Sirens across the Gulf, Hormuz traffic near standstill and Dubai economy grows

In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, air raid sirens sound across Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait after Iran launches missile and drone attacks. Washington launched another round of strikes on Iranian military targets, while President Donald Trump says Tehran wants to make a deal but questions whether it can be trusted to honour one. We also examine the growing impact on global trade as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz slows to a near standstill. Vessel traffic has dropped sharply, LNG movements remain largely suspended and electronic interference is once again affecting navigation in the Gulf of Oman. In Syria, officials tell The National they believe remnants of the Assad regime were behind the recent bomb attacks in Damascus, saying the aim was to undermine the country's recovery and the prosecution of former regime figures. We also have the latest from Pakistan, where search teams have recovered the wreckage of the cargo plane that crashed into the Arabian Sea after departing Sharjah, as efforts continue to locate the five crew members. And despite months of regional conflict, Dubai's economy continues to expand. Official figures show GDP grew by 2.4 per cent in the first quarter, underlining the resilience of the emirate's diversified economy. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.