Iran-Israel conflict

A worker at a market for fuel oil and automotive fuel on March 17, 2026, in Erbil, Iraq.

Explainer

After UAE and Qatar, could Iraq be next to leave OPEC?

Iraq is seeking a higher production quota as the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz has slashed oil revenues and plunged the country into a fiscal crisis.

Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) Navy Adm. Brad Cooper testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on May 14, 2026, in Washington.

CENTCOM commander heads to Israel, Gulf as Lebanon talks stall

Israel's top defense official said his country would not withdraw from Lebanon despite diplomatic pressure from Washington as it seeks rapprochement with Iran.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Elke Scholiers/Getty Images

Oil falls below $74 as Hormuz traffic recovers after Iran war

Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, was trading at $73.81 a barrel at 10:40 a.m. EDT, down 4.2% from Tuesday's close.

Qatar's Energy Minister and CEO of QatarEnergy Saad Sherida al-Kaabi speaks during a press conference in Doha on June 22, 2026.

Explainer

Qatar blast underscores challenges in race to restart Gulf energy flows

The deadly explosion marks an early test of Gulf efforts to revive oil and gas production following a historic energy supply shock caused by the US-Israel-Iran war.

Latest News

Explainer

What’s the status of Strait of Hormuz after US-Iran talks?

Handout Photo by the US Navy via Getty Images

Oil falls more than 3% after Iran, US signal progress in talks

MUSCAT, OMAN - JUNE 21: Oil tankers and cargo vessels remain anchored off Port Sultan Qaboos around Qaboos Port on June 21, 2026 in Muscat, Oman. The Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for the region's oil and gas, was effectively blockaded since the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran in late February. This week's provisional peace deal between the countries was meant to reopen the waterway to shipping traffic, but the pace of that reopening is unclear amid continued fighting in Lebano

Analysis

How Netanyahu used Lebanon strikes to push back on Trump’s Iran deal

US President Donald Trump holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Palm Beach, Florida, Dec. 29, 2025.

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

Interview

Franco-Gulf investment holds firm despite Iran war, French official says

French Trade & Invest Commissioner for United Arab Emirates and Middle East and Business France's regional director for the Middle East Axel Baroux. — Business France

Axel Baroux

France’s trade and investment commissioner for the UAE and Middle East

Plumes of smoke rise from the sites of Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut on March 3, 2026. The Israeli military issued new evacuation orders for dozens of locations in Lebanon on March 3, including warning residents in two southern Beirut neighbourhoods to stay away from several buildings ahead of an imminent operation. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP via Getty Images)

After Israel's ultimatum, Lebanon orders arrest of Iran IRGC members

The Lebanese government has instructed military and security agencies to arrest IRGC members in Lebanon, after Iranian-backed Hezbollah joined the conflict between Iran on the one hand and the US and Israel on the other, by launching attacks against Israel.

world premiere of La Perle

UAE billionaire Habtoor openly lambasts Trump over Iran war

The Emirati businessman condemned the US president, a former business partner, for his “dangerous” attack on Iran and asked whether he had stopped to consider the collateral damage.

United Arab Emirates

TEHRAN, IRAN - JANUARY 10: Iranian Basij militia members display their drones during military manoeuvres on January 10, 2025 in Tehran, Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Basij, a militia group that has played a prominent role in suppressing protests, held military manoeuvres in the Iranian capital. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Azerbaijan accuses Iran of drone strike on airport

The attacks damaged an airport in the Nakhchivan exclave and slightly wounded two civilians.

A picture from the formation of the Coalition of Political Forces of Iranian Kurdistan on Feb. 22, 2026.

Which 6 Kurdish groups could join the war in Iran?

Iranian Kurdish groups that recently formed an alliance could soon join the United States and Israel in their campaign against the Islamic Republic, Al-Monitor has learned.

A member of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI) participates in a military drill in an outpost near Erbil, Kurdistan region of Iraq on Jan. 15, 2026.

Exclusive

US-backed Kurdish forces poised to enter Iran from Iraqi Kurdistan 'within days'

The CIA has reportedly been in contact with Iranian Kurdish armed groups since last year, as Israel has pressed for Kurdish engagement.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Commuters make their way along a busy street against the backdrop of a cloud of smoke rising after airstrikes in central Tehran on March 4, 2026.

Pentagon: US airstrikes in Iran 'accelerating' as war shifts to new phase

Pentagon projects American and Israel warplanes will have complete control of Iran’s skies in less than a week, enabling the US to conserve valuable precision longer-range munitions.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Ryan Lim / AFP via Getty Images

Iran’s missile barrage tests US interceptor limits in escalating war

US B-2 bombers and F/A-18s have been pummeling Iran's southern missile belt, but the IRGC is believed to have far more attack drones in store than ballistic missiles.

Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

NATO intercepts Iran missile

Iran’s targeting of Turkey unlikely to upend Ankara’s strategic balancing act

Ankara said NATO defenses intercepted a ballistic missile fired from Iran that was heading toward Turkish airspace, as Turkish officials called for restraint amid rising regional tensions.

A plume of smoke rises from the port of Jebel Ali following a reported Iranian strike in Dubai on March 1, 2026.

Analysis

Iran’s assault reveals Gulf defense gaps and reliance on US tech and intel

The recent Iranian strikes on bases, airports and energy facilities across the Gulf have exposed gaps in the GCC's defense architecture.

Francesco Schiavi

By Francesco Schiavi

In Bologna, reporting on security, defense, economy, governance

Osama Al Maqdoni / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images

Amid chatter of local uprisings, eyes turn to Iran's minorities: What to know

Ethnic minorities in Iran, historically marginalized and repressed by Iran's central government, are gaining attention as potential political actors amid escalating US and Israeli strikes.

An Emirates passenger plane is landing at Frankfurt Airport from Dubai International on March 3, 2026, in Frankfurt, Germany.

Gulf air corridors reopen cautiously as evacuations take shape

Nearly 1,900 of more than 5,450 flights scheduled to the Middle East were canceled Tuesday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium.

United Arab Emirates

TEHRAN, IRAN - MARCH 2: A plume of smoke rises after an explosion on March 2, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was confirmed killed after the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran on February 28. Iran retaliated by firing waves of missiles and drones at Israel, and targeting U.S. allies in the region. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Analysis

As Israel-US offensive devastates Iran’s military, can Tehran sustain long war?

Tehran is under near-constant bombardment, senior commanders are dead and regional tempers are rising just days into the fighting.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics