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Vinson & Elkins has represented clients in the Middle East and North Africa for more than 30 years. Our lawyers bring extensive knowledge and a deep understanding of specific country-by-country considerations and regional variations, so that each client is able to navigate the complexities and customs of doing business in the region.

Vinson & Elkins’ office in the region is located in Dubai and includes internationally qualified lawyers who advise clients on complex regional matters from Morocco to the UAE.

Our team has particular experience advising clients on transactions and international dispute resolution matters across the energy sector, with a focus on all facets of oil and gas exploration, production, transportation, and processing.

Additionally, we regularly advise clients who operate in the construction and engineering, infrastructure, power, mining, telecommunications, and health care sectors, on mergers and acquisitions, project finance, capital markets and securities, arbitration, and litigation.

Our lawyers bring deep understanding of Middle Eastern business, legal and regulatory systems and a long history of advising local, regional and international clients doing business inside and outside of the region.

Experience

  • The Republic of Iraq Ministry of Oil in connection with the $17 billion Basrah Gas Project to capture the large volume of natural gas currently being flared in oil fields in Iraq’s southern region and process it for both domestic power generation and LNG export; the project involves a 25-year development joint venture agreement with Royal Dutch Shell plc and Mitsubishi

  • The Republic of Iraq Ministry of Oil on a multibillion dollar development of the 1,000-kilometer Iraq-Jordan Export Pipeline Project, which will be developed on a BOOT basis. Our advice includes leading the negotiation of the Intergovernmental agreement, the BOOT contract, crude and gas offtake agreements, and project finance bankability considerations

  • Oman Oil Company in the $2.4 billion acquisition of the Oxea Group, the world’s largest supplier of Oxo chemical products, from Advent International

  • The developer of an aluminum smelter in relation to the negotiation of a long-term agreement for the supply of natural gas from Sonatrach in Algeria

  • A subsidiary of a Middle Eastern national oil company on a series of transactions spanning the acquisition or newbuild construction of multiple jack-up drilling rigs and fast-moving desert rigs for a combined consideration of $1.4 billion

  • ShaMaran Petroleum Corp. on the signed acquisition of 100% of the shares of TEPKRI Sarsang A/S, the holder of an 18% participating interest in the Sarsang Block located in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, from TotalEnergies for a potential total value of $170 million

  • A Saudi citizen and prominent international investor in international arbitration against a foreign government for mistreatment, unlawful takeover and mistrial as well as representing him locally before the Bureau for Public Prosecution, the Ministry of Interior and its department (e.g. the Saudi Interpol) and the Criminal Court 

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At Vinson & Elkins, we bring decades of knowledge, skill, and experience to our clients’ most complex legal matters.

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Articles

Force Majeure and LNG Contracts

Amid the escalating Middle East conflict, QatarEnergy’s 4 March 2026 declaration of force majeure following the suspension of liquified natural …

June 4, 2026

June 4, 2026 • 1-minute read

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Client Alerts

When Energy Prices Spike: Emerging Claims and Remedies in Times of Conflict

The regional conflict in the Middle East, which began in late February 2026, led to significant volatility in global oil …

April 20, 2026

April 20, 2026 • 7-minute read

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Client Alerts

Construction in the Crossfire: A Roadmap for GCC Projects Affected by the Regional Conflict

The regional conflict in the Gulf is, hopefully, at an end. It has nevertheless created pressure on many construction projects …

April 13, 2026

April 13, 2026 • 6-minute read

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Articles

Force Majeure and LNG Contracts

Introduction Recent attacks on LNG facilities in the Gulf have sent shockwaves through the LNG industry and are already having …

March 23, 2026

March 23, 2026 • 4-minute read

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Articles

Mideast War Tests LNG Contracts

Published by Energy Intelligence, March 2026 The escalating conflict in the Middle East is already having a significant impact on …

March 4, 2026

March 4, 2026 • 5-minute read

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Client Alerts

Conflict in the Gulf: Impact on Global Oil and LNG Markets

Escalating tensions in the Middle East over the weekend create immediate sensitivity in global oil and LNG markets, particularly because of the strategic importance of the Strait of Hormuz and the broader Gulf shipping routes.

March 1, 2026

March 1, 2026 • 2-minute read

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Client Alerts

Middle East International Dispute Resolution Compendium

Following a year of major changes in the legal and arbitral landscape, 2025 continued to see notable legal developments, particularly …

February 26, 2026

February 26, 2026 • 1-minute read

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