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Trump insists no Hormuz tolls as Iran, US make conflicting claims

Iran has said it wants to charge "maritime service fees" in the Strait of Hormuz.

Oil falls below $74 as Hormuz traffic recovers after Iran war

Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, was trading at $73.81 a barrel at 10:40 a.m. EDT, down 4.2% from Tuesday's close.

Iran

Exclusive-US to move forward with Turkey jet engine sales ahead of NATO summit, sources say

Reuters

Defendant Wassim al-Assad appears before the Fourth Criminal Court during the opening session of his trial in Damascus on June 24, 2026.

Syria opens trial of Wassim al-Assad, cousin of ousted president: What we know

The trial follows another session in the case against Atef Najib, also a cousin of former President Bashar al-Assad, as Syrian authorities continue prosecuting figures linked to the former regime and its remnants.

Syria

An Iranian man rides his motorbike past a billboard on May 28, 2026.

Analysis

Why Iran's generals are intensifying anti-US rhetoric amid negotiations

Leading figures within Iran's military and security establishment have framed the memorandum with Washington not as an end point but as a conditional arrangement tied to battlefield realities.

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

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Analysis

Pilot zones at center of Israel-Lebanon talks as Trump pressures Netanyahu

Lebanese army forces deploy in the village of Bir al-Salasel in southern Lebanon on June 15, 2026. Iran's foreign ministry on June 15 said the US must ensure that Israel commits to stopping the war in Lebanon under a deal agreed upon with the US to end the Middle East war. Lebanon was pulled into the conflict in early March when Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iran's supreme leader, prompting Israeli strikes and a ground invasion. (Pho

By Ben Caspit

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

Iraq taps Krikor Der-Hagopian as first Armenian Christian ambassador to US

Iraq

Iran's Ghalibaf holds talks in Oman on Strait of Hormuz: What to know

Iran

Explainer

Hormuz tolls, frozen funds pose early tests for US-Iran peace progress

AMIRHOSSEIN KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

Iran

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Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk, France's President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer leave after addressing the press at the end of their meeting of state leaders of the European Group of Five (E5)at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, June 24, 2026. JOHN MACDOUGALL/Pool via REUTERS

European leaders pledge unity after recent tensions ahead of NATO summit

Reuters

China's foreign minister urges swift reopening of Strait of Hormuz for global trade, Xinhua reports

Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to members of the media before boarding a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft en route to Bahrain at Kuwait International Airport during his visit to the Middle East to discuss the interim deal between the U.S. and Iran with Arab Gulf allies, in Kuwait City, Kuwait, June 24, 2026. REUTERS/Eric Lee/Pool

Rubio says U.S. won't do anything that would undermine Gulf security

Reuters

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio holds a folded U.S flag as he walks with Steven Butler, charge d'affaires ad interim of the U.S. embassy in Kuwait, next to U.S. Marines during a flag raising ceremony at the embassy amid his visit to the Middle East to discuss the interim deal between the U.S. and Iran with Arab Gulf allies, in Kuwait City, Kuwait, June 24, 2026. REUTERS/Eric Lee/Pool

US reopens embassy in Kuwait months after Iranian attack

Reuters

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US-Iran peace deal a blow to the Kurds but their struggle will continue, says Wladimir van Wilgenburg

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Switzerland says 'initial negotiations' on final US-Iran deal to begin Friday

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Franco-Gulf investment holds firm despite Iran war, French official says

French Trade & Invest Commissioner for United Arab Emirates and Middle East and Business France's regional director for the Middle East Axel Baroux. — Business France

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France’s trade and investment commissioner for the UAE and Middle East

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Armenia candidate Tatoyan eyes Pashinyan's pro-West mantle in sea of Russia-backed rivals

Arman Tatoyan

Founder, Wings of Unity Party

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Saudi Arabia eyes state-backed stablecoin amid digital finance push

The symbols of bitcoin and the stablecoin Tether (USDT) are displayed at a cryptocurrency store in Hong Kong on July 29, 2025.

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US-Egypt fund makes case for economic statecraft in hard power era

Cornelius Queen

Senior Vice President of the Egyptian-American Enterprise Fund

A worker counts banknotes after filling up the tank of a vehicle at a petrol station in Giza on March 10, 2026.

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Stay a step ahead of your colleagues.

Analysis

Pilot zones at center of Israel-Lebanon talks as Trump pressures Netanyahu

By Ben Caspit

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

Analysis

As US reshapes Lebanon strategy, Israel finds itself sidelined

Smoke rises following an Israeli airstrike in Tyre, Lebanon, on June 9, 2026.

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

Analysis

Why Gulf defense firms are betting on Europe in wake of Iran war

Illustration picture taken during the Eurosatory Defense and Security fair in Paris, France ,on June 15, 2026.

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Analysis

Why Iran's generals are intensifying anti-US rhetoric amid negotiations

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Joyce Karam and Ariane Tabatabai in conversation on the latest US-Iran memorandum of understanding

Deciphering the US-Iran deal: What comes next?

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Speakers from Iran war energy event: Samuel Wendel, Dr. Carole Nakhle, and Noam Raydan

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February 24, 2026

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Iraqi Christian man in dark blue sweater sitting in an office

After years abroad, Iraq’s Christians weigh returning home

February 10, 2026

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

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Al-Monitor chief correspondent Amberin Zaman interviews H.E. Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

The Future of Energy and Power in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq

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Plestia Alaqad on Gaza and South Lebanon

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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

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

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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