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Qatar

The latest news, analysis and opinion on Qatar. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Doha

Head of State

Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani

Head of Government

Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani

A woman holds the Iranian flag as she stands in front of an anti-US billboard in Tehran on Sunday. As the war enters its 10th week, peace talks remain stalled. Photo: AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump, Tehran and a Qatari tanker transit: here’s what happened overnight

US leader calls Iran’s response to its peace proposal ‘totally unacceptable’, while a Qatari ship passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

11 May 2026 - 4:18PM

US, Israel war on Iran

‘Playing games’: Trump calls Iran’s response to US peace proposal ‘unacceptable’

11 May 2026 - 10:57AM

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran responds to US proposal, as Qatari tanker crosses Strait of Hormuz

11 May 2026 - 12:19AMvideocam

United States

US aims to deploy Qatar-gifted luxury jet as Air Force One for Fourth of July

There are efforts to possibly deliver the Boeing 747 even earlier, to align with Trump’s birthday on June 14.

7 May 2026 - 5:57AM

US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Ocala International Airport in Florida on Friday. Photo: AP

Middle East

‘Structural shift’: new routes for Middle East freight to bypass Hormuz

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE lead a push for a new trade architecture with multiple nodes linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

3 May 2026 - 10:30AM

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran will not accept ‘imposed’ peace, Trump not satisfied with negotiations

US lawmakers are pressuring the President to resolve the war, while Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is attempting to ease the war’s toll on Iran’s economy.

2 May 2026 - 9:00PMvideocam

Saudi Arabia

UAE’s Opec exit signals aim to accelerate foreign policy diversification

Iran’s attacks on Gulf states have forced Abu Dhabi to rethink its place within the Saudi Arabia-led diplomatic architecture, analysts say.

2 May 2026 - 5:00PMvideocam

Smoke rises in the Fujairah oil industry zone, UAE, on March 14, following an interception of a drone amid the ongoing Middle East conflict. Photo: Reuters

United States

Taliban, Congo? Afghans stuck in Qatar who helped US war face more stress

After reports the US could send 1,100 Afghans who assisted the US to the DRC, the Taliban urged them to instead head back to their homeland.

25 Apr 2026 - 11:25PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt: the Middle East’s new power brokers?

‘Fear of US abandonment’ is helping forge a new Middle East – but don’t expect an Islamic Nato just yet.

25 Apr 2026 - 1:30PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Powerful reaction: how Iran war could spark Asia’s green hydrogen surge

The war-driven hike in fossil fuel prices is narrowing the cost gap, making the clean energy alternative look like a good option.

23 Apr 2026 - 4:33PMvideocam

A couple looks at a model of the entire industrial chain of green hydrogen, ammonia, methanol, and oil displayed at the China Energy Engineering Group pavilion in Boao on March 25. Photo: Xinhua

Singapore

Man convicted of trafficking Singaporean Tinder date for Dubai sex work

Achraf Arjaouy targeted the victim by pretending to be a wealthy pilot from Qatar who wished to marry her.

23 Apr 2026 - 2:15PM

A Singapore court has convicted an Italian man of human trafficking for deceiving his Tinder date into performing sex work in Dubai. Photo: Dreamstime/TNS

Food and agriculture

Asia braces for food shortages as ‘super El Nino’ and Iran war collide

A precarious planting season looms amid suppressed rainfall and soaring fertiliser costs threatening the region’s harvests.

22 Apr 2026 - 5:06PM

Hong Kong economy

Letters | How Hong Kong can attract talent and capital from the Middle East

Readers discuss the opportunity for the city created by the Iran war, the proposal to allow taxis into Discovery Bay, and a planned pig farm in Sheung Shui.

21 Apr 2026 - 11:30AM

Pakistan

Pakistan seeks to shield Gulf states as US-Iran talks set to resume

A senior official involved in Islamabad’s diplomacy says it is trying to defuse the crisis ‘in any way we can’.

15 Apr 2026 - 10:50PMvideocam

US Vice-President J.D. Vance (centre) walks with Pakistan’s Field Marshall Asim Munir (left) and Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad on Saturday. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS

China energy security

Which countries are most vulnerable as US imposes Persian Gulf blockade?

Nomura says more than 90 per cent of the crude oil imported by Japan and the Philippines comes from the Middle East.

15 Apr 2026 - 8:00AM

A customer at a petrol station in London on Monday. Photo: EPA

US, Israel war on Iran

Asia’s energy supply at breaking point as US blockades Hormuz

Nearly 90 per cent of the region’s crude oil is now at risk as stalled peace talks and a naval stand-off raise the spectre of stagflation.

14 Apr 2026 - 6:09PM

US, Israel war on Iran

US-Iran talks leave Gulf states on edge about the price of peace

The six GCC nations worry that the US will prioritise Tehran’s needs and leave the Gulf monarchies vulnerable to Iranian retaliation.

10 Apr 2026 - 7:01PMvideocam

Israel-Gaza war

Gaza marks 6 months of ceasefire. Does it offer lessons for the Iran war?

A ceasefire has been in place between Israel and Hamas since October 10, but deadly attacks have continued and limited aid is entering.

10 Apr 2026 - 5:14PM

A makeshift camp for displaced people in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip. Photo: AP

US, Israel war on Iran

Why US-Iran truce may not end high airfares and flight disruptions

According to airline bosses, it will still take months for jet fuel supplies and prices to normalise.

9 Apr 2026 - 9:53PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Strait of Hormuz: is a Trump‑Iran joint venture really possible?

With regime change increasingly out of reach, the US president may pivot towards a business deal with Tehran’s fractured leadership.

9 Apr 2026 - 8:45PMvideocam

Middle East

Opinion | For Gulf states, geography is both a generous and treacherous patron

Sandwiched between Iran and Israel, oil-rich transport hubs like the UAE now face the fragility of their newly built economic prosperity.

7 Apr 2026 - 4:30PM

A couple stands looking at the Dubai skyline, with a view of the Burj Khalifa, the worlds tallest building, seen from Creek Harbour on April 3. Photo: AFP

Ukraine war

Ukraine and Syria pledge security cooperation as Zelensky expands Middle East tour

Zelensky and Sharaa discuss drone defence and food security as Kyiv seeks to export its military expertise.

6 Apr 2026 - 9:50AM

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus. Photo: Reuters

Middle East

UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait lose water, energy infrastructure to Iran strikes

Gulf countries have faced repeated drone and missile salvoes over Iran’s accusation that its neighbours allow US forces to carry out attacks from their territory.

6 Apr 2026 - 9:03AM

China-EU relations

China, Europe and why Beijing took a swing at Iran over the Strait of Hormuz

Beijing takes a stand at the United Nations at the closure of shipping lanes.

3 Apr 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Helium supply shock threatens Asian chipmakers as economic slowdown fears mount

Iranian attacks on Qatar’s LNG facilities are curbing the supply of helium, a crucial gas used in chipmaking.

3 Apr 2026 - 6:29PMvideocam

Samsung Electronics’ products displayed at an exhibition hall for the Apec summit in Gyeongju, South Korea in October. Photo: AP

US, Israel war on Iran

Editorial | Trump’s Iran address fails to set minds at ease or clearly signal direction

The Iran war is a wake-up call to many countries about their overdependence on the US for security.

3 Apr 2026 - 7:15AM

US President Donald Trump points after speaking in a televised address to the nation on the conflict in the Middle East from the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington on April 1. Photo: AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

Controlled escalation? Trump hails ‘victories’ in Iran but vows more strikes

US president tells anxious Americans that the conflict’s core objectives are ‘nearing completion’ but fails to lay out a clear timeline to end the war.

2 Apr 2026 - 8:31PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump claims Iran wants ceasefire, Tehran calls remarks ‘false and baseless’

The US president has said he could walk away from the war in two to three weeks.

2 Apr 2026 - 12:34AMvideocam

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Qatar

Trump, Tehran and a Qatari tanker transit: here’s what happened overnight

US leader calls Iran’s response to its peace proposal ‘totally unacceptable’, while a Qatari ship passes through the Strait of Hormuz.

‘Playing games’: Trump calls Iran’s response to US peace proposal ‘unacceptable’

Iran responds to US proposal, as Qatari tanker crosses Strait of Hormuz

US aims to deploy Qatar-gifted luxury jet as Air Force One for Fourth of July

There are efforts to possibly deliver the Boeing 747 even earlier, to align with Trump’s birthday on June 14.

‘Structural shift’: new routes for Middle East freight to bypass Hormuz

Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE lead a push for a new trade architecture with multiple nodes linking the Indian Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

Iran will not accept ‘imposed’ peace, Trump not satisfied with negotiations

US lawmakers are pressuring the President to resolve the war, while Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei is attempting to ease the war’s toll on Iran’s economy.

UAE’s Opec exit signals aim to accelerate foreign policy diversification

Iran’s attacks on Gulf states have forced Abu Dhabi to rethink its place within the Saudi Arabia-led diplomatic architecture, analysts say.

Taliban, Congo? Afghans stuck in Qatar who helped US war face more stress

After reports the US could send 1,100 Afghans who assisted the US to the DRC, the Taliban urged them to instead head back to their homeland.

Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt: the Middle East’s new power brokers?

‘Fear of US abandonment’ is helping forge a new Middle East – but don’t expect an Islamic Nato just yet.

Powerful reaction: how Iran war could spark Asia’s green hydrogen surge

The war-driven hike in fossil fuel prices is narrowing the cost gap, making the clean energy alternative look like a good option.

Man convicted of trafficking Singaporean Tinder date for Dubai sex work

Achraf Arjaouy targeted the victim by pretending to be a wealthy pilot from Qatar who wished to marry her.

Asia braces for food shortages as ‘super El Nino’ and Iran war collide

A precarious planting season looms amid suppressed rainfall and soaring fertiliser costs threatening the region’s harvests.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Letters | How Hong Kong can attract talent and capital from the Middle East

Readers discuss the opportunity for the city created by the Iran war, the proposal to allow taxis into Discovery Bay, and a planned pig farm in Sheung Shui.

Pakistan seeks to shield Gulf states as US-Iran talks set to resume

A senior official involved in Islamabad’s diplomacy says it is trying to defuse the crisis ‘in any way we can’.

Which countries are most vulnerable as US imposes Persian Gulf blockade?

Nomura says more than 90 per cent of the crude oil imported by Japan and the Philippines comes from the Middle East.

Asia’s energy supply at breaking point as US blockades Hormuz

Nearly 90 per cent of the region’s crude oil is now at risk as stalled peace talks and a naval stand-off raise the spectre of stagflation.

US-Iran talks leave Gulf states on edge about the price of peace

The six GCC nations worry that the US will prioritise Tehran’s needs and leave the Gulf monarchies vulnerable to Iranian retaliation.

Gaza marks 6 months of ceasefire. Does it offer lessons for the Iran war?

A ceasefire has been in place between Israel and Hamas since October 10, but deadly attacks have continued and limited aid is entering.

Why US-Iran truce may not end high airfares and flight disruptions

According to airline bosses, it will still take months for jet fuel supplies and prices to normalise.

Strait of Hormuz: is a Trump‑Iran joint venture really possible?

With regime change increasingly out of reach, the US president may pivot towards a business deal with Tehran’s fractured leadership.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | For Gulf states, geography is both a generous and treacherous patron

Sandwiched between Iran and Israel, oil-rich transport hubs like the UAE now face the fragility of their newly built economic prosperity.

Ukraine and Syria pledge security cooperation as Zelensky expands Middle East tour

Zelensky and Sharaa discuss drone defence and food security as Kyiv seeks to export its military expertise.

UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait lose water, energy infrastructure to Iran strikes

Gulf countries have faced repeated drone and missile salvoes over Iran’s accusation that its neighbours allow US forces to carry out attacks from their territory.

China, Europe and why Beijing took a swing at Iran over the Strait of Hormuz

Beijing takes a stand at the United Nations at the closure of shipping lanes.

Helium supply shock threatens Asian chipmakers as economic slowdown fears mount

Iranian attacks on Qatar’s LNG facilities are curbing the supply of helium, a crucial gas used in chipmaking.

Editorial | Trump’s Iran address fails to set minds at ease or clearly signal direction

The Iran war is a wake-up call to many countries about their overdependence on the US for security.

Controlled escalation? Trump hails ‘victories’ in Iran but vows more strikes

US president tells anxious Americans that the conflict’s core objectives are ‘nearing completion’ but fails to lay out a clear timeline to end the war.

Trump claims Iran wants ceasefire, Tehran calls remarks ‘false and baseless’

The US president has said he could walk away from the war in two to three weeks.

Letters | How Hong Kong can attract talent and capital from the Middle East

Opinion | For Gulf states, geography is both a generous and treacherous patron