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September 14, 2026

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US President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman

Analysis

Why Trump is in no rush to join Yemen war as Houthis seize Bab al-Mandeb

The Houthis' capture of Mokha and Perim Island has dealt a major credibility blow to Yemen's Saudi-backed forces while granting the rebels a clear line-of-sight to launch missiles into one of the Middle East's most important shipping lanes. As long as they don't interfere with international commerce, Washington is likely to withhold its fire.

Jared Szuba

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

Admiral Charles Bradford "Brad" Cooper II, Commander of US Central Command speaks during a joint press conference with US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, at US Central Command (CENTCOM) headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida, on March 5, 2026. (Photo by Octavio JONES / AFP via Getty Images)

CENTCOM chief in Saudi Arabia as Yemen's Houthis seize Bab al-Mandeb

The Houthis' seizure of Mocha and Perim Island effectively puts them in a position to close the Bab al-Mandeb.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a meeting with Australia's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Richard Marles at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on September 2, 2026. (Photo by Kent NISHIMURA / AFP via Getty Images)

Analysis

Iran’s Pickaxe mountain tests limits of Trump’s military options

A secretive Pentagon innovation agency has hastened to test munitions that may penetrate deeper than the GBU-57 bombs dropped on Iran’s two main enrichment facilities.

Jared Szuba

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

Chaim Goldberg / AFP via Getty Images

Netanyahu threatens to sue Haaretz for reporting UAE warned Israel of Oct. 7 attack

The Emirati president reportedly warned that a planned attack could cause bloodshed, destabilize the region and threaten the Abraham Accords.

Latest News

Brent crude sails past $100 as Middle East war intensifies

AFPTV / AFP via Getty Images

Analysis

Israel braces for Iran attack as Trump’s economic squeeze on Tehran intensifies

TOPSHOT - Explosions from projectile interceptions by Israel's Iron Dome missile defence system are pictured over Tel Aviv on February 28, 2026. The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, with Israel's public broadcaster reporting that the Iranian supreme leader had been targeted, as the Islamic republic retaliated with barrages of missiles at Gulf states and Israel. (Photo by Jack GUEZ / AFP via Getty Images)

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

Lebanon says at least 12 killed in Israeli strikes as tensions rise in south

An excavator digs as rescuers search for survivors amid the rubble following an overnight Israeli airstrike on the village of Kfar Roummane, southern Lebanon, Sept. 7, 2026.

Analysis

Could Trump’s oil push in Venezuela upend OPEC’s energy order?

A man walks past a mural depicting oil pumps and the Venezuelan flag, with portraits of Venezuelan independence leader Simon Bolivar (L) and former late President Hugo Chavez (R), in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sept. 3, 2026.

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

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

Sep 12, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Hassan Sabzali Rahimi of Iran (blue) competes against Vladimer Khinchegashvili of Georgia (red) in the mens 57kg freestyle on the final day of the World Wrestling Championships at The Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports - RTSTUJ

Iranian wrestlers go for the gold in Rio

Iranian official says Iranian wrestlers’ “biggest challenge” at the Olympics will come from Russians and Americans.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) meets with Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in Manhattan, New York City, U.S., April 22, 2016. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - RTX2B9VC

How to kick-start Iran-US regional cooperation

Opponents of the nuclear deal in the West should understand that efforts to undermine the JCPOA only serve to reinforce in the minds of Iranians the notion that the United States cannot be trusted or engaged with on regional or other issues.

Demonstrators wave Turkish flags as they shout slogans demanding the extradition of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the Turkish government blame for a failed coup attempt last week, during a protest near the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, July 19, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTSIOIV

Turkish legislators press case for Gulen extradition

A group of parliamentarians from Turkey visited Washington to try to ease tensions with the United States following a failed July 15 coup attempt.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei departs after casting his ballot in the parliamentary election in Tehran March 2, 2012. Polls opened on Friday for a parliamentary election in Iran that will test the popularity of the clerical establishment at a time of a standoff with the West over the country's nuclear programme. REUTERS/Caren Firouz (IRAN - Tag

Khamenei calls negotiation with US 'lethal poison'

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has again criticized the nuclear deal, saying due to US-made obstacles, there have been no tangible effects for the people of Iran.

Members of al Qaeda's Nusra Front ride on a tank as they head towards their positions during an offensive to take control of the northwestern city of Ariha from forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, in Idlib province May 28, 2015. The Syrian army has pulled back from the northwestern city of Ariha after a coalition of insurgent groups seized the last city in Idlib province in northwestern Syria near the Turkish border that was still held by the government. REUTERS/Ammar Abdullah - RTR4XXNO

Al-Qaeda affiliate’s desperate 'switch' validates US Syria policy

Fear of US and Russian airstrikes on eve of Syrian offensive a sign that Jabhat al-Nusra may be feeling the heat; Turkey’s de-Gulenification campaign in context; retired Saudi general probes Israeli commitment to peace settlement.

U.S. President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton appear onstage together after his speech on the third night at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. July 27, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Barria - RTSK0DG

US election 2016: Clinton takes the stage while Trump takes the lead

Here's what happened on the campaign trail the week of July 25.

The leader of Turkey's pro-Kurdish opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) Selahattin Demirtas, makes a speech during a rally in Istanbul, Turkey, June 5, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal - RTSG2V7

Why de-escalation of Ankara-PKK clashes doesn’t mean path to peace

The Turkish government has lowered the temperature of the war against the PKK because of the prevailing chaos in the army, police and intelligence services, but this is not a step toward peace.

Iraqi defence minister Khaled al-Obeidi (2nd L) visits a training camp for Kurdish peshmerga troops in Arbil, November 3, 2014. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari (IRAQ - Tags: CIVIL UNREST POLITICS MILITARY) - RTR4COAG

Baghdad-Erbil bickering overshadows Mosul battle

Since the Iraqi central government excluded the Kurdistan Regional Government from a meeting for the anti-IS coalition in Washington, tension has been escalating between Baghdad and the Kurds, who stressed that they will not leave areas in Ninevah liberated from IS.

Iraqi Ambassador to the US Lukman Faily looks on during a ceremony to repatriate more than 60 Iraqi cultural items which had been smuggled into the US at the Iraqi consulate in Washington, DC, on March 16, 2015. AFP PHOTO/NICHOLAS KAMM (Photo credit should read NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP/Getty Images)

Iraqi envoy quit over failure to prevent IS 'tragedies'

Ambassador Lukman Faily bemoans missed opportunities to head off the Islamic State early on and elaborates on his post-diplomatic plans in an exit interview with Al-Monitor.

U.S. President Barack Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval office of the White House in Washington November 9, 2015. The two leaders meet here today for the first time since the Israeli leader lost his battle against the Iran nuclear deal, with Washington seeking his re-commitment to a two-state solution with the Palestinians. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - RTS66FE

Can Israel close US aid deal before US elections?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being pressured by his associates and the security system to conclude the US security aid deal with the current administration.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan arrives for the NATO Summit in Warsaw, Poland July 9, 2016. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel - RTSH1FO

Will Turkey be expelled from NATO?

Suggestions that Ankara is endangering its membership in the Western alliance ring hollow given what is transpiring around Turkey today.

EDITORS' NOTE: Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on leaving the office to report, film or take pictures in Tehran.
Iranian students hold up their hands as a sign of unity as they form a human chain around the Uranium Conversion Facility (UCF) to show their support for Iran's nuclear program in Isfahan, 450 km (280 miles) south of Tehran November 15, 2011. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl (IRAN - Tags: POLITICS ENERGY EDUCATION) - RTR2U1ID

Rouhani’s bet on nuke deal may cost him at the polls

One year out from their country's next presidential election, Iranians are wondering whether incumbent Hassan Rouhani will pay a price for striking a nuclear deal with the United States — and whether the US presidential battle will play a role.