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ANKARA, TURKEY - JANUARY 21: Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to MPs at his party's group meeting in the Turkish parliament on January 21, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is among world leaders that have been invited by United States President Donald Trump, to join the Gaza Board of Peace, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan was also included as an appointed member. (Photo by Serdar Ozsoy/Getty Images)

Analysis

Why Turkey’s exclusion from Gaza force may be a strategic blessing

Despite being excluded from Gaza’s international stabilization force, Ankara will likely leverage its ties with Hamas to maintain influence within the Trump administration’s Board of Peace.

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Archaeologists work at Ra’s Qurayyah Port in Al-Ahsa Governorate, Eastern province. (Saudi Heritage Commission)

Culture

Ancient wells, Abbasid coin: Saudi Arabia unveils archaeological finds

The kingdom presented a collection of objects discovered during excavations in the east as it ramps up preservation and promotion of its heritage in line with Vision 2030.

Saudi Arabia

People walk through a heavily damaged street in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Oct. 12, 2025.

'No meaningful protection': Israel’s new Gaza aid rules raise data, security risks

The guidelines expand Israeli authority to deny NGO registration in the Palestinian territories and visas for foreign aid workers as Gaza continues to reel from two years of war.

Palestine

Analysis

Oil, gas and Iran nuclear impasse: Can business deals sway Trump’s calculus?

As Iran-US nuclear negotiations continue, Tehran has been pushing the idea of striking business deals rather than military sites, with proposals spanning oil and gas to aviation.

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images' editorial policy.) In this handout photo obtained from the U.S. Defence Department, Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) sails alongside Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) and Lewis and Clark-class dry cargo ship USNS Carl Brashear (T-AKE 7) in the Arabian Sea, Feb. 6, 2026. According to the U.S. government, the Abraham Lincoln

Analysis

Iran scrambles to shape endgame amid growing US military pressure

With Washington tightening deadlines and deploying assets, Tehran is mounting a rapid diplomatic campaign while preparing for what is increasingly seen as some level of unavoidable confrontation.

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Culture

Ramadan opens in Turkey as secular-conservative divide resurfaces

Turkey

Analysis

Despite warnings from Israel's defense elite, Netanyahu pushes for Iran strike

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stands amid debris outside the Soroka Hospital in the southern city of Beersheba, after it was hit by a missile fired from Iran on June 19, 2025. Israel's defence minister warned that Iran's supreme leader "can no longer be allowed to exist" after a hospital was hit in an Iranian missile strike on June 19, spiking tensions in the week-old war. (Photo by Marc Israel SELLEM / POOL / AFP) (Photo by MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

By Ben Caspit

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

Iran's FM says US didn’t demand zero enrichment in nuclear talks

Iran

US court overturns Trump global tariffs: What it means for MENA

Syria

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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi meets with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi in Muscat, Oman, February 6, 2026. Omani Ministry of Foreign Affairs/ Handout via REUTERS

Oman confirms US-Iran talks in Geneva on Thursday

Reuters

A sign with a depiction of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is reflected in a shop window in Tehran, Iran, February 19, 2026. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo

Iranian students protest for second day at some universities

Reuters

Syria closes IS-linked Al Hol camp after emptying it

Agence France-Presse

Iran's governmnet is under pressure from both dmoestic protests and the threat of US military action

Iran-US talks expected Thursday despite fears of strikes

Agence France-Presse

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Is US-Iran energy cooperation possible as nuclear talks, potential strikes loom?

Sam Wendel joins Adam Lucente

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On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman

Iran’s clerical regime can reform itself — provided Khamenei goes, says Iranian historian Arash Azizi

Arash Azizi joins Amberin Zaman

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Turkey’s Erdogan in Ethiopia as Horn of Africa diplomacy heats up

Ezgi Akin joins Adam Lucente

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AI, cybersecurity high on Mideast priorities amid global tech rivalry: Tech Mahindra

A man and woman walk along a promenade overlooking the Burj al-Arab and Dubai skyline on January 4, 2025. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

Interview

Treated as 'enemies’: Ahmad Tibi accuses Netanyahu government of indifference to Arab Israeli lives

Ahmad Tibi

Knesset member and Ta'al Party leader

Interview

YPG spokesman: Syrian forces' strategy is to isolate Kurdish towns and cities

Siyamend Ali

YPG spokesman

Interview

Huckabee confirms US-Israel alignment on Iran, says Hamas will disarm 'sooner or later'

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, US President Donald Trump's nominee to be ambassador to Israel, testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, March 25, 2025.

Analysis

Stay a step ahead of your colleagues.

Analysis

Iran scrambles to shape endgame amid growing US military pressure

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

Oil, gas and Iran nuclear impasse: Can business deals sway Trump’s calculus?

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Analysis

Despite warnings from Israel's defense elite, Netanyahu pushes for Iran strike

By Ben Caspit

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

Analysis

Why Turkey’s exclusion from Gaza force may be a strategic blessing

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Saudi Arabia's former and new investment ministers side by side

Saudi Arabia names new investment minister as Vision 2030 funding lags

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Iraqi Christian man in dark blue sweater sitting in an office

After years abroad, Iraq’s Christians weigh returning home

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Elizabeth Hagdeorn asking Rubio a question about negotiations with the Iranian government after its killing of protesters

Rubio tells Al-Monitor talks with Iran must address ballistic missiles, proxies

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Al-Monitor's Amberin Zaman inside an abandoned Russian military base in Qamishli, Syria

Inside Russia's abandoned military base in Northeast Syria

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1:55

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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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