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Politics & Security

In this handout photo provided by the U.S. Navy, Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 3, 2026 in the Mediterranean Sea.

Breaking | Last Updated: April 29, 2026, 12:29 pm

Pentagon: Iran war has cost US estimated $25B so far

A supplemental request won’t be delivered to Congress until the Pentagon fully assesses the war’s cost, a top budget official told House lawmakers.

Displaced Palestinian people look at paintings at an open-air art exhibition at the Bureij camp for Palestinian refugees in the central Gaza Strip on April 28, 2026. The majority of Gaza's 2.4 million people have been displaced, often multiple times, by the war that began with Hamas's attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. With displaced families living in tented camps, with serious concerns raised about their living conditions. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP via Getty Images) / -- IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDI

Analysis

Why Abbas' win in Gaza remains 'symbolic,' not rejection of Hamas

Affiliates of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas performed relatively well in the municipal elections, though the vote was marred by complications relating to the war and the exclusion of Hamas.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

The Ateela 2 oil tanker boat navigates the sea on April 28, 2026, on Qeshm Island, Iran, in the Strait of Hormuz.

Analysis

How long can Iran's economy withstand Trump's naval blockade?

Iranian authorities are denouncing US seizures of the country's oil tankers as piracy, but mounting disruptions to maritime trade are exposing economic fragility beneath Tehran's claims of control and resilience.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Prime Minister Mohammed S. al-Sudani met with Prime Minister-designate Ali Faleh al-Zaidi on April 28, 2026.

Meet Ali al-Zaidi, businessman and Iraq's new prime minister-designate

Legal sources familiar with the nominee told Al-Monitor that there are no US sanctions on Zaidi or financial institutions affiliated with him.

Latest News

In first, Libya’s rival armies to join drill in Turkey: What to know

Cadets of the Saiqa Force (Special Forces) of the self-styled Libyan National Army affiliated with eastern strongman Khalifa Hifter take part in a graduation ceremony in tribute to the force's late commander, Wanis Bukhamada, in the eastern city of Benghazi, on Jan. 20, 2022.

Israel rejects Ukraine's claim that Russian shadow fleet vessel docked in Haifa

DENIS LOVROVIC/AFP via Getty Images

US seeks to train Lebanon army units to disarm Hezbollah: What to know

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C), alongside US State Department Counselor Michael Needham (2L) and US Ambassador to Lebanon Michel Issa (2R), speaks during a meeting.

Amberin Zaman

Chief Correspondent

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

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

Ezgi Akin

Associate Editor (Turkey)

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

Ben Caspit

Israel Columnist

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

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

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

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani looks on as he leaves following a press conference and a meeting with French President at the Elysee Palace in Paris, on May 7, 2025. Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa arrived in Paris on May 7, state media reported, on his first visit to Europe since overthrowing longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Syria FM heads to Russia in first high-level Moscow visit post Assad

As the new Syrian government looks to redefine its ties with Moscow, Russia aims to maintain its naval and air bases in Syria.

TOPSHOT - A person holds a sign with the Arabic slogan "we will not relinquish arms" as Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah supporters take part in a ceremony during the peak of Ashura, a 10-day period commemorating the seventh century killing of Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussein, in Beirut's southern suburbs on July 6, 2025. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon’s cabinet to discuss Hezbollah disarmament as US ups pressure

Lebanon is under growing US pressure to issue a formal decision on the disarmament of Hezbollah as soon as possible, with US Ambassador to Lebanon nominee Michel Issa, who is of Lebanese origin, saying the issue is a "necessity.”

Workers walk past the gas turbine and heat recovery system of Syria's largest power plant on June 12, 2025 in Deir Ali, Syria.

Turkey to begin natural gas exports to Syria on Aug. 2: What to know

Turkey will supply gas via a swap deal with Azerbaijan, backed by Qatar financing, the Turkish energy minister said.

Florida's Republican state senator, Randy Fine, speaks with the media on April 1, 2025, in Ormond Beach, Florida.

AIPAC denies pulling Randy Fine endorsement after derogatory comments on Gaza starvation

Randy Fine, a Trump- and AIPAC-endorsed Republican representative, sparked backlash for telling Gazans to "starve away" amid a worsening hunger crisis in the strip.

The low water inlet of the river upstream of the Amir Kabir dam along the Karaj river is pictured in Iran's northern Alborz mountain range on June 1, 2025. Tehran is facing a water shortage due to low rainfall last year and the beginning of summer. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iran nears 'day zero': Water crisis deepens amid drought, unrest and mismanagement

Iran's water emergency has public anger mounting in several cities as failing infrastructure and mismanagement compound common grievances.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Mazlum Kobane, commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks during the pan-Kurdish "Unity and Consensus" conference in Qamishli in northeastern Syria, on April 26, 2025.

Analysis

Emboldened by Suwayda fallout, Syria’s Kurds hold their ground with Damascus

The Suwayda crisis boosts Kurdish confidence and threatens Erdogan’s bid to secure Kurdish support for a third term.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Iranians cross a street by a billboard with a portrait of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Enqelab Square, Tehran, July, 9, 2025.

Iran executions double to 625 as parliament mulls harsher espionage penalties

The United Nations said executions so far this year stand at 625, at the least, more than double the number for the same period last year.

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Cholera, hunger plague Sudan’s Darfur region amid RSF siege: What to know

As hunger and health crises worsen in Darfur, Sudan’s political divide is also deepening, with the Rapid Support Forces pushing a parallel government while over 300,000 civilians remain under siege in El Fasher.

TOPSHOT - People walk with sacks of flour delivered after trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered northern Gaza on July 27, 2025 coming from the Zikim border crossing. (Photo by BASHAR TALEB / AFP) (Photo by BASHAR TALEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Annexation, siege or transfers: Netanyahu's 3 options as Israel's Gaza quagmire deepens

With world focused on starvation in Gaza, Israel consults with US on options for ending conflict, including annexing parts of the territory to appease extremist ministers.

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

Conference co-chairs French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot and Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud, attend a ministerial high-level meeting during a United Nations conference at UN headquarters on July 28, 2025, in New York City.

US calls Saudi-French UN conference on Palestine ‘publicity stunt’ as Riyadh rallies behind PA

The United Nations conference on Palestinian statehood featured strong support for the Palestinian Authority’s efforts to return to Gaza even as the Trump administration boycotted the event, calling it "ill-timed."

People walk past a mural drawn by the "Grafitiyul" graffiti art group depicting Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on a street in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv on July 22, 2025. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY MENTION OF THE ARTIST UPON PUBLICATION - TO ILLUSTRATE THE EVENT AS SPECIFIED IN THE CAPTION (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran snubs talks with US, to remain in NPT under conditions: What to know

The news comes just one day after President Donald Trump told reporters that the US is "not going to allow" Iran to continue its nuclear enrichment.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer attend a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon in Washington, on July 9, 2025.

Israel's Dermer in Washington for Gaza ceasefire, Iran talks: What to know

Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who serves as Israel's chief negotiator in talks with Hamas and on the Iranian file, arrived in Washington to discuss both issues with the Trump administration.