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Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike targeted an area in Beirut's southern suburbs on March 7, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon releases Hezbollah members on $20 bail as Israel escalates attacks

Hezbollah members who were arrested in Lebanon last week were released on a nominal bail under pressure from the group.

Lebanon

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Oil sails past $100 a barrel, second Iranian missile shot down in Turkish airspace

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In this photo illustration, a smartphone displays the crude oil price in USD after markets in the UK opened on March 9, 2026, in London, England.

G7 readies strategic reserves after oil nears $120 amid Iran war

It is the first time oil prices have passed $100 in nearly four years as the key producers in the energy-rich Middle East curb output amid the conflict.

Iran

Mojtaba Khamenei is regarded as a conservative figure, notably because of his ties with the Revolutionary Guards, the ideological arm of the Islamic republic's military

Khamenei's son takes charge as Iran war sends oil price soaring

Agence France-Presse

Analysis

Qatar gas shock roils Middle East energy risk profile amid Iran war

The disruption to energy transportation through the Strait of Hormuz predictably threatens crude prices, but it's natural gas supplies that are shocking the markets.

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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Lebanon parliament extends its own mandate for two years as war intensifies

Smoke billows after an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon, March 9, 2026. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

Norway police search for suspect after U.S. embassy explosion

The U.S. embassy, after the Norwegian police said that the embassy was hit by a loud explosion, in Oslo, Norway, March 8, 2026. REUTERS/Gwladys Fouche

Analysis

Iran’s other battle: The regime’s wartime fight for control at home

Plumes of smoke rise following an explosion on March 5, 2026, in Tehran, Iran.

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Meet Mojtaba Khamenei, hard-liner with IRGC ties, likely Iran’s next supreme leader

Rouzbeh Fouladi / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Iran

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The Strait of Hormuz is the world's fifth busiest shipping lane

Ships brandish China-links to weave through Strait of Hormuz

Agence France-Presse

Jerusalem's Old City is just one of many cities where the Ramadan festivities have been spoiled by the Iran war

Joy of Ramadan sapped by destruction of Middle East war

Agence France-Presse

Rescuers work at the site of an apartment building hit by a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine March 7, 2026. REUTERS/Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy

Ukraine ready for new peace talks 'at any moment', Zelenskiy says

Reuters

U.S. President Donald Trump, with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at his side, looks on as he speaks to reporters aboard Air Force One on a flight from Dover, Delaware, to Miami, Florida, U.S., March 7, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Trump tells NY Post 'nowhere near' deciding to send troops to Iran to secure nuclear stockpile

Reuters

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The Al-Monitor Brief

How long can the Gulf protect itself from Iranian strikes?

Francesco Schiavi joins Adam Lucente

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Adam Lucente, Ezgi Akin and Rina Bassist

The Al-Monitor Brief

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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Interview

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.

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Analysis

Turkey cautious but unfazed by US plan to mobilize Iranian Kurds against regime

A group of Peshmergas of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan (PDKI) walks during military training near one of their bases in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, on March 1, 2025.

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Iran’s other battle: The regime’s wartime fight for control at home

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Analysis

US war aims murky as Trump eyes role in Iran’s postwar future

President Donald Trump departs following an event celebrating the 2025 MLS Cup in the East Room of the White House on March 5, 2026

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Analysis

Qatar gas shock roils Middle East energy risk profile amid Iran war

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

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

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0:59

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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Past

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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