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A tugboat guides the Russian oil tanker Anatoly Kolodkin as it arrives at the oil terminal in the port of Matanzas, northwestern Cuba, on March 31, 2026.

Breaking | Last Updated: May 18, 2026, 2:55 pm

US extends Russian oil sanctions waiver as Iran war squeezes supply

The waiver temporarily lifts sanctions on Russian oil for 30 days.

An undated image released by the Justice Department shows Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi (R) speaking with Iranian Quds Force Commander Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US strike in 2020.

Iraqi militia leader in US custody after arrest: What to know

Authorities said the individual is linked to a mysterious pro-Iran group that has been claiming attacks on Jewish communities in Europe.

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Analysis

Why China didn’t hand Trump a breakthrough on Iran

Trump's landmark three-day visit to China — the first for a US president since 2017 — included plenty of fanfare, flattery and awkward selfies but failed to produce deals or breakthroughs on Iran.

Joyce Karam

By Rosaleen Carroll , Joyce Karam

talks

Lebanon-Israel ceasefire extended 45 days as US opens security talks

The Pentagon will host Israeli and Lebanese military delegations for a round of separate security talks later this month.

Latest News

Analysis

‘A reckless act’: Netanyahu sparks UAE fury by claiming secret visit

US President Donald Trump talks to UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as he departs the Al Bateen Executive Airport on May 15, 2025, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

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

Trump’s Gaza plan stalls as Hamas resists disarmament

President Donald Trump speaks in front of the American flag to the press as he departs the White House on May 12, 2026, in Washington, DC.

Israel's Netanyahu suing New York Times over column on Palestinian rape

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

Police officers detain a protester during a protest against the arrest of pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers, in Istanbul, Turkey November 6, 2016. REUTERS/Huseyin Aldemir - RTX2S6QZ

How Kurdish hopes became Turkey's fears

The regionalization of the Kurdish problem was the main factor blowing up the peace process in Turkey, and any return to the negotiating table now depends on developments in the Middle East.

Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) walk along a street in the southeast of Qamishli city, Syria, April 22, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RTX2B6V4

Turkey insists on exclusion of Kurdish forces from Raqqa battle

Washington prefers to work with the Kurds to oust the Islamic State from Raqqa, but it still wants to keep Turkey involved.

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (L) at the White House in Washington March 17, 2014. President Barack Obama on Monday urged Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to make tough decisions and take risks for peace with Israel, saying he hoped to see progress in U.S.-brokered negotiations in coming weeks.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS) - RTR3HG6Q

Will state of Palestine be Obama's legacy?

Some observers are urging that President Barack Obama allow a vote in favor of recognizing the state of Palestine at the UN Security Council before leaving office.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) speaks to Republican U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump during their meeting in New York, September 25, 2016. Kobi Gideon/Government Press Office (GPO)/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX2SIOS

What Netanyahu wants from Trump

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already started preparing his first meeting with President-elect Donald Trump in order to persuade him to embrace his two-state rejectionist position.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.FILE PHOTO: A IranAir Boeing 747SP aircraft is pictured before leaving Tehran's Mehrabad airport September 19, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl/File photo - RTX2GZM9

House rushes to block Boeing sales to Iran

The Rules Committee will set up floor action on the measure on Monday.

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Manhattan, New York, U.S., September 19, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri - RTSOIET

Why Egypt's Sisi welcomes Trump win

While Egypt's president and his supporters have welcomed the election of Donald Trump, the country's liberals and pro-democracy activists aren't as pleased.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence embrace at their election night rally in Manhattan, New York, U.S., November 9, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar - RTX2SVO5

Could Trump’s victory become opportunity for Iran?

Iranian commentators and political analysts view Trump’s victory with caution and doubt in regard to its implications for the international order.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man walk next to a poster of Donald Trump in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim neighbourhood, October 13, 2016. REUTERS/Amir Cohen - RTSS53C

Middle East will quickly teach Trump rules of the game

As US president, Donald Trump will have little option but to engage in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and when he does, judiciously.

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump makes his way through the crowd after addressing a Tea Party rally against the Iran nuclear deal at the U.S. Capitol in Washington September 9, 2015. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo FROM THE FILES PACKAGE "THE CANDIDATES" - SEARCH CANDIDATES FILES FOR ALL 90 IMAGES - RTX2SFIW

Is this the beginning of the end for the Iran deal?

Proponents of the nuclear pact fear the worst under a Trump administration.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani talks to journalists after he registered for February's election of the Assembly of Experts, the clerical body that chooses the supreme leader, at Interior Ministry in Tehran December 21, 2015. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/TIMA ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. - RTX1ZKIR

Iran weighs in on new US foreign policy post election

Iranian politicians’ reaction to Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections has chiefly focused on the potential impact of new US policies on the nuclear deal.

Members of the Kurdish peshmerga forces gather in the town of Sinjar, Iraq November 13, 2015. Kurdish peshmerga forces secured several strategic facilities in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar on Friday as part of an offensive against Islamic State militants that could provide critical momentum in efforts to defeat the jihadist group. REUTERS/Ari Jalal FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTS6S32

Is it time for a national settlement in Iraq?

The predominantly Shiite National Alliance that constitutes the majority of the Iraqi parliament released a document for national reconciliation for the post-Islamic State phase, though it is far from being implemented on the ground.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan leaves after a news conference following the National Security Council and cabinet meetings at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, July 20, 2016. REUTERS/Umit Bektas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTSIXEM

Turkey's domestic policy losing its foreign friends

Turkey’s foreign relations continue to deteriorate, especially with Europe.