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

DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images

Christians in Syria's Idlib hold major Mass

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has allowed the reopening of a church in Idlib countryside months after HTS leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani met with the Christian community in the area — in what many see as a bid to brand himself a moderate and gain outside support.

Libya clash

Turkey supports Libya's Tripoli forces amid deadly battles

Turkey hosted two rival Libyan premiers in Istanbul in bid to strike a conciliation between the clashing parties.

Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs and upcoming COP27 Chairman Sameh Shoukry (L) and Mexico's Patricia Espinosa Cantellano, current executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, hold a press conference after the May Ministerial - World Climate Leaders Meeting, Copenhagen, Denmark, May 13, 2022.

Egypt represents Africa in COP27

Cairo insists it will speak for African countries during the COP27, which it will host in November.

French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune (R) attend a signing ceremony in the pavilion of honor at Algiers airport, in Algiers, on Aug. 27, 2022.

Things to remember from Macron’s Algeria visit

drone

Iran navy attempts to capture US drones in Red Sea

A US military official rejected Iran's claims that the unmanned sea drones pose a hazard to commercial shipping in the region.

An aerial view of Al Thumama stadium at sunset on June 22, 2022, in Doha, Qatar.

FIFA World Cup's economic impact will extend beyond Qatar

GCC states look to take advantage of "fresh opportunities" and Qatar hopes the World Cup will boost its "soft power and add political influence."

ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

US calls Iran’s latest nuclear deal offer 'not constructive'

Iran insisted it put forward “a constructive approach aimed at finalizing the negotiations.”

This photo shows election campaign posters of (L to R) Israel's Yisrael Beitenu party bearing a portrait of its leader Avigdor Liberman and the Likud party showing its leader and incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Bnei Brak, Israel, March 14, 2021.

Netanyahu, Liberman locked in conspiracy battle

Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman, the longstanding nemesis of opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, has been accused on social media of a conspiracy to kill a police officer.

Tourists ride camels on the shores of the town of Dahab, southern Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, May 12, 2017.

Oil spill darkens Egyptian tourist town

Ahead of the Cop27, an oil spill in Egypt highlights the country’s inability to deal with environmental disasters.

Congress Iran nuclear

Bipartisan lawmakers pressure Biden over Iran nuclear deal

House members opposed to the emerging nuclear deal with Iran are requesting the administration provide them with the full text of any proposed agreement.

Iraqi mourners attend the funeral of two Saraya al-Salam fighters.

Amid increasing tensions between militias, Muqtada al-Sadr calls for reforming the PMU

Rival Shiite armed factions took their fight to Iraq’s key port city as leaders officially called for calm and closed offices.

MAXIM SHEMETOV/AFP via Getty Images

Tehran FM demands 'more robust' US guarantees for nuclear deal

Iranian news outlets are emphasizing the uncertainties facing the nuclear deal as the country's top diplomat said more guarantees were still needed from the United States for the accord's revival.