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

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Politics & Security

US President Donald Trump (C) attends a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) multilateral meeting alongside alongside (L/R) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 22, 2026.

Trump tells Middle East leaders US-Iran talks have ‘momentum’

Trump hosted top officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council states, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq on the sidelines of UN General Assembly.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian disembarks from his plane

Analysis

As Trump confirms US-Iran meeting, can Pezeshkian find at UN path to a deal?

In New York, Pezeshkian will be seeking leverage, not reconciliation, as Iran scrambles to balance military defiance, economic crises and tentative mediation against the costs of prolonging the conflict.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Cypriot Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas, Egyptian Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Ashraf Salem Zaher, and Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias meet in Cairo, Sept. 22, 2026.

Egypt hosts Greece, Cyprus defense ministers: What to know

Egypt is looking to increase security and energy cooperation with both countries as part of a focus on the eastern Mediterranean.

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Explainer

Turkey’s $18B Ponzi-like scandal likened to Madoff as arrests mount

Turkey detained 14 more people Tuesday as authorities widened a probe into one of the country's largest investment-fund scandals.

Latest News

Turkey, US sign $2M grant deal for small nuclear reactors: What to know

construction of Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant

Iran seizes assets of 394 people accused of spying for 'hostile enemy'

Iranians walk past a wall decorated with the image of assassinated Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the national flag, in central of Tehran on Sept. 14, 2026.

Analysis

Why Netanyahu is distancing himself from Trump ahead of Israeli election

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey’s quota plan for refugees alarms rights activists

Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu is advocating quotas for foreigners to prevent ghettos and clashes, but activists worry relocations would cut vulnerable refugees' access to work and services.

Liberman

As minister resigns, Israel’s government more fragile than ever

The resignation of Minister Eli Avidar reflects the fragility of the Bennett-Lapid coalition, composed of a narrow majority of 61 Knesset members.

A picture shows the Supreme Judicial Council building in Iraq's Baghdad on Dec. 27, 2021.

Iraqi judges in crosshairs of drug dealers with powerful connections

Iraq has seen systematic assassinations of judges since 2003, most of whom were handling investigations into drugs and corruption cases involving influential figures and parties.

A picture shows a snow-covered displacement camp for Yazidis in the area of Dawudya, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Dahuk, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jan. 25, 2022.

Yazidis react to killing of Islamic State leader

The death of Islamic State leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi, who committed war crimes against the Yazidi community in Sinjar and supervised the Sinjar genocide in which thousands of Yazidis were killed, sparked varied reactions among Yazidis.

MAZEN MAHDI/AFP via Getty Images

US Navy turns to sea drones in MidEast

The US Navy is turning to unmanned tech to help regional states monitor the waters of the Persian Gulf and Red Sea.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdoulahian speaks at a press conference in Tehran on February 23, 2022

Iran says nuclear talks at 'critical' stage

Agence France-Presse

By Agence France-Presse

GERD ceremony

Egypt reacts as Ethiopia switches on first Nile dam turbine

Cairo continues to call on Addis Ababa to end its unilateral measures when it comes to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

Bennett Lapid

Analysis

Israel slams possible Iran nuclear deal without criticizing US

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warns of the emerging Vienna agreement on Iran, but observers say Israel has little or no leverage to change it.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

AFP via Getty Images

US defense contractor to set up surveillance center in UAE

The Tawazun Economic Council signed a term sheet with L3Harris Technologies at a drone and robotics fair in Abu Dhabi.

KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images

Raisi says Iran's gas production strong despite US sanctions

Iran's president declared that US sanctions have failed to put a brake on his country's lucrative natural gas production.

Sudan's top Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan speaks as he attends the conclusion of a military exercise in the Maaqil area, northern Nile River State, Sudan, Dec. 8, 2021.

Sudan moves ahead with Israel ties

Tel Aviv continues to exchange visits with the contested authorities in Khartoum and deepen their security cooperation, in line with the coup generals’ allies in the Gulf and Egypt.

KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

Erdogan calls Russia's recognition of Ukrainian breakaways 'unacceptable'

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who cut short his visit to Africa after Russia recognizes two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine, expresses support for Zelenskyy’s proposal for summit.