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Traffic passes a billboard depicting Iranian ballistic missiles in service, with text in Arabic reading "the honest [person's] promise" and in Persian "Israel is weaker than a spider's web," Valiasr Square, Tehran, April 15, 2024. ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images.

Analysis

CIA report on Iran missiles undercuts Netanyahu as war euphoria dissipates

The findings cast doubt on Israel’s wartime gains and put pressure on Netanyahu’s campaign strategy ahead of elections.

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

Getty

US strikes Iran tankers as UAE reports fresh missile, drone attacks

Strikes on Iranian tankers and fresh exchanges in the Gulf escalate tensions as Washington awaits Tehran’s response to a deal proposal.

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

Latest News

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

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

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

Lionel BONAVENTURE / 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

A member of the Presidential Council of Government of National Accord, Ahmed Maiteeq during a news conference in Tripoli, Libya, April 17, 2016. REUTERS/Ismail Zitouny - GF10000385612

Libyan government presses US to block Gulf support for Tripoli offensive

The UN-backed Government of National Accord is lobbying Washington to halt Khalifa Hifter’s offensive on Tripoli by denying him arms from Gulf Arab states.

Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) speaks after the senate voted on a resolution ending U.S. military support for the war in Yemen on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., December 13, 2018. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RC1B1270FAB0

Democrats slam ‘massive failure’ of Trump policy after Iran restarts nuclear activity

Democrats are blaming the Donald Trump's "maximum pressure" campaign for Tehran’s decision to resume some enrichment activity constrained by the 2015 nuclear deal.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif attend a news conference in Moscow, Russia May 8, 2019. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina - RC1B21865100

Intel: How Trump's 'maximum pressure' campaign is bringing Iran and Russia closer together

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif's long-planned visit to Moscow today quickly turned into a grievance-sharing session with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov about the Donald Trump administration.

Brian Hook, U.S. Special Representative for Iran, speaks about potential threats posed by the Iranian regime to the international community, during a news conference at a military base in Washington, U.S., November 29, 2018. REUTERS/Al Drago - RC11738D3C90

Trump admin vows US won’t be 'hostage' to 'nuclear blackmail' from Iran

The United States says won’t give in to Iranian threats as Iran is set to end compliance with the two conditions the US administration recently made impossible to meet.

Iran seeks broader defense cooperation with Russia amid US pressure

As part of a long-term military strategy to fortify its defenses against US threats, Iran is moving closer to Russia — with a vision entailing broader defense cooperation.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) meets with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia January 14, 2019. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool via REUTERS - RC1E4A498AC0

Saudis’ troubled ties in region threaten Trump's anti-Iran agenda

The Trump administration is tightening the screws on Iran, but Saudi Arabia, Iran's archnemesis, may not be of help drumming up support for the US policy given the state of its current relations in the Arab world.

Russian S-400 Triumph/SA-21 Growler medium-range and long-range surface-to-air missile systems drive during the Victory Day parade at Red Square in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2015. Russia marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War Two in Europe on Saturday with a military parade, showcasing new military hardware at a time when relations with the West have hit lows not seen since the Cold War. REUTERS/Host Photo Agency/RIA Novosti ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. IT IS D

Is Erdogan’s trust in Trump in the S-400/F-35 standoff misplaced?

Turkish government officials believe that if Trump was not hamstrung by Congress and the Pentagon, he and Erdogan would have solved this matter by now.

Lebanon's Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan attends a handover ceremony at the ministry in Beirut, Lebanon February 6, 2019. Picture taken February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir - RC13E9A5B8D0

Lebanon’s interior minister pushes for prison reform amid calls for radical change

Unless broad, structural reforms to the administration of prisons and military detention centers are passed in conjunction with changes to the criminal justice process itself, the reforms announced by Lebanon’s interior minister so far will likely only have a moderate impact on the penal system.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks to reporters in flight after a previously unannounced trip to Baghdad, Iraq, May 8, 2019. Mandel Ngan/Pool via REUTERS - RC1CBE5511B0

Israel looks to Trump to halt Iranian nuke

Iran's announcement that it will resume uranium enrichment is causing great concern in Israel.

An election banner with the pictures of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and AK Party mayoral candidate Binali Yildirim is seen over the Galata bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, May 7, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC1157E63D00

US holds its fire on Istanbul election nullification

The State Department says it is monitoring Turkey’s decision to scrap the Istanbul mayoral election results, but has so far refrained from directly weighing in.

Omani Foreign Minister Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah listens, alongside Omani Ambassador to the U.S. Hunaina Sultan Al-Mughairy, as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (not pictured) speaks while attending a Gulf Cooperation Council summit on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S. September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Darren Ornitz - RC128EDE5A50

Interview

Yemen war 'does not serve any party' says Oman’s ambassador to US

Omani ambassador to Washington Hunaina Al-Mughairy spoke to Al-Monitor about US-Omani ties, her country's stance on Yemen, Mideast peace and the latest Washington-Tehran tensions.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu shakes hands with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif during a news conference in Istanbul, Turkey October 30, 2018. REUTERS/Murad Sezer - RC15CF69EA60

How US sanctions facilitate Turkish-Iranian understanding on Syria

Faced with US pressures on multiple fronts, Iran and Turkey are likely to step up cooperation — including in Syria, where the two neighbors remain at odds over multiple issues.