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Politics & Security

Janti Soeripto helps at a community kitchen serving hot meals to displaced families arriving from El-Fasher.

Interview

As Sudan war drags on, US-Iran conflict compounds humanitarian crisis in Darfur

Save the Children US President and CEO Janti Soeripto said delivering aid in Sudan remains extremely difficult, with supply trucks often delayed for weeks or months even after entering the country.

Janti Soeripto

President and CEO of Save the Children US

SAHA EXPO 2024

Analysis

Cheap drones, costly threats: Why Gulf states are looking to Turkey for defense deals

Iran’s drone and missile attacks have exposed gaps in Gulf and Iraqi air defenses, giving Turkey an opening for Turkish defense sales, but Ankara has a narrow window before South Korean and European competitors gain ground.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Women hold portraits of jailed Islamist cleric Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir during a protest calling for his release in Beirut on April 24, 2025.

Explainer

Why Sunni frustration is growing over Lebanon’s amnesty law

Parliament speaker Nabih Berri postponed a parliamentary session scheduled to vote on a draft general amnesty law following disagreements about who should benefit from the measure, including Islamist detainees.

Abdullah DOMA / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

US, Turkey boost Libya coordination, but unity push faces political hurdles

Washington and Ankara are stepping up coordination on efforts to unify Libya’s divided institutions, but analysts warn that major financial and political obstacles remain.

Ezgi Akin

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

Latest News

Analysis

How far will Iran bend in ceasefire talks with US?

An Iranian police office stands on patrol near a poster depicting Iranian soldiers holding a net in the shape of the Strait of Hormuz, with US military aircraft ensnared in a fishing net, on May 9, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Tulsi Gabbard resigns as top US intelligence official: What to know

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testifies during a House Select Intelligence Committee hearing on March 19, 2026, in Washington, DC.

Analysis

Erdogan’s CHP move raises early poll prospects as Iran war bleeds Turkey’s economy

Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel, speaks to the media at CHP headquarters on May 22, 2026, in Ankara, Turkey.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Analysis

As Pakistan military chief holds Iran talks, Israel's Netanyahu fears being left out

AAMIR QURESHI/AFP via Getty Images

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

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

Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (R) attends a press conference with Josep Borell.

Iran says nuclear deal's revival up to US

According to Iranian media, hopes are fading that the nuclear deal can be revived.

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

US focus of ire as Turkey threatens Syria‘s Kurds

Syrian Kurdish leader says Turkish intentions unclear.

SAFIN HAMED/AFP via Getty Images

Tourist massacre marks turning point in Turkish-Iraqi ties

Iraq’s major political actors have all condemned Turkey over a deadly attack on a tourist site in what many believe signal a major downturn in bilateral ties.

Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government Masrour Barzani (R) welcomes Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, Sept. 10, 2020.

Kadhimi, Barzani meet in Baghdad to address oil, budget issues

Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq, met July 24 with Iraqi officials in Baghdad, including Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, reportedly discussing the establishment of a new energy government for the Kurdistan Region.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP via Getty Images

Biden's Yemen envoy heads to region to press for truce extension

US special envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking will visit Riyadh and Amman for talks focused on renewing the truce set to expire on Aug. 2.

Amir Levy/Getty Images)Images

Israeli ultranationalist soars in polls

Public opinion polls show significant support for the Religious Zionism party running together with the far-right Jewish Power.

China's President Xi Jinping (L), Russia's President Vladimir Putin (2nd L), Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro (C), India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi (2nd R) and South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa (R) attend a meeting with members of the Business Council and management of the New Development Bank during the BRICS Summit in Brasilia, Brazil, Nov. 14, 2019.

Sisi advances Egypt's bid for BRICS membership

President of the BRICS International Forum Purnima Anand revealed Egypt's interest in joining the group along with Saudi Arabia and Turkey, and the position is to be discussed at the BRICS summit scheduled for next year in South Africa.

Iraq politics

Coordination Framework establishes committee to select next Iraqi prime minister

The Coordination Framework, which became the largest Shiite bloc in the parliament after the withdrawal of Sadrists, have set up a committee to nominate the prime minister as a part of forming the next government.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iranian women under pressure as Raisi stiffens hijab mandate

The Iranian government is cracking down on hijab violations in what many say is a bid to divert attention from the nation’s economic hardships.

Biden Saudi Arabia

Analysis

The important counternarrative on Biden’s Middle East trip

Symbolism matters, but progress matters more — and there was progress.

Week in Review

By Week in Review

Grain deal

Breaking | Last Updated: July 22, 2022, 4:45 pm

US commends Turkey, UN for Ukraine-Russia grain deal

The US welcomed the grain agreement signed in Istanbul but cautioned the devil is in the details.

Israeli soldiers close a gate near the Kibbutz of Shtula, near the border with Lebanon, July 3, 2022.

Israel assesses Nasrallah's next move amid escalation on northern border

Jerusalem is concerned that internal pressures in Lebanon on Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah could be translated into more violence against Israel.