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November 6, 2026

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A protest sign is seen near the White House the day after Election Day

Feature

Emboldened Democrats gear up to challenge Trump over Iran war, Gulf business ties

Democrats are weighing options to enforce Congress’ authority to declare war.

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

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

An aerial view shows a campaign billboard depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv, on Oct. 26, 2026, on the eve of Israel's legislative elections.

Explainer

Democrats’ midterm sweep tests US-Israel ties as Eisenkot vows reset

Political sources describe the Democrats' midterm victory as a political blow to both US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Latest News

From Tehran to Tel Aviv, Democrats’ midterm triumph sparks Middle East reactions

The sun sets on the US Capitol on Election Day evening on Nov. 3, 2026 in Washington.

'Generational wipeout': Democratic gains to reshape Trump's final years

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

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

Elizabeth Hagedorn

Diplomatic Correspondent

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

Jared Szuba

Defense and Security Correspondent

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Joyce Karam

Editor-in-Chief

Rosaleen Carroll

News Reporter and Supporting Editor

In Washington, DC, US, reporting on the Middle East

Paul J. Saunders

In Washington, DC, reporting on Russia in the Middle East

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (C) and US special representative on Iran Brian Hook (R) take in a meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on September 19, 2019. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / POOL / AFP) (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Intel: Senators move to block US F-35, drone sale to UAE

A bipartisan group of US senators say they received no reply from the Pentagon or State Department after inquiring last month about implications of the sale of advanced weaponry to the United Arab Emirates.

United Arab Emirates

Israeli winemaker Yaakov Berg's holds a bottle of his red blend named after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the Psagot Winery in the settlers industrial park of Sha'ar Binyamin near the Israeli Psagot settlement in the occupied West Bank north of Jerusalem on November 18, 2020. - Berg's decision to name his red blend after US Secretary Mike Pompeo may capture attention, but for him the hashtag on the label's top right corner "#madeinlegality" is just as important, categorically rejecting the notion tha

Pompeo says settlement products to be labeled 'Made in Israel'

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also announced the United States would identify and label groups that support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement as "anti-Semitic."

Even with Biden, talks with Palestinians not on Israel’s agenda

Despite the election of Joe Biden, no one in Israel is keen to rush to the negotiating table with the Palestinians.

US unveils new round of Iran sanctions, Pompeo pledges more to come

Targets in the latest round of sanctions include an Iranian charitable organization and Iran's intelligence minister.

The Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Javad Zarif, speaks during a meeting with his Cuban counterpart Bruno Rodriguez (out of frame), in Havana, on November 6, 2020. - Cuba and Iran's foreign ministers met in Havana on Friday to reinforce their mutual support in the face of crippling US sanctions. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP) (Photo by YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran’s Zarif says Biden could lift Iran sanctions in no time

Iran’s foreign minister expressed optimism about Joe Biden’s presidency, noting that Washington’s return to the Iran nuclear deal could take place without preconditions.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) listens to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians during a meeting at The Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul on November 17, 2020. (Photo by Patrick Semansky / POOL / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK SEMANSKY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Pompeo skips Ankara, meets with Christian leader in final Turkey visit

In his final visit to Turkey as US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo met with the Orthodox Christian spiritual leader in Istanbul Tuesday, forgoing meetings with state officials in a possible message to conservative American voters.

National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien attends a briefing on Enhanced Narcotics Operations at the US Southern Command in Doral, Florida, on July 10, 2020. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump's national security adviser says ending Gulf rift 'priority'

Qatar has been under a land, sea and air blockade by four regional states since 2017.

President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of the Abraham Accords Signing Ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House, Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2020. (Photo by Doug Mills/The New York Times)

With Trump on way out, Netanyahu nails together settlement legacy

With US President-elect Joe Biden preparing to take office, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is rushing to set his settlement achievements in stone.

This picture taken December 12, 2019 shows (L) a view of the exchange board at the Stock Exchange Market (Tadawul) bourse in Riyadh displaying Aramco shares on the second day of their trading, along with a poster depicting Saudi Arabia's founder King Abdulaziz ibn Saud (C), his son and current King Salman bin Abdulaziz (R), and the latter's son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (L) on display. - Energy giant Saudi Aramco's market value soared above $2 trillion as its share price surged again on its second da

Gulf oil exporters look past Biden’s green energy platform

The possible return of Iranian crude to global markets is a short-term concern for Gulf oil producers, which expect to be the last man standing in a decarbonizing world.

An eagle statue is seen placed on a Menorah sculpture donated by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation (JASHP) dedicated to US President Donald Trump by the entrance to Trump Heights, an Israeli settlement in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on September 21, 2020. - Twenty Jewish families are due to move to the remote spot by the end of November, with the aim of 20 families arriving each year for the next decade. Trump Heights, or "Ramat Trump" in Hebrew, was inaugurated in June 2019 by Pr

Netanyahu goes for broke in Trump's last two months

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still hoping to squeeze last-minute favors from outgoing US President Donald Trump at the expense of his relationship with the incoming administration.

The influential head of Lebanon's General Security apparatus, Abbas Ibrahim, is pictured during an interview at his office in the capital Beirut on July 22, 2020. (Photo by ANWAR AMRO / AFP) (Photo by ANWAR AMRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Lebanon’s intelligence chief visited Damascus amid efforts to free Austin Tice

Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim suggested efforts to secure the American journalist's release continued after Ibrahim visited Washington last month.

Intel: US to activate air defense batteries to test Israel's Iron Dome

Both Iron Domes are expected to arrive at Fort Bliss by January