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Rafael Grossi, Director General of the IAEA, speaks during the 69th annual International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference on Sept. 15, 2025 in Vienna, Austria.

Interview

Grossi: IAEA seeks return to Syria as Kurdish unrest delays nuclear inspections

Hostilities between the Syrian government and the Kurdish administration in the northeast have slowed the IAEA’s monitoring of the country’s nuclear facilities, Rafael Grossi said in an interview with Al-Monitor from Davos.

Rafael Grossi

IAEA Director General

Syria-Kurd deal hinges on SDF integration as Barrack meets Kobane

Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces are navigating tense negotiations following clashes and a temporary ceasefire in northeastern Syria.

Syria

Palestinian Hamas militants secure the area as Egyptian workers, accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross, search for the last two remaining bodies of hostages from under the rubble of the Jabalia refugee camp, in the northern of Gaza Strip on Dec. 1, 2025.

Analysis

Trump's Board of Peace faces first test: Disarming Hamas

President Donald Trump’s plan for a Gaza Strip lined with beachfront resorts and glitzy high-rises hinges on Hamas' disarmament.

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Israel's President Isaac Herzog gestures as he speaks during the World Economic Forum annual meeting, Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2026.

Herzog: Saudi normalization talks could resume as Gaza ceasefire enters next phase

The Israeli president said the rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia “should be the future vision of the Middle East.”

Israel

Ships sail along Egypt's Suez Canal near Ismailia on April 16, 2025.

Egypt's economy can weather more Red Sea attacks, says finance minister

Egypt lost some $13 billion worth of Suez Canal fees over two years due to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, according to estimates from Egyptian officials.

Egypt

Latest News

Putin offers $1B in frozen assets for Gaza Board of Peace — will US unfreeze them?

Palestine

What Israel stands to lose in Syria-SDF agreement

Israel

Iraq to prosecute ISIS detainees transferred from Syria: What to know

Children and women, relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists, walk inside al-Hol camp in the desert region of Syria's northeastern Hasakah province, on Jan. 21, 2026.

Iraq

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Kurdish-led forces withdraw from Al-Aqtan prison

Volatile security blocks UN from Syria IS-linked camp

Agence France-Presse

The Palestinian key of return lies on the entrance arch of the camp near an UNRWA center, in the Aida refugee camp in Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, January 11, 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

West Bank education centre could close in days due to Israeli seizure threat, says UNRWA

Reuters

Like Israel's other Arab minorities, the Bedouins often complain of discrimination

Israeli Bedouin say hope for better life crushed after deadly crackdown

Agence France-Presse

FILE PHOTO: Stephen Kinnock, Labour Party MP, speaks near Tata Steel Port Talbot steel production plant at Port Talbot, in Wales, Britain, September 30, 2024. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/ File Photo

Trump's NATO front line comments 'deeply disappointing', UK minister says

Reuters

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The Al-Monitor Brief

Gaza peace board, Greenland dominate at World Economic Forum: View from Davos

Adam Lucente interviews Jack Dutton

18:38

The Al-Monitor Brief

What’s next for Syria’s Kurds, US policy after latest ceasefire?

Adam Lucente interviews Amberin Zaman

26:29

The Al-Monitor Brief

Iran protests: What’s at stake for US, Middle East as Trump deliberates?

Adam Lucente interviews Jared Szuba, Elizabeth Hagedorn, Rina Bassist, Ezgi Akin, Rosaleen Carroll

22:47

ALM Interviews

Exclusive conversations with Al-Monitor.

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Interview

Saudi Arabia keeps doors open to US, China in critical minerals race

Bandar Alkhorayef

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources

Interview

Yadlin: Israel’s regime-change goal in Iran remote without US 'boots on the ground'

Amos Yadlin

Former head of Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate

Interview

Gaza calm could revive East Med Forum, Israel-Jordan projects: Cohen

Eli Cohen

Israeli Energy Minister

Interview

Grossi: IAEA seeks return to Syria as Kurdish unrest delays nuclear inspections

Rafael Grossi

IAEA Director General

Analysis

Stay a step ahead of your colleagues.

Analysis

Israel assesses Iran protest wave over, regrets not targeting Khamenei

A protester holds up a portrait of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a demonstration near the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad, on Jan. 16, 2026.

By Ben Caspit

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

Analysis

Turkey braces for Iran fallout: Trade disruptions, refugees and shifting geopolitics

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi (R) speaks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (L) during the 51st session of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in Istanbul, on June 21, 2025.

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Iran’s economic failure leaves regime exposed as new shocks promise turmoil

A shop owner counts Iranian banknotes at a store in the capital Tehran on Jan. 7, 2026.

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Trump's Board of Peace faces first test: Disarming Hamas

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Amberin Zaman, Elizabeth Hagedorn, Danny Makki, Joyce Karam in a virtual discussion on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa's visit to Washington

Syria's Sharaa in Washington

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1:00:44

Iraqis prepare to head to the polls

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1:34

Amberin Zaman Reports from Damascus

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Elizabeth Hagedorn Reporting from UNGA in New York

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ALM Events

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Past Live Journalism

AL-Monitor Global Institute hosts food security forum with Dr. Conrad Rein

On October 16, 2025, the AL-Monitor Global Institute hosted Dr. Conrad Rein, Secretary of the Global Flagship Initiative for Food Security, alongside representatives from multilateral development banks and the private sector for a discussion on food security in the Middle East and Africa.

Washington, DC

October 16, 2025 11:00 EDT

Past Live Journalism

AL-Monitor Global Institute hosts Digital Cooperation Organization Secretary-General Deemah AlYahya

On Sept. 21, 2025, the AL-Monitor Global Institute hosted Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the Digital Cooperation Organization, for a discussion on digital inclusion and economic empowerment in the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

New York, NY

September 21, 2025 17:00 EDT

Past Live Journalism

Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani at AL-Monitor Global Institute

AL-Monitor Global Institute hosts Iraqi Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and US Energy Secretary Chris Wright

On May 22, 2025, the AL-Monitor Global Institute hosted Prime Minister Masrour Barzani of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq and US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright in Washington DC to discuss the future of power and energy in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.

Washington, DC

May 22, 2025 10:30 EDT

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