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

politics and security cover image

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

Iran Raisi

Analysis

The Takeaway: US responds to Iran proposal but gaps remain

Israel resigned to nuclear deal; Turkey hints at normalizing ties with Syria; Islamic Jihad denies Hamas rift; Syria’s HTS purges hardliners; Egypt-China consortium for logistics project.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti

Nasrallah

Hezbollah leader Nasrallah meets with Palestinian Islamic Jihad

The sit-down comes as Iran is calling for unity among Palestinian factions.

A stray dog lies on a street at Besiktas in Istanbul on April 11, 2020, as Turkish government announced a two-day curfew to prevent the spread of the epidemic COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus. (Photo by Ozan KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Defending dogs pays dividends in Erdogan’s Turkey

Following a public outcry, a Turkish court has suspended an app used to report the location of stray dogs after the information was allegedly used to kill canines.

This picture shows a general view of the Israeli Knesset during a meeting, in Jerusalem on June 30, 2022.

Israeli Arabs make it into the top 10 Meretz Party Knesset list

Regional Cooperation Minister Essawi Frej is not running in the upcoming November elections, but Israeli Arab Ali Salalha managed to secure a realistic spot at the Meretz Party primary.

JOE KLAMAR/AFP via Getty Images

Iran pushes back against IAEA claims as US responds to nuclear deal proposal

As it reviews the latest US response about returning to the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran is refuting the International Atomic Energy Agency's claims about its previous nuclear activities.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Exam fiasco exposes rot in Turkish bureaucracy

The scandal surrounding a civil service exam has painted a grim picture of Turkey's bureaucratic corruption.

EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP via Getty Images

Far-right platforms take shape in Israeli primaries

The Religious Zionism primaries show how far the national-religious stream has veered to the right.

People inspect the site where a US drone strike killed Maher al-Agal, an Islamic State leader, near the village of Khaltan, near Jindayris, northern Syria, July 12, 2022.

US airstrikes target bunkers used by Iran-linked militias in Syria

US President Joe Biden authorized the strikes in a bid to deter harassment of US troops in Iraq and Syria.

MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images

Gazans call for probe into Islamic Jihad missiles that killed civilians

Many Gazans are asking where the Islamic Jihad movement's responsibility lies for the recent fighting.

A supporter of Iraqi Muslim Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr raises his portrait.

Sadrist protesters withdraw from Iraq's Judiciary after condemnation

Sadrist protesters stormed the Judiciary this morning, raising concerns over stability in Iraq.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Bamako, Mali, Aug. 23, 2022, meets with Mali Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop.

Iran's FM seeks Africa ties to boost sanctions-hit economy

The Islamic Republic renewed the official line that it won't keep its battered economy waiting on the fate of the nuclear deal.

Masoud Barzani

Barzani says former Turkish president wanted federation with Iraq’s Kurds

In his memoir, Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani shares that Turkey's former President Turgut Ozal had once floated the idea of "annexing" Iraqi Kurdistan.