Mideast Buyers Defy Missile Strikes to Extend Global Deal Spree

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.

BlackRock Inc.’s Global Infrastructure Partners brought the Qatar Investment Authority into the investor group more than a year ago, according to a person familiar with the matter. The fund’s interest ...