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September 24, 2026

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Rubio: US-Iran talks 'positive,' no breakthrough yet

The top US diplomat said it was "significant" the two warring sides spoke at all.

TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images

Pezeshkian says Iran open to US talks, region must settle own disputes

“Our regional issues must be resolved in the region at the hands of the countries in the region,” Iran's president said on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump (C) attends a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) multilateral meeting alongside alongside (L/R) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 22, 2026.

Trump tells Middle East leaders US-Iran talks have ‘momentum’

Trump hosted top officials from the Gulf Cooperation Council states, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq on the sidelines of UN General Assembly.

construction of Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant

Turkey, US sign $2M grant deal for small nuclear reactors: What to know

The new cooperation deal comes as Ankara seeks to expand nuclear power and reduce reliance on Russia.

Latest News

Analysis

Why Netanyahu is distancing himself from Trump ahead of Israeli election

ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images

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

Exclusive

Turkey, US resume F-16 talks ahead of expected Trump-Erdogan meeting

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Ezgi Akin

In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO

UAE's Gargash expects 'prolonged' war, calls for Iran-Gulf security talks

Gargash

United Arab Emirates

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

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

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

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Rosaleen Carroll

News Reporter and Supporting Editor

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Paul J. Saunders

In Washington, DC, reporting on Russia in the Middle East

U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton meets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem January 6, 2019. Oded Balilty/Pool via REUTERS *** Local Caption *** - RC1DF8CE4950

US, Israeli, Russian security chiefs to meet in Jerusalem

The upcoming meeting of Israeli, American and Russian national security leaders in Jerusalem is a major diplomatic achievement for the Israelis, particularly their prime minister.

An Iranian navy boat tries to stop the fire of an oil tanker after it was attacked in the Gulf of Oman, June 13, 2019. Tasnim News Agency/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1D5E81AD00

US blames Iran for Gulf tanker attack

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo points finger at Iran in Thursday's attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

South Korean army Apache helicopters fly during a demonstration at a media event of 2018 Defense Expo Korea near the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas in Pocheon, South Korea, September 11, 2018. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji - RC14D5CD39F0

Qatar, Bahrain duck congressional backlash against Gulf arms sales

As scrutiny grows over arms transfers to Washington’s Gulf allies, the Senate narrowly voted to allow weapons sales to Qatar and Bahrain.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (R) gives a joint press conference with the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the Saadabad Palace in the capital Tehran on June 12, 2019. - Japan's visiting Prime Minster Shinzo Abe called on Iran to play a "constructive role" for peace in the Middle East on Wednesday after meeting in Tehran with President Hassan Rouhani. (Photo by - / AFP) (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)

Khamenei to Abe: Iran will not negotiate 'under pressure'

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told visiting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that the United States violated the original 2015 nuclear deal and cannot be trusted for talks on another accord.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrives at the Arab League's foreign ministers meeting to discuss unannounced U.S. blueprint for Israeli-Palestinian peace, in Cairo, Egypt April 21, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RC1DC5E91860

Israel campaigns against Abbas ahead of Bahrain conference

Even before the Bahrain conference started, Israel is busy explaining why Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is no partner for a peace process.

Saudi soldiers stand in line at an airfield where Saudi military cargo planes land to deliver aid in Marib, Yemen January 26, 2018. Picture taken January 26, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser - RC1D0C8D9D00

Congress opens several new fronts in bid to block Gulf arms sales

The House joined Senate efforts to stop the Donald Trump administration from selling arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan holds a news conference on the final day of the G20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 1, 2018. REUTERS/Andres Stapff - RC1A7F61AE00

G-20 summit could be last exit before all-out US-Turkey crisis

Turkey doesn’t know “how to reply” to US Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan’s letter, a senior security source tells Al-Monitor.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RC1B90697DE0

Trump offers another gift to Netanyahu

The latest statement by Ambassador David Friedman on the possibility of annexing parts of the West Bank indicates that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump are tightly coordinated.

U.S. Navy MH-53E Sea Dragon helicopters are seen making their way to an exercise area as they take part in a U.S. and U.K. Mine Countermeasures Exercise (MCMEX) taking place at the Arabian Sea, as a cargo ship is seen sailing towards Straits of Harmoz, September 10, 2018. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed - RC1B39C2A3E0

Pentagon official says 'campaign' of Iranian threats caused US Middle East surge

A “campaign” of Iranian threats against US and allied forces pushed the Pentagon to send fresh troops and weapons to the Middle East last month, a top Defense Department international policy official said at an Al-Monitor breakfast today.

New Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh stands next to President Mahmoud Abbas during a swearing in ceremony of a new government, in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamad Torokman - RC1F397216C0

Summer could be 'hot' in Palestine, PM warns

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh has warned that this summer could be a “hot” one, but it is unclear whether Israel or the United States will take steps to keep temperatures down.

Egyptian-Turkish trade: A love-hate relationship

Egypt's free trade agreement with Turkey ends in 2020, but it is unclear whether it will be renewed in light of the political antipathy between the two countries' leaders.

Turkey's Defence Minister Hulusi Akar talks to acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan during a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels, Belgium February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir - RC18F6D62DA0

Ankara plays down US ultimatum on S-400

Despite the US announcement that Ankara will be excluded from the F-35 fighter jet program if it goes ahead with its purchase of a Russian missile system, Turkish officials continue to behave as if Washington is bluffing.