Mideast Buyers Defy Missile Strikes to Extend Global Deal Spree

Smoke from a reported Iranian strike in Doha, on March 1.

Photographer: Mahmud Hams/AFP/Getty Images

Middle Eastern investors continued their global acquisition spree on Monday, unveiling a pair of big-ticket transactions and brushing off concerns that the Iran conflict could dent regional dealmaking activity at least in the short term.

The biggest deal came from Qatar, whose wealth fund is part of a consortium that said is buying AES Corp. for $10.7 billion in one of the largest US utility transactions in recent years.