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US President Donald Trump (R) and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shake hands as they arrive to speak to journalists during a joint press conference at Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence in Palm Beach, Florida, on Dec. 29, 2025.

Israel fears US deal would allow Saudi Arabia to enrich uranium

Israel fears the US-Saudi civilian nuclear deal could pave the way for uranium enrichment not only by the Saudis but also by other countries in the region.

Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia (2nd L) is escorted by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) through Statuary Hall as they head to a meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 19, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Explainer

Why US-Saudi nuclear deal could encounter hurdles in Congress

The agreement is likely to face questions in Congress over whether its nonproliferation safeguards are sufficient, as well as over Riyadh’s stated interest in acquiring nuclear weapons if Iran does, concerns over its human rights record and its ties with China.

Win McNamee/Getty Images

Explainer

How US bid prevailed over China, France, Russia in Saudi nuclear deal

The Trump administration has made American nuclear technology a major priority with an $80 billion investment in the sector, including nearly $18 billion in loans to Westinghouse Electric Company to develop its AP1000 reactor lines.

Latest News

Analysis

Why Mamdani concluded he can’t arrest Israel’s PM Netanyahu

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a primary-night watch party for NYC Congressional candidate Claire Valdez at 99 Scott Studio on June 23, 2026 in the East Williamsburg neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough in New York City.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

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

US, Saudi Arabia set to sign nuclear agreement: What to know

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Trump threatens Iran bridges, power plants over Hormuz attacks

US President Donald Trump listens to a reporter's question as he holds a bilateral meeting with President of Lebanon Joseph Aoun in the Oval Office of the White House on July 21, 2026 in Washington, DC.

Trump authorizes direct US flights to Lebanon after 4-decade halt

Middle East Airlines aircraft sit on the tarmac at Beirut's Rafik Hariri airport on April 10, 2026. Smoke from an Israeli strike still lingered in the air as a plane from Lebanon's national carrier took off from Beirut airport, which has stayed open despite the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah. The country's only international passenger facility, whose departure boards are now largely red with cancellations, is located on the Mediterranean coast at the edge of Beirut's southern suburbs. (Photo by Anw

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

Iranian negotiator: Blocking sale of planes is violation of deal

Is the question of the sale of Boeing aircraft to Iran a make or break issue for the nuclear deal?

Jabhat al-Nusra 'al-Qaeda's largest formal affiliate in history'

Testimony by US official comes as Amnesty International report documents “abduction, torture and summary killings” committed by Jabhat al-Nusra and allied Syrian armed groups.

U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at the Sharonville Convention Center in Cincinnati, Ohio July 6, 2016. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein - RTX2K2AV

Is Egypt’s Sisi hoping for Trump win?

Although Donald Trump's stance on the Muslim Brotherhood is in line with that of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the presumptive Republican nominee's statements on Muslims in general have decreased his popularity in Egypt.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton checks her PDA upon her departure in a military C-17 plane from Malta bound for Tripoli, Libya October 18, 2011.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (LIBYA - Tags: POLITICS) FOR BEST QUALITY IMAGE ALSO SEE: GF2EA1P10ZY01 - RTR2ST4W

US election 2016: Hillary dodges email server bullet

The FBI exonerated Hillary Clinton on the email scandal, but Republicans are no less hungry to make the Democratic presidential candidate pay for her "extremely careless" actions.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and his counterpart from Bahrain Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa enter a hall during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, December 16, 2015. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov - RTX1YW9C

Can Bahrain count on Moscow to fill Washington’s shoes?

As Bahrain seeks closer ties with Russia, other Arab countries have their doubts about the relationship, yet they recognize Moscow’s growing role in the region amid Washington’s receding influence.

Turkey's pro-government media mired in CIA conspiracy theories

Odd logic and pro-government leanings lead some Turkish media outlets to embrace theories of IS intrigue.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas prays for Maysara Abu Hamdeya, a Palestinian inmate who died from cancer in an Israeli hospital on Tuesday, during a Fatah Central Committee meeting in the West Bank city of Ramallah April 2, 2013. Hamdeya's death threatened to raise tensions in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where Palestinians, who view jailed brethren as heroes in a fight for statehood, have held several protests in recent weeks in support of prisoners. REUTERS/Mohamed Torokman (WEST BANK - Tags: POLIT

Have Arab leaders forgotten about Palestine?

Palestinian senior officials feel that not only are Arab countries preoccupied by the Islamic State threat, but that the countries are also tired of the Palestinian issue and are sidelining the urgency of establishing a Palestinian state.

FILE PHOTO: Invited guests for the world premiere of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner are reflected in the fuselage of the aircraft at the 787 assembly plant in Everett, Washington, July 8, 2007. REUTERS/Robert Sorbo/File photo TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTX2GZQD

Congress weighs restrictions on Boeing sales to Iran

A number of Democrats appear willing to join Republicans in setting conditions on aircraft sales to the Islamic Republic.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) and French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault (L) arrive for a meeting on May 15, 2016 during a meeting at the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem. Ayrault met Netanyahu before meeting Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas ahead of a French-sponsored Middle East peace process summit in Paris on May 30. Israel has rejected the initiative, the Palestinians support it and the United States has been cold. REUTERS/ MENAHEM KAHANA/Pool - RTSECIO

EU to push forward with two-state conference, with or without Washington

EU senior officials are planning a two-state conference to be held before the end of the year, with both a bilateral and a multilateral track.

Man poses in front of on a display showing the word 'cyber' in binary code, in this picture illustration taken in Zenica December 27, 2014. A previously undisclosed hacking campaign against military targets in Israel and Europe is probably backed by a country that misused security-testing software to cover its tracks and enhance its capability, researchers said. Picture taken December 27, 2014. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic (BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA - Tags: SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY CRIME LAW TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY) - RTR4JEYI

How nuclear deal has cooled Iran-US cyberwar

Once-threatening cyberattacks between the United States and Iran appear to have slowed since the countries reached a nuclear pact.

A man walks near damaged houses after Syrian rebels and the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front took control of al-'Iss town, in Aleppo countryside, Syria April 2, 2016. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah - RTSDAHL

Will US, Russia start coordinating against Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria?

The United States, increasingly concerned about the threat posed by al-Qaeda’s Syria affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, is continuing to discuss with Russia a proposal to target Jabhat al-Nusra and IS.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan chats with passengers at the international departure terminal during his visit to Ataturk airport in Istanbul, Turkey, July 2, 2016. REUTERS/Seda Sezer - RTX2JEBA

Erdogan’s latest wake-up call on Islamic State

The Obama administration weighs deeper coordination with Moscow against Jabhat al-Nusra; Erdogan’s slow turnaround on Syria policy; Hamas seeks to resume ties with Iran.