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November 8, 2026

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People vote on Election Day during the midterm elections

Analysis

From sanctions relief to deterrence: How Iran reads US elections

Iran's negotiators now view US elections through the lens of political pressure and the costs of conflict, while even Javad Zarif frames diplomacy as part of deterrence.

Jamshid Jamshidi

By Jamshid Jamshidi

MEHMET ESER/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Will Democrats block Trump’s push to deliver Turkey F-35s, lift sanctions?

Democratic control of Congress complicates Turkey’s push for F-35s and sanctions relief, but Ankara remains hopeful Trump can still broker a deal.

Barin Kayaoglu

By Barin Kayaoglu

In Ankara, reporting on geopolitics and national security

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, speaks during a press conference

Explainer

Who will lead Congress? Democrats weigh Schumer alternatives, Jeffries bid

A number of contenders have emerged as challengers to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, including strong critics of the Iran war and US support to Israel.

Tump

Can Trump turn midterm defeat into Iran breakthrough?

Although Iran may have contributed to Republican losses in midterms, the Trump administration still has a historic opportunity in the Middle East.

Latest News

Feature

Emboldened Democrats gear up to challenge Trump over Iran war, Gulf business ties

A protest sign is seen near the White House the day after Election Day

Elizabeth Hagedorn

By Elizabeth Hagedorn

In Washington, DC, reporting on diplomacy, regional politics, human rights

Explainer

Democrats’ midterm sweep tests US-Israel ties as Eisenkot vows reset

An aerial view shows a campaign billboard depicting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the Likud party and President Donald Trump in Tel Aviv, on Oct. 26, 2026, on the eve of Israel's legislative elections.

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

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reviews the troops at the Defense Ministry in Paris, France, October 23, 2017. REUTERS/Thibault Camus/Pool - RC1519A4B040

Egypt accuses Congress of raining on Sisi's parade

Egyptian officials have reacted with anger to a US congressional resolution on the persecution of Copts in Egypt, laying blame on the Muslim Brotherhood and saying comments critical of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi ruined Jan. 25 celebrations.

Ankara uses Afrin campaign to showcase Turkish-made weapons

Amid snubs by Western arms suppliers, leaders in Ankara are eager to highlight progress in the Turkish defense industry during the military offensive on Afrin.

Can Europe save the Palestinian Authority?

Threats by President Donald Trump to cut assistance to the Palestinians could lead to opening the door to the European Union in the diplomatic as well as economic realm of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Iran hopeful about Europe remaining in nuclear deal

Iran’s deputy foreign minister has expressed satisfaction with Europe's resistance to US pressures to kill the nuclear deal.

Olive Branch wins Erdogan friends at home, but risks standoff with US

Despite the success of Ankara's Syrian military operation in closing Turkish ranks around him, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has raised the possibility of a military confrontation between Turkey and the United States.

Jordan, Israel resume frosty relations

It appears that Jordan has quietly accepted Israel’s apology for the killing of two Jordanians by an Israeli Embassy guard in Amman without the perpetrator being put on trial.

Students walk at the campus of the Ariel University Centre in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ariel September 13, 2012. An Israeli government move to upgrade Ariel University Centre in the occupied West Bank to a full-fledged university has put the 30-year-old school at the centre of a debate at the core of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: how the settlements will figure in defining a future Palestinian state. Picture taken September 13, 2012. To match Feature PALESTINIANS-ISRAEL/SETTLEMENTS REUTERS/Ro

Israel moves forward with gradual annexation of West Bank

The latest proposal to apply Israeli law on West Bank higher education institutions is part of the settlers’ strategy to gradually annex Palestinian lands.

Buildings are seen on a coast line in Doha, Qatar June 5, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer - RC19BDD1CE80

Qatar visit to the US aims to break Gulf gridlock

Qatar is using a high-level visit to Washington to get the Donald Trump administration’s support to broker a deal to end the monthslong Saudi-led embargo.

Trump puts Israeli-Palestinian security coordination at risk

Threats by US President Donald Trump to cut aid to the Palestinian Authority endangers the so-called Dayton Force and their security coordination with Israel.

A fighter from Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) sits on a curb as he holds his weapon in Raqqa, Syria September 25, 2017. REUTERS/Rodi Said - RC17FB8BC0B0

Is US bailing on Syrian Kurds?

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ignores appeals for restraint in northern Syria, appears to have gotten Washington to end support for the YPG.

Security forces aim their weapons as take positions during clashes with gunmen in Kerdasa, a town 14 km (9 miles) from Cairo September 19, 2013. Egyptian security forces clashed with gunmen on the outskirts of Cairo on Thursday as the army-backed government moved to reassert control over an Islamist-dominated area where militants staged a bloody attack on a police station last month. REUTERS/Stringer (EGYPT - Tags: POLITICS CIVIL UNREST MILITARY) - GM1E99J1SNE01

US military aid to Egypt under scrutiny on uprising’s anniversary

The Donald Trump administration has taken a harder line on military assistance to Egypt as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi moves away from Washington.

Supporters of the Transitional Southern Council attend a rally to demand the secession of south Yemen, in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen July 7, 2017. REUTERS/Fawaz Salman - RC129FE53400

Yemen’s southern separatists take case to Congress

Yemen’s UAE-backed secessionists have hired a US lobby firm to build support for their cause as they threaten to overthrow the UN-backed government in Aden.

United Arab Emirates