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September 17, 2026

Tehran 7:32 am

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China presses Iran, US to reopen Hormuz as disruptions threaten oil supply

Conflicts in the region are disrupting two key routes for oil bound for China, with Iranian crude affected by the Strait of Hormuz and Saudi shipments facing growing risks in the Red Sea.

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities, brandish their weapons during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa on September 10, 2026. The country relapsed into war in July after years of calm, drawn into the regional conflict triggered by the US-Israeli offensive against Iran that began at the end of February. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP via Getty Images)

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Lacking deterrence, Israel’s security establishment opposes attacks on Houthis

Senior Israeli intelligence sources told Al-Monitor that Israel seeks to avoid involvement in the conflict between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia, despite concerns that Yemen could further unravel and that Iran is backing the group.

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

Houthi fighters marching

Analysis

How far will Iran push Houthis against Saudi Arabia amid raging conflict?

As Iran-backed Houthis broaden attacks on Saudi Arabia, Tehran's delicate calculation is exploiting the current conflict without being dragged into an escalation of its own making.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Latest News

Analysis

Why Saudi Arabia's balancing act with US, Iran, Houthis risks collapse

Fighters loyal to the Houthi authorities shout slogans during a rally to recruit more fighters, in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sept. 10, 2026.

Amberin Zaman

By Amberin Zaman

Reporting on geopolitics, minorities, human rights, culture

Exclusive

Houthi top diplomat says no intention to shut down Red Sea shipping, group open to talks

Houthi

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

US hits major Russian bank VTB with Iran-linked sanctions

VTB Bank in Moscow

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Benjamin Houghton

In Durham, reporting on China in the Middle East

Rahim Rahimov

In Baku, reporting on Middle East-Caucasus ties

Mehrnaz Samimi

In Washington, DC, reporting on Iranian culture

Yahya Sinwar leader of the Islamist Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, speaks during a protest east of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip on April 6, 2018, demanding the right to return -- meaning Palestinian refugees being allowed to go back to the land they fled or were expelled from during the 1948 war surrounding Israel's creation. - Clashes erupted on the Gaza-Israel border a week after similar demonstrations led to violence in which Israeli force killed 19 Palestinians, the bloodiest day since a 20

Can Hamas spin itself out of crisis?

Recent remarks by Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar about Iran assisting the movement to grow stronger are intended to sideline criticism within the Gaza Strip against it, and to pressure Israel into accepting a long-term cease-fire.

Iran's supreme leader gives Europe list of demands to salvage nuclear deal

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei outlined conditions that Europe must take if Iran is to remain in the nuclear deal.

Kuwait's Emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah (L) and U.S. President Donald Trump hold a news conference after their meetings at the White House in Washington, U.S. September 7, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC182A22B640

Kuwait's careful balancing act with Iran, Saudi Arabia

The muted responses to the US withdrawal from the Iran deal among smaller Gulf Cooperation Council member states reflect careful policies designed to balance ties with Iran and Saudi Arabia.

A Syrian boy holds the Iranian flag as a truck carrying aid provided by Iran arrives in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor on September 20, 2017 while Syrian government forces continue to press forward with Russian air cover in the offensive against Islamic State group jihadists across the province.
Two separate offensives are under way against the jihadists in the area -- one by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, the other by Russian-backed government forces. The Syrian army now controls around 70 percent

Iran rejects removing forces from Syria

Iranian officials have rejected the idea of pulling forces from Syria.

Are Trump, Netanyahu trying to topple Iranian regime?

Some Israeli security experts fear that an overly tough anti-Iranian policy could backfire at attempts to topple the ayatollah regime, uniting the Iranian people behind its leadership.

The Islamic State in Iran

The court proceedings against alleged Islamic State members and sympathizers who facilitated the attacks in Tehran last year offer a rare insight into how the terrorist group operates in Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers remarks on the Trump administration's Iran policy at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, U.S. May 21, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC11809E60C0

How US hawks are boosting Iranian radicals

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s speech on Iran is fueling the prospects for hard-liners who have been largely sidelined by Iranian voters in recent years.

A picture taken on February 15, 2018 shows a Turkish military convoy driving through Syria's northwestern Idlib province.

/ AFP PHOTO / OMAR HAJ KADOUR (Photo credit should read OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

Turkish army's Idlib action 'riskiest cross-border operation' to date

Experts list the possibility of confrontation between Turkey and Syria, a new influx of refugees and activity by radical groups as potential hazards of Turkey’s deployment into Idlib.

Pompeo’s speech unites Iranian media, politicians

Iranian media and officials roundly rejected and ridiculed demands made on Tehran by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a speech.

Iraq elections: Will Sadr seek a new beginning with Turkey?

Ankara is welcoming Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s stand against foreign intervention and military presence — as long as it doesn't apply to Turkey.

Iraqi politicians look to calm tensions in wake of US withdrawal from Iran deal

The US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal poses questions about the role of the Iran-backed Shiite armed factions in bringing the US-Iranian confrontation into Iraq.

Can Iraq's Sadr swing nonsectarian government?

Muqtada al-Sadr, whose alliance got the most votes in the May 12 elections, has been meeting with leaders of other alliances in the hope of forming form a nonsectarian "national" government that includes all components of Iraqi society.