Major e-commerce platforms are warning of longer delivery times to the Middle East after the US-led bombing campaign against Iran disrupted key air and sea routes, threatening supplies to one of the industry’s fastest-growing markets. Delivery estimates for goods being shipped to consumers across the region by China’s major online retailers have surged by several days. Temu currently estimates del...
Major e-commerce platforms are warning of longer delivery times to the Middle East after the US-led bombing campaign against Iran disrupted key air and sea routes, threatening supplies to one of the industry’s fastest-growing markets. Delivery estimates for goods being shipped to consumers across the region by China’s major online retailers have surged by several days. Temu currently estimates delivery times of up to 20 days, compared with about 15 previously, according to 17Track . Shein has widened its shipping window to eight to 10 days, up from five to eight, the data platform said. Meanwhile, some items on Amazon.com Inc. are showing delivery windows of 45 days on Monday, roughly 10 days longer than before the conflict. The ongoing strikes risk even longer wait times for customers. Two Chinese online merchants who sell primarily through Amazon, Shein and Temu said they have paused plans to ship new inventory from China to the Middle East until conditions stabilize. Freight forwarders have warned them that both shipping costs and delivery times could double if disruptions persist, the merchants told Bloomberg News. Representatives for Amazon, Shein and Temu didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment on Monday. Growth Engine The delays underscore how quickly the escalating conflict is rippling through global supply chains, raising the risk of higher prices and product shortages just as the region celebrates Ramadan, its peak shopping season. The Gulf has become a crucial growth engine for global and Chinese online sellers, buoyed by a young, affluent population that relies heavily on imported goods. “The Middle East market is a write-off this year,” said Huang Lun, a Chinese apparel merchant who sells on Amazon, Shein and Temu and expanded his business to the region last year. “There’s so many layers of risks added to us, with shifting US tariffs, tightening regulation in Europe and now wars in the Middle East.” The Middle East’s rise has coincided with gro...
Zeng Congqin, chairman of baijiu maker Wuliangye Group Co. Ltd., has been detained. Photo: Wuliangye Group The chairman of Wuliangye Group Co. Ltd., China’s second-largest liquor maker, has been detained by anti-graft authorities, marking the latest high-profile executive to fall in the country’s alcohol industry. Zeng Congqin, who leads both the state-owned company and its Shenzhen-listed subsidi...
Zeng Congqin, chairman of baijiu maker Wuliangye Group Co. Ltd., has been detained. Photo: Wuliangye Group The chairman of Wuliangye Group Co. Ltd., China’s second-largest liquor maker, has been detained by anti-graft authorities, marking the latest high-profile executive to fall in the country’s alcohol industry. Zeng Congqin, who leads both the state-owned company and its Shenzhen-listed subsidiary Wuliangye Yibin Co. Ltd. (000858.SZ), is suspected of “serious violations of discipline and law,” according to a statement released late Saturday by the discipline inspection commission of Yibin, Sichuan province.
Dozens of laden oil tankers are hunkering down inside the Persian Gulf after attacks near the Strait of Hormuz have all but closed off the waterway, upending regional logistics, slowing exports and threatening near-term production. At least 40 very-large crude carriers, or VLCCs, each carrying about 2 million barrels of oil, are currently idling within the Gulf, according to ship-tracking data by ...
Dozens of laden oil tankers are hunkering down inside the Persian Gulf after attacks near the Strait of Hormuz have all but closed off the waterway, upending regional logistics, slowing exports and threatening near-term production. At least 40 very-large crude carriers, or VLCCs, each carrying about 2 million barrels of oil, are currently idling within the Gulf, according to ship-tracking data by Kpler. Several owners and captains said that they were waiting for the security situation to become clearer before attempting to pass through the strait. Major shipping companies have also advised vessels to shelter in place. “Inefficiencies will likely increase on the back of recent developments, as we expect shipowners to adopt a ‘wait-and-see’ approach,” Fearnley Securities analysts Fredrik Dybwad and Sigurd Gjone Gabrielsen wrote in a note. While Iran has not formally closed access to the chokepoint after US and Israeli strikes began on Saturday, it has warned vessels not to proceed. At least three have come under attack as of Monday morning. More than half of the world’s largest maritime insurance clubs have also now scrapped war-risk insurance for vessels entering the Gulf. The result is the strait that connects some of the world’s largest producers to their buyers is effectively off-limits. In the last 24 hours, only a handful of large tankers appear to have exited the waterway. Only two US-sanctioned Iranian tankers appear to be close to entering, according to ship-tracking data. A tally of all transits by ship-tracking platform Vortexa shows only four supertankers transiting on March 1, down from 22 a day before. The true number of vessels stuck in the Persian Gulf could be even higher once small tankers are taken into account. Many ships choose to switch off their transponder signals to “go dark” and limit risk, while signal jamming complicates tracking efforts. The Joint Maritime Information Center, a multinational naval advisory group that focuses on the region,...
Iran is hoping to make allies of the US pay a heavy cost in response of US and Israel-led strikes on Iran, according to RANE Mena Global Security Analyst Freddy Khoueiry. (Source: Bloomberg)
Iran is hoping to make allies of the US pay a heavy cost in response of US and Israel-led strikes on Iran, according to RANE Mena Global Security Analyst Freddy Khoueiry. (Source: Bloomberg)
Andy Feng/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Chinese EV maker NIO ( NIO ) delivered 20,797 vehicles in February, representing an increase of 57.6% year-over-year. The deliveries included 15,159 vehicles from NIO brand, 2,981 from ONVO brand, and 2,657 from FIREFLY brand. Year-to-date deliveries reached 47,979 vehicles, reflecting a 77.3% year-over-year increase. As of February 28, 2026, NIO’s cumul...
Andy Feng/iStock Editorial via Getty Images Chinese EV maker NIO ( NIO ) delivered 20,797 vehicles in February, representing an increase of 57.6% year-over-year. The deliveries included 15,159 vehicles from NIO brand, 2,981 from ONVO brand, and 2,657 from FIREFLY brand. Year-to-date deliveries reached 47,979 vehicles, reflecting a 77.3% year-over-year increase. As of February 28, 2026, NIO’s cumulative deliveries have reached a historic 1,045,571 vehicles. Furthermore, NIO achieved 100 million cumulative battery swaps on February 6, 2026, marking a major milestone in its battery swapping model. During the Chinese New Year holiday, battery swap volumes peaked for five days, indicating strong user demand and NIO's efficient service network. More on NIO NIO: Risks Behind Q4 2025's Breakeven Guidance NIO: The Patient Wait For Consistent Profits NIO: A Few Reasons To Believe Breakeven Remains Close NIO unit secures RMB2.257B from Chinese investors NIO stock jumps as company forecasts first quarterly adjusted profit from operations
Commercial Bank of Dubai’s Deepak Mehra says while markets had priced in the risk of spiraling US-Iran tensions, a prolonged conflict threatens to cause an enduring inflation spike. (Source: Bloomberg)
Commercial Bank of Dubai’s Deepak Mehra says while markets had priced in the risk of spiraling US-Iran tensions, a prolonged conflict threatens to cause an enduring inflation spike. (Source: Bloomberg)
Amazon cloud unit's data centers in Bahrain and the UAE were facing power and connectivity issues on Monday, the company said, as Iranian retaliatory strikes hit airports, ports, and residential areas across the wider Gulf. Two of Amazon cloud unit's zones, which are clusters of data centres, in the UAE were without power on Monday, the company said on its status page.
Amazon cloud unit's data centers in Bahrain and the UAE were facing power and connectivity issues on Monday, the company said, as Iranian retaliatory strikes hit airports, ports, and residential areas across the wider Gulf. Two of Amazon cloud unit's zones, which are clusters of data centres, in the UAE were without power on Monday, the company said on its status page.