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Jordan

August 26, 2026

Amman 7:41 am

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King Abdullah II arrives in Beijing, Aug. 20, 2026. Photo from Xinhua/Chen Yehua.

Explainer

King Abdullah visits China as region hedges against US unpredictability

With no end in sight to the war in Iran and an unchecked Israeli policy across the region, the kingdom is hedging against future uncertainty and a less predictable US policy.

Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with King of Jordan Abdullah II during a signing ceremony at The Great Hall Of The People on Sept. 9, 2015, in Beijing, China.

Jordan's King Abdullah heads to China in first visit since 2015: What to know

Ahead of the visit, King Abdullah said that Jordan hopes to expand cooperation with China in green energy, tourism and aviation.

US President Donald Trump (R) meets with Jordanian King Abdullah II in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, DC, Feb. 11, 2025.

Analysis

Jordan shores up US lifelines as Iran targets Amman’s reliance on Washington

Already a leading recipient of US aid, Jordan has secured fresh funds from the United States as the Iran war tests Amman and Washington's partnerships.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Jordan intercepts 7 missiles, 6 drones as Iran warns civilians near US bases

Iranians ride their motorcycles past a deactivated Kheibar Shekan ballistic missile in front of a picture of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran's Bahrestan Square on September 27, 2025, as part of an exhibit to mark the "Sacred Defense Week" commemorating the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

Saudi Arabia, Turkey advance plans to revive historic Hejaz Railway

An old locomotive sits outside the Hejaz rail station in old Damascus on February 23, 2010. The Hejaz railway ran from Damascucs to Medina in Saudi Arabia and was part of the Ottoman railway network. AFP PHOTO/LOUAI BESHARA (Photo credit should read LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images)

Culture

10 MENA teams at 2026 World Cup: Morocco eyes title, Iran faces visa hurdles

Morocco's midfielder Azzedine Ounahi celebrates scoring with teammates during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E African qualification football match between Morocco and Niger at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat on September 5, 2025. (Photo by Abdel Majid BZIOUAT / AFP)

Abeer Ayyoub

In Istanbul, reporting on Palestine

Hanna Davis

In Beirut, reporting on politics, migration, human rights

Lyse Mauvais

In Amman, reporting on humanitarian crises

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne chairs a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting on the Middle East, including the situation in Gaza and Israel on Jan. 23, 2024, in New York City.

France's new FM Sejourne makes first visit to Egypt, Lebanon, Israel & Jordan

French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné is set to visit the Middle East, meeting with almost all the parties involved in the Gaza war, except Qatar.

ISMAILIA, EGYPT - JANUARY 10: A ship transits the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on January 10, 2024 in Ismailia, Egypt. In the wake of Israel's war on Gaza after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, Houthi rebels in Yemen pledged disruption on all ships destined for Israel through the Red Sea's Suez Canal. The disruption on world trade is evident in the number of companies using this container ship route - a 90 per cent decline compared to figures one year ago. (Photo by Sayed Hassan/Getty Images)

Red Sea attacks push global firms to seek overland shipping alternatives

An Israeli company is sending goods overland from the United Arab Emirates through Saudi Arabia and other firms are looking at different arrangements as US strikes fail to deter Houthi attacks.

US soldiers participate in the annual military exercises known as "Eager Lion", near Maan some 200 kilometres south of the capital Amman on May 17, 2017.

3 US troops killed, 25 wounded in Iran-backed drone attack in Jordan

President Joe Biden has vowed to respond after US troops were killed by a suspected Iran-backed militia for first time since Israel's war in Gaza began.

KHALIL MAZRAAWI/afp/AFP via Getty Images

As Captagon war heats up, Jordan escalates airstrikes in Syria

Jordan has clashed with and struck alleged drug smugglers several times in recent weeks as the Captagon trade continues to thrive the region.

11/17/2023 Amman, Jordan. Hundreds of demonstrators carry placards and Palestinian flags during a solidarity protest in support of Palestinians in Gaza, in downtown Amman, Jordan, on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. Jordanians called for an immediate withdrawal of American military bases from Jordan as Israel raids Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza. (Photo by Annie Sakkab / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by ANNIE SAKKAB/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

In Jordan, Gaza rage turns to US as Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood make gains

As Hamas' popularity soars in Jordan, its ally the Muslim Brotherhood is also gaining political traction.

Hanna Davis

In Beirut, reporting on politics, migration, human rights

Officers of the Directorate of Narcotics Control of Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry sort through tablets of captagon (Fenethylline) seized during a special operation and presented before AFP afterward in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah on March 1, 2022.

Jordanian military kills drug smugglers on Syrian border

Cross-border drug smuggling was a major topic of discussion during Syria’s readmission into the Arab League.

Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi gives a joint press conference with his German counterpart following talks at the Foreign Ministry in Berlin on March 10, 2021.

Interview

Israel already suffering 'strategic defeat' with global outcry over Gaza, Jordan’s FM says

In an interview with Al-Monitor, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi urged the United States to wield its influence with Israel to stem the bloodshed in Gaza after two months of devastating war.

Ayman Safadi

Ayman Safadi

Foreign Minister of Jordan

Jordan water

Analysis

How detrimental is Gaza war to Jordan-Israel climate cooperation, water security? 

Responding to domestic pressure, Jordan has called off a deal to exchange its solar energy for desalinated water from Israel, but it has no good solutions for its own water crisis.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

TABA, EGYPT: Beach resorts close to the Egyptian Taba Hilton (background-R) remain empty 11 October 2004, four days after three attacks targeted this well-known hotel in the Sinai peninsula next to the Israeli border and another two minor resorts, killing at least 32 people and causing the exodus of thousands of Israeli tourists from the area called the Egyptian Riviera. Israel's resort of Eilat, close to the border with Egypt, is set for a boom as thousands of Israelis who regularly holiday in Sinai look e

Tourism tipping point: Middle East travel boom delivering economic boost as Israel-Hamas war threatens recovery

The outbreak of fighting between Israel and Hamas in October 2023 has undercut a fledgling tourism rebound in the Holy Land after years of struggle.

Jordan's Queen Rania and Spain's Queen Letizia (R) arrive for an official luncheon at the Royal Palace in Madrid, on June 19, 2023. (Photo by Paul White / POOL / AFP) (Photo by PAUL WHITE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Day 19 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Wednesday, Oct. 25

Jordan queen rues West's 'glaring double standard' on Gaza

Agence France-Presse

This picture shows a view of the reservoir of the Mujib Dam, the main water supply to Amman, in the Madaba governorate, about 100kms north of the Jordanian capital, on April 20, 2021.

Israel-Hamas war set to impact Jordan’s water and energy security amid renewables push

The Israel-Hamas war is presenting significant implications for neighboring Jordan’s water security and energy independence, adding new significance to its growing renewable energy push.

Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech