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September 3, 2026

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US airstrikes target Iran's Bandar Abbas, Qeshm Island

American military forces launched their first strikes on the Iranian mainland in more than a month just days after the top US commander for the region said Iranian mines have been cleared from Hormuz shipping lanes.

missile

Analysis

Israel favors status quo as tensions in Iran's leadership fuel escalation risk

Israel would prefer to preserve the current balance of pressure — with US naval blockades and economic measures continuing without a return to active fighting — per a senior Israeli security source.

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

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

Pentagon inks 7-year missile-production deal amid Iran war shortage

The Defense Department has been hammering out new agreements with top defense manufacturers as the Iran war has rapidly depleted Washington's interceptor stockpiles.

Ammar Ammar / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel’s Lebanon dilemma: Confront Hezbollah without angering Trump, triggering Iran

Israeli sources point out that the pilot project for Israel's withdrawal and the Lebanese military taking control over the area is not working because of the government's reluctance to search for Hezbollah's weapons in private homes.

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

Latest News

Analysis

How Iran is readying for economic protests as Trump escalates pressure

Demonstrations in Tehran, Iran

A correspondent in Tehran

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

Trump says Hormuz mine-free as Iran, Oman agree to clear them

US President Donald Trump arrives at Myrtle Beach International Airport on Aug. 21, 2026, in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

China warns US not to interfere with Iran trade: What to know

BAY ISMOYO / AFP via 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

Report: Iran builds fake aircraft carrier for drills

The Associated Press obtained photos of the mock warship at a time of heightened US-Iran tensions.

U.S. President Donald Trump greets Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan during a joint news conference at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 13, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RC2MAD9EDAA8

Turkey sees success in Libya shaping relations with US

Turkey and the United States reached "some agreements" on Libya during a phone call, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Alternate Prime Minister and Defence Minister Benny Gantz attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem June 7, 2020. Menahem Kahana/Pool via REUTERS - RC294H9BAXQW

Netanyahu needs Gantz to win Trump's annexation go-ahead

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must get his political partner Defense Minister Benny Gantz on board first for US President Donald Trump to endorse his annexation plan.

Women hold stacks of bread as they walk along an empty street, as restrictions are imposed as measure to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Qamishli, Syria March 23, 2020. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC2VPF9DRWOE

Sanctions on Syrian government also threaten Washington's Kurdish allies

While US and international sanctions aren't specifically targeted at Kurdish-ruled northeast Syria, the area is impacted all the same with cross-border trade practically halted and because of the sudden plunge of the Syrian pound.

U.S. Ambassador to Switzerland Edward McMullen greets Xiyue Wang in Zurich, Switzerland December 7, 2019. U.S. Embassy in Switzerland/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY - RC2GQD9FJJ4H

Iran says it's ready for more prisoner swaps with US

In today's Iran media review, Tehran says it is ready to exchange all prisoners if "the readiness is there from the opposing side."

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem (L) shakes hands of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) after a press conference at Diaoyutai state guesthouse in Beijing on June 18, 2019. Fred Dufour/Pool via REUTERS - RC1583F62660

China shows greater interest in Syria amid pandemic, US tensions

China is looking to increase its influence in war-torn Syria, and using the coronavirus pandemic to accelerate these plans.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers a statement about Iran flanked by U.S. Army Chief of Staff General James McConville, Chiarman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army General Mark Milley and Vice President Mike Pence in the Grand Foyer at the White House in Washington, U.S., January 8, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC2SBE92PGSC

Iran dismisses Trump’s offer for talks

US President Donald Trump’s latest effort to get Iran to renegotiate the nuclear deal he withdrew from was met with rejection in Tehran.

WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 16: Chairman James Risch speaks to Brian Hook State department Special Representative for Iran as he testifies during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Holds Hearing On US-Iran Policy on October 16, 2019 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Intel: Key Republican questions Pentagon’s proposed military training program

The Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is pushing back on a Pentagon proposal to train foreign military officers from the Middle East and elsewhere, arguing that it unnecessarily replicates an existing program run by the State Department.

Michael White, a freed U.S. Navy veteran detained in Iran since 2018, poses with U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Brian Hook while on his return to the United States at Zurich Airport in Zurich, Switzerland June 4, 2020. U.S. State Department/Handout via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. THIS IMAGE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY, AN UNPROCESSED VERSION HAS BEEN PROVIDED SEPARATELY. - RC2K2H90N3HH

Iran demanded Florida doctor in exchange for Michael White

Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson says the Iranians conditioned White's freedom on Majid Taheri's release.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement overlooking the Israeli settlement of Har Homa, located in an area of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, that Israel annexed to Jerusalem after the region's capture in the 1967 Middle East war, February 20, 2020. Debbie Hill/Pool via REUTERS - RC2E4F9ALPB6

Netanyahu’s dilemma over his annexation plan

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must now decide whether he wants to go ahead with his annexation plan, or hope that the White House will get him out of it.

China apparently left out of Israel's 5G network tender

The first phase of the tender for building the 5G wireless network in Israel has passed its deadline, with Chinese bidders apparently left out.

Jordan Valley Palestinians watch as Israel imposes authority ahead of looming annexation

Israel has intensified its measures in West Bank areas facing the threat of annexation at a time when Palestinians feel the imminence of the annexation project more than ever.