United Nations

Khaled El-Enany, Egyptologist and former Minister of Tourism and Antiquities of Egypt, speaks during an interview with AFP at a hotel in Paris on April 10, 2025.

Culture

UNESCO backs Egypt's Khaled el-Enany as next director-general, first Arab in post

Enany would be the first Egyptian and the first Arab to serve as the agency’s director-general.

Former senior commander of the Sudanese Janjaweed militia Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman.

In a first, ICC convicts Sudanese militia leader of Darfur war crimes

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman was found guilty of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur between 2003 and 2004.

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C) welcomes Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov (L) and Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Kazeem Gharibabadi.

Analysis

How far will China, Russia go in shielding Iran from UN sanctions?

Iran is lobbying states to resist enforcement of UN sanctions — looking particularly to China and Russia to blunt the impact, even as questions remain about the limits of their willingness to act.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters on Sept. 24, 2025 in New York City.

Analysis

'Prepared for any scenario': What are Iran's options after sanctions snapback?

As the snapback nears, Iran weighs diplomacy, escalation and changes to its nuclear policy.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Pentagon pushes to accelerate ISIS detainee repatriations from Syria

Women and children walk at the Al-Amal Camp (formerly Al-Jadaa), south of Mosul in northern Iraq, which houses Iraqi families who have been repatriated from Syria's Al-Hol camp, on May 8, 2025.

Analysis

Netanyahu sidesteps Trump's Gaza plan at UN as US presses Israel to end war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin (L) talks to US President Donald Trump during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on April 7, 2025, in Washington.

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

Trump presents Gaza plan to Arab, Muslim leaders at UNGA

President Donald Trump (C-R) and President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C-L) listen during a multilateral meeting with leaders from several Arab and Muslim-majority countries at the 80th session of the UN’s General Assembly (UNGA) at the United Nations headquarters on Sept. 23, 2025 in New York City.

Araghchi pushes last-ditch diplomacy at UN as Iran braces for sanctions snapback

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends a joint press conference following the signing of an Egypt-backed agreement on practical modalities to resume nuclear inspections on the Iranian nuclear program on Sept. 9, 2025 in Cairo, Egypt.

Lebanese photo agency Dalati and Nohra shows Lebanese PM Najib Mikati (R) meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres (L) in Beirut on Dec. 20, 2021.

UN secretary-general says Lebanese politicians ‘paralyze' country, demands ‘truth' about Beirut blast

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres visited Lebanon to meet with the country’s leaders amid the economic crisis.

Hunger

One-third of Arab world food insecure in 2020, UN says

The UN says a spike in undernourishment in the Middle East and North Africa was observed across all income levels, in both conflict-ridden and stable countries.

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad (R) receives the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen (L) in the capital Damascus, on Dec. 12, 2021.

UN envoy seeks new path forward on Syria in Damascus visit

Envoy Geir Pedersen said there is "another possibility to start to explore possible avenues" to resolve Syria's conflict politically.

Grossi

UN says Iran advances nuclear enrichment amid Vienna talks

Iran's latest violation of the 2015 nuclear agreement comes three days into a resumption of long-stalled negotiations in Vienna aimed at reviving the deal.

Members of Iraqi security stand guard as supporters of the Hashid al-Shaabi paramilitary network march toward one of the Green Zone entrances in the capital, Baghdad, on Nov. 6, 2021.

Iraqi election results sent to Federal Supreme Court for approval

The Iraqi Independent High Electoral Commission announced the final results of the Oct. 10 elections and will now send its results to the Federal Supreme Court for approval.

The podium is seen ahead of the start of COP26 on Oct. 31, 2021, in Glasgow, Scotland.

Egypt gears up to host next climate summit

Egypt will host the 27th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2022 amid international human rights objections.

In this picture taken on Oct. 19, 2021, Afghans who were forcibly deported back from Iran to Afghanistan wait in a refugee office at the border between Afghanistan and Iran.

Iran deports thousands of Afghan refugees, UN agency says

In the last week of October, Iran sent back more than 28,000 Afghans who fled across the border.

Syria Pedersen

'Big disappointment': Syrian constitutional negotiations fail again

UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen said the Syrian government's side did not present a new proposal as previously agreed.

PATRICK BAZ/AFP via Getty Images

Dancer pushes for UNESCO to recognize Egyptian belly dancing

Egyptian dancer Amie Sultan is working to get classical belly dance recognized as Egyptian heritage globally.

Yemen protest

UN vote shuts down Yemen war crimes investigations

Twenty-one member states voted against renewing the UN Human Rights Council's mandate to investigate war crimes in Yemen.

Libya parliament

Libya’s parliament passes key elections legislation

The breakthrough follows concerns last month that the House of Representatives' vote of no confidence could be further thwart progress towards national reunification.

Prime Minister of Israel Naftali Bennett addresses the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 27, 2021, at UN headquarters in New York City.

Bennett’s UN speech stirs controversy in Israel over pandemic efforts

In his speech at the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett made it clear that he, not the health authorities, have the final say on the national campaign against the coronavirus.