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Politics & Security

AFP via Getty Images

China presses Iran, US to reopen Hormuz as disruptions threaten oil supply

Conflicts in the region are disrupting two key routes for oil bound for China, with Iranian crude affected by the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi shipments facing growing risks in the Red Sea.

UN peacekeepers stand next to an armored vehicle during a patrol in southern Lebanon, Feb. 22, 2026.

Explainer

Why France is pushing to keep UNIFIL in Lebanon beyond 2026

Showing its support for Lebanon, Paris is backing Beirut’s request at the UN for a short-term extension of UNIFIL’s mandate, although French sources acknowledge that the chances of the request being approved are slim.

Sky News

Algeria pulls Sky News Arabia accreditation amid UAE rift: What to know

Algeria severed diplomatic ties with the UAE, which owns Sky News Arabia through Abu Dhabi-based International Media Investments, last Thursday.

People and pilgrims walk at the Grand Mosque Complex in Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca on Sept. 16, 2026.

Saudi Arabia says attempted Mecca drone attack ‘red line’ as Houthis deny claim

The escalation between Yemen’s Houthis and Saudi Arabia comes as the Iranian-backed group reportedly met with US officials in Oman to discuss maritime security.

Latest News

Exclusive

Lacking deterrence, Israel’s security establishment opposes attacks on Houthis

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, brandish their weapons during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. The country relapsed into war in July after years of calm, drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began at the end of February. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

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

Analysis

How far will Iran push Houthis against Saudi Arabia amid raging conflict?

Houthi fighters marching

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia's balancing act with US, Iran, Houthis risks collapse

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities shout slogans during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sept. 10, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

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

Fighters loyal to the Government of National Unity are pictured in a street in Tripoli, following clashes between rival Libyan groups, Libya, Aug. 27, 2022.

Political battle in Libya reaches Supreme Court

The eastern-based House of Representatives has launched an offensive on the judiciary that threatens to politicize one of the sectors of the country that had been able to remain to some extent outside the national rifts and that could turn the conflict very legal in nature.

LOUAI BESHARA/AFP via Getty Images

Gazans, Syrians both torn as Hamas restores ties with Syrian regime

Hamas has announced the restoration of relations with the Syrian government, but Hamas circles are not in agreement on the news.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry participates in a panel talk at the 2018 Munich Security Conference on Feb. 17, 2018 in Munich, Germany.

Not enough to declare intentions on two state solution, says Egypt’s foreign minister

Sameh Shoukry, in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, says Egypt “will do everything possible to protect our interests” in the Nile Dam dispute with Ethiopia.

UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, holds a news conference on the creation of a constitutional committee for the country, at the United Nations offices in Geneva, on Oct. 2, 2019.

Syria still risks economic collapse, says UN envoy

Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria, says that the country faces a ‘crisis of epic proportions for the Syrian people.’

Iran protest

US lets firms expand internet services in Iran amid blackout

The American move to support internet freedom in Iran comes as protests continue over the death of Mahsa Amini.

A picture obtained by AFP outside Iran shows demonstrators gathering around a burning barricade during a protest for Mahsa Amini, a woman who died after being arrested by the Islamic republic's "morality police", in Tehran on Sept. 19, 2022.

Iran intensifies crackdown on protests amid internet outage

Videos trickled in of Iranian police opening fire on protesters, who appeared to be standing their ground despite a nationwide internet blackout.

French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi shake hands during a meeting in New York.

Iraqi prime minister emphasizes Iraq's role in regional stability at UN

The Iraqi prime minister highlighted Iraq's main issues and the country's regional and international significance at the UN General Assembly.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid gives a speech during the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters, New York, Sept. 22, 2022.

Seeking US support, Lapid backs two-state solution at UN

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid's address to the United Nations backed the two-state solution.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid gives a speech during the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters, New York, Sept. 22, 2022.

Israel's Lapid praised by left, lambasted by right, over backing two-state solution

Prime Minister Yair Lapid took quite a lot of fire Sept. 22, after expressing his support for the two-state solution in his UN General Assembly speech.

Mourners take part in a funeral of people killed in reported artillery fire by Syrian government forces, in the opposition-held city of al-Bab, on the border with Turkey in the northern Aleppo province, Syria, Aug. 19, 2022.

Tensions high between narcotics division, FSA factions in Syria's al-Bab

An armed group affiliated with the Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army stormed a house in the city of al-Bab belonging to a police officer after one of their drug shipments was confiscated.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi meets Jordanian King Abdullah at the UN General Assembly's high-level week in September 2022.

Interview

Iraq’s political class must address 'crisis of trust,' says PM

In an exclusive interview, Mustafa al-Kadhimi also discusses Iraq’s shift to regional hub for diplomacy and economic progress despite strong political headwinds.

Mustafa al-Kadhimi

Mustafa al-Kadhimi

Prime Minister of Iraq

Tunisia Ennahda

Arrest of officials, politicians in Tunisia raises controversy

Tunisian authorities arrested a number of officials linked to Ennahda, the main opposing party to President Kais Saied, in connection with the deportation of Tunisians to fight in Syria.