A ‘new dawn’ in UAE after US-Iran agreement and why we should look forwards, not backwards

"Ending the current conflict, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, that's what it was all about”, said Donald Trump triumphantly during a lengthy news conference after the G7 summit in France.

While there are some major points still to iron out in the USA-Iran agreement (who pays the £300bn, what happens with Iran’s nuclear material and what does safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz look like), hopefully this means the guns have fallen silent. Let’s all take a deep breath.

It is great news, no matter the arguments that are sure to follow. I feel fatigued by the events of 2026 and I’m sure many of you do. Months have felt like years. Uncertainty has been an anchor on our day-to-day lives. Family, business, travel, education… it has touched all of us in different ways.

My family and I have remained here since I got a phone call while walking around Dubai Mall with my son: “You might want to get home, it’s started.” I looked at my son, he looked at me.

‘Don’t worry dad, it’ll be alright”, he said as we tried to find the car while lost in the haze of a million thoughts. That moment and those simple words have stuck with me throughout this time.

We never thought about moving - there was, and is, a big job to do with an incredible team who care passionately about Gulf News. It’s been a relentless 15 weeks but also 110 days of great pride.

I’ve been privileged to be in this role during these times, inspired every day by a newsroom that doesn't stop for anything or no-one. A room of pure grit. It hasn’t been easy. We’ve had to make unwanted changes, face our own uncertainties and turn up even when flight reflexes tried to take hold.

Now, I am keen to put all of this behind us. A new dawn is starting and I’m excited for the months ahead. We know that the post-summer period is going to be phenomenal.

At Gulf News, we believe in always moving forwards and not looking over our shoulders. It’s time for us all to get back to the day-to-day business, telling the success stories of this great country and supporting the incredible companies that continue to bring prosperity and comfort to us all.

Since February 28, the top section of Gulf News has been devoted to the conflict, providing instant updates, explainers, analysis and reaction. Today, that section has been removed.

The live war blog that we have ran since the end of February will continue for now, but hopefully with fewer regular updates. That may also come to an end soon.

We’re dropping the war page in the newspaper as well. We’ll keep providing updates on the regional developments but we want to use the space for more international news in a country full of ex-pats from all parts of the globe.

A very quick thank you to reader Turhan Valliani who reached out to me via email with some feedback on the newspaper. I was delighted to give the Marina resident a call and he had some great points. Getting more international news into the paper was one of his ideas. I’ll always listen to any reader feedback.

You know I can’t finish this note without mentioning the World Cup. Rob Ilsley and Shamseer Mohammed have been doing a great job with the coverage, which we’ve focused on the fun happening right here in the UAE.

A shout out to Shawk the Hawk as well. Plucked from obscurity to be our football oracle, predicting the key games in the competition. As I write this, he’s been correct four out of five times. He’s flying high with an 80% success rate. I’m sure it’s based on his own research and he’s not ‘winging it’ (apologies).

This weekend I’m going to stop and reflect while watching the football (England have given me hope… this will probably not last). But, more importantly, I’m going to plan on how we enjoy the rest of the year to the maximum here in Dubai. I hope you get a chance to do the same.

Warm regards,

Mark