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
Iran executes former Defense Ministry employee who it claims spied for CIA Iranian state media reported that the man sold information on Iranian missiles to the US intelligence agency. Iran
Iran executes three political prisoners, upholds more death verdicts Iran’s judiciary said death penalties against three political prisoners have been upheld while confirming that three other prisoners had been sent to the gallows. Iran
Iran probes another blast at industrial complex The explosion is the latest in a series of explosions at facilities across Iran. Iran
Iranian officials defend deal with China Iranian officials say they are still working out the details of the Iran-China agreement but defended the agreement on principle. Iran
Intel: CENTCOM commander says Soleimani strike won’t deter Iran forever The top commander of US military forces in the Middle East says he believes the assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani has only temporarily deterred Iran from pursuing its goal of pushing US troops out of the region. Iraq
Iran government squeezed over ‘secretive’ deal with China Pressure is mounting on the Iranian government to release specifics of a contentious, long-term partnership agreement with Beijing, which some critics fear could effectively turn Iran into a Chinese “colony.” Iran
Iran offers unconditional support to Hamas, Islamic Jihad Hamas is sparing no effort to restore its relations with Iran, which announced that it will provide all necessary support to the Palestinians facing the Israeli annexation plan of the West Bank. Palestine
What would President Kanye West's Middle East policy be? Rapper Kanye West has yet to develop a foreign policy platform for his announced presidential candidacy, but his past lyrics, tweets and travels may reveal some of his views. Iraq
Nine Iranian MPs test positive for coronavirus Iran has continued to see a rise in coronavirus-related deaths as the virus spreads across provinces. Iran
Iran’s Rouhani stands by foreign minister after parliament slurs The fragility of the Iran nuclear deal and its bleak prospects have given Iran’s hard-liners the upper hand in their domestic battle against moderate forces. Iran
As Iran applauds BLM, Afghan minority short on rights While the Iranian government points to the "Black Lives Matter" movement as proof of American hypocrisy, Iran's Afghan minority has a different take. Iran
UN expert calls US killing of Soleimani 'unlawful' The UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions called the US strike an “arbitrary killing” that threatens to undermine norms of military conflict between countries. Iraq
