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July 16, 2026

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US Vice President JD Vance speaks at the Wisconsin Air National Guard facility at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport on July 8, 2026, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Vance says Israeli intelligence had ties to Epstein: What to know

Vice President JD Vance has grown more critical of Israel, possibly in an effort to capitalize on changing views among voters with an eye on the 2028 presidential election.

DAVOS, SWITZERLAND - JANUARY 22: U.S. President Donald Trump (C) sits in between Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan (L) and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev during a signing ceremony for the “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on January 22, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland. The US-backed “Board of Peace” is intended to administer the fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip after the war between Israel and Hamas. The final makeup of the board has not been confirmed. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/G

Trump taps Russia-born investor to oversee $200M+ fund backing Armenia-Azerbaijan corridor

The appointment of Chicago-based investor Konstantin Sokolov to oversee a $200 million fund marks a new phase for Washington's proposed trade and transportation route linking Azerbaijan, Armenia and Turkey.

Latest News

Analysis

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

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

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

US President Donald Trump gestures as he steps off Air Force One to board the new Qatari-gifted Boeing plane, en route to the United States following his participation in the NATO Summit at Royal Air Force Mildenhall on July 8, 2026, in Mildenhall, England.

Syria, US hold first business forum since sanctions relief: What to know

A man holds a Syrian flag across the street from the White House after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with President Donald Trump at White House in Washington, on Nov. 10, 2025.

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

U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump welcome Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., March 5, 2018. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1A43C3C000

Israel prepares for 'May Madness'

Israeli sources believe President Donald Trump will abandon the Iranian nuclear deal in May and are analyzing the possible outcomes of a number of other events anticipated that month.

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani delivers remarks at a news conference during the United Nations General Assembly in New York City, U.S. September 20, 2017. REUTERS/Stephanie Keith - RC1D88E5F060

If Trump will meet with Kim, why not Rouhani?

The White House could signal to Saudi leader Mohammed bin Salman that the time has come to give diplomacy a chance to end the wars in Yemen and Syria.

Saudi Arabia looks to expand its footprint in Iraq

Following decades of setbacks and years of a rift, Saudi Arabia's rapprochement with Iraq and its support for stability there is accelerating, in what is deemed to be a fundamental change in the relations between the two countries.

Turkey doubles down in pastor row with US

American pastor Andrew Brunson, behind bars in Turkey on terrorism-related charges, risks up to 35 years in jail in a politically loaded case that critics describe as “an eclipse of reason.”

Jordan fears collapse of de-escalation zone in southwest Syria

Jordan seems worried the fighting in Syria’s eastern Ghouta could hit near its borders amid claims of strikes by Syrian jets against rebel-held areas in Daraa.

The path to a nuclear-free Middle East

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should understand that he cannot forge a unified front with Saudi Arabia against the Iran-led Shiite axis while thwarting Saudi plans for commercial nuclear energy.

WASHINGTON, DC - FEBRUARY 13: Central Intelligence Agency Director Mike Pompeo testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee in the Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill February 13, 2018 in Washington, DC. The intelligence chiefs were called to testify to the committee about 'world wide threats.' (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

State Department shake-up leaves Qatar hanging

President Trump’s ouster of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson knocks out a leading champion for resolving the monthslong Qatar crisis in the Persian Gulf.

Aya Hijazi, an Egyptian-American woman detained in Egypt for nearly three years on human trafficking charges, meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, U.S., April 21, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC15FBA0C5D0

Egyptian-Americans launch human rights push ahead of Sisi re-election

Trump helped free NGO worker Aya Hijazi from prison. Now she’s leading the charge against his Egypt policy.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu meets U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Ankara, Turkey, February 16, 2018. REUTERS/Cem Ozdel/Pool - RC168F133660

Tillerson's departure could disrupt US-Turkey progress

With US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson leaving office, critical Turkey-US plans to meet about Syria could be delayed as Ankara recalibrates to face incoming Mike Pompeo.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson look up during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, U.S., November 20, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RC1F667E9200

Iranian media compares Trump to Ahmadinejad amid Tillerson dismissal

Iranian media draw parallels between President Donald Trump and Iran’s former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad amid the dismissal of Rex Tillerson.

Palestinians pin hopes on Pompeo

The Palestinian leadership hopes that the friendship between intelligence chief Majid Faraj and Mike Pompeo, who will soon be appointed US secretary of state, will help thaw relations between Washington and Ramallah.

Representative Mike Pompeo (R-KS) arrives to testify before a Senate Intelligence hearing on his nomination of to be become director of the CIA at Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., January 12, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RC139B6C6070

Iran deal advocates prepare to battle Pompeo nomination

President Trump’s pick to replace Rex Tillerson at the State Department has called the Iran agreement “disastrous” and threatened military action against Iran.