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

politics and security cover image

Politics & Security

A bulk carrier sits anchored at Sultan Qaboos Port on March 23, 2026 in Muscat, Oman.

Third Turkish ship clears Hormuz as Ankara presses Tehran on safe passage

Eight vessels are still waiting as Ankara negotiates with Tehran, which is allowing limited crossings.

Turkey's Camp TURKSOM, a Turkish military base south of Mogadishu, is seen from the window of an aircraft, on April 26, 2025, in Mogadishu, Somalia.

Analysis

Turkey’s expanding military role in Somalia draws scrutiny amid federal rift

Turkey’s expanding military footprint in Somalia is drawing criticism amid deepening federal-regional tensions, with Ankara denying it is taking sides.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

A view of the B1 bridge is pictured, a day after it was destroyed by a strike in Karaj, around 20miles (35kms) southwest of Tehran, April 3, 2026. US President Donald Trump said on April 2 the tallest bridge in Iran had been destroyed, hours after threatening to bomb the country "back to the Stone Ages." (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images) /

Analysis

Why Trump's infrastructure-focused strikes risk hardening Iran's war posture

Targeting infrastructure has opened a new phase in the US-Israel-Iran war, hardening Tehran's stance and pushing the conflict toward attrition with fewer off-ramps.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Smoke rises from an area of Kuwait's international airport after a reported drone strike on April 1, 2026. Kuwait's civil aviation authority said that the Gulf state's international airport had come under an Iranian drone attack that led to "a large fire" at a fuel depot. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) / Kuwait OUT / KUWAIT OUT

Iran strikes Gulf again, hitting Kuwait refinery as UAE shuts gas hub

Kuwait’s desalination plant and key refinery have been damaged, and the UAE has suspended Habshan operations after debris from intercepted missiles caused a fire.

Latest News

US rescues 1 crew member after fighter jet downed over Iran

A US Air Force (USAF) F-15E Eagle fighter jet, is pictured as it prepares to land at RAF (Royal Air Force) Lakenheath, east of England, on June 15, 2020. - The UK Coastguard launched a search and rescue operation Monday to find the pilot of a US fighter jet that crashed during a training mission in the North Sea. The US Air Force said the F-15C Eagle went down after taking off from the RAF Lakenheath base near the town of Mildenhall in eastern England. The base is home to the 48th Fighter Wing, which has op

Argentina expels Iranian diplomat after listing IRGC as 'terrorist' organization

Argentina's president, Javier Milei, delivers a speech during a ceremony to commemorate the 44th anniversary of the war between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands on April 2, 2026.

US strike on Iran suspension bridge hints at looming shift in war strategy

B1 bridge

'Apartheid': Arab countries including UAE, Jordan decry new Israeli law

MOJAHID NAW/Middle East Images/AFP via 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

Turkish Central Bank Governor Hafize Gaye Erkan attends the Planning and Budget Commission of the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara on Oct. 03, 2023.

Turkey's first female central bank chief faces potential axe amid nepotism claims

The question concerning Hafize Gaye Erkan's dismissal is increasingly not "if" but "when," observers say.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Breaking | Last Updated: January 24, 2024, 6:22 am

Turkey’s parliament ratifies Sweden’s NATO membership

Following Turkey’s ratification, Hungary remains to be sole holdout standing before Sweden’s accession to the transatlantic alliance.

Shahar Yorman/Israeli Defense Ministry

Analysis

France's defense chief pushes for 3 goals on Israel visit

In Israel, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu is showing Paris’ willingness to further engage in ending the fighting in Gaza and preventing regional escalation.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani and President of the Federal Republic of Somalia Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.

Somali president visits Qatar, Egypt amid row over Somaliland-Ethiopia deal

The tour comes after Ethiopia and the breakaway region of Somaliland signed a controversial deal that would give Addis Ababa access to the Red Sea.

US President Joe Biden shakes hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they meet on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 20, 2023.

Analysis

Can US pressure Netanyahu to accept Palestinian state for Israel-Saudi normalization?

The Biden administration is pushing for a comprehensive deal that would see Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accept the two-state solution in exchange for the Saudis agreeing to normalize ties with Israel.

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

Mohammad Ghobadlou

Outcry as Iran executes young protester with mental illness: judiciary

Mohammad Ghobadlou, who had allegedly a history of mental illness, was hanged in an Iranian prison in relation to his role in the 2022 nationwide protests.

Fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) stand near a US Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) during a joint military exercise with forces of the US-led "Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve" coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group in the countryside of the town of al-Malikiya (Derik in Kurdish) in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on Sept. 7, 2022.

Pentagon floats plan for its Syrian Kurd allies to partner with Assad against ISIS

The proposal, which the head of the Syrian Democratic Forces denounced as a "rotten plan," comes as part of a renewed review of Syria policy by the US State Department.

Brett McGurk, US White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa, speaks during the 17th IISS Manama Dialogue in the Bahraini capital Manama on Nov. 21, 2021.

Biden's top Mideast adviser McGurk heads to Qatar, Egypt for hostage talks

Brett McGurk's trip comes after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas' terms for a hostage deal.

Saudi FM

Saudi FM: No Israel normalization without ‘irreversible path’ to Palestinian state

Saudi Prince Faisal bin Farhan said the kingdom would not finance the rebuilding of the enclave unless there is a viable path to a two-state solution.

Breaking | Last Updated: January 22, 2024, 4:25 pm

Turkey's parliament to vote on Sweden’s NATO accession this week

The progress follows intense diplomatic contacts between Ankara and Washington.

David C. Mercil/US Navy/Getty Images

Two US Navy SEALs presumed dead after anti-Houthi raid: Pentagon

The two special operators are presumed dead after attempting to board a stateless boat off Somalia earlier this month.

Iranian mourners gather during the funeral ceremony of yesterday's explosion, Kerman, Iran, Jan. 5, 2024.

Soldier arrested in Iran after inside attack killing 5 troops in Kerman

The latest incident involves the killing of five soldiers by a fellow conscript in Kerman, which was the scene of a deadly bombing claimed by ISIS earlier this month.