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July 12, 2026

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Analysis

As US-Iran fighting resumes, Israel weighs 3 options with restraint winning, for now

Despite Israel's military readiness to resume strikes on Iran, officials say looming elections make Netanyahu more likely to stay out unless Tehran forces his hand.

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

US President Donald Trump walks to board Air Force One as he departs Bismarck Municipal Airport on July 01, 2026 in Bismarck, North Dakota.

Israel warns US of new Iran plot to assassinate Trump: What to know

US officials are reportedly still assessing the Israeli intelligence.

Majid Saeedi/Getty Images

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.

Latest News

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

Andreas SOLARO / AFP via Getty Images

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

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.

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)

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

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attends the plenary session at the G20 leaders summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina December 1, 2018. G20 Argentina/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC1B008D34E0

Can Erdogan mend fences with US, Europe while saving face?

Turkey is seeking to improve relations with the West to stave off further damage to its ailing economy, but wants to do so without appearing to concede any ground or make concessions.

Settlers target McDonald’s over what they call boycott of West Bank

Israel no longer fears retaliating against international companies such as McDonald’s that settlers say are boycotting West Bank settlements by not opening up shop there.

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) speaks to reporters on his way to the Senate floor for a vote at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, U.S. May 14, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC1F178C0200

Republicans rebuke Trump over Gulf arms sales

Congress is going on offense against President Donald Trump’s use of emergency powers to arm Arab states.

Palestinian demonstrators burn an effigy depicting U.S. President Donald Trump during a protest against U.S aid cuts, outside the United Nations' offices in the southern Gaza Strip February 11, 2018. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC1D5F27F630

Scorn for US peace plan brings Hamas, Hezbollah closer

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is calling for a Palestinian-Lebanese dialogue to counter the US peace plan, an approach welcomed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

Khamenei sees 'ploy' in Trump outreach, says 'deal of century' will fail

In three speeches in less than 24 hours, Iran's supreme leader launched fresh attacks against the Trump administration, slamming its "deal of the century" for the Middle East conflict and dismissing Washington’s latest outreach to Tehran as a "ploy."

Iran plays Pakistan, China against India as Modi turns to Trump

India’s apparent decision to go along with the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran could negatively impact its relationship with Tehran, including in regard to the Chabahar port project.

A checkpoint held by Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad is pictured in Aleppo, Syria February 10, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC14E1387B70

Syria's territorial divisions complicate reconstruction

Russia's efforts toward the reconstruction of Syria are hindered by the inherent challenges in the territorial fragmentation of the country.

Iraq electricity minister: US will continue exemptions for Iranian electricity imports

Iraqi Minister of Electricity Luay al-Khatteeb told Al-Monitor that US exemptions in the energy sector will continue amid tensions in US-Iran relations.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis attend a joint news conference at the medieval Castelgrande castle in Bellinzona, Switzerland June 2, 2019. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann - RC12BFE3FFB0

Trump, Pompeo give new priority to diplomacy with Iran

While many see a shift in tone rather than substance, the diplomatic channel seems to be heating up.

Interview

Sen. Van Hollen challenges Trump's bypass of Congress on Saudi Arabia, Iran

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen describes efforts to curtail the Trump administration’s Gulf policies.

Chris Van Hollen

Chris Van Hollen

US Senator from Maryland

Iranian president Hassan Rouhani extends his hand to Iran's Judiciary Chief Sadegh Larijani during a swearing-in ceremony for Rouhani for a further term, at the parliament in Tehran, Iran, August 5, 2017. Nazanin Tabatabaee Yazdi/TIMA via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RC15208A0ED0

Is US pressure really uniting Iran's rival political camps?

Washington's mounting pressure on Tehran might have been expected to forge unity among Iran's rival political camps. But Iranian hard-liners seem to be seizing the moment by attacking an already weakened Rouhani administration ahead of key polls next year.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis attend a joint news conference at the medieval Castelgrande castle in Bellinzona, Switzerland June 2, 2019. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann - RC146DACCD30

Iran to US: Stand by commitments and we’ll talk

If the United States wants to resume talks, Iranian leaders have said, it should stick to the original commitments it made under the nuclear deal.