Amazon Web Services announced it cannot restore access to some customer data stored at Persian Gulf data centers that were damaged during the US-Iran war in spring 2026. The facilities in UAE and Bahrain were struck by Iranian drones.
Standard Chartered has rolled out deliverable spot trading in Bitcoin and Ethereum for institutional clients in the UAE, becoming the first global systemically important bank to provide the service in the region.
US forces conducted their first military action against Iran in a month, striking IRGC rocket launchers preparing to deploy sea mines in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran launched retaliatory missile and drone attacks on US bases in Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, and UAE.
A drone strike sparked a fire at an electrical generator at the Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi. The UAE condemned the attack as a 'dangerous escalation' and investigations are underway to determine the source.
