United Nations

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 23: Permanent Representative of the UAE to the United Nations Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh speaks during a meeting on February 23, 2023 at U.N. Headquarters in New York City. The Security Council met to discuss international peace and security issues. The General Assembly continues its Eleventh Emergency Special Session on Ukraine to resume introductions on a new draft resolution and two proposed amendments on the eve of the one year anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine.

Breaking | Last Updated: October 21, 2026, 5:39 pm

UAE nominates Lana Nusseibeh for UN secretary-general: What to know

Nusseibeh, who is of Palestinian descent, would become the second Middle Eastern person to serve as UN secretary-general after Boutros Boutros-Ghali and the first woman to hold the position.

United Arab Emirates

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres speaks at the UNGA

Explainer

As Guterres exits, here are contenders for UNSG and their Middle East outlook

The next UN secretary-general will inherit a Middle East agenda dominated by crises.

Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok chairs an emergency cabinet session in the capital, Khartoum, on Oct. 18, 2021.

Interview

Ex-PM says Sudan risks partition amid US ceasefire push

Former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok also called for the United States to impose sanctions that would carry “personal consequences” for the warring sides.

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force march with riffles during a military rally named Jan-Fada in Tehran, Sept. 18, 2026.

Iran rallies thousands of volunteer fighters as talks with US stall: What to know

Iran has been leading a volunteer recruitment drive and providing military training to civilians as talks with the US remain stalled.

Latest News

Lebanon PM meets Rubio as Israel talks stall: What to know

SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images

Sudan pushes back after US calls army-led government illegitimate

Ebrahim Hamid / AFP via Getty Images

Pezeshkian says Iran open to US talks, region must settle own disputes

TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon's PM calls for international force to replace UNIFIL: What to know

Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images

Iraqi President Barham Salih meets with UK Prime Minister, Theresa May (unseen), on June 25, 2019, in London, England.

Barham Salih slated to become first Kurd and Iraqi to lead UNHCR

Barham Salih — former Iraqi president of Iraq and widely respected politician in Washington — has been formally nominated to become the next UN high commissioner for refugees.

A boy sits outside the entrance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) building complex in Gaza City, on Sept. 6, 2025.

Interview

UNRWA plans Turkey office to boost Gaza, Syria aid as pledges dip

Speaking exclusively to Al-Monitor, UNRWA’s Tamara Alrifai said the upcoming Turkey office would help the agency to expand its operations not only in Gaza but also in Syria.

Tamara Alrifai

In this handout photo released by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) on November 10, 2025, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi (L) is accompanied by AEOI chief Mohammad Eslami during a visit to a facility in Tehran. (Photo by Atomic Energy Organization of Iran / AFP)

Iran stops IAEA inspections following UN watchdog's reprimand

The IAEA Board of Governors approved a resolution on Thursday demanding Iran provide access to attacked nuclear facilities and information on its uranium stockpiles.

UN Security Council votes for US resolution on the Gaza peace plan

UN Security Council endorses US plan for Gaza security force

The US-drafted resolution also endorses the Trump-led Board of Peace and references possible statehood for the Palestinians.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa waits to meet with France's president, Emmanuel Macron, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 24, 2025.

Exclusive

US pushes UN vote to revoke Sharaa sanctions before White House visit

The Trump administration's effort to delist the Syrian leader has faced resistance from China.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP via Getty Images

Sudan PM orders state of alert as atrocity claims mount in Darfur

The UN Security Council met Thursday to address reports of mass killings and alleged atrocities in el-Fasher following its capture by the Rapid Support Forces.

Smoke billows following an Israeli strike that targeted a building in the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on Oct. 19, 2025.

US military to start Gaza ceasefire monitoring as international force plans stall

Diplomatic snags and concerns that their troops could be caught in the crossfire between Hamas and Israel are raising questions about a US proposal to stabilize postwar Gaza with an international force, despite "great optimism" cited by US Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday.

ABDELRAHMAN RASHAD/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

FIFA, Arab League, World Bank: Who's pledging what toward Gaza’s $70B reconstruction?

More than 90% of Gaza’s residential buildings have been damaged, and nearly 70% of all structures have either been severely damaged or leveled over the course of the war.

Khaled El-Enany, Egyptologist and former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt, speaks during an interview with AFP at a hotel in Paris on April 10, 2025.

Culture

UNESCO backs Egypt's Khaled el-Enany as next director-general, first Arab in post

Enany would be the first Egyptian and the first Arab to serve as the agency’s director-general.

Former senior commander of the Sudanese Janjaweed militia Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman.

In a first, ICC convicts Sudanese militia leader of Darfur war crimes

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman was found guilty of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur between 2003 and 2004.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C) welcomes Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov (L) and Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazeem Gharibabadi.

Analysis

How far will China, Russia go in shielding Iran from UN sanctions?

Iran is lobbying states to resist enforcement of UN sanctions — looking particularly to China and Russia to blunt the impact, even as questions remain about the limits of their willingness to act.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters on Sept. 24, 2025 in New York City.

Analysis

'Prepared for any scenario': What are Iran's options after sanctions snapback?

As the snapback nears, Iran weighs diplomacy, escalation and changes to its nuclear policy.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics