Trump

An Iranian man walks past an anti-US and anti-Israel banner hanging on a building in Palestine Square in Tehran on Jan. 27, 2026.

Analysis

From 'help is on the way' to nuclear talks, Iranians wary of Trump's shift

After Trump repeatedly pledged to hold Tehran accountable for its protest crackdown, many Iranians are still waiting for him to make good on his promises.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

The commander of CENTCOM, Admiral Brad Cooper, visited Israel as the official guest of Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir.

Analysis

As US-Iran talks set to begin, Israel struggles to shape Trump's options

With US-Iran scheduled for Friday in Oman, Israel finds itself faced with two opposing options: press Washington to strike Iranian targets, or urge it to insist on a comprehensive deal.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

A man exits the Washington Post office building in Washington, DC, on Feb. 4, 2026.

Washington Post cuts 30% of staff, guts foreign desk, Mideast team: What to know

Foreign correspondents from the Post have extensively covered wars in Gaza, Ukraine and other global conflict zones.

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press about a critical minerals stockpile with $12 billion in initial funding, as Washington seeks to lower reliance on China for rare earths and other resources, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on Feb. 2, 2026.

Trump says Iran's Khamenei should be 'very worried'

The comments came as planned US-Iran talks appeared in jeopardy after Tehran demanded to move the location, narrow the agenda and exclude regional partners.

Latest News

Analysis

Despite US assurances, Israel fears being sidelined in partial Iran deal

Steve Witkoff Jared Kushner

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

Analysis

US, Iran weigh de-escalation declaration as first step of talks

Motorists drive past as firefighters battle a fire that broke out in Jannat Bazaar, west of Tehran on Feb. 3, 2026.

A correspondent in Iran

By A correspondent in Iran

In Iran, reporting on politics

Witkoff meets Netanyahu as Israel warns against potential Iran deal

US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff arrives for a press conference with the US president and Israel's prime minister in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Feb. 4, 2025.

Iran seeks nuclear-only US talks, to drop Turkey as host: Source

YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images

In SPACE - MAY 19: This image captured by a satellite on May 19, 2001 shows the Bushehr Reactor in Iran. The nuclear facility is located approximately 17 kilometers south of the city of Bushehr. The reactor complex occupies a 2.5 Square Kilometer site area, which includes assembly halls, a concrete channel for cooling water that runs from the reactors to the Gulf, and a the harbor, which supports loading and unloading of foreign materials needed for construction and reactor operation. There are two reactor

Exclusive

Trump, Netanyahu have 'full understanding' on Iran as Israel mulls strikes on nuclear sites

A senior Israeli diplomatic source confirmed to Al-Monitor, on condition of anonymity, that Israel and the United States have reached a “full understanding” on the Iranian issue. This includes agreed steps if Iran rejects a stricter nuclear deal than the 2015 accord abandoned by Trump in 2018.

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

Workers unload aid from an aircraft upon it's arrival from the United Arab Emirates at the Port Sudan airport, on May 5, 2023. - Air strikes and gunfire rocked the Sudanese capital on May 5 as fighting showed no signs of abating, despite the threat of renewed US sanctions and warnings of a "protracted" conflict. (Photo by Giuseppe CACACE / AFP) (Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images)

UAE pledges $200M in aid to Sudan as it calls for Ramadan ceasefire

At a conference in Ethiopia, the UAE's minister of state for international cooperation called on the warring parties in Sudan to agree to a Ramadan "humanitarian pause" that will be followed by a political process.

Iranian Basij militia members display their drones during military drills on Jan. 10, 2025, in Tehran, Iran.

Iran unveils underwater suicide drone as US tensions grow: What we know

The showcasing of the unmanned aerial vehicle follows the unveiling of a new drone carrier warship and plans to develop a supersonic cruise missile.

A fighter of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) aims a machine gun while lying prone during a joint military exercise with forces of the US-led "Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve" coalition against the Islamic State (IS) group in the countryside of the town of al-Malikiya (Derik in Kurdish) in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on Sept. 7, 2022.

Turkey escalates push to replace Kurds as top anti-ISIS force in Syria

Turkey is attempting to form a new coalition to combat ISIS remnants and replace the Pentagon-backed Kurdish forces in Syria.

Iran's foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, gives a joint press conference with the Omani foreign minister in Tehran on Dec. 30, 2024.

Iran pushes diplomatic blitz to thwart Trump's Gaza relocation plan

With its regional proxies decimated in Israeli attacks, Iran is seeking to restore its position within the new regional dynamics by encouraging Islamic countries to mobilize against President Donald Trump's Gaza policies.

US President Donald Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrive to hold a press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on Feb. 4, 2025.

Israel says Gaza war to resume if hostages aren't released Saturday

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was backing the ultimatum of President Donald Trump for the release of hostages by Saturday afternoon, but he did not specify if he expects all remaining hostages to be released that day.

Israeli hostages stand on stage flanked by Hamas militants during the official handover in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on February 8, 2025. Hamas hands over three Israeli hostages to the Red Cross as part of ongoing negotiations. (Photo by Youssef Alzanoun / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP) (Photo by YOUSSEF ALZANOUN/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Can Hamas defy Trump's ultimatum as Gaza ceasefire teeters?

Israel is considering introducing a transitional phase to salvage the deal and ensure the continued release of hostages. However, for this to proceed, Hamas must adhere to the agreed-upon terms by Saturday.

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

A Palestinian woman stands against a wall plastered with posters picturing "martyrs" at a market in the Balata camp, near the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, on Dec. 15, 2020.

Palestinian Authority ends ‘martyr’ payments in possible gesture to Trump

The Palestinian Authority has paid millions of dollars to families of assailants who have attacked Israelis in recent years, drawing scrutiny from the United States and from victims of the attacks.

A picture shows copies of Iranian daily newspapers

Iran's Pezeshkian rejects Trump's call for talks, denounces 'plots' against Tehran

US President Donald Trump has reinstated his "maximum pressure" strategy against Iran while simultaneously calling for negotiations over the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

How vulnerable are UAE, Bahrain to Trump's 25% tariff on aluminum?

The United Arab Emirates is the second biggest exporter of aluminum to the United States after Canada, supplying $1.78 billion of the metal to Washington in 2024.

United Arab Emirates

A banner lists the countries funding the World Food Program at a food distribution point run by the Ukrainian charity Angels of Salvation (AOS), on Feb. 7, 2025, in Druzhkivka, Ukraine.

Norwegian Refugee Council halts aid in over 20 countries after USAID cuts

The Norwegian Refugee Council warned that it would have to halt life-saving programs if US government payments are not resumed.

Staff Writer

By Staff Writer

Yair Golan in Tel Aviv on Feb. 2, 2025.

Interview

Amid Israel's rightward shift, left struggles for relevance

In a special interview with Al-Monitor, Yair Golan, leader of center-left party the Democrats, insists that the Palestinian Authority must play a pivotal role in the future administration of Gaza.

Yair Golan

Yair Golan

Chair of the Democrats Party