United States - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

White House, Washington DC, United States of America

United States

May 10, 2026

District of Columbia 7:59 am

15°C

Ronen Zvulun / AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu fears being left out as Trump pursues Iran diplomacy

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was not surprised by President Donald Trump’s suspension of Project Freedom and move toward talks with Iran, but analysts say Washington may not be fully weighing Israel's concerns in negotiations with Tehran.

Traffic passes a billboard depicting Iranian ballistic missiles in service, with text in Arabic reading "the honest [person's] promise" and in Persian "Israel is weaker than a spider's web," Valiasr Square, Tehran, April 15, 2024. ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images.

Analysis

CIA report on Iran missiles undercuts Netanyahu as war euphoria dissipates

The findings cast doubt on Israel’s wartime gains and put pressure on Netanyahu’s campaign strategy ahead of elections.

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

Getty

US strikes Iran tankers as UAE reports fresh missile, drone attacks

Strikes on Iranian tankers and fresh exchanges in the Gulf escalate tensions as Washington awaits Tehran’s response to a deal proposal.

Latest News

Analysis

China shores up Iran support as Trump seeks exit

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China in Beijing on May 6, 2026. Credit: Telegram

Joyce Karam

Lebanon, Israel eye third round of talks, but no Netanyahu-Aoun meeting in sight

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

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

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

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

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Rosaleen Carroll

News Reporter and Supporting Editor

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Paul J. Saunders

In Washington, DC, reporting on Russia in the Middle East

A Turkish military convoy arrives at an army base in the border town of Reyhanli near the Turkish-Syrian border in Hatay province, Turkey January 17, 2018. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RC12B0BC2360

Will Erdogan defy Russia, US over Afrin?

Turkey’s plan to launch an operation to take Syria's Afrin faces major difficulties, yet if Erdogan succeeds even partially it will boost his image at home.

People chant slogans during a protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, in Amman, Jordan December 29, 2017. The placard reads: "Al-Aqsa Mosque for us, and God with his strength with us". REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - RC1388149230

Defiant Palestinians boycott US projects, products

US President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has prompted various Palestinian boycotts of US-funded projects and programs.

Iraqi counterterrorism forces sit in a top of a military vehicle in Falluja, Iraq, June 23, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani - S1AETLOGUBAB

Iraq backs off plans to double number of US-trained counterterrorism forces

With all of Iraq now liberated from the Islamic State, the elite Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service is shifting its focus away from large-scale battles.

Iranian students scuffle with police at the University of Tehran during a demonstration driven by anger over economic problems, in the capital Tehran on December 30, 2017.
Students protested in a third day of demonstrations, videos on social media showed, but were outnumbered by counter-demonstrators. / AFP PHOTO / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Why protests won’t change Iran’s foreign policy

The recent wave of unrest in Iran is unlikely to change the calculations that underpin the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy.

Netanyahu’s shortsighted Mideast policy

Israel prefers to ignore the changes surrounding it, such as threats by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to cancel the Oslo Accord and Iran’s change of stance on the Arab Peace Initiative.

Jordan tones down rhetoric in response to US move against UNRWA

Amid US threats to cut funding for UNRWA, Jordan appears to have opted for quiet diplomatic engagement with the United States rather than a confrontational approach.

Russia, Iran in sync on preserving nuclear deal

Russia's UN ambassador says the United States has "an irrational allergy" to Iran and should stop trying to constrain Tehran's influence in the Middle East by undermining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) chat with members of U.S. forces in the town of Darbasiya next to the Turkish border, Syria April 29, 2017. Picture taken April 29, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC16BE0EE700

US touts military build-up against Iran in Syria

The Donald Trump administration’s stated goal of using US troops in Syria to contain Iran, while failing to offer a formal Syria policy, is irritating lawmakers.

U.S. President Donald Trump, flanked by Interior Secretary†Ryan Zinke and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, holds a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 10, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC113BF0A9B0

Trump stays in Iran nuclear deal for now, targets rights abusers

US President Donald Trump once again waived Iran nuclear sanctions to stay in the deal, but he warned it will be for the last time if he does not get a legislative fix that meets his demands.

Jordan's Prince Faisal bin Al-Hussein (2nd R) and Saudi Arabia's Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (4th R), review Bedouin honour guards upon their arrival to meet Jordan's King Abdullah at the Royal Palace in Amman, Jordan, August 4, 2015. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed - GF20000013418

US caught in crossfire amid flaring Jordan-Saudi tensions

US Vice President Mike Pence will face flaring tensions between Saudi Arabia and Jordan over Amman’s alleged ouster of royals close to Riyadh during his upcoming trip to the region.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the news conference after his meeting with Poland's President Andrzej Duda at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, October 17, 2017. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel - UP1EDAH0WNL3N

Erdogan: No extradition to US until Turkey gets Gulen

Turkey has announced it will suspend extraditions to the United States until Washington produces Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen as US-Turkish relations continue to circle the drain.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif attends a meeting with European Union's foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, Germany's Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in Brussels, Belgium January 11, 2018. REUTERS/John Thys/Pool - RC1B2DED04A0

Europe takes center stage as Iran weighs response to Trump

Though suspicion and mistrust lingers, Iran maintains hope that Europe will resist US pressure to torpedo the nuclear deal.