Al-Monitor Staff (Iran) - AL-Monitor: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

Al-Monitor Staff (Iran)

Al-Monitor Staff

Turkish-backed Syrian rebels ride on trucks at Manbij countryside, Syria December 28, 2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC12E3699180

Intel: How the US exit has triggered a new scramble for influence in Syria

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran speaks during the first meeting of national security secretaries of Afghanistan, China, Iran, India and Russia, in the Iranian capital Tehran on September 26, 2018. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

After US-Taliban talks, Iran also confirms dialogue

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem October 7, 2018. Abir Sultan/Pool via REUTERS - RC173BB25600

Intel: How Russia is putting Israel on notice over Syria strikes

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (C-R) submits documents outlining his budget for 2018-2019 to Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani (4th-L) in the capital Tehran on December 25, 2018. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo credit should read ATTA KENARE/AFP/Getty Images)

Rouhani presents budget bill in raucous parliament session

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the Defence Ministry Board in Moscow, Russia December 18, 2018. Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1572BFFF30

Intel: How Russia's responding to US pullout from Syria

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

An Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter plane flying above a traffic sign after taking off for a mission in Lebanon from an Israeli Air Force Base in northern Israel in this July 20, 2006 file photo. Israeli warplanes bombed unidentified Syrian targets early on September 6, 2007, causing no damage or casualties, the official Syrian news agency said. Syrian air defences fired at the incoming planes, which crossed into Syria after midnight local time, the agency said. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/Files (ISRAEL) - GM1DWCBQYXA

Intel: Why Israel plans to fill in US void in Syria

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

Falih al-Fayadh, Iraq's interior minister candidate arrives at parliament headquarters in the capital Baghdad on October 24, 2018, prior to a vote on the new proposed cabinet. (Photo by AHMAD AL-RUBAYE / AFP) (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

Intel: How an Iraqi court gave Iran influence over Baghdad’s security policy

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

An UN vehicle arrives to the headquarters of the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) on May 13, 2013 in Laayoune, the main city in the disputed territory. Six Sahrawi activists arrested this month after pro-independence protests in Western Sahara said they were tortured by Moroccan police and made to sign confessions, Amnesty International charged on May 16. The Western Sahara is a highly sensitive subject in Morocco, which annexed the former Spanish colony in 1975 in a mov

Intel: Why Bolton’s Africa comments must be freaking out Morocco

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

Palestinian shopkeepers decorate their stand with toys of Father Christmas in Gaza City on December 24, 2014, as Christians around the world prepare to celebrate Christmas. For many faithful across the region, the festivities will be tinged with sadness following a year of bloodshed marked by a surge in the persecution of Christians that has drawn international condemnation. AFP PHOTO / MOHAMMED ABED (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images)

Video: Merry Christmas from Gaza!

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

People enter the State Department Building in Washington, U.S., January 26, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RC1D48272C00

Intel: Why the State Department still doesn’t have a Middle East chief

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

Video: Egypt's golden age of cinema

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff

A border tower is seen at the Armenian side of Armenian-Turkish border in the village of Getap, some 85 km (53 miles) north-west of the capital Yerevan, November 1, 2009. The historic prospect of peace with longtime foe Turkey has roused angry opposition among powerful Armenian nationalists, which could yet undermine President Serzh Sarksyan and torpedo the whole process. Picture taken November 1, 2009. To match analysis ARMENIA-TURKEY/DIVISION REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili (ARMENIA POLITICS CONFLICT) - G

Intel: Why Armenia wants to make peace with Turkey

Al-Monitor Staff

Al-Monitor Staff