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Politics & Security

President Donald Trump waves as he boards Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport on Aug. 2, 2026 in Morristown, New Jersey.

Trump’s strategy on Iran may pay off as deal appears imminent

Through far-sighted diplomacy and a durable new regional architecture, Trump has cornered Iran between alignment and atrophy — and a deal may now be imminent.

Two brothers watch oil tankers, general cargo ships, bulk carriers, and fishing boats anchored in the waters off Muscat near the Strait of Hormuz on June 18, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Analysis

Why Iran is fighting to keep Hormuz at center of US negotiations

As Washington seeks a broader deal with Iran, Tehran says the Strait of Hormuz is the only issue on the table, reflecting a wider struggle over maritime security and regional power.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

People attend a mass funeral for members of the Abu Sharia and Al-Hasayna families, whose remains were recently recovered from the rubble of their homes after an attack earlier in the war, on Aug. 4, 2026 in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City, Gaza.

Gaza family buries 112 recovered from war rubble after Israeli strike

In early July, Gaza’s Government Media Office said that more than 2,700 families have been erased from the civil registry after all their members were killed by Israeli military action.

Latest News

Explainer

The emerging Iran-Oman Hormuz deal: What's at stake?

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (2nd L), Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (2nd R) and Omani Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi (R) walk inside a building in Muscat, Oman, on June 22, 2026.

Turkey’s defense exports reach record $5.79B in first 7 months of 2026

People look at a drone on display at the Baykar exhibit at the SAHA International Defense and Aerospace Expo on May 6, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey.

Analysis

Netanyahu’s Gaza double game: Back Trump, reassure Israel’s right

Omar AL-QATTAA / AFP via Getty Images

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

Russia names Dmitry Dogadkin new ambassador to Syria amid thaw: What to know

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday appointed veteran diplomat Dmitry Dogadkin, pictured here, as Russia's Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Syria, succeeding Alexander Yefimov.

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

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a remembrance event to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel at Trump National Doral golf club in Miami, Florida, on Oct. 7, 2024.

How a Trump or Harris win could shape the Middle East

The Takeaway unpacks what a Harris or Trump presidency would mean for the trajectory of Israel's mulitfront war in the region.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets in Jerusalem with US Presidential Special Envoy Amos Hochstein and US Presidential Special Envoy Brett McGurk, on Oct. 31, 2024.

Netanyahu says Israel's 'ability to enforce' key to any Lebanon deal

American envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk met Thursday with Israeli leaders in yet another effort to clinch a deal for a cease-fire in southern Lebanon.

CLEMENT MAHOUDEAU/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey announces initial payment for $23B F-16 jets deal

The first batch of payments has been made in Turkey’s nearly five-year effort to purchase new F-16 fighter jets from the United States, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.

Saudi Arabian Minister for Foreign Affairs Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud arrives at the BRICS summit in Kazan on October 24, 2024. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEXANDER ZEMLIANICHENKO/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi-Israel normalization 'off table' until Palestinian statehood, FM says

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister has said that normalization with Israel will wait for progress on Palestinian rights.

This combination of pictures created on Aug. 15, 2021 shows CIA Director, William Burns, testifying during a House Intelligence Committee hearing about worldwide threats, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on April 15, 2021 and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi (R) attending a press conference with his Russian counterpart at the presidential palace in the capital Cairo on Dec. 11, 2017.

CIA chief, Egypt’s Sisi discuss 'urgent need' to end Lebanon, Gaza wars

The meeting comes as Egypt, Qatar and the US resume mediation talks to secure a hostage deal and a cease-fire in Gaza.

A damaged ambulance lies amid the fire following an Israeli airstrike that targeted the industrial zone in the southern Lebanese village of Abbasiyah on Oct. 30, 2024.

Leaked document outlines Lebanon-Israel cease-fire, might be reached in 'hours or days'

A document published by Israeli public broadcaster Kan on Wednesday purports to contain the details of a US-backed cease-fire proposal between Israel and Hezbollah.

FREDERICK FLORIN/AFP via Getty Images

Why Turkey's Erdogan is mulling release of PKK leader from prison

Despite conciliatory messages from Turkey’s ruling coalition, the arrest of a district mayor from the main opposition party has cast doubt over a potential opening with the Kurds.

Auto rickshaws (Tuk-Tuks) and a monument are seen through the window of an armoured car on Sept. 4, 2022 in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Somalia-Ethiopia rift intensifies: What's behind latest row?

The latest expulsion marks yet another step toward an eruption of tensions between the neighboring countries.

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks during a Get Out the Vote rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, on October 30, 2024. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly / AFP) (Photo by RYAN M. KELLY/AFP via Getty Images)

Scarred by Trump and Biden, Palestinians remain pessimistic over US election

Palestinians surveyed by Al-Monitor said that while they are closely following the US presidential race, there is a widespread sense that little will change for Palestinians, regardless of who wins.

An aircraft of Middle East Airlines (MEA), Lebanon's flag carrier, takes off from Beirut International Airport on Oct. 6, 2024 amidst smoke rising from nearby sites targeted overnight by Israeli air strikes in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.

Feature

Flying despite Israeli attacks, Middle East Airlines becomes symbol of pride for Lebanon

As a growing number of airlines cancel and reroute flights in the region to avoid conflict, Lebanon's flagship carrier has provided a sense of stability amid turmoil.

Amberin Zaman

Beatrice Farhat

By Amberin Zaman , Beatrice Farhat

The deputy chief of Lebanon's Shiite militant group Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, delivers a speech during a rally in Beirut on Oct. 13, 2023.

Hezbollah’s new leader says group to fight 'for months' as US proposes 60-day Lebanon cease-fire

Naim Qassem’s speech coincides with escalating Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon, as the US scrambles to secure a cease-fire deal.

Drew Angerer/Getty Images

CIA chief returns to Egypt in last-ditch effort for Gaza deal: What we know

The Israeli press reports that CIA chief William Burns will head to Cairo Thursday for more talks on a possible deal between Israel and Hamas.