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June 30, 2026

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French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Oman's Sultan Haitham bin Tarik pose during a meeting with business leaders in Paris on June 29, 2026.

Oman's sultan meets Macron in first France visit since 1989: What to know

French President Emmanuel Macron has been pushing against any form of toll for the Strait of Hormuz.

AFP via Getty Images

Traffic plummets through Strait of Hormuz after Iran, US trade fire

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz had recovered somewhat before renewed fighting between Iran and the United States saw traffic drop sharply over the weekend.

A tourist boat passes near crude oil tankers, bulk carriers, and other vessels anchored off Port Sultan Qaboos in Muscat, Oman, June 19, 2026.

Analysis

Why the Hormuz oil shock never became an energy catastrophe

The US-Israel-Iran war produced a historic oil supply shock but not a severe global economic crisis, due to ample prewar supplies, China's energy pivot and strategic reserve releases.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Latest News

Analysis

How competing visions over Hormuz strait threaten fragile Iran-US deal

In this picture obtained from Iran's ISNA news agency on June 18, 2026, vessels are seen anchored in Bandar Abbas along the Strait of Hormuz.

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

US carries out strikes in Iran after vessel attack

In this US Navy released handout, an F/A-18E Super Hornet, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 14, prepares to make an arrested landing on the flight deck of Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in support of Operation Epic Fury on March 1, 2026 at Sea.

Iran vows to respond to Israeli military using neighboring airspace: What to know

Jalaa MAREY / AFP via Getty Images

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

JOHN WESSELS/AFP via Getty Images

Israel calls Iran's hospital missile strike war crime, vows escalation

Israeli officials have condemned the Iranian strike at a hospital as a war crime and vowed to intensify its attacks against Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi holds a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister after their meeting in Ankara, on Dec. 2, 2024.

Iran’s Araghchi to visit Turkey as Ankara seeks war mediation role

Iran’s top diplomat is expected in Turkey for the OIC talks as the Iran-Israel war dominates the agenda.

ROMAIN COSTASECA/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images

Crypto looted, TV hijacked: Iran grapples with wave of cyberstrikes

Iranian authorities had their work cut out for them on Wednesday, addressing at least three different cyberattacks linked to Israel.

A picture of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is held aloft at a rally on Enghelab (Revolution) Square, Tehran, June 14, 2025.

Hezbollah vows loyalty to Khamenei as Iran-Israel war approaches week 2

The group publicly defended the Iranian leader as some worry Hezbollah might retaliate against Israel for its attack on Iran, its main ally and supporter.

Ground staff prepare a Middle East Airlines flight for departure on the tarmac at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on May 2, 2025.

From Lebanon to Qatar, Israel-Iran war disrupts flights, airport traffic: What to know

Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines canceled all flights to Iraq through Thursday as the ongoing Israel-Iran war forces widespread disruptions across Middle East aviation.

Turkish soldiers patrol near the border wall between Turkey and Iran in the Van Province, eastern Turkey, on Nov. 1, 2024.

Turkey ramps up Iran border security as Ankara, UNHCR monitor refugee risks

UNHCR stands ready to support Turkey, though no major refugee movement has been observed along the Iranian border, the international body’s Turkey spokesperson told Al-Monitor.

The President will attend the annual meeting of the Group of 7 nations, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States are taking place in the Canadian Rocky Mountains in Alberta, and will run until late Tuesday. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel tests Trump’s promise to keep US out of new wars

The president who said he would bring peace to the Middle East now has another war unfolding on his watch.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrives at the 6th European Political Community summit on May 16, 2025 at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, Albania.

Armenia's Pashinyan, Turkey's Erdogan to hold 'historic' talks amid Iran-Israel war

The meeting comes as both countries weigh the fallout of a widening regional conflict and rising tensions along their shared border with Iran.

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press as workers install a large flag pole on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC on June 18, 2025.

‘I’ve had it’: Trump threatens to ‘blow up’ Iran nuclear sites

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, remains defiant in the face of Trump's rhetoric.

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan.

UAE's MBZ and Putin hold call as Gulf, Russia push diplomacy on Iran-Israel

Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to be courting Gulf support for a diplomatic role in the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei prepares to cast his ballot during the runoff of the presidential elections in Tehran on July 5, 2024. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran's Khamenei threatens US with 'irreparable damage' if Trump joins war

Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei responded to US President Donald Trump’s call for Iran to surrender without conditions, saying Iran will not yield.

In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian arrive for a documents signing ceremony following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on January 17, 2025. (Photo by Vyacheslav PROKOFYEV / POOL / AFP) (Photo by VYACHESLAV PROKOFYEV/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Can Russia broker Iran-Israel deal as Putin looks to divert West from Ukraine?

A mediating role between Tehran and Tel Aviv could help the Kremlin boost its credentials as well as turn attention away from ongoing war in Ukraine.

Kasia A. Houghton

By Kasia A. Houghton