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

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Politics & Security

A giant billboard depicts late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (2nd L), and his son Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, with Arabic writing that reads: "Thank you Iran," in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, on June 15, 2026.

Khamenei says Hezbollah's agenda 'strategic mandate' for Iran

Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s comments come as Lebanon and Israel move forward with a US-backed plan to disarm Hezbollah in the south, though the Iran-backed group is resisting calls to turn over its weapons.

Trump Netanyahu

On eighth visit, Israel’s Netanyahu seeks to repair ties with Trump

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to focus on Iran in his Tuesday meeting with President Donald Trump, while the US leader is more likely to want to discuss Lebanon and Syria.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi speaks during a meeting with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (not pictured) at the Pentagon on July 14, 2026 in Arlington, Virginia.

Zaidi to meet Erdogan as Turkey-Iraq ties take off, Kurds feel sidelined

The Iraqi prime minister's visits to Ankara and Riyadh underscore Baghdad's push to deepen regional ties as Turkey seeks closer cooperation on energy and security.

US President Donald Trump takes questions from the media during a bilateral meeting with President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office of the White House on July 21, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Trump says Iran seeks talks after strikes halted

An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the two sides have communicated only through intermediaries.

Latest News

Iran summons French ambassador after detaining 2 diplomats: What to know

Iranian security forces stand guard in front of the French Embassy in Tehran in this undated image.

Analysis

Zaidi’s test in Tehran

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

Week in Review

By Week in Review

Analysis

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

Vendors sell dry food as people shop by a banner reading " No to Inflation" near the New Mosque area in Istanbul's Eminonu district on Nov. 6, 2018.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

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

(from L) French President Emmanuel Macron (L), France's ambassador to the USA Philippe Etienne, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire arrive at the French Embassy to the Vatican in Rome on October 29, 2021 ahead of a meeting with US President. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Exclusive: Iran ‘must cooperate’ on nuclear probe, French envoy says

French Ambassador to the US Philippe Etienne tells Al-Monitor that France has spared no effort to reach an agreement in the nuclear talks.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images

Iran to join Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Iran took a step toward joining in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization at a summit in Uzbekistan this week.

GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images

Lapid’s coalition crumbles ahead of Israeli elections

Unlike opposition head Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister Yair Lapid has failed to unite his camp ahead of the November elections.

Shiite Muslim pilgrims march toward Iraq's holy city of Karbala to attend the Arbaeen religious commemoration.

Iran-linked militias claim arrest linked to threats to disrupt religious holiday

Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units have conducted numerous arrests of alleged 'Bathists' in recent days that raise questions about the legitimacy of the arrests and the political reasons behind them.

A torched observation post is seen outside a religious Jewish school following night clashes between Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews, Lod, Israel, May 11, 2021.

Arab Israelis deplore growing violence, political indifference

The recent killing of an Arab Israeli journalist highlights the depth of the problem of violence and crime within the Israeli Arab community.

Mother (C) of slain Israeli Maj. Bar Falah, killed overnight during operational activity adjacent to the Gilboa crossing, mourns during his funeral, Netanya, Israel, Sept. 14, 2022.

Israel continues West Bank raids

Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz face a tough choice: How to avoid the collapse of the Palestinian Authority, and at the same time prevent terrorist attacks on Israelis.

Lobby of the al-Masa hotel, during an African Ministers of Finance Economy and Environment Meeting for the COP27 climate summit, Cairo.

Egypt to focus on water crises at COP27

Egypt plans to discuss during the COP27 the need to include the water issue in the international action related to climate change.

Tunisian politician Ahmed Najib Chebbi.

Tunisian opposition to boycott legislative elections

Political forces in Tunisia are divided over the upcoming legislative elections announced by President Kais Saied, with the country’s main opposition alliance announcing its boycott of the vote over the controversial measures Saied has taken since last year.

Mahsa Amin

Arrest by hijab police leaves woman comatose

Iranians are enraged over the mandatory hijab rules as police deny torture allegations by the victim's brother.

Newspaper stall with a view of Etemad newspaper's front page bearing a title reading in Farsi "The night of the end of the JCPOA,"

Iranian diplomat calls IAEA statement ‘shameful’

The United States and its European allies want answers from Iran regarding uranium traces found at undeclared sites.

Samarkand

Erdogan meets Azerbaijan’s Aliyev as Baku, Yerevan reach ceasefire

Azerbaijan-Armenia tensions and the grain corridor are expected to top Erdogan’s meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, where Turkey is attending at the presidential level for the first time.

Kobi Gideon/GPO

Emirati foreign minister visits Israel

Celebrating two years since the normalization of diplomatic ties, Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has met in Israel with President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Yair Lapid.