<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

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Egypt

Iran

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Libya

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Qatar

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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

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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

United States

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

U.S.-Iran Relations

Snapshots

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

Russia

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

An Iranian woman walks past a mural depicting Iran and the United States at the negotiation table, painted on the outer walls of the former U.S. embassy in Tehran, on Feb. 6, 2026.

While the deal will reduce the immediate threat of renewed conflict, shipping through Hormuz will likely resume only gradually amid the risk that talks stall, flare-ups resume and vessels face renewed harassment.

U.S.-Iran Deal Pauses Conflict, but the Path to Peace Remains Fraught

France

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a meeting with leaders of the G7 Engagement Groups ahead of the upcoming G7 summit at the Elysee Palace in Paris on June 10, 2026. 

The Weekly Rundown: U.S.-Iran Talks Continue, France Hosts G7 Summit

U.S. President Donald Trump holds a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago club on Dec. 29, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

Declining public approval and notable primary losses for traditional pro-Israel lawmakers suggest that a future U.S. Congress will increasingly push for military assistance to be conditioned.

U.S.-Israeli Ties Likely To Continue Cooling as Public Opinion Sours

The United States and Iran have agreed to halt the latest round of exchanges, which were triggered by a June 25 Iranian attack on a cargo vessel transiting the Strait of Hormuz on a U.S.-backed route, Axios reported June 28.

U.S., Iran: Countries Agree to Halt Strait of Hormuz Clashes as Talks Resume

Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement that calls for the Israel Defense Forces' withdrawal from two locations in Lebanon, one north of the Litani River and one south of it, Axios reported on June 26.

Israel, Lebanon: Israel Agrees to Limited Withdrawal From Southern Lebanon

The United States is weighing the provision of a $700 million package of GE-made engines for Turkey's KAAN 5th-generation fighter jet, Interesting Engineering reported on June 24.

U.S., Turkey: U.S. Set To Greenlight Engine Sale for Turkey's Stealth KAAN Fighter

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio concluded his three-day tour of Gulf countries with a visit to Bahrain, Reuters reported June 25.

U.S., Iran: Rubio Wraps Up Gulf Tour

In a 50-48 vote, the U.S. Senate approved a war powers resolution expressing the body's desire to curb U.S. military operations against Iran or compel U.S. President Donald Trump to seek congressional backing for any resumption of military operations against Iran, AP reported on June 23.

U.S., Iran: U.S. Senate Approves War Powers Resolution

Sudan

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, has escalated drone attacks over recent days on the central city of el-Obeid and on the neighboring town of Er Rahad, targeting fuel stations and power substations and forcing the closure of several medical facilities, Sudan Tribune reported on June 23, quoting a U.N. spokesperson. 

Sudan: RSF Drone Attacks, Deployments Near el-Obeid Portend Upcoming Ground Offensive 

Tehran is set to receive $12 billion in unfrozen funds through intermediary accounts in two installments of $6 billion, following the first round of U.S.-Iran negotiations on June 21-22, Bloomberg reported on June 23, citing Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-linked Mehr News Agency.

U.S., Iran: Iran To Receive $12B in Unfrozen Funds

U.N. Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Claudio Cordone told the U.N. Security Council that efforts to improve relations between the Syrian provisional government and the local authorities of Sweida province had made "no progress" since both sides agreed to a roadmap to prevent further conflict in 2025, Reuters reported on June 22.

Syria: U.N. Says No Progress in Sweida's 2025 Peace Roadmap

Middle East and North Africa

SITUATION REPORTS

U.S., Iran: Countries Agree to Halt Strait of Hormuz Clashes as Talks Resume

Israel, Lebanon: Israel Agrees to Limited Withdrawal From Southern Lebanon

U.S., Turkey: U.S. Set To Greenlight Engine Sale for Turkey's Stealth KAAN Fighter

U.S., Iran: Rubio Wraps Up Gulf Tour

U.S., Iran: U.S. Senate Approves War Powers Resolution

Sudan: RSF Drone Attacks, Deployments Near el-Obeid Portend Upcoming Ground Offensive

U.S., Iran: Iran To Receive $12B in Unfrozen Funds

Syria: U.N. Says No Progress in Sweida's 2025 Peace Roadmap

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