Russia-Ukraine crisis

Iranians drive next to a billboard displaying pictures of nuclear scientists, centrifuges and a sentence reading in Farsi, "Science is the power," at the Enqelab Square in Tehran, on Aug. 29, 2025.

Iran rial hits record low 1.13M to dollar as UN snapback sanctions resume: What to know

The sanctions, which were trigged by the three European signatories to the nuclear deal, will not hinder Iranian oil exports to China, an official said.

US President Donald Trump (L) greets Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) upon his arrival at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 25, 2025.

From F-35s to Ukraine: Erdogan-Trump talks signal reset, but sanctions obstacles remain

The summit underscored both leaders’ personal chemistry while highlighting the limits of what the partnership can deliver.

A soldier of a UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) platoon of the U.S. Army 3rd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, readies a Anduril Ghost-X helicopter surveillance drone for take-off during the Combined Resolve 25-1 military exercises at the Hohenfels Training Area in Bavaria on Feb. 3, 2025 near Hohenfels, Germany.

CENTCOM launches task force to drive Pentagon’s drone race

New unit aims to put "combat-credible" drone systems into the hands of US troops in the Middle East within 60 days, part of an ambitious new push by the Pentagon to leapfrog advances made by Washington's adversaries in fielding cheaply made but lethal armed drones.

DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images

As EU tries to wean off Russian gas, pipeline imports via Turkey rise

The European Union is importing more Russian gas via Turkey despite efforts to end imports from Russia.

Latest News

Russia, Iran in talks on construction of small nuclear plants: What to know

OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

As Trump plays Russia oil sanctions gambit, will Middle East profit or pay?

Oil tankers and cranes at Merchants Harbor, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

UAE looks to boost Russia trade to $23B despite Trump tariff threats

GAVRIIL GRIGOROV/AFP via Getty Images

United Arab Emirates

UAE president heads to Russia to meet Putin as ties grow: What to know

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin (R) meets with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan (L) at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow on October 20, 2024. (Photo by Artem Geodakyan / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ARTEM GEODAKYAN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

United Arab Emirates

One of the slogans displayed in street art by Chain Effect on Hamra Street, Beirut.

Culture

Bicycling movement sweeps Lebanon

As Lebanon is hit hard by a series of crises, fuel shortages aggravated by the Ukraine war have pushed many Lebanese to use bicycles as transportation.

Herzog

Delisting IRGC as terror group would send 'terribly wrong message,' says Israel's US ambassador

Michael Herzog, Israel's ambassador to the United States, discussed the looming Iranian nuclear accord, chances of a Palestinian political process, the war in Ukraine, Arab-Israeli normalization and more, at a breakfast hosted by Al-Monitor.

Workers collect onions during the harvest on a farm, in the Polatli district of Ankara on Aug. 6, 2019.

Turkey’s farmers call for urgent support as food alarm grows

Turkey’s agricultural producers are grappling with exorbitant cost increases that threaten further blows to the country’s food production amid an already galloping inflation.

Sudan's military leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti) is greeted.

Russia, Wagner Group expand ties with Sudan

Sudan's military leaders have expanded ties with Russia since the invasion of Ukraine.

A picture taken on Sept. 29, 2021, shows Russian tourists in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

Egypt hopes Israeli tourists will make up losses from Ukraine war

At a time when Egypt’s tourism sector has suffered a setback due to the war in Ukraine, the first direct flight from Israel is set to land in Sharm el-Sheikh this month, which may boost the number of Israeli tourists in the Egyptian coastal resorts in the Sinai Peninsula.

Syria Russia

Analysis

Ukraine shockwaves reverberate in war-weary Syria

Russia is the common thread in Syria and Ukraine; Syrians feel ‘abandoned by the world;' Turkey seizes an opening; UN process stymied; and US stresses ‘accountability.'

Week in Review

By Week in Review

A gas flare burns in a field close to the northern oil-rich city of Kirkuk, 225 kms from Baghdad on Nov. 2, 2009.

Will renewed interest in Iraqi Kurdish gas fuel Turkey-Iran rivalry?

Western capitals are seeking alternative natural gas resources to reduce their dependence on Russia, which creates a possible opportunity for Iraqi Kurdish gas exports.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks to the press after meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for discussions on Syria and migration, Budapest, Hungary, Nov. 7, 2019.

Can Erdogan coax Assad into dialogue?

Hopeful that the Ukraine war will tip the scales to its favor in Syria, Turkey is taking escalatory steps on the ground on one hand and testing the diplomatic waters with Damascus on the other.

The Marshall Islands-flagged Turkish-owned Yasa Jupiter ship, which was hit by a missile off the coast of Ukraine's port city Odessa, sails on the Bosphorus in Istanbul, Turkey, on Feb. 25, 2022.

Drifting sea mines bring Ukraine war to Turkey’s Bosporus Strait

At least three mines thought to have crossed the Black Sea have been spotted around the north mouth of one of the world’s busiest maritime channels.

Local and foreign tourists snorkel in the Red Sea waters above a coral reef near Sharm el-Sheikh, at the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula, Egypt, Sept. 29, 2021.

Culture

Red Sea coral reefs benefit from drop in tourists

The shores of the Red Sea in Egypt have long been attractive to Russian tourists because of their rare coral reefs.

blinken

Analysis

The Takeaway: Trump's revenge as Biden deal with Iran stymied by IRGC sanctions

Russia backs Syrian attacks on opposition; Turkish inflation soars as result of Ukraine war; Iran-linked mob attacks Kurdish party offices in Iraq; new generation runs for election in Lebanon; Egypt rallies Africa climate consensus.

Andrew Parasiliti

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Andrew Parasiliti , Elizabeth Hagedorn

Ukrainian tourists wait to check in for their flight at Sharm el-Sheikh airport, Egypt, Nov. 5, 2015.

Egypt, Turkey consider coordination to boost tourism

Tourism in both Egypt and Turkey has plummetted due to the Russian war on Ukraine.