US elections

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.

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.

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

US funding to Lebanon's armed forces remained in limbo despite the State Department backpedaling on its near-total halt to foreign aid abroad.

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

Tulsi Gabbard grilled about Assad, Iran views at confirmation hearing

In her confirmation hearing for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard was pressed on her relationship with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and walked back previous statements criticizing Trump's policy choices.

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.

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

President Donald Trump has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to visit the White House on Feb. 4, making the Israeli premier the first foreign leader to be invited to the White House in Trump’s second term.

Latest News

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)

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

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

Analysis

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

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)

Megan Mineiro

By Megan Mineiro

In Washington, DC, reporting on US Congress

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

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.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a campaign event at the Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote Presidential Town Hall at the Pennsylvania Convention Center on July 13, 2024, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Feature

Pennsylvania’s Jewish voters weigh Israel, domestic concerns as Trump and Harris vie for support

Vice President Harris is leading with Jewish voters in the battleground state, according to polls, while others in the community are backing former President Trump amid concerns about US policy toward Israel.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/AFP via Getty Images

Despite deteriorating human rights record, Egypt hopes for US support under Harris or Trump

Cairo hopes that whichever form it takes, the new US administration will continue backing its positions and policies in the Middle East and Horn of Africa.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

How US election could impact UAE’s clean energy ambitions, $100B investment pact

US-UAE clean energy cooperation grew considerably during President Joe Biden, becoming a bright spot in relations as both countries played key roles in the global energy transition.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

This picture, created on Oct. 25, 2024, shows US Vice President and Democratic Presidential candidate Kamala Harris in Houston, Texas, on Oct. 25, 2024, and former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in East Del Valle, Austin, Texas, on Oct. 25, 2024.

Analysis

What could a Trump or Harris election victory mean for Iran?

As the United States gears up for its 2024 election, Iran is watching intently, evaluating how either candidate's victory might impact such key issues as sanctions and nuclear diplomacy, as well as its regional politics and hostility toward Israel.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

MATTHEW HATCHER/AFP via Getty Images

Feature

Gaza war looms large over Pennsylvania’s Muslims as Harris struggles to win votes

Muslims are divided in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, where the vice president, former president and third-party candidate all have the potential to win a sizable chunk of the vote.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

Democratic presidential nominee, US Vice President Kamala Harris, speaks during a campaign rally on Oct. 28, 2024 in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Palestinians in Gaza await US election with hope, skepticism: Harris favored over Trump

Between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, Palestinians in Gaza seem to favor the Democratic candidate, as they have not forgotten Trump’s policies and positions favoring Israel during his term in office.

Large billboards bearing the flags of the US and Israel with a message in support of US presidential candidate Donald Trump, hang against buildings in Tel Aviv on October 30, 2024. An opinion poll conducted in September by Mitvim, the Israel Institute for Regional Foreign Policies, said 68 percent of Israelis see Trump as the candidate who will best serve Israel's interests. (Photo by JACK GUEZ / AFP) (Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Beyond Jerusalem, what's behind Israeli embrace of Donald Trump?

Despite President Joe Biden’s standing by Israel since Oct. 7, only Israelis identified with the political left support presidential candidate Vice President Kamala Harris.

Mazal Mualem

By Mazal Mualem

In Tel Aviv, reporting on politics

An exterior view of the US Capitol on Sept. 9, 2024 in Washington, DC.

How Congress elections will determine next phase of US-Middle East policy

Voters are set to cast their ballots in tight races for control of both the House and Senate.

Megan Mineiro

By Megan Mineiro

In Washington, DC, reporting on US Congress

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event on food security in a barn on the Smith Family Farm on September 23, 2024 in Smithton, Pennsylvania. The event, hosted by the Protecting America Initiative, led by former Trump acting director of national intelligence Richard Grenell, highlighted China ownership of nearly 250,000 acres of U.S. land, slightly less than 1% of foreign-held acreage. (Photo by Jeff Swensen/Getty Images)

Analysis

In Middle East, China's influence unconstrained by Trump, Harris

In theory, Beijing may favor the predictability of Harris over the uncertainty of Trump. But in practice, China did exceedingly well in the Middle East during Trump’s presidency and has successfully navigated challenges under the Biden-Harris administration

Joyce Karam

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional geopolitics, China in the Middle East

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a remembrance event to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel at Trump National Doral golf club in Miami, Florida, on Oct. 7, 2024.

How a Trump or Harris win could shape the Middle East

The Takeaway unpacks what a Harris or Trump presidency would mean for the trajectory of Israel's mulitfront war in the region.

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris speaks during a Get Out the Vote rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, on October 30, 2024. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly / AFP) (Photo by RYAN M. KELLY/AFP via Getty Images)

Scarred by Trump and Biden, Palestinians remain pessimistic over US election

Palestinians surveyed by Al-Monitor said that while they are closely following the US presidential race, there is a widespread sense that little will change for Palestinians, regardless of who wins.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participate in a joint statement in the East Room of the White House on January 28, 2020 in Washington, DC. The news conference was held to announce the Trump administration's plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Photo by Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel’s Netanyahu 'dreams' of Trump victory to deal Iran final blow

Though the Israeli government's stated war goals include avoiding a regional war and an ongoing confrontation with Iran, the reelection of former President Donald Trump could change the calculus.

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