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Middle East

Middle East
Middle East
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Middle East. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Guillermo Baygual, Citigroup’s global co-head of mergers and acquisitions, pictured in Hong Kong on February 6, 2026. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Mergers & Acquisitions

M&A market ‘firing on all cylinders’, headed for record year: Citigroup

Confident companies and investors, solid economic growth, low inflation and ample capital drive outlook, bank’s global M&A co-head says.

Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong urged to widen Stock Connect and woo global firms to boost listings

Banking & finance

Will Hong Kong, Singapore capture Asia’s capital inflows? DBS CEO weighs in

Lebanon

Lebanon’s Tripoli called a ‘disaster-stricken city’ after deadly collapse

Tripoli’s mayor warns that thousands of people remain at risk in unsafe buildings due to years of neglect.

Rescue teams search for survivors in Tripoli, Lebanon. Photo: Reuters
Iran

Iran sentences Nobel laureate to 7 more years amid stand-off with US

As Tehran extends the jail term for hunger-striking Narges Mohammadi, Foreign Minister Araghchi strikes a maximalist position after US talks.

Russia

Russia says suspect in shooting of top general detained in Dubai

Moscow says Russian Lyubomir Korba was held in Dubai for a shooting, with two accomplices identified – one in Moscow, while one fled to Ukraine.

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Iran

Iran defies Trump and US pressure over uranium enrichment

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi insists Iran won’t yield on enrichment, calling resilience – not weapons – its ‘atomic bomb’ despite US threats.

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An Iranian flag flies in front of the Bushehr nuclear power. Photo: AFP
Electric & new energy vehicles

AutoFlight unveils world’s largest flying car as China races to lead the skies

CATL-backed AutoFlight debuts Matrix, targeting global expansion, as Beijing moves to set standards for domestic eVTOL makers and operators.

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Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, Syria sign telecom and airline deals as sanctions lift

Saudi Arabia has been a major backer of Syria’s Islamist authorities who took power after toppling long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

Iran

Oman mediates Iran-US nuclear talks amid tensions and Trump’s threats

The meeting is the first between the two sides since Washington joined Israel’s war with Tehran in June with strikes on nuclear sites.

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Officials stand inside the gate of a palace where Iran and the US held their talks in Muscat, Oman, on Friday. Photo: AP
US-Iran tensions

Ahead of talks, Iran deploys ballistic missile at underground ‘missile city’

Tehran signals offensive readiness as negotiators arrive in Oman for high-stakes talks.

Iranian missiles displayed in a park in Tehran. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters
Pizza Hut

Pizza shut: iconic chain to close 250 US locations

Yum! Brands targets underperforming restaurants as it conducts a strategic review for Pizza Hut.

Israel-Gaza war

Gaza’s violent reality: hundreds have been killed since October ceasefire

At least 556 Palestinians have died in Israeli strikes, while four Israeli soldiers have been killed in the same period.

IPO

Morgan Stanley sees another record year for Hong Kong IPOs as pipeline hits 450

Mainland China’s issuers will still dominate city’s IPO market, executive says, but US and Southeast Asian companies are also joining in.

Mainland China’s issuers will still dominate city’s IPO market, Morgan Stanley executive says. Photo: Reuters
China energy security

China’s cheap oil flows under strain as US ramps up Iran, Venezuela pressure

US restrictions could lead China to turn to higher-priced barrels in other markets, while it continues to reduce its reliance on oil imports.

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An oil tanker is anchored in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela. China’s reliance on low-price crude from Venezuela is under strain as the United States tightens control over the country’s oil industry. Photo: Xinhua
Iran

Trump says Iran leaders should be ‘very worried’ as talks near

Negotiations will take place in Oman, but there is disagreement over whether Tehran’s missile programme will be discussed.

Iran

Road to equality? Iran formally allows women to ride motorcycles

In a country where women’s public presence is heavily regulated, the right to operate a vehicle is a powerful indicator of shifting social boundaries.

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Israel-Gaza war

‘Where is the ceasefire?’: Israeli strikes kill 21 Palestinians in Gaza

More than 530 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since an October ceasefire, as Gaza health officials decry the ‘continued genocidal war’.

Palestinians carry the bodies of three people killed in an Israeli strike on their displacement tent on Wednesday. Photo: dpa
Iran

US-Iran nuclear talks set for Oman amid rising Middle East tensions

Planned talks moving from Turkey after a US jet downs an Iranian drone, though the role of regional Arab allies remains in limbo.

Iran

US fighter jet shoots down Iranian drone approaching aircraft carrier

The Iranian Shahed-139 was flying towards the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea ‘with unclear intent’, a US official says.

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US-China relations

USS Abraham Lincoln is in the Arabian Sea. So is a Chinese vessel

Research ship Dayang Yihao may have been sailing near the American warship, independent military observer says in a social media post.

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China’s Dayang Yihao has been surveying the Arabian Sea since December 19, according to SeaLight, a Stanford University-affiliated maritime analysis group. Photo: Handout
Donald Trump

Iran plans nuclear talks with US as Trump warns of ‘bad things’

Facing threats of potential US military action, Tehran agrees to a Friday meeting in Istanbul on its nuclear programme.

Protesters at an anti-US and anti-Israeli rally in support of the Iranian government, outside the US consulate in Istanbul on Sunday. Photo: AP
Israel-Gaza war

Gaza’s Rafah crossing sees ‘limited’ reopening amid truce, but challenges remain

Restoring the Rafah-Egypt crossing is a vital milestone for the peace process, concluding the long closure enforced by the Israeli military.

US-Iran tensions

Trump hopeful of deal after Iran’s top leader warns of regional war

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issues ‘regional war’ warning as the United States ramps up its naval presence in the Middle East.

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Iran

Screenwriter of Oscar-nominated Iranian film arrested in Tehran

Mehdi Mahmoudian and others detained after signing a statement calling Iran’s crackdown an ‘organised state crime against humanity’.

A scene from the Oscar-nominated film ‘It Was Just an Accident’. Photo: Neon via AP
Africa

Nigerian army kills top Boko Haram commander, 10 militants in night raid

Abu Khalid, a commander of Boko Haram in the Sambisa Forest in Borno state, was a key figure within ‘the terrorist hierarchy’ according to the army.

A Nigerian soldier from the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) loads his machine gun during training at the MNJTF military base, Sector 3 Headquarters, in Monguno, Borno state, Nigeria, on July 5 last year. Photo: AFP
United States

Iraq’s parliament delays presidential vote again amid US pressure

In Iraq, by convention, a Shiite Muslim is prime minister, the parliament speaker is a Sunni and the largely ceremonial presidency goes to a Kurd.

China-Middle East relations

Israel’s China envoy calls to deepen historical ties in rare media outreach

Eli Belotserkovsky’s article comes amid global buzz over Trump’s Board of Peace and months after closer media ties pledge with Xinhua head.

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