Politics & Security - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

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Politics & Security

Women shop from a street vendor at Enghelab Square in the capital Tehran on Nov. 11, 2025.

Analysis

From hoarding to unemployment: Iran's economy buckles under US pressure

Iran's fast-rising inflation is driving aggressive state market controls, exposing deeper structural strains from war, sanctions and declining consumer confidence.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Explosions rattled buildings in Dubai and a large cloud of smoke hung over a central area of the Middle East financial hub on March 13, 2026.

Analysis

How the Iran war is exposing a growing Saudi-UAE divide

Reports on Emirati and Saudi strikes suggest Gulf monarchies moved beyond passive defense — but followed sharply different strategies.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

An undated image released by the Justice Department shows Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi (R) speaking with Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in 2020.

Iraqi militia leader in US custody after arrest: What to know

Authorities said the individual is linked to a mysterious pro-Iran group that has been claiming attacks on Jewish communities in Europe.

Latest News

Lebanon-Israel ceasefire extended 45 days as US opens security talks

talks

Analysis

‘A reckless act’: Netanyahu sparks UAE fury by claiming secret visit

US President Donald Trump talks to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as he departs the Al Bateen Executive Airport on May 15, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

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

Trump’s Gaza plan stalls as Hamas resists disarmament

President Donald Trump speaks in front of the American flag to the press as he departs the White House on May 12, 2026, in Washington, DC.

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

Omani Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said (L) meets with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (R) in Tehran on May 29.

Analysis

Israel alarmed by IAEA report, possible US backchannel diplomacy with Iran

Also: IAEA report hints at Iran’s post-JCPOA nuclear posture; Gulf uncertainty over US policy; Omani diplomacy back in spotlight.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

Rescuers prepare to search following a capsized boat at Lake Maggiore, Italy, May 29, 2023.

Italian press questions circumstances of ex-Mossad agent’s death

The Italian newspaper La Republicca suggests that the Israeli and Italian passengers on the boat that capsized on Lake Maggiore were actually spy agents celebrating cooperation.

An Israeli border guard stands guard as people draped in rainbow flags march during the 21st annual Jerusalem Pride Parade in Jerusalem on June 1, 2023. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP) (Photo by MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)

Israelis rally in Jerusalem’s LGBT parade amid rise in hate rhetoric

More than ever before, this year’s Jerusalem gay pride parade offered a stage for opponents of the current far-right/ultra-Orthodox coalition and the judicial overhaul advanced by the government.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan receives his oath as he is sworns as Turkey's first Executive President at the Turkish parliament on July 9, 2018 in Ankara, Turkey. President Erdogan was sworn in during a parliamentary meeting and later an inauguration ceremony attended by a number of foreign leaders and dignitaries. President Erdogan secured another five year term and increased powers after winning 52.5 percent of the vote in the June 24 snap presidential and parliamentary elections. Under the new

Erdogan's inauguration: What to expect for Turkey's big bash

Several foreign leaders from Venezuela to Armenia are expected to travel to Turkey for the inauguration day.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks to the media before a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base on April 21, 2023 in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany. The group, which coordinates international military support for Ukraine, is meeting as allied countries are struggling to deliver sufficient amounts of artillery rounds and other ammunition to the Ukrainian military. (Photo by Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images)

NATO turns on charm offensive with Turkey to settle Sweden's membership bid

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Sweden’s former premier Carl Bildt are scheduled to travel to Ankara to attend Erdogan's inauguration and convince the Turkish government to greenlight the Swedish membership.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

US sanctions Iranian firm over internet censorship

The Treasury Department says that the technology company Arvan Cloud has a close and collaborative relationship with Iran's intelligence services.

AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images

Israel’s Shin Bet chief meets CIA director for talks on Palestinians, Iran

Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar met in Washington with CIA chief William Burns over mutual concerns for the stability of the Palestinian Authority.

A vehicle of the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) Italian contingent patrols in the village of Seddiqine in the southern Lebanese district of Tyre, from near where four rockets were fired towards Israel, on May 19, 2021. - The Israeli army confirmed the attack, saying it retaliated with artillery fire. It is the third time rockets have been launched from Lebanese territory towards Israel since hostilities flared between the Jewish state and armed Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip last wee

Lebanon's Hezbollah denies links to suspects in killing of UN Irish peacekeeper

Hezbollah officials have denied court findings that five people formally accused of killing an Irish soldier of the UNIFIL last year were members of Hezbollah.

NICOLAS MAETERLINCK/BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images

Iran releases 1 Danish, 2 Austrian citizens after Oman mediation

The newest release of European dual nationals follows a prisoner swap between Iran and Belgium also mediated by Oman.

Foreign ministers of BRICS nations pose for a family photo with representatives from Africa and the global South during a summit in Cape Town, South Africa, June 2, 2023.

Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE attend BRICS meeting in South Africa as bloc mulls expansion

Iran, which has applied for observer status in BRICS, is finessing non-Western states to remedy its battered economy.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi arrives for the IAEA Board of Governors meeting, Vienna, Austria, March 6, 2023.

Israel slams IAEA for closing two Iran nuclear sites probes

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Foreign Ministry slammed the IAEA for caving into Iranian pressure and ending two probes on traces of enriched uranium found at the Fordo and Marivan sites.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Israeli military vehicles patrol the border with Lebanon near the Israeli Kibbutz of Shtula, July 3, 2022.

Israel, Hezbollah rattle swords, with military drills near border

The military drills of Hezbollah and of the Israel Defense Forces — only a few days apart — reflect growing tensions on Israel’s northern border.