Iran-US tensions

Israeli PM Netanyahu 'will not travel' to US next week, his office says

On Wednesday, an Israeli official had told Al-Monitor that Netanyahu was planning to travel on Saturday and meet with President Donald Trump next week and attend the memorial service for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

Israel

Analysis

As US ties fray, top Oman official visits China: What to know

For Oman, recalibrating its ties with Washington after the Iran war means diversifying its partnerships — leaning more on European allies like France and deepening its relationship with China.

By Joyce Karam , Rosaleen Carroll

Interview

Why Strait of Hormuz no longer rattles oil markets as much: IMF

The fund's Middle East director, Jihad Azour, told Al-Monitor that the big Gulf energy producers now have more capacity to absorb the shock.

Jihad Azour

Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund

Analysis

How UK's IRGC designation raises stakes for Iran and Europe

Following Britain's designation, Iran has presented a unified front in which all institutions are projecting the IRGC as an integral component of national sovereignty.

By A correspondent in Tehran

In Tehran, reporting on politics

In Trump meeting, Iraq PM says US troops to withdraw by Sept. 30

The White House appeared to support a deadline to remove remaining American counter-ISIS troops from Iraq, but security concerns among Washington's Kurdish partners and US business firms remain.

By Jared Szuba

In Washington, DC, reporting on defense, national security, military

Bahrain sentences 3 to life in prison over ties to Iran's IRGC: What to know

The sentencing comes as Bahrain continues to crack down on individuals allegedly spying for Iran, at a time when the IRGC has resumed its strikes against US assets in the Gulf.

Bahrain

Trump retreats from Hormuz 20% fee plan in pivot to Gulf investment deals

The shift comes barely 24 hours after Trump declared the United States would become the "guardian" of the strategic waterway and seek compensation for protecting all cargo passing through it.

Iran

Oil prices climb to $85 as US-Iran attacks intensify, Hormuz traffic stalls

Brent crude traded at $85.02 a barrel at 11:44 a.m. EDT, up 2.06% from Monday's close after reaching $87.39 earlier on Tuesday.

Iran

Analysis

As Trump prioritizes Hormuz, Israel fears Iran rebuilding nuclear program while preserving ballistic missile threat

Israel is worried that the United States is centering the Strait of Hormuz, deprioritizing the threat of a nuclear Iran.

By Ben Caspit

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

Analysis

'The word belongs to the battlefield': Why Iran, US are drifting back to conflict

Iran no longer seeks a return to the prewar status quo, insisting that any future negotiations begin with the new regional balance created by the conflict rather than seek to restore the old one.

By Ali Hashem

In Doha, reporting on Iran, regional politics, conflict

Trump says US to strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site

Satellite imagery has detected recent construction at the underground facility.

Iran

Explainer

Trump’s Hormuz playbook echoes Iran’s attempts to monetize waterway

On Monday, Trump declared that the United States would become the "guardian" of the strategic waterway, reimpose a blockade on Iranian shipping and seek reimbursement equivalent to 20% of all cargo transiting the strait. 

Iran