AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Lebanese Minister of Social Affairs Haneen Sayyed, together with other officials, visit Lebanon’s National Operations Room and the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Unit.

Interview

Minister warns aid cuts to Lebanon risk empowering Hezbollah

Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Haneen Sayed warns of resurgent sectarian tensions as Israeli strikes drive mass displacement into overcrowded Beirut.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) said Moscow could help China with energy supplies following the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz

Xi meets Russian FM as leaders flock to China over Middle East war

Agence France-Presse

People celebrate Eid and watch oil tankers sail into Muscat Anchorage on March 22, 2026, at Sultan Qaboos Port in Muscat, Oman.

US Navy turns back 3 more vessels on second day of Iran blockade

Cargo vessels altering their identification signals have created a cat-and-mouse game for the US Navy east of the Strait of Hormuz, while most of Iran’s “ghost fleet” appears to remain in a holding pattern.

Iran

UAE's deputy PM holds first call with Ghalibaf amid push to extend US-Iran ceasefire

The Emirati vice president and Iran’s parliament speaker talked de-escalation on the phone in the first such contact since the Iran war began.

United Arab Emirates

Iranians carry the coffin of one of the people killed in a shooting attack, during their funeral in the city of Izeh in Iran's Khuzestan province, on November 18, 2022. In some of the worst violence since the protests erupted, assailants on motorbikes shot dead seven people, including a woman and two children aged nine and 13, at a central market of Izeh on the evening of November 16, 2022, state media said. (Photo by ALIREZA MOHAMMADI / isna / AFP) (Photo by ALIREZA MOHAMMADI/isna/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran arrests Ahwazi separatist leader amid war crackdown: What to know

The Islamic Republic has detained hundreds of people in Khuzestan province, home to Iran’s largest Arab community.

Iran

Latest News

Analysis

Survival first: Will Iran soften red lines in US talks to consolidate war gains?

People walk past a wall mural along the roadside in Tehran on April 12, 2026.

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

At least 9 killed in Turkey’s second school shooting in 24 hours

YASIN AKGUL / AFP) (Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey

Factbox-Oil tankers transiting Strait of Hormuz since start of Iran war

FILE PHOTO: A vessel at the Strait of Hormuz, off the coast of Oman’s Musandam province, April 12, 2026. REUTERS/File Photo

Saudi stocks hit 2026 high, bucking global war-driven volatility

Saudi Arabia

Get unlimited access for as little as $2/week.

The most authoritative roundup for Middle East news everyday on site, app and your inbox.

See Offers

Subscriber-Only Benefits

Our Independent Journalism | No agendas. No influences. Just factual stories.
The Daily Briefing | Intelligent, concise insights—delivered daily.
Unlimited Access | Reporting & analysis—without paywalls.

FILE PHOTO: World Bank President Ajay Banga gives remarks during a forum held at the Atlantic Council building in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 7, 2026. REUTERS/Aaron Schwartz/File Photo/File Photo

World Bank launches 'Water Forward' programme to tackle global water stress

Reuters

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought appears before House Budget Committee hearing on the Trump administration's 2027 budget request, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 15, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

White House offers no hint of Iran war cost as it seeks military funding surge

Reuters

US targets Iran's oil transportation infrastructure with sanctions

Reuters

FILE PHOTO: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a press conference, amid the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran, in Jerusalem, March 19, 2026. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/Pool/File Photo

Israeli military continues to strike Hezbollah amid Lebanon peace talks, Netanyahu says

Reuters

Featured Newsletters

Editor's choice

Three stories hand-picked by our editorial team.

Expert insight on the Middle East—delivered regularly

Read By

See all newsletters

On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman

Lebanon’s Ghassan Salame: Israel talks ‘not negotiations,’ Hezbollah disarmament by force ‘illusion’

Ghassan Salame joins Amberin Zaman

13 April, 3:47 PM ET

33:33

Adam Lucente, Jared Szuba and Beatrice Farhat

The AL-MONITOR Brief

Israel and Lebanon to hold talks after US-Iran ceasefire: What’s next?

Beatrice Farhat, Jared Szuba, Rina Bassist joins Adam Lucente

9 April, 5:27 PM ET

17:42

On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman

Ukraine is becoming the Gulf's new shield against Iran, says Yevgeniya Gaber

Yevgeniya Gaber joins Amberin Zaman

9 April, 4:24 PM ET

16:32

Interviews

Exclusive conversations with AL-MONITOR.

See All

Interview

Despite Trump’s U-turns, US may still support Iran’s Kurds, says Komala’s Mohtadi

A armed Kurdish Peshmerga of the Komala party waves the Komala flag in a ceremony held in memory of Komala Martyrs' Day in Sidakan, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on March 17, 2021.

Abdulla Mohtadi

Leader of Komala

Interview

Ghassan Salame says Lebanon-Israel talks ‘not negotiations,’ Hezbollah disarmament by force ‘illusion’

Ghassan Salame

Lebanese Culture Minister

Interview

Ex-Israeli security official: Netanyahu pushed US, Israel into Iran war without imminent threat

Interview

Minister warns aid cuts to Lebanon risk empowering Hezbollah

Analysis

Stay a step ahead of your colleagues.

Analysis

As Lebanon-Israel talks begin, can Rubio press Netanyahu into ceasefire?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press as he departs Tel Aviv for Qatar following an official visit, at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Lod, Israel, September 16, 2025. Israel heavily bombarded Gaza City on September 16 2025, witnesses told AFP, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio backed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new offensive there and its stated goal of eradicating Hamas. (Photo by NATHAN HOWARD / POOL / AFP) (Photo by NATHAN HOWARD/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

By Ben Caspit

In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense

Analysis

US blockade on Iran’s oil begins amid unclear enforcement, energy shock fears

A ship is seen off the coast of Ras al-Khaimah, the day after the failure of US-Iran peace talks on April 13, 2026. The failure of US-Iran peace talks has left the US president with several unpalatable options, as analysts say his order to blockade the strategic Strait of Hormuz could further complicate his next move on April 12, 2026. Any hopes that the US vice president would emerge from the marathon day of negotiations with top Iranian officials with a deal to end a war that has rippled across the Middle

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Egypt eyes energy breakthroughs as Iran war deepens gas crunch

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Survival first: Will Iran soften red lines in US talks to consolidate war gains?

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Joyce Karam, Randa Slim, Hamidreza Azizi, Hasan Alhasan

Iran War at One Month: Outlook and Implications

Play Video

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sits across from Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Ukraine's Zelenskyy capitalizes on Iran war to ink security deal with Saudi Arabia

Play Video

Joe Snell appears on a street wearing a black jacket; in the frame next to it, a woman with blonde hair, glasses, and a black blazer appears on a laptop screen from a Zoom meeting.

French ISIS Member Convicted of Genocide Against Yazidis

Play Video

Ezgi Akin at Turkey's Kapikoy border crossing

AL-MONITOR's Ezgi Akin at Turkey-Iran Border Crossing

Play Video

AL-MONITOR Live Journalism

Convening global leaders in business, policy and media.

See All

Past

AL-MONITOR Global Institute hosts food security forum with Dr. Conrad Rein

On October 16, 2025, the AL-MONITOR Global Institute hosted Dr. Conrad Rein, Secretary of the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security, alongside representatives from multilateral development banks and the private sector for a discussion on food security in the Middle East and Africa.

Washington, DC

October 16, 2025 11:00 EDT

Past

AL-MONITOR Global Institute hosts Digital Cooperation Organization Secretary-General Deemah AlYahya

On Sept. 21, 2025, the AL-MONITOR Global Institute hosted Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization, for a discussion on digital inclusion and economic empowerment in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

New York, NY

September 21, 2025 17:00 EDT

Past

Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani at AL-Monitor Global Institute

AL-MONITOR Global Institute hosts Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright

On May 22, 2025, the AL-MONITOR Global Institute hosted Prime Minister Masrour Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq and US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright in Washington DC to discuss the future of power and energy in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

Washington, DC

May 22, 2025 10:30 EDT

Our Journalists

See All

Latest News

Get unlimited access for as little as $2/week.

Subscriber-Only Benefits

Featured Newsletters

Select your cities and get the latest in the arts, music and entertainment.

Editor's choice

Expert insight on the Middle East—delivered regularly

Read By

Audio

Interviews

The City Pulse Newsletters

Analysis

Videos

AL-MONITOR Live Journalism

Our Journalists