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Politics & Security

US President Donald Trump attends the National Republican Congressional Committee's annual fundraising dinner at Union Station on March 25, 2026, in Washington, DC.

Analysis

In familiar standoff, US and Iranian demands leave little room for deal

What were already difficult negotiations before the war have grown even more fraught under Iran's new hard-line leadership.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

A handing over of command ceremony at Union III Camp in the Green Zone of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on May 22, 2025.

Turkey confirms Iraq troop withdrawal as NATO pulls back due to Iran war

The confirmation of the withdrawal came as part of NATO’s decision to withdraw its forces in its Iraq mission amid Iran war.

Tangsiri

Who was Alireza Tangsiri, Iranian IRGC naval chief said killed by Israel?

Tangsiri played a key role in Iran’s operations in the Strait of Hormuz and has a long history of antagonizing the US.

Latest News

Trump says Iran’s 'gift' was allowing 10 oil ships through Hormuz

US President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House on March 26, 2026 in Washington, DC.

In Lebanon, deadline looms for expelling Iran envoy amid Hezbollah pushback

FADEL itani / AFP via Getty Images

Kuwait arrests 6 over alleged Hezbollah plot to assassinate leaders

Mourners wave Hezbollah flags during the funeral ceremony of top Hezbollah chief Haytham Ali Tabatabai and other members killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs on November 24, 2025.

Russia evacuates 160 staff from Iran's Bushehr plant: What to know

A picture taken on Nov. 10, 2019, shows an Iranian flag in Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant.

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

ETIENNE TORBEY/AFP via Getty Images

US, UK send troops to Cyprus in response to Lebanon crisis: What we know

Western countries have been calling on citizens to depart Lebanon while some Lebanese residents are fleeing to Syria.

IBRAHIM AMRO/AFP via Getty Images

More than 40,000 shelter in Lebanon schools as Israel expands airstrikes

Israeli airstrikes continued in Lebanon for the third day in a row, causing the worst wave of displacement in nearly two decades.

A cloud of smoke erupts during an Israeli airstrike on the village of Sujud in southern Lebanon on Sept. 25, 2024.

Israeli military prepares for possible ground operation in Lebanon

The Israeli military is activating two reserve soldier brigades in what could be part of the preparation for a possible ground invasion into Lebanon.

Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Marjayoun, near the Lebanon-Israel border, on Sept. 23, 2024.

Analysis

Could Israel's Lebanon assault force Hezbollah withdrawal beyond Litani River?

US and French mediation efforts to reach a deal between Israel and Hezbollah to de-escalate tensions and implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 have failed so far.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 31: U.S. President Joe Biden meets with Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Amir of the State of Qatar, in the Oval Office on January 31, 2022 in Washington, DC. The two leaders were expected to discuss a range of issues, including global energy security as concerns about Russian natural gas supplies continue. (Photo by Tom Brenner-Pool/New York Times/Getty Images)

Qatar to join US visa-free travel list in first for Arab country

Qatar is set to become the second Middle Eastern country, behind Israel, to join the US Visa Waiver Program.

Passengers check their flight times at the Beirut International Airport in Beirut on August 25, 2024, amid escalations in the ongoing cross-border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. The Beirut airport did not close but some airlines, including Royal Jordanian and Etihad Airways, cancelled flights. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Most airlines suspend Beirut flights as Israel ramps up Lebanon attacks

International airlines have canceled flights to the Lebanese capital and Tel Aviv due to intensifying fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

MAHMOUD ZAYYAT/AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon sees biggest wave of displacement since 2006, over 20,000 take shelter in schools

Lebanon is witnessing its largest wave of displacement since the 2006 war amid extensive Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah targets in the country.

Smoke billows from the site of Israeli airstrikes in Aramti, near the Lebanon-Israel border, on Sept. 23, 2024.

On UN summit sidelines, US seeks off-ramp to Israel-Hezbollah conflict

A senior State Department official said Washington had "concrete ideas" to de-escalate the mounting crisis in Lebanon and warned against an Israeli ground offensive.

Debris lie around destroyed vehicles in a street under a residential building whose top two floors were hit by an Israeli strike in the Ghobeiri area of Beirut's southern suburbs on September 24, 2024. A Lebanese security source said on September 24 that an Israeli strike hit Hezbollah's south Beirut stronghold, as the Israel army confirmed it carried out the strike in the Lebanese capital without giving further details. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel's 2 goals in Lebanon: Decouple Hezbollah-Gaza, restore deterrence

"Our aspiration is to strike Hezbollah with a force that it has not yet experienced, while remaining below the threshold of regional war or bringing Iran into direct war," a senior Israeli political source told Al-Monitor.

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

US President Joe Biden and United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan walk to the Oval Office for a meeting at the White House on Sept. 23, 2024 in Washington, DC.

US declares UAE 'major defense partner,' seeking to outbid China

The move put the US-UAE military relationship on the same footing as that between the United States and India.

United Arab Emirates

Iran’s IRGC stops using communication devices following Israel's pager attacks

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has also unveiled a new missile while its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah battles Israel.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gestures during an exclusive interview with AFP in the capital, Damascus, on Feb. 11, 2016.

Syria’s Assad orders cabinet reshuffle: What are the main changes?

Seasoned diplomat Bassam Sabbagh will serve as foreign minister in the new government, with other key posts remaining unchanged.