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

A supporter of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr carries the Iraqi flag.

Kuwait asks citizens to leave Iraq amid Baghdad unrest

Protests are happening throughout Iraq following cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's announcement declaring he has given up on politics.

Israeli Likud party leader and former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Netanyahu orchestrates merger between far-right Israeli parties

In an effort to guarantee a 61-seat majority at the Nov. 1 elections, opposition head Benjamin Netanyahu mediated and pushed far-right Religious Zionism and ultranationalist Itamar Ben-Gvir to run on one ticket.

The photos by Bernd and Hilla Becher at Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.

Iranian museum closes temporarily after bugs infest famous artwork

The Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art issued a formal apology and vowed to address the problem after paper-eating insects were spotted in its highly popular exhibition of minimalism and conceptual art.

DEPO PHOTOS/AFP via Getty Images

Turkish pop star jailed over joke placed under house arrest

Turkish pop singer Gulsen is under house arrest after spending the weekend behind bars for a four-month-old quip about religious school alumni.

AFP via Getty Images

Iran wants IAEA probe closed before nuclear agreement implemented

Iran’s president says Tehran wants the IAEA probe closed in what could be a sign of inching closer to a new deal.

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

On visit to Algeria, France’s Macron advances post-colonial reconciliation

The presidents of France and Algeria signed Aug. 27 a pact for a new partnership between the two countries, announcing the setting up of a joint historian commission to explore the colonial period, alleged French crimes and the bloody eight-year independence war.

EBRAHIM HAMID/AFP via Getty Images

Severe flooding kills scores in Sudan

Flooding in Sudanese cities has claimed around 100 lives and displaced thousands, and many angry citizens blame the political class for its failure to act.

Syria harvest

Idlib farmers harvest figs amid shelling, landmines

Farmers in the Jabal al-Zawiya area that has recently witnessed escalating bombardment by Syrian government and Russian forces, are braving dangers to harvest their fig crops.

An aerial view of Warraq Island on the Nile River on the northern outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, May 14, 2021.

Cairo evicts Nile island residents for development project

Egyptian security forces and residents of the Nile River's Warraq Island are clashing as the government tries to evict them as part of a development plan.

Demonstrators chant slogans as they march with a giant Palestinian flag.

Hamas condemns Turkey-Israel normalization

Hamas has condemned Turkish-Israeli normalization, which raises questions on its impact on the good Turkey-Hamas relations and the residency of some of its leaders in its territory.

Egypt summit

Egypt hosts five-state Arab summit

The recent summit hosted by Egypt between the leaders of five Arab countries may serve as a prelude to more joint action on security and economic development.

Nile River, Cairo

Egypt rethinks water strategy, starting with new irrigation minister

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has appointed a new irrigation minister with wide experience in water resources in the context of the Nile crisis.