Iran-US tensions

Israeli military vehicles drive along a road in southern Lebanon, near the Israeli border on April 8, 2026. Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz said the military had carried out a surprise attack on April 8 targeting hundreds of Hezbollah members across Lebanon. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images) /

Breaking | Last Updated: April 9, 2026, 4:05 pm

US to host Lebanon-Israel talks next week in first such meeting

A senior Lebanese official told Al-Monitor that the Trump administration relayed to Beirut on Wednesday its support for Lebanon to handle its negotiations with Israel, separate from talks taking place with Iran this weekend in Pakistan.

Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to the UN, speaks during a UN Security Council meeting regarding the situation in the Middle East on April 7, 2026, in New York City. A vote on a resolution in the Security Council introduced by Bahrain focusing on reopening the Strait of Hormuz failed after opposition from Russia and China. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Analysis

Sanctions relief, Pakistan role propel China backing of Iran-US ceasefire

The US–Iran truce boosts Pakistan — one of China’s closest partners — by elevating its role as a mediator and strengthening a regional balance that favors Beijing’s allies.

Joyce Karam

By Joyce Karam , Rosaleen Carroll

TOPSHOT - People watch from a street as a tall smoke plume billows following an explosion in the Fujairah industrial zone on March 3, 2026. Iran's strikes on Gulf neighbours since February 28, following the US-Israeli attack, forced the UAE to shut its airspace, blindsiding travellers who thought they were headed to one of the region's safest holiday destinations. (Photo by Fadel SENNA / AFP via Getty Images)

UAE says no more 'niceties' with Iran, seeks clarity on fragile truce terms

The UAE said Iran must pay “compensation” for damages incurred during the conflict.

United Arab Emirates

This picture taken on April 9, 2026, shows the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the Basta neighbourhood of Beirut the day before. Calls were mounting for the ceasefire between the US and Iran to be extended to Israel's war with Hezbollah, after a massive wave of Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed more than 200 people. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon rejects Iran negotiating on its behalf, PM says only Beirut handles talks

Israel launched its largest attack against Lebanon in the war, firing over 160 munitions across the country. At least 203 people were killed and 1,072 injured, while 33 remain missing, authorities said.

Latest News

Analysis

Ceasefire or strategic pause? How Iran is framing war narrative amid deep mistrust

Iranians hold national flags as they gather in Tehran's Revolution Square after the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, on April 8, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Exclusive

'King of Iraq': Top judge Zaidan played key role in Shelly Kittleson's release

An undated image of Shelly Kittleson.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Iran hits Gulf, threatens truce as Israel escalates in Lebanon: What to know

Firefighters attempt to extinguish a fire following an Israeli strike at the Corniche al-Mazraa neighbourhood of Beirut on April 8, 2026.

Analysis

How fast can Gulf energy production rebound after US-Iran ceasefire?

picture of Qatar Energy's operating facilities on March 3, 2026, in Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

A banner depicting Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new supreme leader and son of slain leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is displayed on Enghelab (Revolution) Square, Tehran, as people gather for the funerals of commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the army and others killed in US and Israeli strikes on Iran, March 11, 2026.

Analysis

Israel, Gulf fear Trump may lose interest in war as Iran weighs nuclear breakout

If the current war ends with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps emboldened, many worry that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, will increase efforts to pursue a nuclear weapon to deter future attacks, similar to North Korea.

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

Iranian nationals arrive in Turkey after passing through the Razi-Kapikoy border crossing in Van, northeastern Turkey, on March 3, 2026.

Feature

Iranians crossing into Turkey haunted by regime crackdown more than war

Many Iranians crossing into Turkey suggest the regime’s deadly crackdown on recent protests, not the bombardment, is the trauma they cannot shake.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

CENTCOM: Six killed after US refueling tanker aircraft crashes in Iraq

The KC-135 is the fourth American military aircraft downed since the war against Iran began.

Dmytro Chubenko, spokesperson of the Kharkiv prosecutor, and his assistant look at a Russian Shahed drone shot down by Ukraine's air defense forces in a field used for the storage of Russian missiles in Kharkiv, on April 30, 2025.

Ukraine sends teams to help Gulf counter Iranian drones: What to know

Ukraine has significant experience downing Iran’s Shahed drones, leading Gulf states to express interest in Ukrainian expertise and hardware.

A security forces member with a picture of Iran's new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, watches over demonstrators as they gather for a rally in support of the new supreme leader at Enghelab Square on March 9, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

As Trump shrugs off possible Iran attacks at home, experts see increased risk

The war has fueled concerns that Iran’s operatives, or those acting in its name, could target the United States.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Retired Israeli general and executive director of Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies Amos Yadlin attends a session at the Manama Dialogue security conference in the Bahraini capital, on Dec. 5, 2020.

Interview

Yadlin: Israel's war goal to weaken Iran, not immediate regime change

Israeli leaders are aware that Washington will decide when the war ends whether or not Israel has achieved its war aims, Yadlin told Al-Monitor.

Commercial vessels are pictured offshore in Dubai on March 11, 2026. AFP via Getty Images

Oil jumps above $100 as energy crisis called worst in history: What to know

The latest spike is the second time in a week that oil prices have climbed above $100 a barrel.

This photo taken in Tehran shows a statement by Iran's new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei being televised on March 12, 2026. Iran's new supreme leader ordered the vital Strait of Hormuz oil shipping lane to remain closed on March 12, while US President Donald Trump said stopping the Islamic republic's "evil empire" was more important than crude prices. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who was reportedly injured in an air strike, has yet to appear publicly since his nomination as supreme leader, and his defiant

In first remarks, Mojtaba Khamenei vows 'revenge,' holds firm on Hormuz closure

New Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei did not appear on camera and his remarks were read by presenters on state media.

Fighters lift flags of Iraq and paramilitary groups, including al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah, during a funeral in Baghdad for five militants killed a day earlier in a US strike in northern Iraq, on Dec. 4, 2023.

US warns of kidnapping threat in Iraq as Iran-backed militia hits diplomatic facility

A number of US-related sites have been targeted by Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, prompting Baghdad to bolster its air defenses.

People sit in a cafe outside the Apple Store in Dubai on May 8, 2025. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Citi, HSBC order Gulf evacuations after Iran threatens US tech, banks

The United Arab Emirates is home to Dubai Internet City, which hosts more than 4,000 businesses, including US tech giants such as Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Dell, Amazon, Mastercard and Visa. Several of these companies also have offices in Abu Dhabi.

Sakis Mitrolidis / AFP via Getty Images

Group of 32 states to release 400M barrels of oil reserves: What to know

The move would mark the agency's largest ever release of oil reserves to stabilize the global market.

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

MEHDI MARIZAD/FARS NEWS/AFP via Getty Images

US strikes Iran's IRGC minelayer boats near Hormuz: What to know

The Pentagon is shifting focus to the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' unconventional warfare tactics could threaten the vital economic shipping lane in the long term.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military