Archives for March, 2025

A picture shows the walls around the Agdal gardens and High Atlas mountain range (background) in Marrakesh on Dec. 29, 2014.

Culture

AL-Monitor Doha: Exploring Morocco’s cultural tapestry at Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art

Displaced Palestinian children queue to get a portion of cooked food from a charity kitchen in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, ahead of the iftar fast-breaking meal during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on March 9, 2025. Israel's energy minister said on March 9 he had given instructions to stop supplying electricity to Gaza, a week after Israel blocked all aid into the war-ravaged Palestinian territory. (Photo by Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP) (Photo by OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images)

Gaza ceasefire in doubt as Israel tightens grip on aid

By squeezing Gaza’s civilian population, Israel hopes to pressure Hamas into extending the ceasefire on its terms.

TOPSHOT - People queue to visit statues of Pokemon characters displayed outside the Lotte World Tower in Seoul on April 26, 2024. (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP) (Photo by ANTHONY WALLACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi group buys 'Pokemon Go' for $3.5 Billion: What we know

Saudi Arabia has spent billions of dollars on video games in recent years, but profitability remains a challenge in the adjacent esports industry.

Diplomatic advisor to the United Arab Emirates President Anwar Gargash arrives to attend the opening ceremony of the Summit on peace in Ukraine, at the luxury Burgenstock resort, near Lucerne, on June 15, 2024.

UAE's Anwar Gargash visits Iran to deliver Trump's letter: What to know

Anwar Gargash's visit to Iran as an interlocutor would mark the Emirates' foray into mediating between Washington and Tehran, a role Abu Dhabi is uniquely placed to play.

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler (L) is pictured with Saud Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in in Saudi Arabia on March 12, 2025.

Turkey’s defense chief deepens military ties, Syria cooperation in Riyadh

The Turkish defense chief’s visit to Jeddah comes ahead of an expected visit by the president.

TOPSHOT - Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi speaks to the press, in front of the portrait of slain Lebanese Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, after meeting with Syrian officials at the Iranian embassy in Damascus on October 5, 2024. (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA / AFP) (Photo by LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

As Iran set to receive Trump's letter, China to host talks on nuclear program

China will host a trilateral meeting with Russia and Iran in Beijing Friday to discuss Iran's nuclear program, amid renewed US efforts to renegotiate a new deal.

The UN commission accuses Israel of perpetrating 'a concerted policy to destroy Gaza's healthcare system'

'Humiliated': Palestinian victims of Israel sexual abuse testify at UN

Agence France-Presse

Iran has officially ruled out direct talks as long as sanctions remain, but analysts say it appears it is ready for limited negotiations

Iran weighs talks with US as Trump letter arrives

Agence France-Presse

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert speaks during a briefing on US President Donald Trump's Mideast peace plan on February 11, 2020 in New York. Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas told the UN Security Council that the world should reject President Donald Trump's Middle East plan, which he said would limit Palestinian sovereignty in a "Swiss cheese" deal. "We reject the Israeli-American plan," which "throws into question the legitimate rights of the Palestinians," Abbas said, brandishing a large map of

Interview

In break with Netanyahu, Olmert urges Israel to recognize Syria’s Sharaa, open dialogue

Former Israeli Premier Ehud Olmert believes Israel should recognize the legitimacy of the Syrian interim administration, telling Al-Monitor in an interview that he believes that the two countries should open dialogue.

This handout photo, made available by the Iranian Army office on March 11, 2025, shows the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy guided-missile destroyer Baotou during joint military drills between Iran, Russia and China in the Gulf of Oman.

Analysis

Iran flaunts joint Russia-China naval exercise as defiance of Trump, new order: What to know

Iran appears to be using the drills as a powerful signal that amid shifting dynamics under the new US administration, it will not be alone in defending its strategic interests.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

UN peacekeepers carry out a patrol in the south Lebanon village of Ramia.

Israel kills senior Hezbollah militant, frees four Lebanese prisoners

Agence France-Presse

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) and SDF leader Mazloum Kobane sign an agreement in Damascus on March 10, 2025.

Analysis

Syria’s Kurds win big as Sharaa shakes hands with Kobane to save his own skin

The surprise deal between Syria’s interim president and the Kurdish leader marks a pivotal moment for the country’s Kurdish minority and shifts the balance of power amid escalating violence.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, pictured here in February, reaffirmed European support for Ukraine as she addressed the UN Security Council

EU foreign affairs chief slams rise of the 'rule of force'

Agence France-Presse

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Palestinians see hope for breakthrough in US-Hamas talks as Arab plan faces challenges

Despite US claims that talks with Hamas were a one-time event, some Palestinians see them as a rare opening for progress amid stalled diplomatic efforts.

An oil refinery in the northern town of Ras Lanuf is seen in this photo, Libya, June 3, 2020.

Libya now politically stable, 'attractive' to foreign oil firms: NOC chairman

Since the ousting of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, Libya’s oil sector has been unstable amid political unrest between two warring factions in the east and the west of the country.

UNIFIL peacekeeping troops patrol the southern Lebanese village of Ramia near the southern border on March 5, 2025. Lebanese official media said two people were wounded on March 5 when Israeli drones attacked a vehicle in the south, a day after a deadly raid and despite a November 27 Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire. (Photo by Mahmoud ZAYYAT / AFP) (Photo by MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon, Israel agree to border talks under US mediation: What to know

A military meeting in southern Lebanon on Tuesday led to an agreement between Israel and Lebanon regarding the next steps on the Blue Line.