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

White House, Washington DC, United States of America

United States

June 28, 2026

Washington D.C. 12:09 am

23°C

Members of the Jerusalem Armenian community hold placards as they march during commemorations for the 94th anniversary of mass killings of their kin under the Ottoman Empire, Jerusalem's Old City, April 24, 2009.

Explainer

Israel's Armenian genocide recognition marks new front against Turkey

Analysts say the expected vote for recognition is not morally motivated, but intended to spite the Turkish leader.

Vance

Analysis

Vance turning us into 'punching bag': Israel fumes over alleged IRGC-CENTCOM channel in Doha

The US-Iran decision to launch direct talks between the IRGC and CENTCOM in Qatar deepens the rift between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while heightening Israeli fears that Washington is shifting toward Doha and Tehran.

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

One of the first three US-made F-35 aircraft in Polish Air Force colors taxis along the runway at the 32nd Tactical Air Base in Lask, central Poland, while fire-fighting vehicles perform a water salute on May 22, 2026.

Trump hints at F-35 breakthrough with Turkey ahead of NATO summit

The administration is moving ahead with planned jet engine sales to Ankara ahead of next month’s NATO summit despite congressionally mandated sanctions on Turkey's defense industry.

Latest News

Iran rejects Trump's claim frozen funds will buy US soybeans: What to know

Speaker of the Parliament of Iran, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf (R) arrives at the Burgenstock resort in Obbuergen, near Lucerne on June 21, 2026.

Explainer

Pro-Palestine Democrats win in NYC elections: What it means

Congressional candidate Claire Valdez, Congressional candidate Brad Lander, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, and Congressional candidate Darializa Avila Chevalier raise their hands during a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) rally at King's Theater on June 18, 2026 in New York City.

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 army soldier holds a gun as he stands guard next to an armoured vehicle as Brett McGurk, U.S. envoy to the coalition against Islamic State, visits the town of Tabqa, Syria June 29, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC1AEEE29680

Counter-IS officials temper Trump’s rush to pull out of Syria

US officials guiding the fight in Syria warned of a long struggle ahead to defeat the Islamic State.

Deadly Ankara-West fault line cracks open at Syria's Manbij

Confrontation with the United States and the West is a necessary ingredient in Erdogan’s quest to consolidate his nationalist base, making it more likely that Turkey and the United States will collide over Manbij.

Turkey baffled by Trump’s pledge to exit Syria as Macron vows to step in

Ankara’s enthusiasm over President Trump's promise to pull out of Syria is dampened by President Macron’s promise to increase support for Syrian Kurdish groups opposed by Turkey.

US soldiers prepare a M1 Abrams tank to offload from a train at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, Romania, February 14, 2017. Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. ROMANIA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN ROMANIA - RC1DF190B4D0

Pentagon sends surplus tanks to Morocco

The Pentagon is sending hundreds of extra tanks to Morocco to modernize the country’s aging military.

A rebel fighter fires a mortar shell towards Syrian army soldiers, west of Manbij city, in Aleppo Governorate, Syria March 9, 2017. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC1BFF190D80

Turkish-US Syria talks set to resume amid heightened tensions

Turkish diplomats will meet in Washington tomorrow, hoping to build on what Ankara has said are US pledges to push Syrian Kurdish fighters out of Manbij in northern Syria.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud is seen during a meeting at the United Nations headquarters in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., March 27, 2018. REUTERS/Amir Levy - RC1FA9FE58F0

How Mohammed bin Salman unites usually divided Iranians

The Saudi crown prince’s harsh words against the Islamic Republic seem to have a unifying effect among Iranians.

Hamas says it's open to dialogue with US

A senior Hamas leader has said the movement is willing to engage in talks with the United States, which some believe to be an attempt to replace the PLO.

Jordan, Turkey mending fences over trade agreement dispute

During a time of shifting alliances, Ankara views Jordan as an important potential ally — which no doubt has been a factor in Turkey's decision to renegotiate a free trade pact that Amman says favors Turkey.

Turkish-backed Free Syrian army members ride on a motorbike near a Turkish military vehicle in Afrin, Syria March 19, 2018. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi - RC1F92C97600

Deciphering Russia's delivery of Tell Rifaat to Turkey

Now that Russia has reportedly handed over the area around Tell Rifaat to Turkey, all eyes are on Turkey’s performance in the expanded area controlled by its allied Free Syrian Army forces west of the Euphrates.

Trump’s steel tariffs add to US-Turkish bickering

Turkish manufacturers see “great injustice” in Washington’s new steel tariffs, as Ankara seeks compromise on the issue amid the tense political climate between the two countries.

Members of the United Nations Security Council vote on an Egyptian-drafted resolution regarding recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem, during a meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including Palestine, at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., December 18, 2017. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RC16CA279060

Congress threatens to cut UN funding for voting against Israel

President Donald Trump and Congress are on the same page with a new law that would cut US funding for UN agencies deemed insufficiently supportive of Israel.

$Her bruised eyes still swollen shut, Buthaina Muhammad Mansour, believed to be four or five, doesn't yet know that her parents, five siblings and uncle were killed when an air strike flattened their home in Yemen's capital. Despite a concussion and skull fractures, doctors think Buthaina will pull through - her family's sole survivor of the Aug 25 attack, on an apartment building, that residents blame on a Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen since 2015. The alliance said in a statement it would investigat$

Pentagon: US refueling cuts civilian deaths in Yemen

US Defense Secretary James Mattis defended the Pentagon’s refueling role in Yemen on Tuesday, saying the plan helps the Saudi-led coalition cut down on civilian casualties in the war-torn country.