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Politics & Security

An Iranian security force officer stands guard next to a huge billboard of Iran's newly nominated supreme leader Ayatollah Mojataba Khamenei (pointing) during Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Day rally, a commemoration in support of the Palestinian people on the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in Tehran on March 13, 2026. On February 28, Israel and the United States launched strikes on Iran, killing its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (photo bottom L) and triggering a war that spread across the M

Analysis

Israel sees long road to Iran regime change as IRGC tightens grip

While the large number of Iranian leaders killed is clearly destabilizing the regime, its toppling could still take a long time, Israeli officials told Al-Monitor.

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

A picture shows smoke billowing from the Central Production Facility 1 gas refinery in Iraq's southern Maysan province on May 29, 2022.

Exclusive

Dana Gas evacuates Khor Mor staff in Iraq's Kurdistan Region after Iran threats

Tehran has warned it will target Gulf oil and gas facilities following Israel's strike on South Pars.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

(L/R) Director of Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) James Adams III and US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testify during a Senate Committee on Intelligence hearing to examine worldwide threats, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)

Gabbard: No sign Iran was rebuilding nuclear program after June strikes

Top US intelligence official offered Senate lawmakers conflicting assessments on whether Iran sought to rebuild its uranium enrichment capabilities after US B2 bomber strikes last year.

A Patriot anti-missile battery launcher, deployed by Dutch NATO soldiers, is seen March 11, 2003 at the Diyarbakir military airport in southeastern Turkey.

NATO deploys new Patriot battery to Turkey as Fidan in Riyadh for regional talks

The deployment to a key Turkish airbase likely signals NATO planners’ heightened concern over Turkey’s military assets.

Latest News

Analysis

How Larijani's killing could narrow diplomatic offramps for Iran war

Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, arrives in Beirut, Lebanon, on Sept. 27, 2025.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

MAGA split emerges in Trump's base as Joe Kent resigns over Iran war

Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Syrian authorities restrict alcohol sales in Damascus: What to know

People drink and chat in a bar in the old town in Damascus on June 19, 2025 in Damascus, Syria.

Kuwait arrests 16 over alleged Hezbollah links, including 14 nationals

A flag of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah flutters above the rubble of a building that was hit in January by an Israeli strike in the southern Lebanese village of Qannarit, on Feb. 16, 2026.

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

Bibi

Netanyahu ends US visit with no Gaza deal but progress on reconstruction

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has departed Washington with little to show for his meetings with President Donald Trump.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sit down for a meeting at the Pentagon on July 09, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia.

US strikes on Iran included F-22s, F-35s, Hegseth says

Netanyahu expressed gratitude for the US' long-range bombing of Iran's key nuclear sites, but failed to earn a public endorsement from Washington for further Israeli strikes on Iran.

Supporters of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood take part in a protest in the village of Sweimeh.

Jordan targets charities for alleged Muslim Brotherhood ties: What to know

Jordan banned the Muslim Brotherhood in April and arrested some senior members of the related Islamic Action Front last month.

Palestinian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Varsen Aghabekian speaks during a UN Security Council meeting on Gaza in light of ceasefire and hostage release at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on Jan. 20, 2025.

Exclusive

Palestinian FM: Ready to work with Trump; Saudi payments to PA resumed

Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian told Al-Monitor in first such interview since taking the position that Palestinian officials are ready to "work closely" with President Donald Trump for a negotiated settlement.

Daoud Kuttab

By Daoud Kuttab

In Amman, reporting on Palestinian politics

BAKR ALKASEM/AFP via Getty Images

US envoy Barrack pushes deal between Syria's Sharaa, Kurdish commander Kobane

The talks come amid shifting dynamics on the ground and a reduced US military presence in the northeast.

RICCARDO MILANI/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

In first AI crackdown, Turkey blocks access to some Grok content

The access ban marked the first AI content censorship in Turkey, stemming from offensive material targeting the Turkish president, religious values, and the country’s founder.

A S-200 surface-to-air missile system is on display as heavy weaponry, including ballistic missiles, air defense systems and unmanned aerial vehicles, are showcased during an exhibition that marks the 44th anniversary of the 8-year war with Iraq, known as the "Holy Defense Week", in Baharestan Square in Tehran, Iran on Sept. 26, 2024.

Analysis

Can China and Russia fill Iran's defense vacuum after 12-day war?

With its air defenses shattered by Israeli strikes in the recent war, Iran is scrambling to rebuild amid growing public doubt over the reliability of its "strategic alliances."

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

A Palestinian boy searches for things to rescue at a garbage waste dump in the Al-Bureij camp in the central Gaza Strip on July 7, 2025.

White House upbeat about Gaza deal as Hamas signals impasse

US envoy Steve Witkoff said Israel and Hamas could agree to a 60-day truce and the release of 10 living hostages by the end of the week.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan received Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on July 8, 2025, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

Iran FM visits Saudi Arabia as kingdom makes push for regional diplomacy

The meeting in Mecca comes as Saudi Arabia steps up its diplomatic engagement with key global powers with the aim of managing regional tensions.