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

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi waves as he gets out of his hotel in Berlin to leave Germany, after attending the 13th Petersberg Climate Dialogue meeting, July 19, 2022.

Egypt's 'national dialogue' set to finally start next month

Five months after its announcement, the national dialogue between the government and the opposition in Egypt is set to start in the coming weeks.

AFP via Getty Images

Terror attacks persist in south Yemen

The latest terror attack in Yemen's Abyan province shows that radical groups still threaten the area.

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Why Russia’s Vladimir Putin is rooting for Turkey’s Erdogan

Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s "pro-Russian tilt" has grown louder in recent weeks, as Vladimir Putin clearly looks for Erdogan to stay in power.

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Border conflict breaks out between Armenia, Azerbaijan as Russia distracted by Ukraine

Azerbaijan’s close ally Turkey condemns Yerevan for escalation of conflict two years after a cease-fire.

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

Iran says individuals held in connection with colonel's killing

The announcement was made as Israel and Iran traded more overt threats in their escalating war of words.

A man reads the Iranian newspaper Etemad, with the front page title reading in Farsi "The night of the end of the JCPOA ", and cover photos of Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and his deputy and chief nuclear negotiator Ali Bagheri Kani, in the capital Tehran on Aug. 16, 2022.

US, EU say decision on Iran deal depends on Tehran

US and EU officials dismiss claims that an Israeli campaign has influenced negotiations, and say the next move is Iran’s.

President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas speaks to the media with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (not pictured), following talks at the Chancellery, Berlin, Germany, Aug. 16, 2022.

Abbas to demand recognition of Palestinian state at UNGA

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is expected to address the United Nations General Assembly meeting with details of a new initiative defending the two-state solution.

Iranian drone in Ukraine

Ukraine says it shot down Iranian drone in Kharkiv

Photos posted online by Kyiv appear to confirm the Pentagon's claim that Iran has delivered armed drones to Russia for use in Ukraine.

Russia / Mideast

The Iranian national flag is seen outside the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) headquarters during the agency's Board of Governors meeting in Vienna on March 1, 2021.

Israeli spy chief warns Iran deal won't give Iran 'immunity from Mossad'

The comments by the Mossad chief reaffirmed Israel’s “octopus head” policy adopted by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Hamas training video

Video of Hamas fighters training in West Bank unsettles Israel

Hamas has released a video of its fighters training in Jenin that's been taken as a message that they will soon resume operations in the West Bank.

A picture taken on Aug. 10, 2018 during a trip in Yemen organized by the UAE's National Media Council (NMC) shows a view of Yemeni fishing boats along the Yemeni side of the strategic strait of Bab al-Mandab, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from east Africa.

Egypt’s navy to lead new Red Sea maritime task force

The US Navy will hand over command of Task Force 153 to Egypt as the Pentagon aims to enable regional militaries to take on new roles

Turkish pop singer Tarkan performs March 3, 2007, during his concert in Rotterdam.

Turkish megastar comes under fire for centennial concert in Izmir

The centennial of Izmir’s liberation from three years of Greek occupation in the early 20th century started a new fight between the opposition in the government as well as Neo-Ottomans and Kemalists.