Middle East crises loom in background as NATO leaders gather in Washington While this year's summit is expected to focus largely on the ongoing war in Ukraine, Iran's military support for Russia and Turkey's strategic balancing act with Moscow are expected to weigh on NATO leaders gathered in Washington. Washington Pulse
US, Israel hold second virtual meeting on Rafah Biden administration officials have denied offering to green-light an Israeli invasion of Rafah if Israel holds off on retaliating against Iran. Washington Pulse
One year on Sudan’s war: 14,700 killed, 8.6M displaced, 4.9M face starvation As the war in Sudan enters its second year, the humanitarian situation is worsening by the day with no prospects of an imminent end of the hostilities. North Africa Pulse
State Department staffer resigns over Biden's handling of Gaza Annelle Sheline is the second State Department official to publicly resign since Oct. 7, citing the erosion of US credibility on human rights in the Middle East as a result of the war. Washington Pulse
Gulf carriers delight as Congress rakes US airlines over the coals Lawmakers fault lack of competition for plummeting US customer service; could this affect US airlines' campaign for fairer competition with Gulf carriers? United Arab Emirates
Turkey continues its foreign policy blunders Turkey finds itself ever more isolated after making "frenemies" on all fronts. Syria
Which candidate does Iran’s influential speaker favor? In Iran, moderate conservatives have officially thrown their weight behind incumbent President Hassan Rouhani, who is seeking a second term in the May 19 presidential elections. Iran
Why Rouhani will likely win second term While incumbent Hassan Rouhani is likely to face a tighter race than anticipated, he will likely be re-elected on May 19 — just as the Iranian political establishment prefers. Iran
Jordan and Egypt key to Abbas' Washington visit With the support of Egypt and Jordan, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is hoping that he can slightly change the balance of forces in favor of a fair process in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict ahead of his visit to the United States. Palestine
Congress blames State Department after draft sanctions bill leaked to pro-Hezbollah media The Lebanese government is preparing to send a delegation to Washington to oppose the proposed new sanctions on the designated terrorist organization. Lebanon
Who wanted Iran’s presidential debates to be prerecorded? Iran has held the first of three rounds of televised presidential debates ahead of the May 19 vote — but not without controversy about whether they should be aired live. Iran
Who was the winner of Iran’s first presidential debate? While the first round of Iran’s first presidential debates this year was supposed to be about social issues, it quickly turned into a battle on the economy and politics. Iran
The story behind the end of Ahmadinejad’s bid for third term Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been barred from seeking a third term on May 19. But was this because the Guardian Council disqualified him — or because it didn’t approve of his qualifications to run in this year’s race? Iran
Are the US, Russia staking out territorial clout in Syria? Moscow and Washington both deny they are dividing Syria into "zones of influence," but they might be laying the groundwork by creating military facilities at various sites. Syria
Anti-Palestinian caucus divides pro-Israel camp on Capitol Hill A handful of conservative Republicans have launched a congressional group dedicated to forcing the Palestinians to admit their "defeat." Palestine
Conservative presidential candidate paints bleak picture of Iran Ebrahim Raisi expressed support for economic policies that led to high inflation in Iran. Iran
