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

White House, Washington DC, United States of America

United States

August 23, 2026

District of Columbia 12:55 am

20°C

ANKARA, TURKEY - JULY 7: U.S. President Donald Trump (L)shakes hands with with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) during a formal arrival at the Bestepe Presidential Palace during the NATO summit on July 7, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Leaders from NATO's 32 countries, plus NATO allies like Ukraine, gathered in the Turkish capital to discuss a range of issues involving spending targets, defense industrial production, and support for Ukraine, among other topics. (Photo by Emrah Gurel - Pool/Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel fears Turkey’s Syria ambitions and doubts Trump will stop them

Israeli officials remain skeptical of Turkish and Syrian denials over Ankara’s military ambitions in Syria, warning that a deeper Turkish foothold could threaten Israel’s security and strain its ties with Washington.

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

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Caught in the middle, Oman shrugs off Trump's latest Iran threat

For the second time in months, President Donald Trump has threatened to strike the US partner as it holds talks with Iran.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lin Jian holds a press conference on Aug. 19, 2026.

China slams Trump over economic war on Iran: What to know

China’s once significant oil imports from Iran have been impacted by the war in the region and increasing US sanctions.

Latest News

Explainer

King Abdullah visits China as region hedges against US unpredictability

King Abdullah II arrives in Beijing, Aug. 20, 2026. Photo from Xinhua/Chen Yehua.

Trump’s Iran ‘economic D-Day’ threat sends oil prices above $94

Iranians drive past an anti-US billboard at Enghelab Square in central Tehran, Aug. 3, 2026.

US sanctions International Criminal Court president, top lawyer

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

Peshmerga forces stand in line to vote during Kurds independence referendum in Sheikh Amir village, Iraq September 25, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari - RC1B631DEAD0

Pentagon stops paying peshmerga salaries amid Kurdish independence backlash

The Donald Trump administration has allowed a yearlong deal to pay stipends to the Kurdish militia to expire.

Can Israel live with Lebanon-inspired Palestinian state?

Israel fears that a Palestinian unity government would actually allow Hamas to preserve its armed forces.

Moneyed interests blocking path to peace in Mideast

As in the United States, money in politics is fueling violence and hijacking democracy in Israel.

Members of Lebanon's Hezbollah wave Hezbollah and Lebanese flags during a rally marking the ninth anniversary of the end of Hezbollah's 2006 war with Israel, in Wadi al-Hujeir, southern Lebanon August 14, 2015. REUTERS/Aziz Taher - GF10000174101

Congress takes aim at Lebanese politicians with Hezbollah bill

The US House of Representatives is expected to vote this month on legislation requiring the president to publicly report on Hezbollah allies’ net worth.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman walks past Russian honour guards during a welcoming ceremony upon his arrival at Vnukovo airport outside Moscow, Russia October 4, 2017. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin - UP1EDA41BJO47

King Salman goes to Russia

King Salman's visit to Russia is the first by a Saudi monarch, but the trip may be long on style and short on substance.

Russian military jets are seen at Hmeymim air base in Syria, June 18, 2016. Picture taken June 18, 2016. REUTERS/Vadim Savitsky/Russian Defense Ministry via Reuters ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - S1AETKYKMIAA

After two years in Syria, what’s next for Russia?

Russia and the United States are curious about each other's long-term goals in Syria, and each believes the other has something up its sleeve.

Israel bets against Palestinian unity

Israel's intelligence community does not think a Fatah-Hamas reconciliation will last in the long run, and the current Israeli government hopes it is right.

Visitors walk past Total's stand at the 14th International Oil, Gas & Petrochemical Exhibition (IOGPE) in Tehran April 21, 2009. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN BUSINESS ENERGY) - GM1E54L1IS801

Trump threats loom over Iran-EU business summit

European executives say uncertainty over the fate of the nuclear deal and Iran’s sclerotic economic environment are bad for business.

US, Israel on standby as Egypt pushes Palestinian reconciliation

The United States and Israel are laying low while Egypt tries to end the rift between Fatah and Hamas, which Cairo sees as an obstacle to regional peace and security.

Uzi Arad, a senior adviser to Israel's prime minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Tel Aviv March 12, 2009. Netanyahu will likely shelve recently revived Israeli peace talks with Syria given its territorial demands and alliance with Iran, Arad said on Thursday. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen (ISRAEL POLITICS) - GM1E53D09JW01

Ex-Netanyahu national security adviser urges US to keep Iran deal

Former Israeli National Security Adviser Uzi Arad urges Washington to build on the 2015 Iran nuclear accord rather than abandon it.

United States Senator Bob Corker (R-TN) chairs his first Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington January 21, 2015. Top U.S. Treasury and State Department officials said on Wednesday that, despite reports, Russia had not entered into oil-for-goods deals with Iran in violation of international sanctions. REUTERS/Gary Cameron (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS MILITARY) - GM1EB1M02QO01

Can Congress avoid blowing up the Iran deal?

If President Donald Trump doesn’t certify Iranian compliance with the 2015 agreement later this month, the US Senate only needs a bare majority to reinstate deal-breaking sanctions.

‘The last Iranian Americans’

The Trump administration’s "Travel Ban 3.0" runs the risk of turning current Iranian Americans into the last of their kind.