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Politics & Security

An Iranian man rides his motorbike past a billboard on May 28, 2026.

Analysis

Why Iran's generals are intensifying anti-US rhetoric amid negotiations

Leading figures within Iran's military and security establishment have framed the memorandum with Washington not as an end point but as a conditional arrangement tied to battlefield realities.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Demonstrators take part in a rally against the upcoming NATO Summit early July in Ankara, on June 13, 2026.

Turkey detains 233 ahead of NATO summit, including LGBTQ+ activist Yildiz Tar

The operation included alleged militant suspects as well as LGBTQ+ and leftist activists, raising concerns over the scope of the crackdown.

Speaker of the parliament of Iran, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R), arrives at the Burgenstock resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 21, 2026.

Iran's Ghalibaf holds talks in Oman on Strait of Hormuz: What to know

The US-Iran memorandum of understanding signed last week calls for Iran and Oman to hold talks on the future administration of the strait.

Krikor Der-Hagopian at the 9th Sulaimani Forum, in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, on April 16, 2025.

Iraq taps Krikor Der-Hagopian as first Armenian Christian ambassador to US

Baghdad’s pick of a US-educated Armenian Christian adviser as envoy to Washington underscores a bid to reset US-Iraq ties and broaden the country’s diplomatic profile.

Latest News

Analysis

Pilot zones at center of Israel-Lebanon talks as Trump pressures Netanyahu

Lebanese army forces deploy in the village of Bir al-Salasel in southern Lebanon on June 15, 2026. Iran's foreign ministry on June 15 said the US must ensure that Israel commits to stopping the war in Lebanon under a deal agreed upon with the US to end the Middle East war. Lebanon was pulled into the conflict in early March when Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader, prompting Israeli strikes and a ground invasion. (Pho

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

Analysis

As US reshapes Lebanon strategy, Israel finds itself sidelined

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, Lebanon, on June 9, 2026.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Explainer

What’s the status of Strait of Hormuz after US-Iran talks?

Handout Photo by the US Navy via Getty Images

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

Turkish military tanks drive past the town of Ariha on the M4 highway in Syria's rebel-held northwestern Idlib province on May 7, 2020.

Pentagon warns Turkey against renewed invasion of Syria

A US defense official called for a political process to end Turkey's perpetual battles with Kurdish militants.

Tunisia's President Kais Saied (C-R) receives Algeria's President Abdelmajid Tebboune (C-L) as the latter arrives at Tunis-Carthage International Airport, Tunis, Tunisia, Dec. 15, 2021.

Will Tunisia, Algeria relations recover through land border reopening?

Several issues, including gas and the dispute over the Western Sahara, continue to linger over the tense Algerian-Tunisian relations, despite the reopening of the land borders between the two countries.

Members of Syria's top jihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

HTS arrests members of little-known Syrian group behind attacks against Turkish army in Idlib

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham announced that it arrested most members of the Ansar Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Brigade, a small, little-known jihadist group that is hostile to HTS and has repeatedly targeted Turkish forces in Idlib.

U.S. President Joe Biden meets Israeli singer Yuval Dayan on July 14, 2022.

Why did Israeli singer Yuval Dayan refuse to shake Biden’s hand?

The religious Jewish singer declined the US president's outstretched hand during his visit to Israel, but she did not mean to offend him.

AL-MONITOR Staff

By AL-MONITOR Staff

Hamid Nouri

Tehran slams Sweden over 'political' verdict against ex-official

Already holding two Swedish nationals on death row, Iran warned that the verdict by a Stockholm court could harm bilateral ties.

Bekir Bozdag

Turkish extradition requests often disregarded by Western allies

Ankara has long viewed foreign courts’ refusal to repatriate suspects as a sign of obstruction by their governments, but the West looks askance at the Turkish judicial system.

i2u2

Israel, US, India, UAE hold virtual summit on food security, clean energy

During US President Joe Biden's trip to Israel, the leaders the two countries met virtually with those of India and the United Arab Emirates to discuss food security and clean energy.

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid sign the Jerusalem Declaration, Waldorf Astoria Hotel, Jerusalem, July 14, 2022.

Biden, Lapid sign Jerusalem Declaration

While the document lays out a platform for continued US-Israeli cooperation, there are still signs the two are divided on diplomacy with Tehran.

Bedouin guides lead tourists hiking through the mountains of south Sinai, near St. Catherine, Egypt, April 17, 2015.

Egyptian tourists unwelcome in south Sinai as Israelis visit in droves

Israeli tourists are flocking to south Sinai while Egyptians are being forced to turn back, in violation of the law and the constitution.

Turkish-backed Syrian rebel fighters are pictured in the border town of Azaz in the rebel-held northern part of Aleppo province.

Is Syrian government withdrawing from Tal Rifaat in favor of Turkey?

FSA forces are carrying out military maneuvers in preparation for the battle against Kurdish forces in Tal Rifaat, while Turkey is bringing in more reinforcements.

Ukraine grain 2732

Ukraine, Russia grain talks in Turkey stir optimism as UN voices caution

Turkey’s defense chief has announced Russia and Ukraine are set to sign an understanding over a series of “fundamental technical” issues that the warring parties agreed on during today’s talk in Istanbul.

US President Joe Biden disembarks from his plane upon landing at Ben Gurion Airport,

Analysis

The Takeaway: Biden opens ‘new chapter’ with Middle East trip

Energy company touts oil for food for Syria; Ukraine’s ambassador in Turkey talks Russia; Iran’s unprecedented inflation; oil stoves make comeback in Lebanon; Sudanese civilians skeptical of moves by military leaders; and more.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Andrew Parasiliti

By Elizabeth Hagedorn , Andrew Parasiliti