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

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Politics & Security

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf speaks during a press conference at the site where Qasem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed by a US airstrike in 2020 near the airport upon his arrival in Baghdad, on Aug. 19, 2026.

Iran’s Ghalibaf makes high-level visit to Iraq ahead of disarmament deadline

The Iraqi parliament speaker is calling on his Iranian counterpart to help Iraq export oil through Hormuz amid the regional conflict.

Pedestrians walk past a billboard depicting Iran's late Supreme Leaders Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Tehran, Iran, June 15, 2026.

With talks stalled, Iran ups threats against Gulf, Europe: What to know

The threats have raised concerns that the conflict between Iran and the United States could expand beyond the region.

This handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency on Aug. 18, 2026, shows Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan (C) during the sentencing of Wassim al-Assad.

In first, Lebanon to hand over former Syrian general to Sharaa government

The decision comes as Syria's new authorities move to prosecute former regime figures over alleged crimes committed during the country's civil war.

Latest News

Analysis

How failing US-Iran diplomacy is giving way to fresh confrontation

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

UAE halts all trade ties with Iran after missile attack

Ships are docked along a pier at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on July 14, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

US sanctions International Criminal Court president, top lawyer

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

Police secure the area in front of the Turkish Embassy in Copenhagen.

Can Turkey's Erdogan decouple Finland's and Sweden’s NATO bids?

Though Erdogan is adopting a more positive attitude toward Finland's NATO bid as he slams the door in Sweden’s face once more, neither Helsinki nor NATO seem keen on leaving Sweden behind just yet. 

Turkish tanks are positioned in the Turkish military base in Bashiqa, several kilometers outside of Mosul, Iraq.

Pro-Iran group claims attack on Turkey's base in northern Iraq

The so-called Bashiqa base, which has long been a source of tension between Ankara and Baghdad, is a frequent target of rocket attacks by pro-Iranian groups in Iraq.

Kobi Gideon/GPO

Chad President to inaugurate new embassy in Israel, as Netanyahu opens to Africa

"Israel’s coming back to Africa and Africa [is] coming back to Israel," Netanyahu told Chadian President Mahamat Deby ahead of opening embassy on Thursday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) shakes hands with his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry.

Egypt's Shoukry holds talks with Lavrov in Russia, a day after meeting Blinken

Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry delivered a message from the United States to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, on Russia's war in Ukraine, according to an Egyptian media report.

ANDREY BORODULIN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey rises, Russia fades as Iran and Azerbaijan clash over Armenia

Conflict is looming once again between Armenia and Azerbaijan as regional powers maneuver in the Caucasus.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) made it clear that Congress will block the F-16s sale to Turkey, if Ankara doesn’t allow Finland and Sweden into NATO. Van Hollen speaking at the Baltimore and Potomac (B&P) Tunnel North Portal on January 30, 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Senator Van Hollen says no F-16s for Turkey if Sweden, Finland not admitted to NATO

The Democratic senator also discussed concerns about Israel’s new government, China’s inroads in the Gulf and more at the Al-Monitor PRO event.

An Iranian cleric walks past an anti-US mural on a wall of the former United States embassy in the capital Tehran, on March 12, 2022. - Iran said that US attempts to seize its tankers and oil cargo had failed to stop exports that are subject to sanctions imposed by its arch foe. (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran arrests 4 Sunni clerics, bans filmmaker from travel

Sunni clerics criticizing the Islamic Republic's heavy-handed response to protests were the latest to be placed in the crosshairs of the Iranian authorities, who are scrambling to crush the months-long unrest.

Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant (R) meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Jerusalem, Jan. 31, 2023.

Despite US-Israel proximity on Iran, Netanyahu not off hook on Palestinians

In his meeting with the US secretary of state, Prime Minister Netanyahu wanted to focus on Iran, but was faced with American criticism on judicial overhaul and the Palestinians.

Middle East corruption rankings: Syria most corrupt, UAE least, Turkey slipped

Corruption remains rampant across the Middle East and North Africa, Transparency International reports, with the region’s average score in combating corruption hitting a new low of 38.

RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images

Blinken announces $50M to UNRWA, no timeframe on consulate for Palestinians

During a trip to the West Bank on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he saw a "shrinking horizon of hope” for Palestinians.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, on Jan. 30, 2023, in Jerusalem.

Blinken appeals for calm in Jerusalem as tensions soar

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also addressed the Israeli government's widely criticized judicial overhaul plan.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Can Erdogan run for third term in Turkey's upcoming election?

The opposition declares Erdogan’s candidacy “unconstitutional” while the Turkish president says his path to run for a third term is "clear."