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

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Politics & Security

Oman's Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi (L) and US President Donald Trump pose during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025.

Trump threatens to 'blow up' Oman as US-Iran talks stall

“Oman will behave just like everybody else, or we will have to blow them up,” Trump said in surprising comments on Wednesday.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, (R) shakes hands with Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, during a news conference on April 3, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary.

With Hungary’s ICC U-turn, Israel loses a key European ally

Hungary’s parliament voted to remain in the International Criminal Court, reversing a planned withdrawal and marking a shift in Budapest’s approach to Israel and the EU.

Iraqis walk past portraits of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, including one on a banner calling for a boycott of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Sadr City, east of Baghdad on October 29, 2025. Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in Iraq on 11 November 2025, which will determine the 329 members of Iraq's Council of Representatives, who are responsible for electing the country's president and approving the appointment of the prime minister. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo by

Iraq’s Sadr moves to place his militia under state control: What to know

Muqtada al-Sadr is the first militia leader to heed new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s call to place weapons in the hands of the state as US pressure continues.

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

Who was Mohammed Odeh, Hamas military commander killed by Israel in Gaza?

Odeh was killed in a Tuesday strike in the Palestinian enclave just days after he assumed his leadership position.

Latest News

White House calls Iranian report on Hormuz, MOU 'complete fabrication'

Vessels are seen anchored in the Strait of Hormuz, off the port city of Khasab on Oman's northern Musandam Peninsula on May 17, 2026.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Analysis

'Very bad news’: Israel alarmed as Trump pushes ahead toward Iran deal

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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

Israel strikes near Lebanon’s Qaraoun dam as war intensifies: What to know

A partial view shows a drainage vacuum hole on the lake of Qaraoun in Lebanon's southern Beqaa Valley on April 5, 2019.

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

An Israeli Iron Dome defense system battery, designed to intercept and destroy incoming short-range rockets and artillery shells, is pictured in the Hula Valley, northern Israel, near the border with Lebanon, July 27, 2020.

Israel tests innovative, high-powered laser defense system

Israel advances with the development of a laser-based missile interceptor system that should significantly change the balance of powers in the region.

Head of the Kurdistan Regional Security Council Masrour Barzani speaks during an electoral rally for the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) list, in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, on April 26, 2018.

Scoop: Iraqi Kurdistan prime minister to travel to Turkey

People break their fast on May 16, 2018, near Taksim Square in Istanbul.

Ramadan becomes political battleground in Turkey

Lavish Ramadan gatherings by Turkey's ruling party have fueled public outrage amid staggering inflation and skyrocketing prices.

We Will Stop Femicides Turkey

Rights group spotlighting murder of women in Turkey faces legal threat

A lawsuit threatens to silence Turkey's main voice on violence against women, the We Will Stop Femicides Platform.

Herzog

Delisting IRGC as terror group would send 'terribly wrong message,' says Israel's US ambassador

Michael Herzog, Israel's ambassador to the United States, discussed the looming Iranian nuclear accord, chances of a Palestinian political process, the war in Ukraine, Arab-Israeli normalization and more, at a breakfast hosted by Al-Monitor.

Israeli security fence near Ibthan

Israel may offer thousands more Palestinian work permits

Defense Minister Benny Gantz has made it clear that alongside raids to apprehend terrorists, Israel must work harder to better the lives of Palestinians.

JAAFAR ASHTIYEH/AFP via Getty Images

Iran Quds Force commander lauds Israel attacks

The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' overseas missions expressed admiration for the assailants behind the recent attacks in Israel, which he took as a sign of the Jewish state's vulnerability.

Captagon tablets

Saudi Arabia finds amphetamines hidden in elevator parts

Citizens of Syria, Egypt and two locals were arrested in relation to the incident, according to state media.

dust storm

Islamic State uses dust storm as cover for desert attack on Iraqi soldiers

An Islamic State cell operating in Iraq’s largely desert province of Anbar killed two Iraqi soldiers the day after an armed drone allegedly from Iran-linked armed groups was shot down at a major base hosting coalition forces in the same area.

Workers collect onions during the harvest on a farm, in the Polatli district of Ankara on Aug. 6, 2019.

Turkey’s farmers call for urgent support as food alarm grows

Turkey’s agricultural producers are grappling with exorbitant cost increases that threaten further blows to the country’s food production amid an already galloping inflation.

Navy Persian Gulf

US Navy adds new task force to patrol Red Sea

Task Force 153 will patrol the Red Sea and waters around Yemen, as Iran shows no sign of relinquishing support for the Houthis.

Netanyahu

Analysis

The Takeaway: Netanyahu faces uphill battle to bring down Israeli coalition government

Bennett seeks to deescalate Jerusalem confrontations; Hamas tries to reign in Islamic Jihad; Erdogan shakes up Turkey-Tunisia ties; Ukraine war creates food crisis in Egypt; Egypt misses out on Moon Knight; and more.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti