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

White House, Washington DC, United States of America

United States

July 5, 2026

Washington D.C. 2:50 pm

35°C

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivers a speech after a signing ceremony with Libyan Government of National Unity prime minister at the Presidential Complex in Ankara, on April 12, 2021.

Analysis

In Libya, maritime dispute could complicate Turkey’s backing of US unity push

Turkey and the US increasingly share an interest in stabilizing Libya through a Tripoli-Benghazi power-sharing deal, though their alignment may hinge on the durability of any such deal and Washington's stance on Ankara's disputed 2019 maritime agreement.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

Motorists drive past a billboard bearing a picture of Iran's slain supreme leader Ali Khamenei, ahead of his funeral in Tehran on July 3, 2026. Iranian leaders began paying their respects on July 3 before the coffin of the country's late supreme leader Ali Khamenei, killed in the US-Israeli strikes that triggered the Middle East war, as Tehran prepared for a vast funeral. Khamenei's body arrived at Tehran's Grand Mosalla on July 3 ahead of ceremonies which are expected to draw millions. (Photo by AFP via Ge

Analysis

As US-Iran talks falter, Israel views war outcome as 'total strategic failure’

Israeli officials believe the US failure to attain the kind of agreement with Iran that it originally sought stems from the strategic mistakes made during and after the recent war.

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

Crude oil tankers, bulk carriers and vessels sit anchored around Qaboos Port on June 22, 2026, in Muscat, Oman.

Oil falls below $71 as US-Iran talks continue, Gulf exports rebound

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in an X post on Wednesday that Iran and the United States had made "positive progress."

Latest News

Who is Melat Kiros, the pro-Palestinian who unseated a longtime Democrat?

Michael Ciaglo/Getty Images

Explainer

Saudi FM concludes China visit amid Trump-MBS friction: What to know

China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) shakes hands with Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud before a family photo for the attendees of a meeting of foreign ministers from Arab and Muslim-majority nations at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing on November 20, 2023. The international community must take urgent action to stop the "humanitarian disaster" unfolding in Gaza, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told visiting diplomats from Arab and Muslim-majority nations on Novembe

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

Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Hassan Rouhani of Iran and Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey attend a news conference following their talks in Ankara, Turkey September 16, 2019. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1179072220

Can Iran mobilize allies to end US Mideast presence?

Iran seeks an end to the US presence in the Middle East, but can it bring Russia and Turkey on board?

Saudi Arabia Defense Attache Major General Fawaz Al Fawaz and his Embassy staff and other officials arrive to meet with the Saudi students who remain restricted to the Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola base by their Saudi commanding officer, in Pensacola, Florida, U.S. December 9, 2019. Picture taken December 9, 2019. FBI Jacksonville/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2ISD9FA7KW

Intel: Why the US is expelling dozens of Saudi military trainees

Washington is expected to expel more than a dozen Saudi military trainees from the United States.

U.S. Army soldiers keep watch on the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad, Iraq January 1, 2020. DoD/Lt. Col. Adrian Weale/Handout via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC217E9GTDSL

Foreign troops' future in Iraq uncertain as clashes continue

Tension between Tehran and Washington has some Iraqis worried about foreign troops withdrawing from Iraq, although the United States had said it has no intention of leaving the country in Iranian hands.

Protests break out in Iran after admission of accidental plane downing

Protests erupted in Iran after the government admitted, after three days of denial, that it had mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane; some of the demonstrations arose out of vigils for the victims.

Israeli spyware company accused of hacking activists hires lobby firm

Q Cyber Technologies has been sued by Facebook and WhatsApp and is accused of helping Saudi Arabia spy on murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi attends the funeral of the Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards, and the Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who were killed in an air strike at Baghdad airport, in Baghdad, Iraq, January 4, 2020. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani - RC209E9U6CIS

Iraqi PM quietly working to keep US troops in country

Iraq’s caretaker prime minister privately does not want US troops to withdraw, several American and Iraqi sources familiar with the situation told Al-Monitor.

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York City, New York, U.S., September 23, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC166DE0F040

Pakistan seeks to mitigate US-Iran tensions

Pakistan, wary in part of tensions between Washington and Tehran negatively affecting the reconciliation process in Afghanistan, has offered to mediate between the United States and Iran after the recent round of violence between them.

WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 09: Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, (D-CA) walks on the House floor to a reception on Capitol Hill on January 9, 2020 in Washington, DC. The House voted Thursday to restrict President Trumps military actions against Iran. (Photo by Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images)

Intel: Democrats wade into legal gray area with Iran war powers vote

The House passed a resolution 224-194 seeking to limit President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct future offensive military actions against Iran.

Palestinian Hamas militants take part in an anti-Israel military show in the southern Gaza Strip November 11, 2019. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RC2Z8D99U0S8

Can Israel, Hamas keep it calm after US killing of Soleimani?

For Israel, the return of deterrence is tainted with the possibility of a nightmare scenario.

Rescue team works among debris of a plane belonging to Ukraine International Airlines, that crashed after take-off from Iran's Imam Khomeini airport, on the outskirts of Tehran, Iran January 8, 2020. Nazanin Tabatabaee/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2MBE9I2565

Rouhani adviser says US claims on plane crash ‘media war'

Iranian officials claim they are working with Ukrainian authorities to investigate the plane crash in Tehran but claim US accusations that they shot the plane down themselves is a “media war.”

Iraqi demonstrators shout slogans during ongoing anti-government protests in Baghdad, Iraq January 10, 2020. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani - RC21DE9KUU0Y

Iraqi protesters decry Iranian and US interference

Over three months since anti-government protests began in Iraq, attention has shifted to geopolitical fears of regional war.

Trump's threat to Iran's antiquities sets off global uproar

With 24 recognized sites, Iran is most heavily represented Middle Eastern country on UNESCO's list of world heritage sites.