Business

War in Iran Is Causing Biggest Energy Crisis in History, IEA Says

Business Commercial vessels are seen off the coast of Dubai on April 20, 2026. (AFP)

War in Iran Is Causing Biggest Energy Crisis in History, IEA Says

The ‌conflict between Iran and the United States and Israel is creating the worst energy crisis ever faced by the world, the head of the International…

Business  A drone view shows oil tankers at Petrobras distribution terminal operated by Transpetro, a Petrobras subsidiary responsible for oil and gas transportation in Sao Sebastiao, in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil, April 20, 2026. (Reuters)

Oil Falls on Expectations US-Iran Talks Likely to Proceed, Opening Supply

Oil prices fell over $1 on Tuesday, reversing gains in the previous session, on expectations peace talks between the US and Iran will take place this week and…

Business A man walks past parked Lufthansa aircraft at the airport as Lufthansa pilots are on a two-day strike, in Frankfurt, Germany, Thursday, March 12, 2026. (AP)

Iran War Fuel Hike Adds $100 to Long-Haul Flight Cost, Study Says

Disruption to global oil supplies from the Iran war has added more than $100 to the price of long-haul flights from Europe, a cost likely to trigger higher…

Business An image taken with a slow shutter speed showing an Indian woman walking in front of gold ornaments at a jewelry shop on the occasion of the Akshaya Tritiya festivities in Bangalore, India, 20 April 2026. (EPA)

Gold Eases on Firmer Dollar as Investors Await Clarity on US-Iran Talks

Gold prices eased on Tuesday as the dollar firmed, while investors waited to see if the US and Iran are meeting this week for peace talks after renewed…

Business This aerial picture shows cars and trucks loaded with goods waiting to cross over into Syria at the al-Rabia border crossing on April 20, 2026. (AFP)

Iraq Reopens Rabia Border Crossing to Boost Fuel Oil Exports via Syria

Iraq has reopened the Rabia border crossing with Syria after more than a decade to accelerate overland fuel oil exports and revive cross-border trade amid…


Business A container ship is seen in the Strait of Hormuz off the coast of Qeshm Island, Iran, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Asghar Besharati)

IFAD to Asharq Al-Awsat: Repercussions of Hormuz Closure Trigger Global Food Security Shock

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) said the repercussions of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz have triggered a global food security…

Fatehelrahman Yousif (Riyadh)
Business A display of gold bars, each weighing 1000 grams, at a gold and silver refinery in Vienna (AFP)

Inflation Woes and Firmer Dollar Drag Gold Lower as US-Iran Tensions Revive

Gold prices fell on Monday owing to a stronger US dollar and renewed inflation fears after another closure of the Strait of Hormuz pushed oil prices higher. …

Asharq Al Awsat
Business  The German share price index DAX graph is pictured at the stock exchange in Frankfurt, Germany, April 17, 2026. (Reuters)

European Shares Slip as Hopes for US-Iran Peace Fade

European ‌shares declined on Monday, as hopes for peace in the Middle East ebbed with tensions reigniting after Washington seized an Iranian cargo ship…

Business Saudi Central Bank Governor Ayman Alsayari. (International Monetary Fund)

Saudi Central Bank Governor Says National Model Has Shielded Economy from Shocks

Saudi Arabia’s economy has emerged as a model of resilience and crisis readiness, Central Bank Governor Ayman Alsayari said, citing steady progress under the…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington)
Business A general view of oil tanks at Türkiye's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, February 19, 2014. (Reuters)

IEA Proposes Building Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline to Bypass Hormuz

International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol proposed building a new oil pipeline linking Iraq’s Basra oil fields and Türkiye’s Mediterranean oil…

Asharq Al Awsat (Istanbul)
Business A person looks at a stock market graph inside the Taiwan Stock Exchange in Taipei, Taiwan, 20 April 2026. (EPA)

Taiwan Business Group Urges Beijing, Taipei to Keep Politics Out of Trade

The head of one of Taiwan's top business groups said on Monday both Beijing and Taipei should leave politics out of resuming normal trade and tourism exchanges…

Business  Tankers and gas carriers anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, Saturday, April 18, 2026. (AP)

Oil Prices and Stocks Climb as US-Iran Standoff Keeps Strait of Hormuz in Limbo

Oil prices climbed more than 5% while Asian shares also advanced Monday as a standoff between Iran and the US prevented tankers from using the Strait of Hormuz…

Business  Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright testifies during a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill Thursday, April 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP)

Trump Says Energy Chief ‘Wrong,’ Expects Lower Gas Prices as Soon as Iran War Ends

US President Donald Trump ‌on Monday dismissed his top energy official's view that gas prices will not drop until 2027, saying Americans can expect lower costs…

Business  A street food vendor uses a mobile phone while waiting for customers on a street in Hanoi on April 17, 2026. (AFP)

IMF, World Bank Meetings Show Limits in Mitigating Shocks, Reliance on US for Solutions

Global finance leaders, whipsawed by Middle East war news, came to grips this past week with their inability to mitigate the economic damage from increasingly…

Business Containers are seen at a port in Saudi Arabia. (SPA)

Saudi Food Self-Sufficiency Shields Economy from Hormuz Crisis

The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has pushed global energy and food security to the brink. Saudi Arabia responded by positioning itself as a stabilizing…

Bandar al-Mosalam (Riyadh)
Business US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks with reporters in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Wednesday, April 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP)

US Renews Russian Oil Waiver for a Month to Curb Global Energy Prices

Washington renewed on Friday a waiver allowing countries to buy sanctioned Russian oil at sea for about a month, even as lawmakers accused the government &zwnj…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington )
Business Former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov and Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang applaud during a ceremony launching the fourth of seven planned development phases at Galkynysh gas field, the world's second-largest gas field in the Karakum desert about 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of the capital Ashgabat, on April 17, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Turkmenistan, China Launch Expansion of World’s Second-largest Gas Field

Turkmenistan and China broke ground Friday on works to expand production at the giant Galkynysh gas field, strengthening Beijing's already dominant position in…

Asharq Al Awsat

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Business The project covers approximately 2.4 million square meters of land. Asharq Al-Awsat

$27 Billion City to be Built East of Cairo

Egypt's Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG) will build a new 1.4 trillion Egyptian pound ($27 billion) mixed-use city east of Cairo, CEO and Managing Director Hisham…

Asharq Al Awsat (Cairo)
Business Türkiye's Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar -  REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Türkiye Says Iran Gas Pipeline Contract Nearing Expiry, No Talks Yet on Extension

Türkiye's long-term contract for importing natural gas from Iran is due to expire in the coming months, and the two countries could hold talks on a possible…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Technicians working at the Majnoon oil field in Basra, Iraq. (Reuters)

Iraq Says Oil Exports to Resume from All Fields within Days, State News Agency

Iraq's oil ministry said oil exports would resume from all fields within the next few days, the Iraqi state news agency INA reported on Saturday. Four energy…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business (L/R) Saudi Arabia's Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan and IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva
speak during a press briefing following a meeting of the IMFC (International Monetary and Financial Committee) at the 2026 IMF and World Bank Group Spring Meetings in Washington, DC, on April 17, 2026. (Photo by Kent Nishimura / AFP)

Al-Jadaan: Ending Conflicts, Securing Peace Are Essential to Sustainable Growth

Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan said the global economy’s ability to withstand crises depends on adopting a “unified strategic vision and swift…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington )
Business Traders at the New York Stock Exchange (Reuters)

Global Markets Regain Momentum after Strait of Hormuz Reopening Announcement

Global markets moved sharply on Friday after Iran said it would reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all commercial vessels, prompting investors to rapidly reassess…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva speaks at a news conference following the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) meeting during the World Bank and IMF spring meetings at IMF headquarters in Washington, Friday, April 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Georgieva: Venezuela Likely to Get IMF Loan Support after Necessary Groundwork

The International Monetary Fund will likely provide Venezuela with a financial support program as part of its re-engagement with the South American oil…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Hafnia Lillesand, a crude oil and product tanker, sits at Viva Energy Australia's Gore Bay fuel terminal overlooking the city skyline in Sydney, Australia April 14, 2026. (Reuters)

Oil Falls by 13% After Iran Declares Strait of Hormuz Open

Oil prices plunged by about 13% on Friday after Iran's foreign minister said passage for all commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz was open for the…

Business Buildings are seen in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser 

Saudi CEDA Reviews Vision 2030 Progress

Saudi Arabia’s Council of Economic and Development Affairs (CEDA) held a virtual meeting to consider a package of strategic reports outlining the Kingdom’s…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business South Korean President Lee Jae Myung delivers a eulogy during a memorial service to pay tribute to the victims of the sinking of the ferry Sewol off Jin Island on South Korea's southwest coast in Ansan, south of Seoul, South Korea, 16 April 2026. EPA/YONHAP

1st SKorean Tanker Transits Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu in Alternative Red Sea Route

A South Korean oil tanker has transited the Red Sea for the first time since the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Seoul's oceans ministry said on…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Samples of gold displayed in a program affiliated with the Brazilian Federal Police specializing in tracking gold in Brasilia (Reuters)

Gold Holds Steady, Eyes Fourth Weekly Gain on US-Iran Peace Deal Hopes

Gold held largely steady on Friday and was on track for a fourth straight weekly gain, as hopes for a US-Iran peace deal eased fears of higher inflation and…

Asharq Al Awsat
Business Azour speaks during a presentation of the Regional Economic Outlook update (AFP)

IMF: Middle East Faces Pivotal Economic Moment

The International Monetary Fund said the Middle East, North Africa, and Pakistan were facing a pivotal and exceptionally difficult moment in their modern…

Asharq Al Awsat (Washington )
Business Mohammed Al-Jadaan and Muhammad Aurangzeb following the agreement for Saudi Arabia to provide an additional $3 billion in support to Pakistan (X).

Pakistan Central Bank Receives $2 billion from Saudi Arabia as Part of Broader Financial Support Package

Pakistan announced that it has received $2 billion from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Finance as part of a broader financial support package. Earlier,…

Asharq Al Awsat