reuters) - Iran hopes to resolve all outstanding issues with the visiting U.N. nuclear chief, a senior Iranian official told state TV on Saturday, in the latest push to…

Read More Here

UAE says Ukrainians eligible for visas on arrival, in apparent about-face

DUBAI, March 3 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates said on Thursday that Ukraine nationals are eligible for visas on arrival in the Gulf Arab state, in an apparent reversal…

Read More Here

Progress on Iran nuclear deal, but tough issues remain -U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Negotiators have made significant progress in the last week or so on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal but very tough issues remain, a senior U.S. State Department official…

Read More Here

Dubai airport CEO sees more countries dropping COVID travel testing rules soon

The head of Dubai International Airport, one of the world's busiest, said on Tuesday he expects more countries to soon start ending rules for vaccinated passengers to be tested for COVID-19.…

Read More Here

Iran nuclear deal could be agreed very soon, EU official says

A senior European Union official said on Friday that a U.S.-Iranian deal to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement was close but success depended on the political will of those involved.…

Read More Here