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Politics & Security

A shop owner counts Iranian banknotes at a store in the capital Tehran on Jan. 7, 2026.

How Iran stands to win major financial relief in Trump-backed deal

Iran will receive some upfront sanctions relief despite the Trump administration's pledge of “no dust, no dollars.”

Lebanese army forces set up a checkpoint at the entrance of the village of Ghandourieh in southern Lebanon on June 15, 2026.

Senate bill adds restrictions on US effort to train Lebanon army: What to know

Lawmakers want to know the number of Lebanese special forces recruits, their equipment and religious background as part of a planned $36 million DOD train-and-equip project aimed at dismantling Hezbollah.

Jared Szuba

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

A Turkish police officers patrols at the scene of a motor-bike bomb explosion, next to a police station on Oct. 6, 2016, in Istanbul.

Turkey captures alleged ISIS-K media chief near Afghanistan-Pakistan border

The capture comes as Turkish authorities intensify raids against Islamic State networks following recent attacks and alleged plots.

Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks with Tehran's Chamber of Commerce, June 17, 2026.

After US-Iran deal, Ghalibaf says Tehran seeks deeper ties with China

“China must believe and will believe that we are not just a customer or a trading partner, but a partner in every sense,” Ghalibaf said.

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Syrian Kurd commander Kobane kicks off European tour amid scrutiny from Damascus

Mazloum Abdi (Kobani), commander-in-chief of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), speaks with AFP during an interview in the countryside outside the northwestern Syrian city of Hasakah, in the province of the same name, on January 24, 2019. - Any deal between Syria's Kurds and the Damascus regime should respect the "special status" of Kurdish-led forces who fought the Islamic State (IS) group, Kobani said. The SDF control around a third of Syria after expelling jihadists from a large northeastern swathe of t

Lebanon President Joseph Aoun to visit White House this month, Trump says

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a government meeting at the Presidential Palace in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 5, 2025.

Who is Fahd Al-Dosari, Saudi Arabia’s new ambassador to Lebanon?

Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji meets with Fahd bin Abdulrahman bin Hathloul Al-Dosari, the new Saudi ambassador to Lebanon, in Beirut on June 17, 2026.

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

Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (R) meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Jerusalem, Jan. 31, 2023.

Despite US-Israel proximity on Iran, Netanyahu not off hook on Palestinians

In his meeting with the US secretary of state, Prime Minister Netanyahu wanted to focus on Iran, but was faced with American criticism on judicial overhaul and the Palestinians.

Middle East corruption rankings: Syria most corrupt, UAE least, Turkey slipped

Corruption remains rampant across the Middle East and North Africa, Transparency International reports, with the region’s average score in combating corruption hitting a new low of 38.

RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images

Blinken announces $50M to UNRWA, no timeframe on consulate for Palestinians

During a trip to the West Bank on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he saw a "shrinking horizon of hope” for Palestinians.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, on Jan. 30, 2023, in Jerusalem.

Blinken appeals for calm in Jerusalem as tensions soar

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also addressed the Israeli government's widely criticized judicial overhaul plan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Can Erdogan run for third term in Turkey's upcoming election?

The opposition declares Erdogan’s candidacy “unconstitutional” while the Turkish president says his path to run for a third term is "clear."

People demonstrate outside the Iranian embassy in Ukraine on October 17, 2022 in Kyiv, after the city was hit by swarms of kamikaze drones sold by Iran to Russia, leaving at least three dead. (Photo by SERGEI CHUZAVKOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran summons Ukraine's top diplomat after Isfahan drone strike

Iran's summoning relates to a Ukrainian presidential adviser's tweet that implicitly welcomes the suspected Israeli attack over the weekend.

BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images

Strikes near Iraqi border mark widening regional battle against Iran

Strikes widely attributed to Israel have hit an Iranian convoy near the Iraqi border after it crossed out of the country.

Palestinians celebrate in Gaza City on January 27, 2023, following a shooting attack by gunman outside an east Jerusalem synagogue. (Photo by MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images)

In Gaza, Palestinian indifference to Blinken's visit to Israel, West Bank

The armed factions in the Gaza Strip are not paying much attention to the visit of the US secretary of state to the region, and vowed continued retaliation against the Israeli military operations in the West Bank.

Chris McGrath/Getty Images

US warns Americans in Turkey of 'imminent terrorist' attacks

The US Embassy in Ankara updated its previous security alert warning its nationals against potential "retaliatory attacks" in response to Quran-burning protests in Europe.

Blinken and Shoukry in Cairo

Blinken seeks detainee progress, but releases are Egypt’s ‘prerogative’

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Al-Monitor he raised the cases of individual political prisoners during his two-day visit to Cairo, which included a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

A man walks past an electoral billboard for the Tunisian national election scheduled for January 29, in Tunisia's capital Tunis, on January 25, 2023. (Photo by FETHI BELAID/AFP via Getty Images)

Tunisia's elections at 11% turnout, further shakes Kais Saeid's credibility

Tunisian voters headed back to the polls to elect a new parliament after an unsuccessful first roundup, confirming predominant indifference to politics and concerns over their economic and social situation amid a soaring cost-of-living crisis.

Turkish anti riot police officers patrol around the Sultan Ahmet Mosque during snowfall, Istanbul, Turkey, Jan. 8, 2017.

Why are foreign mobsters, drug gangs attracted to Turkey?

A wave of foreign mobster violence in Turkey has raised alarm that the country has become a safe haven for criminal kingpins from the region and beyond.