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.

Israel may regret hasty UNESCO exit

Israel reacted quickly to the US announcement that it was pulling out of UNESCO with one of its own, potentially forfeiting an opportunity to shore up its international presence.

Qatari crisis seeps into UNESCO elections

The Qatari crisis has cast a shadow across the election of UNESCO's next director-general with competing candidates from Egypt and Qatar.

Arab states coordinate efforts to block Israel's UN Security Council bid

Arab League member states have formed a committee aimed at preventing Israel from obtaining a seat on the UN Security Council in next year's elections, yet some argue the move comes too late in light of Israel's extensive outreach to gain support.

Netanyahu’s outdated Iran agenda

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu campaigns for the breakup of the Iran deal, ignoring the fact that a US withdrawal from the pact won’t be in Israel’s interest.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 21, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - HP1ED9L14P27I

Aoun calls for 'Levantine common market,' safe return of Syrian refugees

Lebanon's president outlines a regional approach to combating poverty and extremism; Mahmoud Abbas nears moment of truth regarding Dahlan’s role in Fatah-Hamas talks.

Iranians welcome Rouhani’s response to Trump at UN

Most Iranians, with the exception of some hard-liners, praised President Hassan Rouhani for his speech at the UN General Assembly.

U.S. President Donald Trump addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 19, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - HP1ED9J1M62W6

Trump blasts Iran regime at UN

Trump said the people of Iran want change in his debut address to the UN, but his advisers insist regime change isn’t on the table.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani waits for the arrival of his French counterpart at New York's Millenium Hotel for a meeting on September 18, 2017 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. / AFP PHOTO / ludovic MARIN (Photo credit should read LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP/Getty Images)

Rouhani tries to talk Europe into saving nuclear deal

Iranian media is abuzz with reports of Rouhani’s attempts to rally Europe to stand up against Trump’s efforts to kill the nuclear deal.

Ahead of UN meeting, Abbas prepares united Arab position

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is conducting consultations with Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia in order to present US President Donald Trump with a united Arab position for the two-state solution.

Zarif, Putin meet to discuss nuclear deal, Syria

Iran’s foreign minister traveled to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin.

What Trump really wants for the Mideast

The unrealistic statements by US envoy Jason Greenblatt about the Palestinian Authority's ruling the Gaza Strip again might indicate that US President Donald Trump does not have a realistic plan for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Will Palestinians shift strategy to include UN?

The Palestinians appear to have started a serious rethink of their national strategy, but it is crucial that they understand both the potential and the limitations that going the United Nations route will provide.