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Politics & Security

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is welcomed to the Saadabad Palace in Tehran by Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, July 23, 2026.

Analysis

Zaidi’s test in Tehran

Week in Review

By Week in Review

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Iran war puts Turkey’s inflation fight, lira under fresh pressure

A prolonged Iran war is leaving Turkey's economy management caught between maintaining painful monetary tightening and cutting rates before the economy is ready.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

moke rises from a high-rise building following a drone attack in Kuwait City on March 8, 2026.

Analysis

Can Kuwait secure a Saudi-style defense pact with Pakistan?

Kuwait and other GCC states are looking to Pakistan, among other countries, for alternate security arrangements and multilayered deterrence.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

U.S. President Donald Trump makes an announcement on American nuclear innovation in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 24, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

US halts strikes on Iran, sees opening for talks: What to know

A four-day lull in Iranian attacks on commercial shipping in the strait of Hormuz was seen as an opportunity to resume diplomatic talks and dial down the war, Al-Monitor’s source said.

Jared Szuba

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

Latest News

Analysis

What Iran's warning to Britain reveals about broader escalation strategy

Muntions near a B1 Bomber are seen at RAF Fairford on July 24, 2026, in Fairford, England.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

What challenges await Erdogan’s new rival and Turkey’s new opposition party?

Ozgur Ozel

Halil Karaveli

By Halil Karaveli

Analysis

Saudi nuclear deal adds new wrinkle if Iran talks resume

US President Donald Trump (L) and Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia pause for photographs along the West Wing Colonnade at the White House on Nov. 18, 2025, in Washington.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Iran signs 25 deals at SCO meeting: What to know

AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP via Getty Images

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

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian breakaway region sends delegation to Syria

Syria, which has a history of supporting pro-Russia breakaway regions, recognized Donetsk and Luhansk earlier this year.

KOOSHA MAHSHID FALAHI/MIZAN/AFP via Getty Images

Fire at Iranian prison renews pressure for US prisoner release

Efforts to free Siamak Namazi and Emad Shargi have taken on greater urgency following a deadly fire that erupted at their detention center.

An engineer from the Israeli company Commun.it uses his expertise in social media commercial analysis to identify networks of fake users at the group's office, Bnei Brak, Israel, Jan. 23, 2019.

Israel braces for election interference from Russia, elsewhere

With diplomatic ties deteriorating, Israel fears that Russian or other hackers could try tampering with the Nov. 1 election results.

A Tunisian woman looks at posters of candidates for the legislative elections, Tunis, Tunisia, Oct. 4, 2019.

Feminists, opposition denounce Tunisia's new electoral system as unfair to women, youth

Members of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group bring reinforcements.

Is Turkey using HTS to strengthen its hand in Syria?

Amid Ankara’s overtures to Damascus, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham — the radical group controlling Idlib — has seized Afrin and is seeking a deal to expand its control further into territories held by factions allied with Turkey.

US President Joe Biden boards Air Force One before departing from King Abdulaziz International Airport at the end of his first tour in the Middle East as president, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, July 16, 2022.

US-Saudi military ties remain on course despite OPEC dispute

The White House is signaling it could hold up further arms sales to Saudi Arabia, but so far the rare public dispute has not impacted direct military cooperation between Washington and Riyadh.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Putin’s 'gas hub’ plan aims to bolster Erdogan's image

Erdogan has accepted Putin’s offer to create a “gas hub” in northwest Turkey. But what is a gas hub? Is it workable? If realized, what impact would it have?

Members of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadi group advance toward the village of Jindayris.

Are Syria’s HTS jihadis Turkey’s new friends?

After Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the jihadi faction that runs the northwestern province of Idlib, moved into Afrin, the question of where Turkey stands in this power grab is of critical importance.

AFP via Getty Images

IRGC warns Saudi Arabia over Iran protest coverage

The head of the IRGC has issued a warning to Saudi Arabia over coverage by Persian-language news outlets.

EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images

Ultra-Orthodox campaigning goes digital as Israeli election nears

In a dramatic shift from past elections, ultra-Orthodox parties have gone digital to keep up with their own constituencies.

Israeli security forces check the documents of Palestinian laborers who work in Israel, before allowing them to cross through a hole in a security fence in the village of Muqeibila near Jenin, West Bank, Sept. 6, 2021.

Israel revokes work permits of 164 Palestinian militants' relatives

In addition to pressuring the Nablus-based Lion’s Den group, Defense Minister Benny Gantz revoked the permits of group members' relatives to work in Israel.

People take part in a funeral in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province.

Islamic State claims over 125 people killed in Syrian operations in 2 months

The Islamic State announced the largest number of operations it has so far carried out in the span of two months in the countryside of Deir ez-Zor, which is under the control of Kurdish forces in northeast Syria.