Saudi chemical maker SABIC has become a choke point in the global tech economy after Iran struck its Jubail complex earlier this month, knocking out production of a specialized plastic used to make circuit boards inside everything from smartphones to AI servers.

The material – PPE resin – helps electronic circuits run safely and reliably. SABIC supplies most of the global market, so when it went offline, manufacturers couldn’t get a key ingredient needed to build devices, Reuters reports.

Printed circuit board prices have jumped sharply as companies scramble for alternatives, with some increases nearing 40% this month alone.

The global printed circuit board industry is projected to increase by 12.5% to reach $95.8 billion in 2026, according to a recent report from Prismark.

Meanwhile, farmers worldwide are facing a fresh spike in fertilizer prices because of the Strait of Hormuz shutdown, which has halted exports of key inputs like urea, sulphur and ammonia from Qatar and other producers, Reuters reports.

The war in Iran has sent pistachio prices soaring to an eight-year high just as global demand surges for pistachio-based treats like Dubai chocolate.

As conflict has disrupted shipping routes and trade, exporting the crop from Iran – one of the world’s largest producers – has become increasingly difficult, tightening an already strained market.

Even before the conflict, global pistachio supply was under strain due to weaker 2025 harvests in the U.S., and Turkey, with drought hitting Iran particularly hard, The Financial Times reports.

Sanctions, domestic unrest and communications shutdowns further have disrupted Iran’s exports, making it harder to coordinate sales and slowing trade. 

The UAE has launched a 1 billion-dirham ($272 million) National Industrial Resilience Fund.

Announced on Sunday by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, the UAE’s Vice President and Ruler of Dubai,  the initiative aims to strengthen supply chains, expand local production and increase the use of artificial intelligence across industries.

The fund is being launched in advance of next week’s annual “Make it in the Emirates” forum in Abu Dhabi, and officials say it will prioritize key sectors of the economy such as food security, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals and advanced technology.

The government will also be promoting thousands of locally made products through retail platforms connected to the “Make it in the Emirates” initiative.

Two UAE business leaders who advise President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed on security and technology matters visited U.S. President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, and made a swing through the U.S. to meet with SpaceX founder Elon Musk, investors Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, and defense firm Anduril.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports, and Faisal Al Bannai, Chairman of state-owned defense conglomerate EDGE Group, traveled to Palm Beach, Florida, for the weekend meeting at Trump’s residence and resort, they said in posts on X. Both hold senior advisory posts in the UAE Presidential Court.

The two also met separately with Jared Kushner, founder of Miami-based private equity firm Affinity Partners and Trump’s son-in-law. They were joined throughout the trip by Sheikh Zayed bin Mohammed bin Hamad Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad’s son. 

Before meeting Trump, the Emirati leaders traveled to San Francisco and discussed “possible areas of collaboration” with venture capitalists Andreessen and Horowitz, founders of A16Z, Al Bannai said in a post on X. Among those joining the various meeting was Abdallah Abu Sheikh, founder of Abu Dhabi-based Astra Tech, and CEO of Botim. Musk met them at another stop.

The group also visited U.S. defense contractor Anduril, with which EDGE signed an agreement in November to form a joint drone aircraft venture.

Emirates boss Tim Clark said he expects the carrier to become the “most profitable airline” in the world by the end of this year, despite disruptions from the Iran war, pointing to its history of restoring operations quickly and a ready supply of jet fuel.

“What we have found is that whenever we’ve been through these traumas before, the strength of demand [remains] so strong,” Clark said in an address to the the Centre for Aviation’s Airline Leader Summit in Berlin on Thursday.

He added that Emirates had “earned our skills” more than any other because “We’ve been subjected to all sorts of things over the last 20 to 30 years.”

Clark’s bold tone amid a growing crisis in the global aviation sector can partly be explained by Emirates’ ability to access the UAE’s plentiful fuel supply, giving it a competitive edge over many airlines in Europe and Asia, which are facing shortages.

“Frankly, we’re not that concerned, [as] we’ve got adequate supplies over here [in the UAE]. We produce and refine our own Jet A-1 fuel,” Clark said.

Emirates is now operating at more than 65% of its capacity and Clark said it would only take one to two months to restore operations to normal once the conflict was resolved.

He said the airline continued to refine its offerings and was working on upgrades to First Class cabins, including adding ensuite bathrooms.

Dubai’s red-hot property market just blinked. After years of consistent gains, home prices in the emirate posted their first decline since the pandemic boom, with a key ValuStrat index falling 5.9% in March. 

The pullback from a 70% increase in the market since 2020 comes as regional tensions rattle investor confidence and deal flow begins to slow, even if much of the recent data still reflects transactions agreed months earlier, Bloomberg reports.

The value of Dubai residential sales dropped by nearly a fifth to $10.1 billion in March from the previous month, and the number of transactions dropped to about 13,000 from nearly 16,000, according to government data.

Prices are still roughly in line with where they were late last year, but the shift suggests momentum has stalled in a market that was fueled by an influx of foreign cash, wealthy expatriates and global investors. 

Developers are starting to adjust, offering incentives to keep buyers engaged, while some investors are pushing for discounts. The question now is whether this is a brief pause or the start of a broader reset.

Dubai has unveiled plans for a $9 billion Metro Gold Line, billed as the emirate’s largest transportation project ever, that will serve more than 1.5 million residents.

The project, which was announced on Wednesday by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, is a 42-kilometer (26-mile) underground line that will connect 15 key districts and link existing metro routes with Etihad Rail passenger services.

The Gold Line will add 18 stations and expand the network by 35%, running from Al Ghubaiba in the old part of Dubai to Jumeirah Golf Estates through major residential and commercial hubs.

The line is scheduled to open in 2032.

The UAE has moved to reassure markets that it has no liquidity problems or need for external financing, despite seeking assistance in the form of a currency swap with the U.S. amid the economic fallout from the Iran war.

U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that a currency swap, in which the Federal Reserve would likely lend dollars to the UAE Central bank in return for dirhams, was under consideration. 

“It’s been a good country. It’s been a good ally of ours. And, you know, these are unusual times,”he told CNBC on Tuesday when asked if the administration was weighing the plan, first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

“I’m surprised, because they are really rich,” Trump said. “They’re very good for this country, so yeah, if I could help them, I would.”

Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE’s Ambassador to the U.S. and a Minister of State, quickly clarified the UAE’s position, saying that “any suggestion that the UAE requires external financial backing misreads the facts.”

“The UAE is one of the world’s most financially resilient economies, underpinned by more than $2 trillion in sovereign investment assets,” he said, adding “we very much appreciate President Trump’s recognition of the UAE as one of America’s most important economic & trade partners.”