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November 6, 2026

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A protest sign is seen near the White House the day after Election Day

Feature

Emboldened Democrats gear up to challenge Trump over Iran war, Gulf business ties

Democrats are weighing options to enforce Congress’ authority to declare war.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

An aerial view shows a campaign billboard depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv, on Oct. 26, 2026, on the eve of Israel's legislative elections.

Explainer

Democrats’ midterm sweep tests US-Israel ties as Eisenkot vows reset

Political sources describe the Democrats' midterm victory as a political blow to both US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Latest News

From Tehran to Tel Aviv, Democrats’ midterm triumph sparks Middle East reactions

The sun sets on the US Capitol on Election Day evening on Nov. 3, 2026 in Washington.

'Generational wipeout': Democratic gains to reshape Trump's final years

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Gulf markets gain, oil falls as Democrats win Congress

Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

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

Netanyahu unfaithful to Zionism vision

By turning its back on Israeli Arabs and distancing Reform and Conservative Jewish communities, the Netanyahu government denies the fundamentals of Zionism.

A Hezbollah fighter stands in front of anti-tank artillery at Juroud Arsal, the Syria-Lebanon border, July 29, 2017. REUTERS/Ali Hashisho TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1B7DA4AC10

US sticks by Lebanese army despite Hariri resignation

State Department and Defense Department officials tell Al-Monitor that US military assistance is unaffected by Beirut’s latest political crisis.

IRGC commander denies Trump claim on Saudi missile attack

IRGC commander Mohammad Ali Jafari denied that Iran was involved in the Yemeni missile attack on Riyadh.

Russian President Vladimir Putin enters a hall to meet with members of the Presidential Council for Civil Society and Human Rights at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia October 30, 2017. REUTERS/Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool - RC1E30F1E010

Putin, Khamenei agree they need each other

Iran and Russia deepen energy cooperation; Iran has Hezbollah’s back; does the CIA have a back channel to Assad?

People walk near a Syrian national flag at the President bridge in Damascus, Syria March 14, 2016. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki - GF10000345197

Washington silent on report US official went to Damascus

The CIA declined to comment on a report that a US official went to Damascus this week to discuss US citizens believed detained in Syria.

Iran’s Khamenei has three main messages for Putin at summit

Tehran wants to strengthen existing ties with Russia and develop new areas of cooperation while isolating the United States at the same time.

US optimistic about Mideast peace deal

The US administration will soon publish guidelines for restarting Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

People walk at the site of an air strike in the northwestern city of Saada, Yemen November 1, 2017. REUTERS/Naif Rahma - RC132DF59570

House leaders neuter anti-war Yemen bill

House leadership has watered down a resolution addressing US support for the Saudi-led campaign against the Houthis.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi attends a nuclear deal review meeting in Tehran August 9, 2015. Dozens of companies tied to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, a military force commanding a powerful industrial empire with huge political influence, will win sanctions relief under a nuclear deal agreed with world powers. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DAT

Iranian negotiator says US bad intentions not limited to Trump

The Iranian deputy foreign minister spoke to Iran’s parliament about both the benefits and challenges of the nuclear deal.

Shi'ite Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) are seen in Zumar, Nineveh province, Iraq October 18, 2017. REUTERS/Ari Jalal - RC1E698CF530

Iran unlikely to sit idle as US targets Hezbollah, PMU

Tehran views US actions against Iran's friends in the region as nothing short of a plot to sabotage the republic's strength and restrict its area of influence.

Will Iraqi-Saudi rapprochement undermine Iran’s role in Iraq?

With US support, Saudi Arabia and Iraq are getting close to each other to minimize Iran's influence in Iraq.

Lebanon battles to get its treasures back

A marble bull’s head and a statue of a calf bearer, stolen in 1981, are due to return to Lebanon after a legal battle with private collectors in the United States.