United Nations

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres speaks at the UNGA

Explainer

As Guterres exits, here are contenders for UNSG and their Middle East outlook

The next UN secretary-general will inherit a Middle East agenda dominated by crises.

Sudan's Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok chairs an emergency cabinet session in the capital, Khartoum, on Oct. 18, 2021.

Interview

Ex-PM says Sudan risks partition amid US ceasefire push

Former Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok also called for the United States to impose sanctions that would carry “personal consequences” for the warring sides.

Members of Iran's Basij paramilitary force march with riffles during a military rally named Jan-Fada in Tehran, Sept. 18, 2026.

Iran rallies thousands of volunteer fighters as talks with US stall: What to know

Iran has been leading a volunteer recruitment drive and providing military training to civilians as talks with the US remain stalled.

SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon PM meets Rubio as Israel talks stall: What to know

The visit comes as US-brokered talks between Lebanon and Israel have made little headway, with Israeli elections looming.

Latest News

Sudan pushes back after US calls army-led government illegitimate

Ebrahim Hamid / AFP via Getty Images

Pezeshkian says Iran open to US talks, region must settle own disputes

TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon's PM calls for international force to replace UNIFIL: What to know

Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images

Trump tells Middle East leaders US-Iran talks have ‘momentum’

US President Donald Trump (C) attends a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) multilateral meeting alongside alongside (L/R) Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 22, 2026.

Sigrid Kaag

Who is Sigrid Kaag, veteran diplomat and UN's new aid coordinator for Gaza?

Sigrid Kaag has worked extensively with the UN in the Middle East. She is fluent in Arabic and speaks Dutch, German, French, English and Spanish.

Ambassadors to the UN observer a minute of silence for Kuwait's emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah prior a UN Security Council meeting at UN headquarters in New York on December 19, 2023. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

UNSC passes watered-down Gaza resolution as US refrains from veto

The move offered a rare breakthrough at the UNSC after days of intense negotiations to avert a US veto.

Dubai, United Arab Emerates, Dec. 2: António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General speaks at the G77 and China Leaders' Summit.

Analysis

Explainer: Why did UN chief Guterres invoke Article 99 over Gaza?

The invocation of the article, which formally brings the war to the attention of the Security Council, drew a rebuke from Israel and praise from Arab states, and may harm the UN secretary-general's relations with the US.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

A rainbow appears across the sky as internally displaced Palestinians who fled the Israeli military bombardment and incursion into the northern Gaza Strip shelter in makeshift tents.

UN estimates 43,000 Gaza housing units wiped out, 80% of population displaced

As Hamas and Israel appeared to maintain the cease-fire for the fourth day, Palestinians rushed to secure aid and check damages to their homes.

The new US Ambassador to Turkey David M. Satterfield (L) leaves after a wreath-laying ceremony at the Mausoleum of the Turkish Republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk (Anitkabir), in Ankara, on Sept. 4, 2019.

US envoy says Israel to implement deconfliction mechanism for Gaza aid workers

US special envoy David Satterfield told Al-Monitor that a deconfliction mechanism would take effect shortly in Gaza, where Israel's military campaign has killed more than 100 United Nations staff.

Peacekeepers of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) attend the repatriation ceremony for Irish soldier Sean Rooney who was killed on a UN patrol, at Beirut international airport on December 18, 2022. - The United Nations peacekeeping force in south Lebanon urged Beirut to ensure a "speedy" investigation into the fatal shooting of an Irish soldier this week. The convoy of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) came under fire near the village of Al-Aqbiya late on December 14, a

Lebanon releases suspected Hezbollah member accused of killing Irish UNIFIL peacekeeper

Mohamad Ayyad, who is believed to be linked to the paramilitary Hezbollah movement, was charged with the killing of an Irish UNIFIL soldier in southern Lebanon last year.

A Palestinian man uses a fire extinguisher to douse a fire following an Israeli strike, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 14, 2023, as fighting between Israel and the Hamas movement continues for the eighth consecutive day.

In a first, Blinken backs possible ‘humanitarian pause’ in Gaza

Secretary of State Antony Blinken's comments come as the US is increasingly concerned that Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip could fuel a broader regional conflict.

onvoy trucks loaded with supplies are seen at Cairo-Ismailia Desert Road on Oct. 14, 2023, in Cairo.

Nearly 600 Americans stuck in Gaza amid Egypt talks over Rafah, aid

Egyptian officials said they will not allow foreigners to exit Gaza via the Rafah border crossing until an agreement on aid deliveries is reached, according to reports.

DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images

From Iran to Israel, 5 Middle East stories to watch at UNGA summit

The US agenda includes a long-sought meeting between President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Benjamin Netanyahu and Elon Musk

Analysis

Netanyahu to meet Musk, Erdogan, Zelenskyy, Biden — but no White House visit

The Israeli prime minister and the US president will most likely come face to face on the sidelines of the UN meeting in New York.

Rina Bassist

By Rina Bassist

In Paris, reporting on Israeli politics and European affairs

BIROL BEBEK/AFP via Getty Images

UN, Turkish Cypriots make progress on Cyprus' disputed Pyla road project

Talks between the United Nations Cyprus mission and Turkish Cypriots over a disputed road plan have yielded some progress, but several sticking points remain as Turkish Cypriots have resumed the roadwork.

EU Council President Charles Michel (R) arrives with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the EU headquarters in Brussels on March 9, 2020. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP) (Photo by JOHN THYS/AFP via Getty Images)

EU Commissioner: Turkey must take on democratic reforms to revive EU bid

A senior EU official has said that revival of Turkey’s stalled membership negotiations with the EU can only be discussed once Ankara takes on democratic reforms.