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

White House, Washington DC, United States of America

United States

November 6, 2026

District of Columbia 9:17 am

17°C

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

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about Iran and the Iran nuclear deal in front of a portrait of President George Washington in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - HP1EDAD1CBIAH

IRGC's popularity gets 'Trump bump'

After US President Donald Trump's speech, Iranians tweeted in support of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Turkey claims 'no need' for US, EU as Western ties deteriorate

After a week of sparring with the United States, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused European allies of undermining Turkey and dared them to walk away from EU membership talks.

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey during the U.N. General Assembly in New York, U.S., September 21, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1E8D1A64B0

Current crisis could ignite long-smoldering US-Turkey relations

Longtime observers of Washington and Ankara's tense relationship won't be surprised by recent escalations.

Iraq's Kurdish Regional Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani prays in front of the coffin of former Iraqi president Jalal Talabani at Sulaimaniya Airport, Iraq October 6, 2017. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed - RC19229B2540

Iran Quds commander pays respects at Talabani's tomb as Kirkuk crisis escalates

Qasem Soleimani in Iraqi Kurdistan; Turkey looks to Syrian tribes for allies; UN Syria envoy seeks to build on cease-fire progress with "realism."

A newspaper featuring a picture of U.S. President Donald Trump is seen in Tehran, Iran, October 14, 2017. Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi/TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1FE8998310

Trump speech sparks outrage in Iran

US President Donald Trump’s speech on his new Iran strategy angered both Iranian officials and regular citizens.

Men watch a television broadcast of U.S. President Donald Trump's speech, in Tehran, Iran October 13, 2017. Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi/TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC13A337D430

Trump, Congress play game of chicken with Iran

After refusing to certify that the Iran nuclear deal is in the US interest, Trump has called on Congress to unilaterally eliminate the deal’s sunset provisions.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about Iran and the Iran nuclear deal in front of a portrait of President George Washington in the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., October 13, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - HP1EDAD1BXDA9

Trump punts fate of Iran deal to Congress

President Donald Trump's announcement that he will not be certifying the Iran nuclear accord was met with domestic and international criticism.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting at his office in Jerusalem October 1, 2017. REUTERS/Sebastian Scheiner/Pool - RC1D7A832710

Netanyahu’s engineered image

For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his family history and memories are turned into tools to promote his image in Israel and around the world.

A ballistic missile is launched and tested in an undisclosed location, Iran, March 9, 2016. REUTERS/Mahmood Hosseini/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. IT IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. NOT FOR USE BY REUTERS THIRD PARTY DISTRIBUTORS. -

Congress pushes for new Iran sanctions amid Iran deal uncertainty

With Trump set to announce a new, hard-line strategy on Iran today, lawmakers are advancing more sanctions on Tehran and its proxies.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.

Members of Iran's Basij militia march during a parade to commemorate the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), in Tehran September 22, 2010. Iranian leaders hoping to lift morale at a time of rising prices, food shortages and threats of attack from Israel, are drawing on memories of another era when people united against a common foe: Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

US diplomats cast doubt on America’s ability to constrain Iran

With the Donald Trump administration poised to announce a more confrontational stance, career diplomats fear it could be too late to contend with a rising Tehran.

US Ambassador to Turkey John Bass delivers a press conference in Ankara on October 11, 2017.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed on October 10 that Turkish officials will boycott the US ambassador, deepening one of the worst rifts in decades between the NATO allies. Erdogan said Turkey no longer regarded outgoing envoy John Bass as the US representative to Turkey after American missions in the country stopped issuing visas.
/ AFP PHOTO / STR (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Is Erdogan's blame for ambassador overture to Trump?

As Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan rains blame on US Ambassador John Bass for the crisis between Ankara and Washington, some analysts wonder if Erdogan's tirades are an attempt to offer the "unique" US administration a way out of its visa move.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) looks at Jon Huntsman, the U.S. new ambassador to Russia, who walks after presenting his diplomatic credentials, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (2nd R) seen nearby, during a ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia October 3, 2017. REUTERS/Pavel Golovkin/Pool - UP1EDA30VTC0E

Huntsman heads to Russia to tackle Mideast, China

New US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman Jr., a seasoned diplomat and no close friend of President Donald Trump, has his work cut out for him.