Welcome back to the MBN Friday Briefing, our roundup of the best stories on our flagship Arabic-language Alhurra platform. Read the Arabic version of this newsletter here. If you were forwarded this Friday Briefing, subscribe here. We’d love to hear from you at thebriefing@mbn-news.com.
The strongest of all warriors–time and patience–might need a reset regarding the war in Iran. With neither Tehran nor Washington willing to compromise, the two sides appear to be back where they started. It’s been a week of intensified fire, with the month-long memorandum of understanding still around but not observed. Could Iran’s recent release of a U.S. citizen point to some kind of truce?
Elsewhere in the Middle East, Iraq’s prime minister came to Washington seeking investment, just as the U.S. presses Baghdad to curb Iran-backed armed groups. Along the Iran–Iraq border, a major military buildup is raising fears of confrontation with Kurdish opposition groups.
Lastly, some MBN news: We launched a new show, “Beirut Backstage,” hosted by Johnny Mounir. Our weekly series takes you behind the scenes of the biggest stories out of Lebanon and the Levant. Please tune in and tell us what you think.
This Week on MBN
The Deal Neither Side Will Kill
U.S. Army AH-64 Apache helicopters fly above the Strait of Hormuz during a patrol (US Central Command via X)/AFP
The actual U.S.-Iran ceasefire has collapsed, but the agreement behind it is still technically alive. Neither Washington nor Tehran has formally withdrawn from the June 17 memorandum, explains MBN’s Washington Bureau Chief Joe Kawly. Even as both sides exchange strikes and Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, negotiations continue through diplomatic channels. Frozen Iranian assets, Swiss-hosted talks and ongoing mediation are also keeping the agreement on life support. The fighting is back, but the document remains the main framework for whatever comes next.
Read the article here
Iraqi PM Meets Washington’s Militia Test
Al-Zaidi aboard an Iraqi government aircraft en route to Washington. (Source: Office of the Iraqi Prime Minister on X)
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is visiting Washington to seek U.S. investment, energy deals and stronger economic ties. The Trump administration is focused on whether Baghdad can rein in Iran-backed armed groups, reports Mustafa Saadoon. Al-Zaidi wants to present Iraq as a stable investment partner. Still, militias and their political allies remain a major obstacle–with Al-Zaidi trying to walk the fine line of asserting government control over the militia groups without instigating direct confrontation. Some armed factions have rejected the visit and say they won’t disarm until all U.S. forces leave Iraq. The real test will come after al-Zaidi returns home and tries to meet his pledge to bring all weapons under state control by September 2026.
Read the article here
Iraq’s Iran Challenge
Trump Welcomes Iraqi PM Al-Zaidi to Washington
Iraq’s new government is trying to bring armed groups under state control and build closer ties with Washington. But Iran’s influence runs much deeper than militias, reaching into politics, business and state institutions. Some factions have agreed to integrate, while powerful Iran-backed groups are still resisting, reports Ghassan Taqi. Tehran may avoid a direct clash and instead rely on quieter political and economic pressure to protect its position.
Read the article here
Iran Bolsters Iraq Border as Kurdish Tensions Rise
Kurdish opposition members on the Iran-Iraq border.
Iran has reportedly sent thousands of elite troops, heavy weapons, missiles and drones to its border with Iraq’s Kurdistan Region. Kurdish opposition groups see the buildup as preparation for a possible military confrontation, reports Dalshad Hussein. Recent ambushes, assassinations, and border shootings have already raised tensions between Iranian forces and Kurdish fighters. Kurdish parties have formed a political and military alliance, but they remain divided over whether to open a new front inside Iran.
Read the article here
New Series: Beirut Backstage
MBN launched Beirut Backstage, a new weekly digital series that takes viewers inside the stories and power dynamics shaping Lebanon and the Levant. Hosted by Lebanese and Middle East affairs expert Johnny Mounir and presented by MBN’s Joelle El Hajj Moussa, the program delivers exclusive reporting, insider perspectives, and behind-the-scenes analysis of the country’s key political and security developments. The premiere episode revisits the 2008 assassination of Hezbollah military commander Imad Mughniyeh, examining the alleged Syrian security breach that exposed one of the group’s most closely guarded operatives.
Watch the video here
The Middle East’s Political Orphans
People eat at a restaurant in downtown Beirut on August 2, 2024. (Photo by JOSEPH EID / AFP)
Across the Middle East, many people no longer recognize the political movements they once believed in, writes MBN Magazine columnist Joumana Haddad. Old promises like Arab unity, political Islam, resistance, and Western-backed democracy have lost much of their power. People may still support the same parties, but loyalty is more of a factor than genuine belief. Joumana calls them “political orphans”: citizens whose movements changed while they stayed behind. She argues that the region must stop searching for heroic leaders and start building strong institutions.
Read the article here
Quote of the Week: Hormuz Chokes Again
Regional energy exports are either shared by all or denied to all. [The strait will remain closed until] the end of America’s evils.
IRGC Statement, July 15, 2026
