Explainer Saudi FM concludes China visit amid Trump-MBS friction: What to know Saudi Arabia is still absorbing the war’s security fallout and is widening its circle by leaning more on Beijing as a diplomatic counterweight to Washington and as a partner that can engage Tehran. China
Analysis Why Iran's Pezeshkian is facing an uphill battle in postwar diplomacy As President Masoud Pezeshkian's administration advances dialogue with Washington, its fiercer contest is in the corridors of power within the Islamic Republic itself. By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Analysis For Israel, Lebanon deal 'historic' despite fears Hezbollah will rebuild While the deal with Lebanon allows the Israeli military to maintain a presence there, security experts warn that it also gives the weakened Hezbollah the time it needs to recover. By Ben Caspit In Tel Aviv, reporting on national security, Israeli politics, defense
3 IRGC members killed in twin attacks as Iran intensifies Kurdish crackdown At least three members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps were killed in separate armed attacks across Iran, including one in western Iran near the border with Iraqi Kurdistan, where authorities have intensified their crackdown on Kurdish groups. Iran
Analysis How competing visions over Hormuz strait threaten fragile Iran-US deal By A correspondent in Tehran In Tehran, reporting on politics
Rouhani slams US ‘aerial terrorism’ after Iran plane interception The US interception of an Iranian civilian aircraft over Syrian skies has set off yet another escalatory episode in the rivalry between Tehran and Washington over influence in the Middle East. United States
Iran launches first underground missile during US-focused drill The launch follows an Iranian exercise targeting a mock US aircraft carrier yesterday. Iran
Iran conducts large-scale drills amid flaring tensions with US During the military exercise in the Persian Gulf, Iranian forces were shown firing a barrage of missiles at a replica of a US naval carrier. Iran
Iran accuses US fighter aircraft of harassing Iranian airliner over eastern Syria An Iranian broadcaster says an Iran-to-Beirut commercial passenger flight had US jets make an aggressively close pass to it over Syria near the Iraqi border. Syria
Iran downplays recent explosions, accuses US of cyberattacks A spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said "limited fires" are typical during the summer months. United States
What China-Iran deal means for Washington China's reported multibillion economic and security deal with Iran could be a double-edged sword. United States
Iran’s Khamenei pushes Iraq on ousting US forces The meeting between Iran's supreme leader and the Iraqi prime minister took place at a critical juncture in Iran-Iraq relations and amid the tug of war between Tehran and Washington over influence in Iraqi politics. Iran
Zarif's visit to Baghdad foreshadows Iraqi PM's trips to Iran and Saudi Arabia In today's Iran media review, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Iraq for the first time since Iran’s former Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani was assassinated by the United States in January. Iraq
Oil tanker sanctioned by US, later found off Iran was hijacked, says captain A missing crude oil tanker subject to US government sanctions over alleged involvement in Iran’s oil exportation was hijacked, according to the ship’s captain. Iran
Ukraine rejects Iranian conclusion of 'human error' in downed passenger plane Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was shot down by Iranian forces in January amid their strikes on US military positions in Iraq. Iran
Intel: Democrats advance legislation to restrict Trump’s Middle East war powers House Democrats advanced three provisions today that would broadly curtail President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct offensive military action across the Middle East — and the world — should they become law as part of the annual defense spending bill. Congress
Intel: CENTCOM commander says Soleimani strike won’t deter Iran forever The top commander of US military forces in the Middle East says he believes the assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani has only temporarily deterred Iran from pursuing its goal of pushing US troops out of the region. Iraq
