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November 8, 2026

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People vote on Election Day during the midterm elections

Analysis

From sanctions relief to deterrence: How Iran reads US elections

Iran's negotiators now view US elections through the lens of political pressure and the costs of conflict, while even Javad Zarif frames diplomacy as part of deterrence.

Jamshid Jamshidi

By Jamshid Jamshidi

MEHMET ESER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Will Democrats block Trump’s push to deliver Turkey F-35s, lift sanctions?

Democratic control of Congress complicates Turkey’s push for F-35s and sanctions relief, but Ankara remains hopeful Trump can still broker a deal.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, speaks during a press conference

Explainer

Who will lead Congress? Democrats weigh Schumer alternatives, Jeffries bid

A number of contenders have emerged as challengers to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, including strong critics of the Iran war and US support to Israel.

Tump

Can Trump turn midterm defeat into Iran breakthrough?

Although Iran may have contributed to Republican losses in midterms, the Trump administration still has a historic opportunity in the Middle East.

Latest News

Feature

Emboldened Democrats gear up to challenge Trump over Iran war, Gulf business ties

A protest sign is seen near the White House the day after Election Day

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Explainer

Democrats’ midterm sweep tests US-Israel ties as Eisenkot vows reset

An aerial view shows a campaign billboard depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv, on Oct. 26, 2026, on the eve of Israel's legislative elections.

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

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

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

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Rosaleen Carroll

News Reporter and Supporting Editor

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Paul J. Saunders

In Washington, DC, reporting on Russia in the Middle East

PMU steps up role in Iraq's security after Basra rioting

Following violent protests in Basra in which PMU offices were set on fire, the PMU now plans to carry out security tasks in southern Iraq, which will expand its influence there.

Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort arrives for arraignment on a third superseding indictment against him by Special Counsel Robert Mueller on charges of witness tampering, at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S. June 15, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC17B93AD850

The Paul Manafort affair: the Israeli connection

Israeli politicians are demanding investigations into which 'senior Israeli official' appears to have close ties to the Kremlin and was apparently involved in an effort by the former American lobbyist Paul Manafort to smear a Ukrainian politician as anti-Semitic.

A picture taken on September 3, 2018 shows a general view of the Iraqi parliament during a meeting in the capital Baghdad. - Iraq's parliament convened today with a populist cleric who triumphed in May elections allying with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to try to form a government and sideline pro-Iran rivals. (Photo by SABAH ARAR / AFP) (Photo credit should read SABAH ARAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Iran 1, US 0: Iraq chooses a parliament speaker

After a long delay, the Iraqi parliament has finally elected its speaker and in doing so confirmed the rising influence of Iran.

Supporters of Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), attend a rally in Villepinte, near Paris, France, June 30, 2018. REUTERS/Regis Duvignau - RC17E035C2B0

Iranians respond to MEK troll farm: #YouAreBots

The exiled Iranian opposition group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq is allegedly pumping out tweets in support of overthrowing the Islamic Republic and amplifying them with bots, while legitimate Iranian accounts are suspended.

Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah attends a session of the International Donor Group for Palestine at the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, January 31, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RC130F84DC10

Who will save Gaza?

Despite celebrating the Trump administration cutting off assistance to UNRWA, Israel knows that without US funding the organization will be paralyzed, making a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip a matter of time.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 5, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1567EA50A0

Would Netanyahu be better off without Trump?

The overly pro-Israeli policies of President Donald Trump, especially his decision to cut funding for the Palestinians, poses a threat to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to continue using the Oslo Accords as a permanent status solution and for the international community to pay for Israel's occupation of the West Bank and the building of settlements.

Syrian fighters attend a mock battle in anticipation of an attack by the regime on Idlib province and the surrounding countryside, during a graduation of new Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) members at a camp in the countryside of the northern Idlib province on August 14, 2018. (Photo by OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP) (Photo credit should read OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Al-Qaeda, foreign fighters have nowhere to go from Idlib

Erdogan appeals for support to "moderate rebels," but what may ultimately matter is US-Russia common ground; Al-Monitor's award-winning lobbying series and archive now available.

Russia, Germany at loggerheads over Idlib

Germany has recently engaged with the United States, the UK and France to take a stronger stance on Syria. But as Chancellor Merkel encounters strong domestic opposition on potential military action in Syria, the significance of engaging with Russia increases.

A boy drives a bicycle with an Iraqi flag in Dibis area on the outskirts of Kirkuk, Iraq October 17, 2017. REUTERS/Alaa Al-Marjani - RC1DD9EF0F10

Iraqi Kurds stuck between Iran, US

The Iraqi Kurds are worried about the US-Iran rivalry in Iraq, as it will weaken their position in the country more than ever before.

U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura attends a meeting during consultations on Syria at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland September 11, 2018. Salvatore Di Nolfi/Pool via REUTERS - RC11EE43CD10

Washington ramps up diplomatic efforts to stave off Idlib operation

The new US Syria diplomatic team ramps up diplomacy as it tries to bolster Turkish and European efforts to avert assault on Idlib.

Iranian Kurdish Peshmerga members of the Iranian Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDPI) check the damage after a rocket attack inside their headquarters in Koysinjaq, 100 kilometres east of Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of eastern Iraq, on September 8, 2018. - At least a dozen members of the Iranian Kurdish rebel group were killed on September 8 in the a rocket attack on their headquarters carried out by Iran's Revolutionary Guards. The Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) has carried

Iran missile strike opens door to escalation with Kurdish armed groups

An Iranian missile attack on Iranian Kurdish fighters in Iraqi Kurdistan has raised the risk of intensified fighting in western Iran while heightening the chances of localized confrontations taking on an international dimension.

Iraqi-Kurdistan

Ankara oddly quiet on China's alleged torture of Uighurs

The Turkish public used to speak out loudly and often against suppressive Chinese policies against Uighur Turks, but now the media, the public and the government are keeping mum.