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July 9, 2026

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Why US strikes on Iran rail bridge signal shift in Hormuz conflict

A US missile strike on the railway bridge linking Iran to Central and East Asia suggests the White House is once again flirting with politically coercive tactics after the June agreement failed to halt Iran's attacks on Hormuz shipping.

Andreas SOLARO / AFP via Getty Images

Lebanon's Aoun to meet Trump in first presidential summit in US since 2009

The visit by the Lebanese head of state will coincide with ongoing US-sponsored Lebanon-Israel talks.

A cargo ship is pictured off coast of the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in Sharjah Emirate, along the Gulf of Oman on June 28, 2026.

Oil soars more than 6% as Trump rules out Iran deal, threatens more strikes

Oil prices had been recovering following a memorandum of understanding signed last month to end the war, but they rose by more than 6% early on Wednesday.

Latest News

Trump declares MoU with Iran 'over' as Hegseth cancels trip to Israel

U.S. President Donald Trump meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not shown) for bilateral talks at Beştepe Presidential Compound during the NATO Summit on July 08, 2026 in Ankara, Turkey. Leaders from NATO's 32 countries, plus NATO allies like Ukraine, gathered in the Turkish capital to discuss a range of issues involving spending targets, defense industrial production, and support for Ukraine, among other topics. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

US revokes Iran oil waiver after Hormuz attacks

A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows an Iranian tanker docking at the platform of the oil facility in the Khark Island, on the shore of the Gulf.

Analysis

Trump's F-35 push for Turkey runs into CAATSA — and Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) welcomes US President Donald Trump (R) upon his arrival on Air Force One at Etimesgut Air Base near Ankara, on July 7, 2026, before attending the 36th NATO Heads of State and Government Summit. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

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

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

Smoke rises from an oil field in Al-Rmelan, Qamshli province November 11, 2013. With a string of military gains across northeastern Syria, a Kurdish militia is solidifying a geographic and political presence in the war-torn country, posing a dilemma for regional powers. Long oppressed under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his father before him, Kurds view the civil war as an opportunity to gain the kind of autonomy enjoyed by their ethnic kin in neighbouring Iraq. Picture taken November 11, 2013. REUT

Oil trail reveals Turkey funding Syrian Kurdish rivals

Through oil, Turkey is helping to indirectly subsidize the very same Syrian Kurdish administration that it's seeking to crush.

Traffic on and off base is restricted after a member of the Saudi Air Force visiting the United States for military training was the suspect in a shooting at Naval Air Station Pensacola, in Pensacola, Florida, U.S. December 6, 2019. REUTERS/Michael Spooneybarger - RC2ZPD90RRD7

Intel: Pentagon looks to continue Saudi air force training despite shooting

The Pentagon awarded a $15 million contract to a Virginia-based company to provide English-language training to Saudi Arabia’s air force at an air base in Riyadh, just hours after a Saudi national killed three people at a naval installation in Florida on Thursday.

The main gate at Naval Air Station Pensacola is seen on Navy Boulevard in Pensacola, Florida, U.S. March 16, 2016. Picture taken March 16, 2016. U.S. Navy/Patrick Nichols/Handout via REUTERS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC2RPD9BC4N8

Intel: How Florida base shooting could threaten US-Saudi training programs

President Donald Trump’s outraged allies in Congress are calling on the United States to reevaluate its training programs for Riyadh after a Saudi national killed three and wounded two others in a shooting at a Florida naval base on Friday.

Russia’s 'multilayered pie’ policy on Libya

For all the uncertainty surrounding Russia's presence in Libya, there are some policy drivers to be watched.

Turkey’s Kurdish sweep backfires

President Erdogan’s Syria plan has had unintended ramifications: Saudi Arabia and the UAE are now cozying up to the Kurds, the Kurds are uniting, and the Russians are guiding the solutions on the ground.

U.S. President Donald Trump waves as he walks from the Marine One helicopter to board Air Force One and depart Washington for a day and evening trip to Florida from Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S., December 7, 2019. REUTERS/Loren Elliott - RC2KQD97NVV8

Trump says Iran prisoner swap shows deal can be made

A successful US-Iran prisoner swap is a confidence building measure but it remains to be seen whether it could be a prelude to negotiations on broader US-Iran tensions.

Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Eliot Engel (D-NY) speaks during a media briefing after a House vote approving rules for an impeachment inquiry into U.S. President Trump on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., October 31, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts - RC1D56F1D9A0

Democratic lawmakers reckon with 2020 rhetoric on Israel aid

Presidential candidates who want to place conditions on Israeli military aid have prompted pro-Israel House Democrats to go on the offensive.

An Iraqi demonstrator climbs to Iraqi security forces check room during ongoing anti-government protests in Nassiriya, Iraq December 4, 2019. Picture taken December 4, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC2MPD9W9BIX

US sanctions three Iran-backed militia leaders for violence against Iraq protesters

The United States will impose sanctions on three leaders of Iran-backed Iraqi militias that have committed human rights abuses against Iraqi protesters.

Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (C) welcomes U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and first lady Melania Trump (R) to a tea ceremony in the Royal Terminal after they arrived aboard Air Force One at King Khalid Airport International in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia May 20, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1E44EB6DF0

Intel: Saudi king calls Trump after Florida shooting

A protester holds an Iraqi flag amid a cloud of smoke from burning tires during ongoing anti-government protests in Najaf, Iraq November 26, 2019. REUTERS/Alaa al-Marjani - RC2ZID9MARY6

As chaos and violence consume Iraq, US keeps focus on deterring Iran

The Trump administration’s realism is well suited to the crisis in Iraq, with a clear red line on keeping out Iranian missiles.

Erdogan in NATO: Russia’s ‘Trojan horse’?

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan returned from London to Ankara as a “loser” who failed to achieve anything at the NATO summit.

U.S. President Donald Trump listens at a rally in support of Rep. Kevin Cramer (R) in his run for Senate in Fargo, North Dakota, U.S. June 27, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1ECB7F9050

White House whips Senate allies to block Armenian genocide resolution

The White House has so far succeeded in keeping the Senate from passing a resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide, but the Trump administration is slowly running out of options.