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May 8, 2026

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Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of Iran meeting with Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China in Beijing on May 6, 2026. Credit: Telegram

Analysis

China shores up Iran support as Trump seeks exit

China understands how badly Trump wants an exit from the conflict. But timing is critical: if no agreement is reached before Trump arrives in China on Thursday, Beijing would be better positioned to set the agenda.

Joyce Karam

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Lebanon, Israel eye third round of talks, but no Netanyahu-Aoun meeting in sight

The US appears to be pushing for a meeting between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but the Lebanese government says it won't happen while Israel continues to launch attacks on Lebanon.

Latest News

EU says energy costs tied to Hormuz crisis have surged past $35B

Lionel BONAVENTURE / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Israel fears Trump seeking Hormuz win while sidestepping Iran nuclear issue

Amirhossein KHORGOOEI / ISNA / AFP via Getty Images

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

Pentagon says Iran ceasefire continues despite UAE attack

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 24, 2026.

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

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) asks a question as U.S. Attorney General William Barr testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "The Justice Department's Investigation of Russian Interference with the 2016 Presidential Election." on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 1, 2019. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RC14D4C29570

Congress wants answers after 10 bomb-sniffing dogs die in Jordan

Congress is demanding answers after an inspector general report showed that a number of bomb-sniffing dogs from the United States have died from neglect in Jordan.

The domestically built mobile missile defence system Bavar-373 is displayed on the National Defence Industry Day in Tehran, Iran August 22, 2019. Tasnim News Agency/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC18AD146FB0

Suspected Iranian strikes raise US concerns over Chinese missile proliferation

The Donald Trump administration is concerned that US adversaries such as China are abetting Iran’s growing missile arsenal, which US officials believe was used in strikes against Saudi oil facilities over the weekend.

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (R) listens during a meeting of the United Nations Security Council held during the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 26, 2018. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz - HP1EE9Q16H0BY

US questions Iran’s assent to non-proliferation pact amid inspections

Washington is challenging Tehran's commitment to global non-proliferation agreements, citing traces of uranium found at an Iranian site.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivers a speech during a ceremony marking the death anniversary of the founder of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, in Tehran, Iran, June 4, 2017. TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RC16ADBF0A50

Iran's supreme leader says no talks with US 'at any level'

Iran's supreme leader has dismissed talks with the United States, saying Washington is bound to proving the success of its "maximum pressure" policy by pushing Tehran to the negotiating table.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen during trilateral talks with his counterparts Hassan Rouhani of Iran and Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey in Ankara, Turkey September 16, 2019. Sputnik/Valery Melnikov/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1A1133AD90

Intel: What’s behind Putin’s arms sale proposal to Saudis

Putin's offer of defense missile systems for the Saudis was political but there's more to this in the runup to his visit to Riyadh.

Presidents Vladimir Putin of Russia, Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Hassan Rouhani of Iran chat following a joint news conference in Ankara, Turkey, September 16, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas - RC1EF10953B0

How latest Astana talks between Turkey, Russia, Iran went beyond Syria

What the Astana guarantors agreed upon in Ankara will have implications for Syria but the way the leaders communicated past each other each is even more telling.

BQAIQ, SAUDI ARABIA - SEPTEMBER 14, 2019: Smoke billows from Saudi Aramco's oil processing plants in Abqaiq and Khurais, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2019/Gallo Images via Getty Images)

Iraq works to distance itself from US-Iran tension after Saudi Aramco attack

Baghdad is worried that the Sept. 14 attack on Saudi Arabia will affect Iraq's stability and relationship with neighboring countries.

Democratic 2020 U.S. presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks at a campaign rally in Dover, New Hampshire, U.S. September 1, 2019. REUTERS/Brian Snyder - RC1771A53780

Sanders warns Trump against illegal Iran strike

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is warning Donald Trump that he does not have the legal authority to strike Iran.

Iran denies involvement in Saudi attacks

Iranian analysts believe the United States and Iran are not headed toward conflict after the attacks on Saudi Arabian oil facilities.

Smoke is seen following a fire at Aramco facility in the eastern city of Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, September 14, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer - RC18BDE58360

Saudi oil facility attack challenges Washington's regional commitment

While the recent attacks on two Saudi oil facilities will impact global oil prices, it is the US commitment in the region that is under attack.

Iran sends a powerful signal to counter Iraqi nationalist trend

Iraqi populist Muqtada al-Sadr’s trip to Iran presents opportunity for the United States.

ANKARA, TURKEY - SEPTEMBER 10: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (C) meets United States Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross (L) at Presidential Complex in Ankara, Turkey on September 10, 2019. Turkish Treasury and Finance Minister Berat Albayrak (R) also attended the meeting. (Photo by Murat Kula/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Can trade dialogue help improve Turkish-US ties?

Amid the lingering threat of US sanctions on Turkey over its purchase of Russian missiles, US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross paid a long visit to Turkey, leading many to believe bilateral trade will be set apart from the political rows between the two countries.