<p>The Middle East and North Africa is the world&#39;s crossroads. It encompasses the Arabian Peninsula, the mountains of Iran, the plains of Turkey, the deserts of the Levant, the lands north of the Sahara and all coasts in between. The story of the region, as is so often the case of places stuck between foreign players, is the story of trade, exchange and conflict. The traditional powers of the region are Turkey and Iran &mdash; Saudi Arabia and Egypt are the current Arab powers &mdash; and their competition for influence over the region&#39;s weaker states makes the Middle East and North Africa an arena of violence and instability.</p>

The Middle East and North Africa encompasses the Arabian Peninsula, the mountains of Iran, the plains of Turkey, the deserts of the Levant, the lands north of the Sahara and all coasts in between.

Middle East and North Africa

Algeria

Bahrain

Egypt

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Jordan

Kuwait

Lebanon

Libya

Morocco

Oman

Palestinian Territories

Qatar

Saudi Arabia

Syria

Tunisia

Turkey

United Arab Emirates

Western Sahara

Yemen

The Syrian Civil War

The Yemen Civil War

The Libyan Civil War

The Fight Against the Islamic State

The Saudi Survival Strategy

The Kurdish Struggle

Iran's Arc of Influence

Israel's Survival Strategy

The Difficulties of North African Reform

Egypt's Uphill Battle

The Battle for Mosul

Assessments

Europe

Ukraine

Billboards are seen ahead of the upcoming NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, on June 26, 2026.

Military & Security

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Recent U.S. military drawdowns in Germany and threatened reductions in Italy and Spain underscore the stakes of the summit on July 7-8.

Transatlantic Tensions Set To Dominate NATO Summit in Ankara

Media

Cuba

United States

Russia

Forecast Webcast

Economics

Join our analysts for this webcast recording exploring key topics identified in RANE's 2026 Third-Quarter Geopolitical Forecast.

2026 Third-Quarter Forecast Webcast

U.S.-Iran Relations

Snapshots

Sudan

Sudan's de facto leader and army chief, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, waves to spectators after attending a soccer match at Kober Stadium in Khartoum on May 15, 2026.

Politics

The outbreak of the Iran war has redirected Western and Arab diplomatic attention away from Sudan, worsening the country's long-running civil war.

Humanitarian Disaster Looms in Sudan as RSF Prepares New Offensive

Sub-Saharan Africa

Americas

Asia-Pacific

Eurasia

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Cyber

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Environment, Science & Technology

Social Issues

A fragile truce in the Middle East, persistent energy-driven inflation, shifting U.S. trade policy and escalating regional pressures from Europe to Africa will collectively shape geopolitical risk in the third quarter.

2026 Third-Quarter Forecast: An Excerpt

Canada

Mexico

Japan

United Kingdom

India

Cargo ships June 19 off the coast of the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal in Sharjah emirate, along the Gulf of Oman.

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Japan's Takaichi Goes to India, an Unsteady U.S.-Iran Ceasefire

Maps4media-processed Sentinel-2 satellite imagery shows a broad overview of the Strait of Hormuz on June 16, 2026.

U.S.-Iran talks will face increasingly large obstacles as negotiators approach more contentious topics, namely Iran's nuclear program.

For the U.S. and Iran, the Hardest Negotiations Lie Ahead

Columns

On Geopolitics

The U.S. Treasury Department building in Washington, D.C.

The legal and geographical constraints of Washington's jurisdiction make freezing the assets of countries like Iran a far more flexible and effective diplomatic tool than outright seizure. 

American Financial Power: Freezing vs. Seizing Other Countries' Foreign Assets

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (C, top) meets with GCC foreign ministers during his visit to the Middle East to discuss with Arab Gulf allies the interim deal between the U.S. and Iran on June 25 in Manama.

While Qatar and Saudi Arabia explore restoring trade ties with Iran, the United Arab Emirates is aligning its security with Israel and the United States.

Divergent Approaches to Iran Expose Gulf Arab Splits

Botswana

Lesotho

Namibia

South Africa

Eswatini

Colombia

Vessels at anchorage June 18 in Bandar Abbas, Iran, along the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding signed June 17 is highly likely to remain in effect over the coming week, and negotiations toward a final deal will begin.

The Weekly Rundown: U.S. and Iranian Talks, Colombia's Presidential Runoff

The Council of the National Assembly, Algeria's primary legislative body, is seen in Algiers.

Upcoming elections are unlikely to change the pro-president composition of Algeria's lower house, making significant policy change or reforms unlikely.

Algeria's Parliamentary Elections Will Yield Policy Continuity

Iran attacked three commercial vessels -- a Qatari liquefied natural gas carrier, a Saudi-flagged oil tanker and a third tanker -- transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with at least one using the U.S.-backed parallel route off the coast of Oman, AP reported on July 7.

U.S., Iran: Iran Attacks Three Commercial Vessels in Strait of Hormuz

Israel-Hamas Conflict

The Palestinian militant group Hamas dissolved its administrative body responsible for governing the Gaza Strip in order to enable the technocratic, U.S.-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG) to take control, AP reported on July 6.

Palestinian Territories, Israel: Hamas Dissolves Gaza Administrative Body

The Israeli Cabinet voted to disregard a June ruling by the High Court of Justice that allowed the Council of the Second Authority -- a commercial broadcasting regulatory body -- to resume operations even though it lacked the two-thirds of members required to operate, The Times of Israel reported on July 5.

Israel: Cabinet Rejects High Court Ruling, Risking Constitutional Crisis

Yemen's Houthi rebels and Saudi-led, pro-government forces clashed on July 4 in the Hays district, south of al-Hudaydah, resulting in the deaths of 16 government forces and at least 50 militants in one of the most violent clashes since the Yemeni civil war essentially froze in 2022, Al Jazeera reported the next day.

Yemen, Saudi Arabia: Houthis Threaten Saudi Arabia, Kill 16 Government Troops

Iran began funeral observances for former Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 4 in Tehran, kicking off almost a week of proceedings throughout other major cities that will end on July 9 in Mashhad, Reuters reported on July 5.

Iran: Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Absent From Father's Funeral Proceedings

Indirect technical talks between the United States and Iran in place in Doha, Qatar, focused on the Strait of Hormuz yielded progress, a Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson said July 1.

U.S., Iran: Indirect Technical Talks Yield No Major Breakthroughs

Israel's Knesset advanced 63-53 a Basic Law measure that would declare Torah study to be foundational to the state of Israel, a move that would permanently shield yeshiva students from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) draft, the Times of Israel reported July 2.

Israel: Knesset Advances Ultra-Orthodox Draft Exemption in Basic Law

The United States resumed at least some air shipments of U.S. dollars to Iraq months after Washington had initially suspended them in April, The New York Times reported July 2, citing aides to Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

U.S., Iraq: U.S. Resumes Suspended Dollar Shipments to Iraq

Middle East and North Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Iran: Iran Attacks Three Commercial Vessels in Strait of Hormuz

Palestinian Territories, Israel: Hamas Dissolves Gaza Administrative Body

Israel: Cabinet Rejects High Court Ruling, Risking Constitutional Crisis

Yemen, Saudi Arabia: Houthis Threaten Saudi Arabia, Kill 16 Government Troops

Iran: Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Absent From Father's Funeral Proceedings

U.S., Iran: Indirect Technical Talks Yield No Major Breakthroughs

Israel: Knesset Advances Ultra-Orthodox Draft Exemption in Basic Law

U.S., Iraq: U.S. Resumes Suspended Dollar Shipments to Iraq

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