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Middle East

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

Hong Kong’s lightshow fixture will come to an end this year. Photo: Dickson Lee

Hong Kong budget 2026-27

Hong Kong 2026-27 budget: ‘Symphony of Lights’ to go dark under tourism revamp

Tourism Board to launch light festivals ‘across various locations at different times of year to replace A Symphony of Lights,’ Paul Chan says.

2 hours agovideocam

The ‘Papillon’ of Iran: Shamkhani’s rise from the rubble amid US tensions

25 Feb 2026 - 9:14PMvideocam

Opinion | How Saudi diplomacy is thwarting Trump’s desire for war with Iran

25 Feb 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

‘A war will start’: Iranians on edge as Trump’s ‘armada’ closes in

‘Going to war with America, Israel and Nato will have very horrible and unpredictable consequences,’ a Tehran resident says.

25 Feb 2026 - 6:08PMvideocam

US aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is docked at Souda Bay in the Greek Mediterranean island of Crete on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Iran dismisses ‘big lies’ after Trump lays out case for possible attack

US president accused Iran of restarting its nuclear programme, while working to build missiles that soon would be capable of reaching the US.

25 Feb 2026 - 6:08PM

Why Indonesia’s lead role in Gaza peacekeeping force carries high political risk

Jakarta has reiterated that it ‘will not conduct military operations’ after it agreed to assume the role of deputy commander of the force.

24 Feb 2026 - 6:56PM

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Trump pushes back on reports of Iran war risks as clock ticks

US president dismisses reported concerns of Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine, insisting any conflict would be ‘easily won’.

24 Feb 2026 - 3:29PM

F/A-18F Super Hornets prepare to launch from the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea. Photo: US Navy via AFP

Iran in secret deal with Russia for shoulder-fired missiles: report

Report of a deal for 2,500 advanced anti-aircraft missiles emerges as the US weighs military action against Iran.

23 Feb 2026 - 10:26AM

Iran’s defiance against US military power leaves Trump ‘curious’

Steve Witkoff said Trump can’t understand Tehran’s refusal to yield despite Washington’s military build-up in the region.

22 Feb 2026 - 4:02PMvideocam

Banking & finance

Hong Kong, UAE solidify financial links with regulatory ties, digital currency

Transaction volume under Project mBridge surged over 2,500-fold from the early 2022 pilot levels to more than US$55 billion by November 2025.

22 Feb 2026 - 11:00AM

A view of the Dubai skyline in the United Arab Emirates. Photo: Getty Images

‘I am getting more scared’: Tehranis brace for ‘inevitable’ US-Iran war

‘I don’t want war to happen, but one should not fool around with the realities on the ground,’ a resident in the Iranian capital says.

22 Feb 2026 - 10:45AMvideocam

Motorists drive past an anti-US billboard on a street in Tehran, Iran, on Tuesday. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters

US ambassador says Israel has right to much of Middle East, sparking uproar

Mike Huckabee’s comments were condemned by Arab and Muslim nations as ‘extremist rhetoric’.

22 Feb 2026 - 10:19AM

Protests around the world

30 people in Iran face death penalty after protests, Amnesty says

A death sentence has been passed in eight cases, while two minors are among the 22 other cases before the courts.

21 Feb 2026 - 7:58PM

US-Iran tensions

How Trump’s threatened strikes on Iran could backfire

Instead of pushing Tehran towards a nuclear deal, bombing the country could set off a deadly cycle of retaliation, analysts warn.

21 Feb 2026 - 7:49AMvideocam

People walk past an anti-US billboard in Tehran, Iran, in January. Photo: WANA via Reuters

US-Iran tensions

Trump weighs limited strike on Iran, as Tehran says draft deal coming soon

The US president has warned that ‘bad things’ will happen if an agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear programme is not reached soon.

21 Feb 2026 - 7:58PMvideocam

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is seen from Gibraltar on Friday. Photo: Instagram/dparody via Reuters

6 Europeans activists held in Turkey while investigating prison conditions

Their arrest came on the same day that police detained a Turkish journalist working for Deutsche Welle for ‘spreading false news’.

20 Feb 2026 - 8:40PM

US-China relations

PLA, Chinese firm release images showing US military build-up around Iran

Imagery of combat aircraft and support planes at bases in the region comes amid reports that Washington appears ready to strike Tehran.

20 Feb 2026 - 6:00PM

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Israel-Gaza war

‘Plan B is war’: Gaza truce faces late April test despite Trump’s peace push

Observers say the unresolved question of Hamas’ disarmament leaves the fragile truce vulnerable to collapse.

20 Feb 2026 - 4:57PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump raises the gavel during the “Board of Peace” meeting in Washington on Thursday. Photo: EPA

Electric & new energy vehicles

Geely’s Zeekr shifts into Italy as China’s European EV push gathers speed

The carmaker is pressing ahead despite tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, betting on demand for high-spec models.

20 Feb 2026 - 12:43PM

Indonesia seals ‘great’ US trade deal, agrees to send 8,000 troops to Gaza

A US general said Jakarta will take a deputy commander role in the international stabilisation force in Gaza.

20 Feb 2026 - 10:35AMvideocam

Trump appears to set short deadline for Iran, warning of ‘bad things’

US president said he will decide within the next 10 to 15 days whether or not to strike Iran.

20 Feb 2026 - 10:45AM

The USS Abraham Lincoln, flanked by guided-missile destroyers and other support vessels, during a photo exercise in the Arabian Sea on February 6. Photo: US Navy via AFP

Israel-Gaza war

Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ debuts with Gaza pledge as war threat looms elsewhere

The US president gathers global allies to fund Gaza’s reconstruction while issuing a final 10-day warning to Iran.

20 Feb 2026 - 10:04AM

US President Donald during the signing ceremony in Washington. Photo: AFP

Israel-Gaza war

Can Trump’s Board of Peace succeed while Hamas still runs Gaza?

Hamas’ continuing influence over key Gaza power structures has fuelled widespread scepticism about the prospects of Trump’s peace plan.

19 Feb 2026 - 5:47PMvideocam

Qatar is making a bold new cultural play, from Art Basel to museums

All eyes are on the growing cultural scene in the Middle East, thanks in no small part to the inaugural Art Basel Qatar, held in Doha.

19 Feb 2026 - 5:15PM

India-Europe trade corridor gathers pace as Modi, Macron pledge port partnership

The India–Middle East–Europe Economic Corridor is seen as an alternative to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

19 Feb 2026 - 5:38PM

A container terminal at Mundra Port in the western Indian state of Gujarat. Photo: Reuters

Iran sentences British world travellers to 10 years for spying

Lindsay and Craig Foreman were arrested while travelling through the country on a round-the-world trip, according to relatives.

19 Feb 2026 - 4:47PM

Craig and Lindsay Foreman take a selfie at Naqsh-e Jahan Square, with the Shah Mosque in the background, in Isfahan, Iran. Photo: Foreman family / AFP

Satellite photos show Iran has been repairing and fortifying key sites

New satellite imagery offers a glimpse of Iranian activities as the White House warns it ‘would be very wise to make a deal’.

19 Feb 2026 - 12:33PM

US pulls forces from Syria as new government exerts control

The Syrian army has already taken control of Al-Tanf military base, ending an American military presence that lasted for a decade.

19 Feb 2026 - 7:04AMvideocam

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