US elections

A screengrab depicting Joe Kent participating in a congressional debate on Oct. 14, 2024.

US Senate approves Joe Kent as US counterterrorism chief: What to know

Kent’s nomination raised alarm among Democrats due to his history of promoting right-wing conspiracy theories and recent efforts to pressure a senior intelligence official to revise an assessment that contradicted Trump administration narratives.

Florida's Republican state senator, Randy Fine, speaks with the media on April 1, 2025, in Ormond Beach, Florida.

AIPAC denies pulling Randy Fine endorsement after derogatory comments on Gaza starvation

Randy Fine, a Trump- and AIPAC-endorsed Republican representative, sparked backlash for telling Gazans to "starve away" amid a worsening hunger crisis in the strip.

President Donald Trump is greeted by Air Force Col. Paul R. Pawluk as he arrives to board Air Force One on May 12, 2025, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland.

From Nixon to Trump: A look at US presidential visits to the Gulf

As Trump prepares for his visit to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, Al-Monitor looks back at the history of US presidential trips to the Gulf.

This pool photograph distributed by Russian state agency Sputnik shows Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attending a welcoming ceremony ahead of their talks in Riyadh on December 6, 2023. (Photo by Alexey NIKOLSKY / POOL / AFP) (Photo by ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Saudi Arabia would 'welcome the chance' to host Trump-Putin summit

Trump and Putin are expected to hold a phone call soon, and Gulf leaders are angling for a mediation role between the two.

Latest News

Could Trump’s aid freeze to Lebanon army threaten fragile Israel ceasefire?

Lebanese army and UNIFIL soldiers deploy to prevent residents of the southern Lebanese village of Mais al-Jabal from returning to their town on Jan. 27, 2025.

Tulsi Gabbard grilled about Assad, Iran views at confirmation hearing

Tulsi Gabbard testifies during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Jan. 30, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Trump invites Netanyahu to White House as envoy visits Saudi Arabia, Israel

US President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he arrives for meeting on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, Jan. 27, 2020.

With Rubio confirmed, where do Trump's foreign policy picks stand?

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio greets employees upon arrival at the State Department in Washington, DC, on January 21, 2025. The US Senate unanimously approved Rubio as Secretary of State on January 20, putting the fellow senator on the front line of President Donald Trump's often confrontational diplomacy. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)

Donald Trump is sworn in as US president in the Rotunda of the US Capitol, in Washington, on Jan. 20, 2025.

From Syria to Yemen: Middle East reacts to Donald Trump’s inauguration

Donald Trump's inauguration sparked a mix of optimism and cautious reactions across the Middle East, with US allies expressing hope for continued collaboration, while Iran, Palestine and regional proxies voiced concerns about his policies and their impact on regional stability.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: Donald Trump is sworn into office as Melania Trump holds the Bible in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda on January 20, 2025 in Washington, DC. Donald Trump takes office for his second term as the 47th president of the United States. (Photo by Saul Loeb - Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

With Trump inaugurated, how will the Republican trifecta reshape Middle East?

Trump’s White House will have the support of the House and Senate on post-war Israel and Gaza, Iran deterrence, Saudi normalization and more.

Megan Mineiro

By Megan Mineiro

In Washington, DC, reporting on US Congress

President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for CIA director, John Ratcliffe, appears for a Senate Intelligence confirmation hearing on Capitol Hill on Jan. 15, 2025, in Washington, DC.

Trump's CIA pick warns of Iran nuclear advancements in confirmation hearing

In his confirmation hearing, John Ratcliffe spoke about Iran's development of nuclear weapons, evidence of Syria's Bashar al-Assad's use of chemical weapons and the FISA.

President-elect Donald Trump listens as DAMAC Properties CEO Hussain Sajwani speaks to members of the media during a press conference at the Mar-a-Lago Club on Jan. 7, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida.

UAE’s Damac founder praises Trump after $20B US data center pledge

Joining Trump for a rally in Florida on Tuesday, Sajwani, the president-elect’s self-styled right-hand man in the Middle East, announced that his company would invest at least $20 billion in new US data centers from Arizona to Ohio.

United Arab Emirates

A view of Trump Tower in New York City, on Jan. 13, 2023.

UAE's Dar Global to enter US property market after partnering with Trump Organization

Dar Global has agreed to a string of real estate deals with the Trump Organization, the company founded and owned by US President-elect Donald Trump.

United Arab Emirates

Tony Holden

Family of US contractor jailed in Kuwait asks Biden to push for pardon

The family of a US defense contractor imprisoned in Kuwait on what he claims are false drug charges is appealing to the Biden administration to intervene.

Emiratis wave national flags as citizens celebrate their country's 40 years of independence on National Day, in Abu Dhabi, on Dec. 2, 2011.

Analysis

Gulf’s citizenship industry poised for growth amid new global uncertainty

Flexible visa programs have emerged in the Middle East, fueled by wealthy Gulf states competing to attract foreign investors and skilled professionals as part of their economic diversification strategies.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

President-elect Donald Trump speaks at a reception at the New York Stock Exchange after being named Time's “Person of the Year” for the second time on Dec. 12, 2024 in New York City.

Trump wavers on two-state solution but foresees Israel-Palestine deal

Despite his 2020 proposal for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, Trump has now suggested he is open to other ideas.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gives a keynote speech on the third day of the Bitcoin 2024 conference at Music City Center, Nashville, Tennessee, July 27, 2024.

Trump crypto partner Tron allegedly used by Hamas, Hezbollah: What we know

Financial experts and Israeli authorities say Tron, a partner organization of Donald Trump's World Liberty Financial, is used by the Iran-backed militant groups to transfer crypto assets.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress in the chamber of the House of Representatives at the US Capitol, on July 24, 2024, in Washington.

Analysis

From UNRWA to ICC, how Republican Congress would shift Middle East policy

Bills to cut aid for Palestinians and expedite arms sales to Israel faced Democratic pushback, but they could now easily become law.

Megan Mineiro

By Megan Mineiro

In Washington, DC, reporting on US Congress

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 20: President Donald Trump (R) holds up a chart of military hardware sales as he meets with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the Oval Office at the White House on March 20, 2018 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

Saudi Arabia to pursue two-track approach for Trump presidency

Riyadh is likely to compartmentalize business dealings with incoming President Donald Trump separately from its foreign policy engagements, where there is likely to be disagreement.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

MAURO PIMENTEL/AFP via Getty Images

Even with MBS absent, Saudi Arabia and UAE poised to make deals at G20

Gulf states will look for agreements and trade deals with partners from South America and elsewhere ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration in January.