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October 26, 2026

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Analysis

Putin puts Trump ahead of Iran in bid to mediate war

Anton Mardosov, reporting from Moscow, and our correspondent in Tehran assess the limits of Russian influence in Iran; Ben Caspit reports that Netanyahu could force a unity government with an attack on Iran after the elections.

Week in Review

Andrew Parasiliti

By Week in Review , Andrew Parasiliti

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA - AUGUST 15: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as they arrives at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. The two leaders are meeting for peace talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Analysis

Putin's Iran diplomacy faces limits as Russia eyes Ukraine concessions

As US-Iran tensions escalate, Russia is stepping up mediation efforts, hoping to gain leverage with Washington over Ukraine despite its limited influence on Tehran.

Anton Mardasov

By Anton Mardasov

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) and Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrive to hold a press conference after a meeting in Tehran on October 19, 2026. The Russian foreign minister arrived in Iran on October 19, in his first visit since the outbreak of the Middle East war as Moscow seeks to play a mediating role. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

How Lavrov's Tehran visit tests limits of Russia's influence over Iran

As Tehran looks for an off-ramp from renewed conflict, Moscow is positioning itself as a diplomatic partner while pushing Iran to deliver on long-delayed economic deals.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) shakes hands with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi upon his arrival in Tehran on Oct. 19, 2026.

Lavrov visits Tehran as Trump praises Russia's role on Iran: What to know

During a meeting with his Iranian counterpart earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin renewed Moscow’s offer to mediate between Tehran and Washington.

Latest News

Explainer

Russian diesel heads to Morocco as supply crunch grips global markets

Fuel prices are displayed at a petrol station in Rabat

Analysis

Pragmatic politics: Why Turkey avoids blaming Russia for Black Sea attacks

A cargo ship at the Port of Trabzon, Turkey

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Analysis

Putin offers to help end Iran war, but can Russia deliver?

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian shake hands during a meeting in Turkmenbashi on Oct. 8, 2026.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Pezeshkian to meet Putin as Iran looks to Russia for support: What to know

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian hold a meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Bishkek, on Sept. 1, 2026.

U.S. President Barack Obama (L) talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and U.S. security advisor Susan Rice (2nd L) prior to the opening session of the Group of 20 (G20) Leaders summit summit in the Mediterranean resort city of Antalya, Turkey November 15, 2015. Man at 2nd R is unidentified. REUTERS/Cem Oksuz/Pool - RTS76RI

As IS fight ramps up, Obama sees modest progress, hope for Syria diplomacy

President Barack Obama cited fragile progress in forging a Syrian diplomatic road map at international talks in Vienna that called for bringing the Syrian regime and opposition together for talks leading to a cease-fire, a new constitution in six months and new elections in 2017.

Egypt rushes to bolster tourism after Sinai plane crash

Egyptian politicians and public figures have created dozens of initiatives to bring tourism back to Sharm el-Sheikh after Western countries decided to suspend their flights to Sinai in response to the Russian plane crash there.

What will control over Aleppo’s military base mean for Assad?

An expert on the situation in Syria talks to Al-Monitor about the repercussions of the Syrian army’s recent operation, where it succeeded in lifting the siege of the Kuweires military air base east of Aleppo.

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian speaks during a news conference in Moscow, Russia, September 22, 2015. Amir-Abdollahian said on Tuesday his country had no troops or military advisers in Syria or Yemen, the RIA news agency reported. REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev - RTX1RTQL

Iran doubts US goals in Syria talks

Iran's deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, said Iran will decide whether to participate in the next round of Vienna II talks on Syria after reviewing whether the United States is working behind the scenes to push its own agenda.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (2nd R) meets with Iran's President Hassan Rouhani (2nd L) on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, September 28, 2015. REUTERS/Mikhail Klimentyev/RIA Novosti/Kremlin ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS DISTRIBUTED, EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. - RTX1SY30

Why Iran and Russia aren't as closely aligned on Syria as you might think

Despite the shared short-term goals that have currently united them on Syria, Iran and Russia's differences over Syria's future are bound to lead them into conflict.

United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura (L) and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attend a meeting in Moscow, October 21, 2014. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR4AYVB

Envoys look to gain momentum for peace in Syria

As world powers seek to sustain momentum for Syria diplomacy amid divisions on the way forward, a former US diplomat urged moving for a cease-fire first before convening talks on Syria’s political future.

How will Jordan's pivot to Russia pay off?

Jordan and Russia have agreed on military coordination in Syria after a long silence in Amman about Russian intervention there.

A Sukhoi Su-25 jet fighter flies during a drill at the Russian southern Stavropol region, March 12, 2015. Russia has started military exercises in the country's south, as well as in Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and in Crimea, annexed from Ukraine last year, news agency RIA reported on Thursday, citing Russia's Defence Ministry. REUTERS/Eduard Korniyenko (RUSSIA - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - RTR4T448

Russian, Israeli jets share Syrian skies ... for now

Russia's military involvement in Syria is testing its relations with Israel and the determination of both countries to avoid a conflict.

Lebanon's Hezbollah members stand at attention in front of a picture of Hassan al-Haj, one of Hezbollah's top commanders who was killed fighting alongside Syrian army forces in Idlib province, during his funeral in his hometown of al-Luwaizeh, southern Lebanon October 12, 2015. Lebanon's Hezbollah on Monday buried a commander described as the group's most important military figure to be killed in the four-year-long Syrian war. Hassan al-Haj was killed in Idlib province in northwestern Syria, where the Irani

The Russian, Iranian, Hezbollah military triangle

It seems that Russia, through its military intervention in Syria, is complementing the Iranian-Hezbollah axis there, instead of replacing it, as Hezbollah sources confirm that coordination is ongoing between Moscow, Iran and the party.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan poses as he casts his ballot at a polling station in Istanbul, Turkey November 1, 2015. Turks began voting on Sunday amid worsening security and economic worries in a snap parliamentary election that could profoundly impact the divided country's trajectory and that of President Tayyip Erdogan. The parliamentary poll is the second in five months, after the ruling AK Party founded by Erdogan failed to retain its single-party majority in June. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RTX1U7U8

Turkey’s dispiriting elections

Erdogan offers an uncertain democratic future for Turkey; Syria Contact Group avoids divisions over Assad’s fate; Iranian and Russian support pivotal in Syrian military campaign to retake Aleppo.

Congress probes US, Russia face-off in Syria

A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Nov. 2.

After Iranian, Russian military advances Syrian opposition suffers setback in Aleppo

Regime forces were able to retake large swathes of Aleppo’s southern countryside from the opposition, whose weaponry is insufficient in the face of Iranian and Russian ground and air support.