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June 20, 2026

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US President Donald Trump holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Palm Beach, Florida, Dec. 29, 2025.

Analysis

How Netanyahu used Lebanon strikes to push back on Trump’s Iran deal

The latest ceasefire in Lebanon leaves Netanyahu squeezed between Washington and domestic pressure.

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

Explainer

Sanctions relief and reconstruction: How China benefits from Trump-Iran deal

It is no exaggeration to say that every provision of the 14-point deal favors China.

Latest News

Lebanon President Joseph Aoun to visit White House this month, Trump says

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks during a government meeting at the Presidential Palace in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 5, 2025.

Analysis

Why Trump’s push for Syria to confront Hezbollah is an unlikely bid

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa is welcomed by Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia on April 24, 2026, on the sidelines of a European summit.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Culture

Turkey’s Erdogan meets Orthodox patriarch amid push for reopening Halki Seminary

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan meets with Orthodox Patriarch of Bartholomew at the presidential complex, Ankara, Turkey, June 16, 2026.

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 and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attend the start of the NATO summit in Brussels, Belgium July 11, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC117DD2EDF0

Erdogan confident he can sway Trump to skip sanctions

The two presidents will meet at the G-20 summit to discuss a standoff over Turkey’s purchase of a Russian antiaircraft system that obliges the US government to introduce punishing economic sanctions on its NATO partner.

Palestinian demonstrators step on posters depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a protest against Bahrain's workshop for U.S. Middle East peace plan, in the southern Gaza Strip, June 25, 2019. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa - RC1D646FB910

The winners and losers of the Bahrain conference

The United States revealed its economic plan for Palestine at a conference in Bahrain, and the winners and losers of that plan will be impacted for years to come.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China, May 17, 2019. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/Pool - RC1B7A332720

Iran seeks relief from US sanctions in Asia

In its foreign policy toward Asian and Eurasian states, Iran is extending its outreach beyond traditional allies China and Russia to draw support from a range of countries and reduce the impact of US sanctions.

An activist holds an image of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi during a demonstration calling for sanctions against Saudi Arabia and to protest Khashoggi's disappearance, outside the White House in Washington, U.S., October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis - RC1F626030D0

House panel advances bipartisan Saudi sanctions bill over Khashoggi murder

The House Foreign Affairs Committee unanimously advances a bill that would sanction Saudis involved in the Jamal Khashoggi slaying.

Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Sedat Onal (L) and ambassador to the U.S. Serdar Kilic arrive at State Department in Washington, U.S., August 8, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas - RC1BB2E918C0

Turkey makes case to Congress to drop S-400 sanctions

Turkey is making a final pitch to Congress to prevent US sanctions for purchasing a Russian air defense system, according to documents reviewed by Al-Monitor.

Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Abbas Araghchi talks to the media after meeting IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano (not pictured) at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna February 24, 2015. REUTERS/Heinz-Peter Bader (AUSTRIA) - LR2EB2O0U2LF6

Tehran renews warning that it may soon bid farewell to nuclear deal

Amid continued frustration with the European signatories to the nuclear deal, Iran is sending fresh signals about its potential departure from the pact, while indicating that diplomacy remains a viable option.

Palestinians protest US ‘Peace to Prosperity’ plan

Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza protested the US "Peace to Prosperity" plan, as it ignores their basic demands of freedom and dignity.

Damascus vies with Saudi-Kurd union for tribal support

Saudi Arabia is backing Kurdish efforts to win over Syrian tribes' loyalty from the regime.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, U.S national security adviser John Bolton, Nikolai Patrushev, secretary of the Russian Security Council, and Israeli national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, shake hands during opening statements of a trilateral meeting between the American, Israeli and Russian top security advisers in Jerusalem June 25, 2019. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun - RC19617B1520

Israeli, Russian, US interests converge on Iran in Syria

At a trilateral meeting in Jerusalem, the national security advisers of Israel, Russia and the United States confirmed their common interest in limiting the presence of Iranian forces in Syria when peace finally comes.

Turkish drilling vessel Yavuz sets sail in Izmit Bay, on its way to the Mediterranean Sea, off the port of Dilovasi, Turkey, June 20, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC17D18454C0

Congress advances bill sidelining Turkey on Mediterranean gas dispute

The Senate advanced a bill rebuking Turkish attempts to drill for gas near Cyprus.

Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren speaks onstage at the Presidential Candidate Forum hosted by NALEO at Telemundo Center in Miami, Florida, U.S., June 21, 2019. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri - RC1A16F733C0

2020 Democrats bash Trump for Iran crisis

While one Democratic presidential candidate calls Trump's Iran policy reckless and another says the only reason there is a crisis is because of Trump, there are questions as to whether the issue will resonate with voters if no war takes place.

Protesters including Murat Yusa and Lusik Usoyan testify before the House Foreign Affairs Europe, Eurasia and Emerging Threats Subcommittee about the attack on demonstrators by members of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's security detail on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S. May 25, 2017. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC1B04368AB0

Turkey files motion to quash Washington protest attack case

Turkey is trying to get a lawsuit thrown out filed by the demonstrators attacked by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s security guards in a 2017 visit to Washington, DC.