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

White House, Washington DC, United States of America

United States

July 21, 2026

Washington D.C. 10:23 am

27°C

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun meets with Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department in Washington, DC, July 19, 2026.

Israel to withdraw from Lebanon’s pilot zones ahead of Aoun-Trump meeting

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio Sunday during the first part of his four-day visit to Washington.

Amir Hossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

Oil tops $90 as Iran warns Hormuz 'will not be safe'

Tensions escalated further after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed on Monday that not a "single drop" of oil or gas would pass through the Strait of Hormuz.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, president of Turkey, greets Donald Trump, president of United States, during a welcome ceremony of allied heads of state and government, on July 8, 2026, in Ankara, Turkey.

Analysis

As Turkey eyes US naval revival, here is why big warship deals are unlikely

Turkey's shipbuilding industry could help ease pressure on overstretched US naval yards, though political, technological and financial hurdles make support work more likely than building major US warships.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Latest News

Analysis

What Zaidi's Washington visit means for US investment in Iraq

US President Donald Trump (R) shakes hands with Prime Minister of Iraq Ali al-Zaidi during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, July 14, 2026.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

Analysis

Trump's ‘180-degree reversal’ on Lebanon, Syria leaves Netanyahu with few options before elections

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a session of the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem on July 16, 2026, before the start of the election recess ahead of the Oct. 27 general election.

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

Vance says Israeli intelligence had ties to Epstein: What to know

US Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Wisconsin Air National Guard facility at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on July 8, 2026, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) speaks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry during a meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, March 24, 2016. REUTERS/Alexander Nemenov/Pool - RTSC3SA

Kerry, Putin meet to salvage Syria peace talks

US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Russian President Vladimir Putin July 14 to see if they could reach an agreement on a US plan to deepen US-Russian coordination on Syria.

French President Francois Hollande (R) greets Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif before a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, June 22, 2016. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe - RTX2HL6X

Iran takes page from US Treasury’s playbook

Having spent two years on negotiating the nuclear deal, it seems that Iran’s foreign minister is now focusing his efforts on making sure that the JCPOA is effectively implemented.

Iranian negotiator: Blocking sale of planes is violation of deal

Is the question of the sale of Boeing aircraft to Iran a make or break issue for the nuclear deal?

Jabhat al-Nusra 'al-Qaeda's largest formal affiliate in history'

Testimony by US official comes as Amnesty International report documents “abduction, torture and summary killings” committed by Jabhat al-Nusra and allied Syrian armed groups.

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Sharonville Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio July 6, 2016. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RTX2K2AV

Is Egypt’s Sisi hoping for Trump win?

Although Donald Trump's stance on the Muslim Brotherhood is in line with that of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the presumptive Republican nominee's statements on Muslims in general have decreased his popularity in Egypt.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton checks her PDA upon her departure in a military C-17 plane from Malta bound for Tripoli, Libya October 18, 2011.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS) FOR BEST QUALITY IMAGE ALSO SEE: GF2EA1P10ZY01 - RTR2ST4W

US election 2016: Hillary dodges email server bullet

The FBI exonerated Hillary Clinton on the email scandal, but Republicans are no less hungry to make the Democratic presidential candidate pay for her "extremely careless" actions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and his counterpart from Bahrain Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa enter a hall during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - RTX1YW9C

Can Bahrain count on Moscow to fill Washington’s shoes?

As Bahrain seeks closer ties with Russia, other Arab countries have their doubts about the relationship, yet they recognize Moscow’s growing role in the region amid Washington’s receding influence.

Turkey's pro-government media mired in CIA conspiracy theories

Odd logic and pro-government leanings lead some Turkish media outlets to embrace theories of IS intrigue.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas prays for Maysara Abu Hamdeya, a Palestinian inmate who died from cancer in an Israeli hospital on Tuesday, during a Fatah Central Committee meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah April 2, 2013. Hamdeya's death threatened to raise tensions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Palestinians, who view jailed brethren as heroes in a fight for statehood, have held several protests in recent weeks in support of prisoners. REUTERS/Mohamed Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLIT

Have Arab leaders forgotten about Palestine?

Palestinian senior officials feel that not only are Arab countries preoccupied by the Islamic State threat, but that the countries are also tired of the Palestinian issue and are sidelining the urgency of establishing a Palestinian state.

FILE PHOTO: Invited guests for the world premiere of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner are reflected in the fuselage of the aircraft at the 787 assembly plant in Everett, Washington, July 8, 2007. REUTERS/Robert Sorbo/File photo TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2GZQD

Congress weighs restrictions on Boeing sales to Iran

A number of Democrats appear willing to join Republicans in setting conditions on aircraft sales to the Islamic Republic.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault (L) arrive for a meeting on May 15, 2016 during a meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem. Ayrault met Netanyahu before meeting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas ahead of a French-sponsored Middle East peace process summit in Paris on May 30. Israel has rejected the initiative, the Palestinians support it and the United States has been cold. REUTERS/ MENAHEM KAHANA/Pool - RTSECIO

EU to push forward with two-state conference, with or without Washington

EU senior officials are planning a two-state conference to be held before the end of the year, with both a bilateral and a multilateral track.

Man poses in front of on a display showing the word 'cyber' in binary code, in this picture illustration taken in Zenica December 27, 2014. A previously undisclosed hacking campaign against military targets in Israel and Europe is probably backed by a country that misused security-testing software to cover its tracks and enhance its capability, researchers said. Picture taken December 27, 2014. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY CRIME LAW TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR4JEYI

How nuclear deal has cooled Iran-US cyberwar

Once-threatening cyberattacks between the United States and Iran appear to have slowed since the countries reached a nuclear pact.