Newsletter: Business & Tech Trump pivots from Hormuz tolls as US-Iran fighting resumes Oil prices remain far below their early May peak of nearly $115 a barrel, but the renewed hostilities have pushed them well above the roughly $70 level seen before the war. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Ahmadinejad denies alleged Mossad plot to install him as Iran leader: What to know The former president, who was a virulent critic of Israel while in office, was reportedly part of a Mossad plan to replace the current Iranian leadership. Iran
Newsletter: Daily Briefing Why Iran, US are drifting back to conflict Trump hosts Iraqi PM Zaidi; Bahrain sentences 3 to life in prison over ties to Iran's IRGC; and more. By Ezgi Akin In Ankara, reporting on diplomacy, EU-Turkey ties, NATO
Interview Why Strait of Hormuz no longer rattles oil markets as much: IMF The fund's Middle East director, Jihad Azour, told Al-Monitor that the big Gulf energy producers now have more capacity to absorb the shock. Jihad Azour Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund
Analysis How UK's IRGC designation raises stakes for Iran and Europe By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Revolution at 40: Same old structural problems still plague Iran While the Islamic Republic can pride itself on improvement on literacy and poverty, 40 years after its Islamic Revolution, Iran is still struggling with many of the structural deficiencies that plagued the country under the shah. Iran
Revolution at 40: IRGC turns to new nationalism to win over Iranian millennials The rise of the Islamic State has provided the IRGC with an opportunity and platform to project a new form of nationalism that portrays it as the defender of Iran. Iran
Will Warsaw summit unite US, EU against Iran? Despite a likely Western European snub in terms of level of representation, the Warsaw summit holds the possibility of being a starting point for a European-American consensus against Iran down the line, potentially depriving Tehran of even the minimum benefits of the nuclear deal. United States
Riyadh woos Iraqis with security talks, economic projects Saudi Arabia is working to reconcile with Iraq to reduce Iranian influence in the country. Saudi Arabia
Israel factor complicates but won’t break Iran-Russia partnership in Syria There is speculation in the Persian-language media that Russia and Israel are collaborating against Iran and that Tehran is reconsidering its partnership with Moscow in Syria. Israel
Khamenei calls for ‘structural reforms’ in Iran’s budget Parliament speaker Ali Larijani’s comments about "structural reforms" ordered by Iran's supreme leader have led to anxious speculation about broader changes ahead. Iran
Launch of Saudi news channel sparks controversy among Iraqis The announcement by Saudi media group MBC that it will launch a new TV channel — MBC Iraq — aimed at the Iraqi public has been met with a number of swift and angry responses, sparking defense of the station. Saudi Arabia
Iranian opposition unwelcome at Pompeo’s anti-Iran bash Iranian opposition gets left out of meeting on Iran taking place in Poland next week. Legacy: Gulf
How US sanctions could be boosting Iran's presence in Iraq Reimposed US sanctions have encouraged an active Iranian geo-economic agenda in neighboring Iraq, a profitable market where Tehran can ease the pressure coming from Washington. Iraq
Iranians praise Iraq’s rejection of US presence to 'watch' Iran President Donald Trump's controversial remarks about maintaining the US military presence in Iraq to "watch" Iran have sparked warm exchanges between Iran and Iraq. Iraq
Hasty Jordan meeting augurs dissonance at upcoming Arab League summit Arab foreign ministers' surprisingly brief meeting in Jordan likely signals disagreement over regional issues such as the return of Syria to the Arab League and a US-proposed coalition against Iran. Jordan
Will Iraq ask US troops to leave the country? US President Donald Trump's recent statement about the role of US troops in Iraq — to keep an eye on Iran — has caused a strong backlash among Iraqi politicians who see this statement as an interference in Iraqi matters. Iraq
