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

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Politics & Security

A woman walks past a banner featuring Iran's late supreme leaders, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L) and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C), next to newly elected Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, in Tehran on April 19, 2026.

Analysis

Why Iran's wartime behavior risks lasting rupture with Gulf states

Iran's rhetoric and policies toward Gulf states have sharply escalated, raising questions about whether years of painstaking regional rapprochement can survive mounting distrust and maritime confrontations.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr gives a speech in Iraq's central holy shrine city of Najaf on August 30, 2022.

Iraq’s Sadr says 'exclude' armed groups from next government as pressure builds

The cleric's call comes as Prime Minister-designate Ali al-Zaidi tries to form a government amid political divisions and US demands to curb the influence of Iran-backed actors.

Traffic passes a billboard depicting Iranian ballistic missiles in service, with text in Arabic reading "the honest [person's] promise" and in Persian "Israel is weaker than a spider's web," Valiasr Square, Tehran, April 15, 2024. ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images.

Analysis

CIA report on Iran missiles undercuts Netanyahu as war euphoria dissipates

The findings cast doubt on Israel’s wartime gains and put pressure on Netanyahu’s campaign strategy ahead of elections.

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

Latest News

US strikes Iran tankers as UAE reports fresh missile, drone attacks

Getty

US sets expectations for Iraq’s next PM to confront Iranian militias

Popular Mobilization Forces

Iran president says he held official meeting with Mojtaba Khamenei: What to know

An Iranian woman holds up an image of Iran's new supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei.

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

SHARM EL SHEIKH, EGYPT - FEBRUARY 24: King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia during talks with UK Prime Minister Theresa May while they attend the first Arab-European Summit on February 24, 2019 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Leaders from European and Arab nations are meeting for the two-day summit to discuss topics including security, trade and migration. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Saudi crown prince cancels Japan trip over King Salman's health concerns

The Saudi Press Agency reported Sunday that the crown prince’s 88-year-old father, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, was suffering from lung inflammation and will be treated at the Al Salam Palace in Jeddah.

Ebrahim Raisi, the president of Iran participate in the 12th term parliamentary elections and the 6th term Assembly of Leadership Experts' voting at a Tehran polling station on March 01, 2024. The elections encompass both parliamentary and Assembly of Experts' ballots, crucial for Iran's leadership selection and oversight. (Photo by Hossein Beris / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by HOSSEIN BERIS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Who was Ebrahim Raisi, Iran’s president killed in helicopter crash?

Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash near the border with Azerbaijan, was a hard-line cleric under US sanctions whose term was marked by domestic turmoil and mounting tensions with the West.

TURKISH PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SERVICE/AFP via Getty Images

Three main disagreements constrain Turkey-Greece ties following Mitsotakis visit

The Greek prime minister's visit to Turkey inspired both optimistic and pessimistic outlooks for the future of the two NATO allies.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman arrives at presidential Elysee Palace to meet France's President in Paris on July 28, 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron host Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for talks in Paris on July 28, 2022, outraging rights groups and the fiancee of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Photo by Bertrand GUAY / AFP) (Photo by BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images)

In Japan, Saudi Arabia's crown prince eyes expansion of energy, defense ties

In an upcoming visit to Tokyo, the Saudi crown prince will have an audience with the Japanese prime minister, among others, to discuss a "broad range" of issues.

Displaced Palestinians practice their hobbies at the beach in southern Gaza's Rafah near the border with Egypt on April 11, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas militant group. (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED / AFP) (Photo by MOHAMMED ABED/AFP via Getty Images)

As Gaza rift deepens, will Egypt abandon 1979 peace deal with Israel?

Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace agreement with Israel and has been a key mediator in negotiations to reach a cease-fire in Gaza.

Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, looks on during a joint statement to the media in Baghdad on April 22, 2024.

What’s behind Erdogan’s pardoning of generals jailed over Turkey’s 1997 coup?

The move comes after a landmark meeting between the Turkish president and the main opposition leader that sparked hopes for political reforms in the country.

NICK GAMMON/AFP via Getty Images

Israel accuses South Africa of aligning with Hamas, distorting facts in ICJ case

The Israeli legal team accused South Africa of distorting the truth and ignoring facts in an effort to help Hamas.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Israel recovers bodies of 3 hostages from Gaza as Sullivan heads to region

Israel has recovered from Gaza the bodies of three people kidnapped and killed by Hamas on Oct. 7.

Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant speaks to reporters ahead of the weekly cabinet meeting, Jerusalem, September 10, 2023.

Analysis

Can Israel’s Gallant torpedo Netanyahu as Gaza 'day after' gap widens?

The Israeli prime minister believes the Biden administration is coordinating an axis in his war cabinet to influence planning on postwar Gaza.

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

TOPSHOT - A picture shows a fire as a result of rockets launched from Lebanon, next to the northern Israel city of Kiryat Shmona, near the near the Lebanon border on May 10, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP) (Photo by JALAA MAREY/AFP via Getty Images)

Hezbollah claims use of new drone with S-5 missiles against Israel

The Iran-backed group said it used a drone equipped with S-5 missiles in an attack against military sites in northern Israel, a first since hostilities erupted last October.

Men sleep outside their homes because of the intense heat, in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeida on July 21, 2023.

Anger, clashes in Yemen’s Aden over electricity cuts

The city, which is run by the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, is reeling from power cuts amid scorching temperatures.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) calls on the Senate to take up the Israel Security Assistance Support Act during a news conference.

House passes bill to force Biden to lift bomb shipment pause to Israel

A bill that would mandate sending military aid to Israel passed with the support of 16 Democrats, but Biden is expected to veto it.