Fresh diplomatic momentum is building around possible talks between the United States and Iran, with both sides signalling cautious openness even as they stop short of confirming direct engagement.
Oil production across the Gulf, sharply curtailed by the Iran conflict, is expected to stage a strong recovery within months once the Strait of Hormuz fully reopens, according to Goldman Sachs, offering a measure of optimism for regional energy markets.
Gulf women continue to strengthen their presence in the development journey of GCC countries, supported by a young population base and growing participation in the labour market, according to a GCC-Stat report.
France and the Gulf Cooperation Council states will meet in Paris on June 18 and 19 June for Vision Golfe, a high-level forum designed to accelerate trade, investment and strategic cooperation between the two regions.
Fresh diplomatic signals from Tehran and Washington have raised cautious optimism about a potential deal to de-escalate tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and end the war.
Canada has emerged as the clearest winner from current geopolitical disruption in incentive travel planning, while the Gulf States is seeing the sharpest fall in confidence, according to the latest SITE Pulse Survey.
The small and medium‑sized enterprises (SMEs) across the Gulf region showed strong resilience through the first quarter, sustaining high levels of company formation and restructuring even as March brought renewed disruption linked to the regional tensions, said a report.
All eyes are on Pakistan's capital Islamabad as it hosts what are being described as “make-or-break” talks between the United States and Iran on Saturday, even as doubts persist over their prospects amid sharply divergent positions, ongoing violence in Lebanon, and renewed warnings from Donald Trump of intensified military action if diplomacy fails.
The foreign ministers of the Gulf countries and the European Union (EU) strongly condemned the unjustified Iranian attacks targeting GCC states, considering them a direct threat to regional and global security. In a joint statement issued after an extraordinary meeting, the ministers called on Iran to immediately halt its attacks.
The war in the Middle East is upending lives and livelihoods in the region and beyond. It is also dimming the outlook for many economies that had only just shown signs of a sustained recovery from previous crises, says key IMF directors in a blogpost.
