Analysis UAE-Iran trade relationship becomes key test of Trump’s wartime strategy The Gulf state suspended trade with Iran after new attacks in August. Experts point to risks for both sides as the Trump administration seeks to squeeze Tehran economically. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
Iran gambles it can outlast Trump’s 'Economic D-Day' The Trump administration is considering tighter economic pressure as diplomacy with Tehran appears stalled. Iran
Analysis Can Trump's economic war ultimately force Iran to compromise? President Trump's new economic offensive comes as Iran is grappling with war damage, tighter oil restrictions and a shrinking ability to absorb another major shock. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Iran threatens ‘devastating’ response as US ramps up sanctions Syrian Kurds announce integration with Damascus; US Treasury issues Hezbollah Iran-linked sanctions; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Iran’s New President Promises To Seek 'Better Life' for All Iranians Hassan Rouhani took the oath of office on Aug. 4 as Iran’s 11th president and repeated pledges to try reduce Iran’s isolation and relieve its economic distress. Iran
Supreme Leader Khamenei AsksAll Iranian Factions to Help Rouhani Barbara Slavin reports from Tehran, where Hassan Rouhani officially became the Islamic Republic's 11th president on Aug. 3, 2013. Iran
Engel: Sanctions, Not Rouhani, Only Chance for Iran Deal Eliot Engel, ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, discusses sanctions on Iran, his support for missile strikes against Syrian airfields and the need to maintain US military assistance to Egypt. Egypt
House Intel Committee Chairman Not Hopeful on Iran's Rouhani Mike Rogers, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence chairman, says claims of Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani’s moderation are more marketing than reality. Iran
More Iran Sanctions A Mixed Bag for Netanyahu The Israeli prime minister may still have to defer his “mission accomplished” moment in Iran. Israel
Iran’s New Culture Minister Key Figure in Rouhani’s Cabinet While some are skeptical over the proposed culture minister who is the son of a hard-line ayatollah, many expect an improvement in the ministry under his leadership. Iran
For Netanyahu, Peace Talks Revolve Around Iran The overlapping Israeli-Palestinian talks with negotiations between the West and Iran might offer a hint as to what really motivated Prime Minister Netanyahu to return to negotiations. Palestine
Iran's Ramadan: Behind the Canvas Iranians who choose not to fast during Ramadan must find ways to not offend the religious sensibilities of those who do. Iran
The Coming Rapprochement Between Iran and the Brotherhood As both Sunni and Shiite groups in the Middle East are targeted by the West and its allies, some predict a forthcoming Sunni-Shiite rapprochement. Egypt
Shiite Seminaries Divided On Fatwas for Syrian Jihad While Shiite clergy in Iran and Iraq mostly prefer to stay out of issuing fatwas, a minority is calling for jihad in Syria against salafist groups. Iraq
Iranian Patients Still Suffer From Sanctions on Medicine Despite the United States easing the ban on medicine, Iranian patients with serious illnesses continue to suffer from sanctions as well as government mismanagement. Iran
Al-Monitor’s Gursel Wins Award; Watch US House on Syria Al-Monitor’s coverage of press freedom in Turkey, the US House of Representatives on Syria, and Iraq as possible mediator on Iran; Daoud Kuttab discusses the Middle East with Fareed Zakaria. Iraq