TOPIC

/ location

Bahrain

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

Capital

Manama

Head of State

King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa

Head of Government

Prime Minister Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa

Bahrain is hoping to attract foreign investors with financial deregulation. Photo: AP

Banking & finance

Charm offensive: Bahrain expands Hong Kong push to court mainland China capital

Gulf state leans on tax perks and tokenisation rules to position Hong Kong as its gateway to mainland China investors.

29 Jun 2026 - 2:01PM

US, Israel war on Iran

US and Iran pause strikes as Hormuz tests interim deal, Doha talks loom

29 Jun 2026 - 8:49PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran’s Guards say American bases will ‘experience hell’ amid US offensive

28 Jun 2026 - 7:25PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump says US hit Iran again, may be ‘forced to militarily complete the job’

If that happened, the Islamic Republic would ‘no longer exist’, Trump warned, after reports that a tanker had been struck in Hormuz.

28 Jun 2026 - 7:51AMvideocam

A woman walks past a mural depicting a US aircraft carrier under missile attack in downtown Tehran, Iran, on June 8. Photo: AP

Middle East

US’ Rubio wraps up Gulf tour as allies share concerns over Iran peace accord

Rubio did not discuss a US$300 billion reconstruction fund for Iran that is part of the peace proposal.

25 Jun 2026 - 8:26PM

China's military weapons

Did the Iran war just prove that China’s ageing DF-15Bs are still big guns?

Military observers point to similarities with Iran’s short-range weapons that have breached US defence systems in the Middle East.

25 Jun 2026 - 7:00PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Who pays for Iran’s recovery? US$300 billion fund a flashpoint in ceasefire deal

Ambiguity fuels concern that Gulf countries may be expected to finance a post-war effort for a conflict in which they had limited say.

18 Jun 2026 - 10:00PMvideocam

A man walks with a boy carrying a Hezbollah flag past a mural outside Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday. The US-Iran deal includes provisions for an immediate and permanent ceasefire on all fronts, including Lebanon. Photo: Reuters

China energy security

Strait of Hormuz still eerily quiet as doubts remain over ‘fragile’ peace deal

The only vessel moving in the waterway on Monday morning was a patrol ship, as analysts warned uncertainty lingered over the US-Iran agreement.

15 Jun 2026 - 4:52PM

US, Israel war on Iran

In latest about-face, Trump calls off ‘very hard’ attack on Iran

After warning of imminent military action, US president says an agreement may be days away in a repeat of claims made in recent weeks.

12 Jun 2026 - 9:13AM

US, Israel war on Iran

Pakistan’s mediators in Iran as US downs drones, Lebanon looks for peace

Pakistan’s interior minister visited Tehran to restart US-Iran negotiations as the US military said it shot down two Iranian drones over the Strait of Hormuz.

7 Jun 2026 - 7:52PM

Iranians walk past a huge billboard featuring previous supreme leaders Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a street in Tehran, Iran, on Sunday. Photo: EPA-EFE

US, Israel war on Iran

Kuwait International Airport hit as US and Iran exchange attacks

Strikes damage terminal and halt commercial flights, sparking a fierce blame game between Washington and Tehran.

4 Jun 2026 - 8:15AM

Kuwaiti officials inspect damage inside a terminal at Kuwait International Airport following a drone and missile attack. Photo: Kuwait News Agency via Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

US hits Iran with fresh strikes amid negotiations to end war

Marco Rubio insists a deal with Iran remains within reach after the US military claimed its attacks were in ‘self-defence’.

26 May 2026 - 9:34PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump now ties Iran deal to major expansion of Abraham Accords

US president suggests Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other regional powers normalise ties with Israel to secure peace.

26 May 2026 - 8:42AM

US, Israel war on Iran

Aluminium supply crunch threatens Asia’s clean energy push amid Iran war

Key Gulf plants have been hit by Iranian missiles, causing a drop in output of the metal used in making solar panels and wind turbines.

20 May 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

Aluminium prices have surged since the start of the Iran war and is the metal most exposed to the conflict. Photo: Shutterstock

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

The port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates on April 17. Photo: EPA/The UAE Presidential Court

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, 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

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

Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates last month. Photo: AP

US, Israel war on Iran

Russia and China veto UN resolution aimed at reopening Strait of Hormuz

Beijing and Moscow blocked Gulf-backed resolution hours before the US and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire.

8 Apr 2026 - 8:57AM

US, Israel war on Iran

Trump says China helped get Iran to the negotiating table for ceasefire deal

Washington receives ‘10-point proposal from Iran’ with US president claiming it could serve as ‘a workable basis on which to negotiate’.

8 Apr 2026 - 11:28AMvideocam

235

Malaysia

AirAsia X hikes fares by 40%, cuts capacity by 10% as Iran war impacts fuel

Founder Tony Fernandes said the higher prices were ‘unavoidable’ after the average cost of jet fuel more than doubled to US$200 per barrel.

6 Apr 2026 - 4:47PM

AirAsia planes are parked on the tarmac at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang. Photo: AFP

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

Smoke plumes billowing from the Jebel Ali port and desalination plant in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, after an Iranian strike on March 2. Photo: AFP

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran attacks Kuwait, Israel after Trump set deadline for deal

Kuwait and Israel say their air defences are responding to the latest attacks from Iran.

5 Apr 2026 - 3:56PMvideocam

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

Trump’s ex-China mineral-alliance plan faces cost surge amid Iran war oil shock

Analysts say Middle East turmoil is elevating commodity input costs, affecting processing efforts and prompting push for ‘friendshoring’ to secure resources.

2 Apr 2026 - 8:00PM

US President Donald Trump, seen here at the White House on Wednesday, said attacks on Iran could continue for the next two to three weeks. Photo: AP

US, Israel war on Iran

After early anger, Gulf allies press Trump for final blow to Iran

The UAE, Kuwait and Bahrain are pushing hard for Trump to order a ground invasion of Tehran, according to a diplomat.

31 Mar 2026 - 2:16PMvideocam

A plume of smoke rises from the site of a strike in Iran, Tehran, on Sunday. Photo: Xinhua

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran’s Islamic republic will ‘collapse internally’, says Netanyahu

Gulf allies of the US, led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are meanwhile urging Trump to continue prosecuting the war against Iran.

31 Mar 2026 - 6:36AMvideocam

China trade

Will Iran’s strikes on Gulf smelters strengthen China’s aluminium dominance?

Analysts say disruption at plants could shift more output to China, which already produces more than half of global supply.

31 Mar 2026 - 12:08AMvideocam

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

SUPPORT NOW