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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi holds a joint press conference in Tehran, on Nov. 30, 2025.

In call with Araghchi, Turkey's Fidan urges Iran to negotiate with US

The top Turkish diplomat held back-to-back calls with Iranian and US officials as Ankara watches developments in Iran with mounting concern.

Members of the Petroleum Oils and Lubricants squadron at the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing take a break from replacing a 50,000-gallon fuel bladder in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, on Dec. 30, 2002, in Al Udeid, Qatar.

Breaking | Last Updated: January 14, 2026, 12:10 pm

US evacuates some personnel from Qatar air base amid Trump threat to strike Iran

Iran's Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh warned Tuesday that Tehran will retaliate for any attacks on the country.

Fires are lit as protesters rally on Jan. 8, 2026 in Tehran, Iran.

Analysis

Bruised, not broken: Iran’s regime shows no deep structural cracks — yet

One of the clearest indicators of regime vulnerability — namely defections among the elite or military positions — has not materialized yet.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan listens to Iran's foreign minister during a joint press conference, in Tehran on Nov. 30, 2025.

Turkey's Fidan to visit UAE as Iran unrest, Gulf tensions intensify

The top Turkish diplomat’s UAE visit coincides with heightened Gaza diplomacy, growing tensions between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, and escalating unrest in Iran.

Latest News

UN envoy in Cairo for talks as Sudan war tops 1,000 days: What to know

Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra speaks to the press with US Secretary of State John Kerry (unseen) during a press conference as part of the US/ Algeria Strategic Dialogue at the State Department in Washington, on April 8, 2015.

Syria declares 'closed military zone' east of Aleppo as Kurds protest

Members of the Kurdish forces hold a portrait of Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler which reads "Shame on the killers of innocents in the Sheikh Maqsoud neighborhood" during a protest by Syrian Kurds against violence they say was committed by Syrian government forces during recent clashes in Aleppo's Kurdish neighbourhoods, in the Kurdish-controlled northeastern city of Qamishli on Jan. 13, 2026.

CENTCOM opens air defense cell at Qatar's Al Udeid base: What to know

A Patriot missile battery is seen near Prince Sultan air base at al-Kharj on Feb. 20, 2020.

Syria’s Sharaa heads to Davos, ending years of global isolation

President of Syria Ahmed al-Shara arrives for the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at UN Headquarters on Sept. 23, 2025 in New York City. — Alexi J. Rosenfeld/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

A view of the Pentagon on Dec. 13, 2024, in Washington, DC. Home to the US Defense Department, the Pentagon is one of the world's largest office buildings.

Trump's pick for Pentagon Mideast policy chief signals Iran strategy shift

Trump fired his longtime Iran envoy, Brian Hook, and revoked the security clearance of former national security adviser John Bolton. His pick to be the Pentagon’s next Middle East policy chief, Michael DiMino, has a history of opposing the idea of joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.

Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

Iranian army conducts drill on Afghan border following Trump's inauguration

The army said it deployed a new system for countering drones in an effort to boost readiness against militants and Iran’s enemies.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog (R) and CNN Indian American journalist Fareed Zakaria.

Israel's Herzog warns against 'aura of optimism' over Gaza ceasefire

A truce brokered by Qatar and the US, structured in three phases, took effect on Sunday.

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on her nomination to be Ambassador to the United Nations on Capitol Hill on January 21, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Trump’s UN envoy pick Stefanik blasts organization’s 'antisemitic rot'

The Republican lawmaker also told senators she believes Israel has a biblical claim to the entire West Bank.

WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain delivers a speech at the first meeting of the Global School Meals Coalition, in Paris, on Oct. 18, 2023.

Interview

WFP chief McCain urges funding to alleviate Syria's hunger crisis

WFP Executive Director Cindy McCain warned of donor fatigue after nearly 14 years of civil war in Syria.

Cindy McCain

Cindy McCain

WFP Executive Director

Former US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the Israeli American Council National Summit at the Washington Hilton, on Sept. 19, 2024, in Washington.

Analysis

Will Netanyahu follow through with ending Gaza war?

Despite his promise to President Donald Trump to end the war in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also assured hard-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich that the fighting would continue until Hamas is defeated.

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

Donald Trump is sworn in as US president in the Rotunda of the US Capitol, in Washington, on Jan. 20, 2025.

From Syria to Yemen: Middle East reacts to Donald Trump’s inauguration

Donald Trump's inauguration sparked a mix of optimism and cautious reactions across the Middle East, with US allies expressing hope for continued collaboration, while Iran, Palestine and regional proxies voiced concerns about his policies and their impact on regional stability.

Israeli forces in armored vehicles conduct a raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank on Jan. 21, 2025.

Israeli raid in West Bank kills 8 in Jenin as tensions soar

The operation follows Israeli concerns about the presence of Iran-backed groups in the Palestinian territory as well as a crackdown by the Palestinian Authority's security services.

A car belonging to Palestinian villagers set on fire during clashes after the Israeli settlers stormed the village of Qusra in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Saturday, April 13, 2024. (Photo by Wahaj Bani Moufleh / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by WAHAJ BANI MOUFLEH/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump revokes sanctions on Israeli settlers in West Bank: What we know

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed a flurry of executive orders from withdrawing from the World Health Organization to reversing one that sanctioned violent Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi (front) arrives at a ceremony marking Memorial Day for fallen soldiers of Israel's wars and victims of attacks at Jerusalem's Mount Herzl military cemetery on May 13, 2024.

Breaking | Last Updated: January 21, 2025, 9:58 am

Israeli military chief of staff Halevi resigns over Oct. 7 failures

Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has sent a letter announcing his resignation as of March 6 over the failure to prevent the Oct. 7 2023, Hamas attack.

The fire at a hotel in Turkey’s northwestern province of Bolu at a 12-story wooden-clad hotel

Turkey declares national day of mourning after ski resort fire kills at least 76

The blaze struck a popular ski resort hotel, leaving dozens dead.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: Donald Trump is sworn into office as Melania Trump holds the Bible in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Saul Loeb - Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

With Trump inaugurated, how will the Republican trifecta reshape Middle East?

Trump’s White House will have the support of the House and Senate on post-war Israel and Gaza, Iran deterrence, Saudi normalization and more.

Megan Mineiro

By Megan Mineiro

In Washington, DC, reporting on US Congress