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A man walks past destroyed buildings following airstrikes in central Tehran on March 4, 2026.

Iran’s communications blackout limits assessment of war’s humanitarian toll

Aid groups struggle to assess humanitarian toll in Iran as blackout hampers efforts to identify needs.

Iran

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Trump backs Kurdish entry to war as Israel orders mass Beirut evacuation

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Plumes of smoke rise from the sites of Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut on March 3, 2026. The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for dozens of locations in Lebanon on March 3, including warning residents in two southern Beirut neighbourhoods to stay away from several buildings ahead of an imminent operation. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP via Getty Images)

After Israel's ultimatum, Lebanon orders arrest of Iran IRGC members

The Lebanese government has instructed military and security agencies to arrest IRGC members in Lebanon, after Iranian-backed Hezbollah joined the conflict between Iran on the one hand and the US and Israel on the other, by launching attacks against Israel.

Lebanon

UAE billionaire Habtoor openly lambasts Trump over Iran war

The Emirati businessman condemned the US president, a former business partner, for his “dangerous” attack on Iran and asked whether he had stopped to consider the collateral damage.

United Arab Emirates

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Middle East evacuations gather pace as explosions rattle Abu Dhabi airport

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - MARCH 03: Passengers disembark from an Emirates passenger plane arriving at Frankfurt Airport from Dubai International on March 03, 2026 in Frankfurt, Germany. The flight is among the first to begin ferrying the thousands of German tourists who have been stranded across the Middle East following the U.S.-Israeli air attacks against Iran and the ensuing Iranian missile and drone attacks against the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and other states in the region. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty

United Arab Emirates

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US-backed Kurdish forces poised to enter Iran from Iraqi Kurdistan 'within days'

A member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) participates in a military drill in an outpost near Erbil, Kurdistan region of Iraq on Jan. 15, 2026.

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

US, Qatar discuss acquiring Ukrainian drones to down Iran's Shaheds, source says

FILE PHOTO: STING FPV interceptor drone is displayed at an exhibition of Ukrainian drone makers, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location, Ukraine February 20, 2026. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko/File Photo

Azerbaijan accuses Iran of drone strike on airport

Iran

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Europol warns Iran crisis raises threat of terror, extremism and cyberattacks

Reuters

FILE PHOTO: European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and European Commission Vice-President Kaja Kallas speaks, during a joint press conference with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius (not pictured) in Berlin, Germany, January 13, 2026. REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen/File Photo

EU's Kallas says Iran is seeking to escalate conflict

Reuters

Smoke plumes billow following Israeli bombardment on Beirut's southern suburbs

Mideast war risks pulling more in as conflict boils over

Agence France-Presse

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz and his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias make statements to the press, at the Ministry of Defence in Athens Greece, January 20, 2026. REUTERS/Louisa Gouliamaki

Israel decided to kill Khamenei in November, defence minister says

Reuters

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Middle East at war: Regional observations on Iran, Israel, Turkey and beyond

Rina Bassist, Ezgi Akin and Beatrice Farhat joins Adam Lucente

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On the Middle East with Amberin Zaman

Most Iranians would reject US deal, fearing it enables regime survival, says Hamidreza Azizi

Hamidreza Azizi joins Amberin Zaman

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The Al-Monitor Brief

Where do US-Iran talks stand as Trump says he’s ‘not happy’? View from Washington

Elizabeth Hagedorn and Jared Szuba 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)

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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

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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.

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Could Kurds be Trump's lever in Iran regime-change scenarios?

Protesters hold a banner reading "Come and weave resistance together" and "Women, life, freedom."

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

Kurds see opening yet remain wary as Trump seeks help to oust Iran regime

An Iranian Kurdish Peshmerga member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) inspects damage sustained at the Azadi Camp of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) following an Iranian cross-border attack in the town of Koye (Koysinjaq), in the east of Erbil district in the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq on March 3, 2026. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, with the killing of Iran's supreme leader and the Islamic republic retaliated with barr

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Analysis

As Israel-US offensive devastates Iran’s military, can Tehran sustain long war?

TEHRAN, IRAN - MARCH 2: A plume of smoke rises after an explosion on March 2, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was confirmed killed after the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28. Iran retaliated by firing waves of missiles and drones at Israel, and targeting U.S. allies in the region. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

Iran’s assault reveals Gulf defense gaps and reliance on US tech and intel

By Francesco Schiavi

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

A plume of smoke rises from the port of Jebel Ali following a reported Iranian strike in Dubai on March 1, 2026.

Joyce Karam, Elizabeth Hagedorn, Holly Dagres, and Ali Hashem

Are the US and Iran closer to war or a deal?

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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 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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