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

White House, Washington DC, United States of America

United States

September 6, 2026

Washington D.C. 1:32 pm

28°C

A man walks past a mural depicting oil pumps and the Venezuelan flag, with portraits of Venezuelan independence leader Simon Bolivar (L) and former late President Hugo Chavez (R), in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 3, 2026.

Analysis

Could Trump’s oil push in Venezuela upend OPEC’s energy order?

Washington’s growing role in controlling the Latin American country's crude riches could help reshape an energy order centered on OPEC as the Hormuz crisis pressures Gulf exports.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Amir Yaryab

Who is Amir Yaryab, IRGC’s cyber commander in US crosshairs?

The US State Department has offered up to $10 million for information on Amir Yaryab, who oversees a key part of Iran’s cyber operations.

Ammar Ammar / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Playing for time: Despite US pressure, Israel stalls Lebanon talks until after election

Ahead of the eighth round of talks in Rome, the Israeli military reported clearing Hezbollah's underground stronghold at Ali al-Taher after besieging the ridge for months.

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

Anwar AMRO / AFP via Getty Images

Israel to release 5 Lebanese prisoners ahead of next talks: What to know

Israel said the detainees are "civilians who are not members of a terrorist organization" and "were not involved in terrorism," concluding, "There is no reason to continue holding them in Israel."

Latest News

US airstrikes target Iran's Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island

ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel favors status quo as tensions in Iran's leadership fuel escalation risk

missile

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

Pentagon inks 7-year missile-production deal amid Iran war shortage

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel’s Lebanon dilemma: Confront Hezbollah without angering Trump, triggering Iran

Ammar Ammar / AFP via Getty Images

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

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

Riyadh, SAUDI ARABIA: Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan arrives at the ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council, held 03 June 2006 in Riyadh. The ministers discussed the crisis of the Iranian nuclear program and called for a diplomatic solution to this issue. AFP PHOTO/FAHD SHADEED (Photo credit should read FAHD SHADEED/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkey-UAE rift may have unintended spillover

The conflict between Ankara and Abu Dhabi may spill over into Turkey's ties with Saudi Arabia and the United States.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley vetos an Egyptian-drafted resolution regarding recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem, during the United Nations Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including Palestine, at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RC19707F9890

Congress calls Trump’s bluff on threat to cut aid over UN vote

Democratic lawmakers made clear they will oppose any move to slash assistance to countries that vote at the United Nations to criticize the president's position on Jerusalem.

A view of the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen August 16, 2017. Picture taken August 16, 2017. To match Special Report YEMEN-SAUDI/BLOCKADE REUTERS/Abduljabbar Zeyad - RC11826AF340

US says Saudis agree to lift blockade on key Yemen port

The Saudis announced they will lift a blockade on a key Yemen port after growing pressure from the Trump administration.

Abbas' diplomatic offensive

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has announced that he will apply for Palestine to join 22 international agencies and organizations to which Palestinians have a right to full membership.

Abbas trapped by Trump following Jerusalem proclamation

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is trapped by a US administration that does not understand the regional damage caused by the Jerusalem proclamation.

Istanbul summit exposes divisions within Arab world

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit exposed Arab differences and Arab-Islamic tensions, and the reactions to both the OIC summit and the Arab League meetings were similarly pessimistic.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard Commander Qassem Soleimani (L) stands at the frontline during offensive operations against Islamic State militants in the town of Tal Ksaiba in Salahuddin province March 8, 2015. Picture taken March 8, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST CONFLICT POLITICS) - GM1EB3I1GDS01

Iran's Soleimani sends message of defiance in calls to Hamas

In the aftermath of the US president's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the head of the Quds Force called the leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad to affirm Iran's ongoing political and military support.

General view of Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) in Isfahan, about 420 km (261 miles) south of Tehran, August 8, 2005. Iran resumed uranium conversion on Monday at its facility near Isfahan, a move [EU officials have warned will probably see its nuclear case sent to the U.N. Security Council for possible sanctions].
??? USE ONLY - PBEAHUNYAGH

Republican dig at Iran deal jeopardizes effort to keep government open

Congressional efforts to ban future purchases of heavy water from Iran could complicate efforts to avoid a government shutdown.

Turkish commander accuses US of sabotage

Distrust between the United States and Turkey is at a new low as an anonymous Turkish commander claims that US-manufactured and supplied bombs dropped on Kurdish separatist targets were duds.

A member of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) mans a weapon mounted on a pick-up truck as others talk to each others along a street in the west of the city of Ras al-Ain, after capturing it from Islamist rebels November 5, 2013. Redur Xelil, spokesman for the armed wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), said Kurdish militias had seized the city of Ras al-Ain and all its surrounding villages. Syrian Kurdish fighters have captured more territory from Islamist rebels in northeastern

Turkey’s problem with Syrian Kurds far from over

Ankara has accepted the Russian proposal to have Kurdish participation in Syrian national reconciliation while excluding the PYD, but the latter will remain the elephant in the room.

Protestors shout slogans during an anti-Trump anti-Israel protest at al-Azhar mosque in Old Cairo, Egypt December 8, 2017. REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany - RC139BFEA290

Egypt's top religious institutions unite against Trump's Jerusalem move

Al-Azhar and the Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Church hope to pressure the US administration into renouncing its decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel through recently launched boycott campaigns.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the European Council headquarters in Brussels, Belgium December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Eric Vidal - RC15BF174880

Israelis, Palestinians need European mediation

The Jerusalem proclamation by US President Donald Trump put an end to the American role as honest broker between Israel and the Palestinians.