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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

Janti Soeripto helps at a community kitchen serving hot meals to displaced families arriving from El-Fasher.

Interview

As Sudan war drags on, US-Iran conflict compounds humanitarian crisis in Darfur

Save the Children US President and CEO Janti Soeripto said delivering aid in Sudan remains extremely difficult, with supply trucks often delayed for weeks or months even after entering the country.

Janti Soeripto

President and CEO of Save the Children US

SAHA EXPO 2024

Analysis

Cheap drones, costly threats: Why Gulf states are looking to Turkey for defense deals

Iran’s drone and missile attacks have exposed gaps in Gulf and Iraqi air defenses, giving Turkey an opening for Turkish defense sales, but Ankara has a narrow window before South Korean and European competitors gain ground.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Women hold portraits of jailed Islamist cleric Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir during a protest calling for his release in Beirut on April 24, 2025.

Explainer

Why Sunni frustration is growing over Lebanon’s amnesty law

Parliament speaker Nabih Berri postponed a parliamentary session scheduled to vote on a draft general amnesty law following disagreements about who should benefit from the measure, including Islamist detainees.

Abdullah DOMA / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

US, Turkey boost Libya coordination, but unity push faces political hurdles

Washington and Ankara are stepping up coordination on efforts to unify Libya’s divided institutions, but analysts warn that major financial and political obstacles remain.

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

Latest News

Analysis

How far will Iran bend in ceasefire talks with US?

An Iranian police office stands on patrol near a poster depicting Iranian soldiers holding a net in the shape of the Strait of Hormuz, with US military aircraft ensnared in a fishing net, on May 9, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Tulsi Gabbard resigns as top US intelligence official: What to know

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testifies during a House Select Intelligence Committee hearing on March 19, 2026, in Washington, DC.

Analysis

Erdogan’s CHP move raises early poll prospects as Iran war bleeds Turkey’s economy

Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Ozgur Ozel, speaks to the media at CHP headquarters on May 22, 2026, in Ankara, Turkey.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Analysis

As Pakistan military chief holds Iran talks, Israel's Netanyahu fears being left out

AAMIR QURESHI/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

People and first-responders gather outside a building that was hit by an Israeli strike in Tehran on June 13, 2025.

Oil prices surge, airlines cancel flights after Israel strikes Iran

The price of Brent crude rose by more than 7%, even touching a high of $78 per barrel on Friday.

People look over damage to buildings in Nobonyad Square following Israeli airstrikes on Tehran, June 13, 2025.

Middle East condemns Israeli strikes on Iran, calls for restraint

Leaders from across the region have harshly criticized Israel's attack as threatening the stability of the region.

An Israeli F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft performs maneuvers during the "Noble Dina 23" multilateral aeronautical exercise over the Mediterranean sea on March 27, 2023.

Exclusive

Israeli military preparations on Iran fueled US diplomats’ drawdown from Iraq

Western intelligence on Israeli military activity at Nevatim air base preceded the Trump administration's decision to draw down its embassy staff in Iraq and allow US military families to leave the region.

Jared Szuba

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

Stacks of Iraqi dinars are seen at currency exchange shop in Baghdad on February 14, 2023. - Iraq nudged up the value of its local currency against the dollar in an effort to stabilise the dinar after tougher foreign transfer regulations sent its value fluctuating. The government adopted a new official exchange rate, fixing it at 1,300 dinars to the US dollar instead of 1,470, the prime minister's office said. (Photo by Murtaja LATEEF / AFP) (Photo by MURTAJA LATEEF/AFP via Getty Images)

As dinar drops, Iraq says embassies safe in light of US-Iran tension

The Iraqi dinar fell slightly on Thursday, as the country responds to the latest round of potential escalation between the United States and Iran.

Libyan military strongman Khalifa Hifter (2nd L)

Amid rapprochement with Libya’s Hifter, Turkey says parliament reviewing maritime deal

The review marks a shift in Libya’s internal dynamics and Turkey’s regional diplomacy, though analysts doubt the deal will be ratified.

NATANZ, IRAN - APRIL 9: A general view of the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, is seen on April 9, 2007, 180 miles south of Tehran, Iran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced yesterday, April 9, that Iran has stepped up their Uranium enrichment programme, with up to 3,000 isotope separating centrifuges now in operation. The news has brought condemnation from the International Community and the UN. Iran?s top nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani confirmed the scaling-up of activity but declined to e

Live Updates

As IRGC vows response, IAEA says Iran breached non-proliferation obligations

The UN nuclear watchdog found that Iran is in breach of its obligations — a rare move that risks further escalating tensions over Iran's nuclear program.

Fabrizio Villa/Getty Images)

Gaza flotilla activists: Who are they and where are they now?

Israel said French parliamentarian Rima Hassan has been deported, after Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and others were sent home earlier this week.

Lebanese Minister of Economy Amin Salam (R) vists the port of the capital Beirut, as a corner of the silos which were destroyed in a massive explosion on August 4, 2020, burns on July 14, 2022. - The fire at the port's blast-hit grain silos, at risk of collapse due to severe damage, ignited at the start of the month because of fermentation of remaining grain stocks paired with rising temperatures. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon arrests fmr economy minister Amin Salam on embezzlement charges

The arrest comes nearly a year after the former central bank chief was arrested on charges of embezzlement and money laundering, among other things.

Supporters of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' DEM Party attend a rally for the Turkish Municipal elections to be held on March 31, in Esenyurt Square in Istanbul, on Feb. 25, 2024.

Jailed PKK leader Ocalan 'likely’ to meet Turkish politicians amid peace talks

The potential talks would mark the first direct engagement of its kind since Abdullah Ocalan's capture in 1999.

A Sudanese army officer walks near an armoured vehicle seized after their capture of a base used by the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries after the latter group evacuated from the Salha area of Omdurman, the twin-city of Sudan's capital, on May 26, 2025. Sudan, Africa's third largest country, has been ravaged by more than two years of war between the army and the RSF. The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 13 million and created what the United Nations describes as the

Sudan army loses border control to RSF after clashes with Libya’s Haftar

Sudan’s army withdrew from a volatile border zone after clashes with Libyan forces tied to Khalifa Hifter, who is accused of supporting Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.

A view of Iran's domestically made satellite launch vehicles (SLVs) and missiles in the Museum of Holy Defense in Tehran, Iran on April 17, 2025. The term "Holy Defense" is used to refer to Iran-Iraq war that took 8 years. (Photo by AO / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by AO/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

As Trump gets 'less confident' about deal, Iran threatens US bases in region

The US has maintained military bases across the Middle East for decades, with the largest—by personnel count—being Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a swearing-in ceremony for Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff in the Oval Office at the White House on May 6, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Analysis

Trump’s patience may be running out on Iran

The focus on divisions between the MAGA and hawk camps may be missing the bigger story; Trump has been holding a master-class on Iran diplomacy and strategy.

Andrew Parasiliti

By Andrew Parasiliti

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, national security